Hmmm, what's this? Did Apple
just update its lowly, $999 white
plastic polycarbonate MacBook to more closely align with its
new unibody MacBooks? Why yes, yes it has... sometime in the last 3 days according to Google's cache. So for the same $999 you now get that newer generation 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor with faster 1,066MHz frontside bus, 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory standard (up from 1GB), and integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. Whitey is still stuck with DDR2 SDRAM though, not the speedier DDR3 found in the unibodies. Disk drive and other specs (including Firewire 400) appear to be the same. Getting ready for
Snow Leopard's OpenCL GPU support are we Apple?
Update: Bluetooth received a bump from 2.0 to 2.1 as well. Anything else?
[Thanks, Uncontrol]
Read -- Old white MacBook
Read -- New white MacBook
posted Jan 21st 2009 5:27AM
Damnit, I just sent engadget the tip. Too slow!
B)
http://www.apple.com/macbook/white/
seems to have the feature updates
I just ordered a unibody MacBook a few hours ago, at that time, it said Intel GMA.....
However, the RAM is still DDR 2....
The unibody MacBook has never shipped with Intel GMA, nor DDR2.
The white MacBook this article is about is not unibody and features DDR2 memory, just like the previous white MacBooks.
WHEW that was close
i was this close to buying the old non unibody macbook
Not in the UK. If these specs were available when I got my laptop, may have gone for this macbook. Finally! One that's not too much of a rip off!
Just saw that too. I expected it when I saw the article though.
Disappointing, but I doubt I would have bought one anyway... Got to go unibody.
I just ordered my 2.0GHz Unibody Macbook yesterday, only reason why I went with it in the first place is cos of the graphics :@:@:@
Yes, in the UK.
Anybody that has ordered the old white MacBook should cancel and place a new order within a few days.
Does the motherboard actually support DDR3?
Too pricey for what it is and what's currently available.
No, still only 667mhz DDR2
tho lol i guess its cheaper to get the plastic macbook with FIREWIRE then the unibody that doesnt.
seriously, if you really dont care about the unibody enclosure, lawl
What a weird move by Apple. I expected them to simply tear through their current stock and discontinue it, not actually update it. I guess they're not prepared to lower the price in the Aluminum MacBook yet. Is the construction really that expensive?
I think those will go "undead", like the G5 family that got dragged along for a quite long way, until they had real new goods to offer - it's not the first time Apple does that, and certainly will not be last.
Maybe it's just a placeholder until the next gen of intel/nvidia goodness strikes.
Sure it is. Why do you think noone else is using aluminum construction let alone carving it out with lasers? Aluminum is very expensive as a material and also very expensive to wok with. But it is actually worth the price hike especially if you've ever had a notebook that a body construction malfunction.
Plus you can also be certain that Apple is getting one heck of a deal on those 9400 chips. It probably cost them less to use one of them than the older Intel chips. Not to mention that with Snow Leopard you will get a huge performance hit if you have Intel's excuse for a graphics card.
The unibody MacBook not only has a more expensive aluminum shell, but also a large multitouch trackpad. As a unibody MacBook owner, I can say that both features are worth at least an extra Benjamin (which is what you'll pay if find a deal like I did or shop Apple's refurb store).
I have the Unibody MacBook too. I love it. Was just honestly asking if the construction is so expensive. It'd be nice to see some figures on it!
Maybe this has to do with the Air's price as well?
If you watched the previous keynote from October, Steve Jobs stated that they'd be keeping the white MacBooks around for a long time.
Hasnt been updated here in Australