MacBooks said to get Core Duo, iSight

Information (or totally baseless and unfounded rumors, depending on how you look at it) is starting to flow about Apple's upcoming consumer laptops, which we previously learned would sport 13.3-inch displays and would be manufactured for Apple by Taiwan's Asustek. According to AppleInsider, the new MacBooks (and, yes, it looks like that will almost certainly be the name, as Apple continues to consolidate all of its computers under the "Mac" brand) will indeed have that 13.3-inch widescreen display, along with Core Duo processors running at 1.67 GHz or higher. That should be good news to those who speculated that, like the entry-level Mac mini, the MacBooks would be limited to Core Solo chips. Other specs are expected to include a built-in iSight camera, magnetic latch and MagSafe power adapter. AppleInsider also says that the computers are due to be announced sooner than the June timeframe claimed in earlier rumors. One thing we can confirm is that the new laptops won't include Lenovo's patented armor and hoverjets, so be sure to keep them away from Hummers.

("MacBook" design by William W from our WWJD 3 contest.)

[c_taylor @ Apr 7th 2006 4:05PM]

Sweet, give me the power of a mbp in a 13.3" form factor.

[Dan @ Apr 7th 2006 4:06PM]

The term "MacBook" is a smart move, because consumers aren't attributing the Macintosh moniker to hits like the iPod.

I remain pleased with my recent decision to buy a 12-inch PowerBook, as it seems no 13.3-inch model is planned for the MacBook Pro line.

[Dave T. @ Apr 7th 2006 4:10PM]

Yes, but more importantly, will it come in black?

[Dan @ Apr 7th 2006 4:11PM]

First comment, oh snap!

[ronnie @ Apr 7th 2006 4:13PM]

If it isn't flaming hot, with a hum, constantly running fan, and flickering screen I will be first on line to buy one.

[cyberdork @ Apr 7th 2006 4:16PM]

The question is: plastic or aluminium?

[Tom @ Apr 7th 2006 4:21PM]

So these come with core duo processors?

What exactly is the difference between the macbook and macbook pro, then?

Do you really need two processors in a low cost consumer laptop?

I dont get it

[Allan Alfabet @ Apr 7th 2006 4:25PM]

Powder coated white or black aluminum, with a supa fine glossy sheen!

[Patrick @ Apr 7th 2006 4:26PM]

I saw this along time ago you might like to check it out. http://reviews.cnet.com/Steve_Jobs_shows_off_the_MacBook_Pro/4660-3121_7-6416160.html

[CrazyC @ Apr 7th 2006 4:31PM]

umm... guys - full specs here: http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/ (a little more than rumors I'd say)

[Mikey @ Apr 7th 2006 4:32PM]

CARBON FIBER!

[James @ Apr 7th 2006 4:38PM]

CrazyC: Did you not read the article? It's talking about the future MACBOOK, not the MACBOOK PRO.
Geez

[dimitri @ Apr 7th 2006 4:41PM]

I bet, this one will be called MacBook Express!!

[AndyH @ Apr 7th 2006 4:42PM]

CrazyC: This posting is about the upcoming "MacBook" laptop, not the MacBook Pro which is currently available.

[badnegro @ Apr 7th 2006 4:43PM]

@ CrazyC

Hey sport, great job on finding info about the MacBook*PRO* there tiger...

[Dave T. @ Apr 7th 2006 4:43PM]

I think CrazyC is trying to demonstrate the confusion that is likely to occur from the similar names.

[Erick @ Apr 7th 2006 4:48PM]

No mention of Front Row... should I RTFA?

[ogvor @ Apr 7th 2006 4:48PM]

PowerMac
iMac
eMac
Mac Mini
MacBook Pro
Mac Book
What's next, the MacPod?

[CrazyC @ Apr 7th 2006 4:50PM]

oops - perhaps I should read things more thoroughly (obviously)... confusion could indeed abound here... but I'll leave it up to the ad wizards to come up with this stuff - but I probably could have gone for months without realizing there was a real difference between the two. Consumer vs. Professional - such a crock of a selling point.

[James @ Apr 7th 2006 4:54PM]

CrazyC is right about that point, there doesn't seem to be any really large difference between the 2, like there was in the iBooks and PB's, but I'm guessing the MacBook won't have the same bus speeds, HD sizes, etc, so there will be a difference, but I dunno how noticeable it will be to consumers. I'm just hopin for a decent proc. and I'll buy one right away when they come out.

[Jared Dilg @ Apr 7th 2006 5:08PM]

Ok, can anyone reasonably speculate what kind of video card this machine will come with? A friend of mine is in the market for a new small-sized Core-Duo laptop that can play 3D games. With the release of Bootcamp, the MacBook might work.

[James @ Apr 7th 2006 5:15PM]

@ Jared Dilg

I think possibly a Radeon 9700 w/ 64VRAM? I think something w/ 64MB dedicated VRAM would prolly be it, but it may be integrated graphics like the mini, although I think highly unlikely.

[c_taylor @ Apr 7th 2006 5:17PM]

#20, sony vaio sz series. 13.3" screen, nVidia 7400, 1.8 core duo, 3.7-4lbs. that is unless you want a mac...

[Cope with it @ Apr 7th 2006 5:31PM]

They kept iMac so why won't they keep the iBook?
Released as x86:
Mac mini
MacBook Pro
iMac

What I think:
iBook
Mac Pro
MacBook mini (a origami like thing)
Xserve

eMacs will not be updated... Mac mini replaced them.

[Kevin @ Apr 7th 2006 5:35PM]

A Mac is a computer, so naturally moving the names of the computers to some that includes "Mac" makes sense. Mac OS X, iMac, MacBook Pro, etc etc etc. These things have to do with computers.

To assume that they change the name of the iPod to something with Mac is plain idiotic. The iPod is not a computer and therefore would never recieve a name that includes "Mac".

Don't you now anything about product naming? Uniformity.

[Santiago @ Apr 7th 2006 5:37PM]

ooh... i like the thought of apple making a glossy black macbook. just need to reduce the scratch factor.

my prediction: next revision of the macbook pro will come with a two-button trackpad. the mighty mouse was the first step towards this, and now boot camp means apple users need the capability to right-click.

[Kevin @ Apr 7th 2006 5:39PM]

@ the video card comments:

I don't think apple is going to step back to a 9700. We will see something like an X800 or something in that line. COnsidering the MBP has an x1600 an x800 seems logical. 64MB seems right, but a 128MB will be available i bet. Just my .02

[Kevin @ Apr 7th 2006 5:45PM]

Wow, lots of idiots today!

@Santiago:

The Mighty Mouse has two buttons because it makes sense for a mouse that is not in close proximity to the keyboard to have two buttons.

Think about it. When I am on my powerbook my hands are what, and inch away from the ctrl, so i ctrl+click to right click. When I am using a mouse that has one mouse button I have to reach my other hand over to right click? No way! From a convienence standpoint having two buttons makes sense. To put two buttons on an apple notebook would not be very useful. And to do it for Windows users on top of that. Ha. That will be the day.

[Paul @ Apr 7th 2006 5:47PM]

If they try to differentiate the MB from the MBPro by using Intel Integrated Graphics instead of a decent video chipset there will be some very sad consumers indeed.

[japlecz @ Apr 7th 2006 5:49PM]

do you remeber: "You can have it in every color you want if you choose black" (white in our case:))) Henry Ford about model T.

[Paul @ Apr 7th 2006 5:49PM]

My bet is someone will aftermarket a split trackpad button for XP booters...

[Geqxon @ Apr 7th 2006 6:10PM]

I am thinking the new name will be...


Big Mac!

[Rich @ Apr 7th 2006 6:15PM]

When these "Macbooks" come out in June/July..
the Macbooks PROs are going get they're upgrades as well. Remember Apple usually upgrades steadily and quarterly.

Macbook Pros will probably have 2 ghz + by June/July and the new Macbooks will have 1.6 - 1.83. My Guestimate.

[Bo @ Apr 7th 2006 6:16PM]

Maybe instead they'll stick with the one-button trackpad and use something like SideTrack http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/ to do right-button functionality straight on the trackpad. After all, most of the time we're left- clicking anyway, and it does somehow look better aesthetically to have the one button...

[elmo @ Apr 7th 2006 6:17PM]

Why would they change the name of the iBook to the MacBook and leave the iMac name in place?

Maybe once the entire line is moved over to intel we will see a redesign done on the iMac along with a name change.

And where is that darn iPhone/PDA/Remote for home networks? Come on Apple this is the next step if you really want to control the living room you're going to have to be able to control the entire house, otherwise we will all be stuck using Windoze to turn on our lights and start our coffee makers.

[Santiago @ Apr 7th 2006 6:25PM]

kevin, you're reight... there are lots of idiots... tag, you're it!

the rumors say that apple's goal for Leopard is virtualization. whether or not that is true, the big picture is to lure windows users to the mac with the thought that they can always use Boot Camp to run their Windows apps on their Mac. why would Windows users buy a laptop that CANNOT right-click? (ctrl+click is an OS X thing and doesn't work in Windows unless Apple releases their own keyboard/mouse drivers to change this.)

in fact, Apple will probably do more that two buttons if they use the fancy patents they have for wide-touchpads.. they could come out with some truly revolutionary trackpad design. maybe something that supports gestures through their Ink program.

the fact remains that any Mac benefits from two or more mouse buttons... even OS X is a modern OS that can do a lot of features with extra buttons (dashboard, expose, aspplication launches, etc). power-users would appreciate it and that's why i think it will hit the MacBook PRO and maybe not this new 13.3" MacBook (at least not the Rev A)

[DT @ Apr 7th 2006 6:33PM]

Rumors say that the innards will be very similar to the current Intel Mac Mini...which means integrated graphics. Sorry gamers. I hope it's not true. If it has discrete graphics I would strongly consider one over a MBP.

But, I don't know how much weight to put on those rumors...the iBook is supposed to be analagous to the iMac, right? Like the MBP is to the PowerMac? So if that's the case, it would seem to make sense that the MacBook would be more like the iMac than the Mac Mini.

[Jonhimslf @ Apr 7th 2006 6:33PM]

Could they not just make the trackpad button do both? I mean, technically the Mighty Mouse or whatever it's called is one button but is pressure sensitive. On my iBook I can click either side of the trackpad button, so why couldn't clicking on the right be a right click and on the left be a left click?

[scott mcqueen @ Apr 7th 2006 8:00PM]

@ Jonhimslf

Dude, i didnt even think of that, that makes perfect sense

i'd like to see these in a matte black, i would so consider switching over to the fruit-side...

[Geqxon @ Apr 7th 2006 8:08PM]

They could just make the mousebutton on the touchpad just like a regular spacebar. A sensor on the left ? a sensor on the right.

Would make perfect sense.

[nekit19 @ Apr 7th 2006 8:26PM]

whatever happened to the iBook for students with a pricetag of $999 ??? is this it or is that gonna be a separate one!?!

[eric @ Apr 7th 2006 9:51PM]

m3g@bY7e...

[applesucksLeo @ Apr 7th 2006 11:33PM]

Dual Layer DVD recording is absent from the new MacBook Pro and the drive speed has been cut in half because of size/heat limitations. And speaking of heat, the new MacBook Pro is generating more real heat than Apple hoped for, causing countless early adopters to return their units (not to mention other problems, such as bad Airport reception).
And no ability to right-click...poor Apple...kinda rotten.Control-click?...How Lame.

[william @ Apr 8th 2006 7:47PM]

ew
think about it: a black laptop with the white apple logo?
sounds disgusting to me

they should stick with the current white and titanium

[Danny Purdue @ Apr 8th 2006 9:39PM]

ApplesucksLeo:

There is absolutely an ability to right-click in OS X. Get your two button mouse, and plug it in. It will be working faster than it would in XP. Want your 5-bajillion button mouse? Hook it up.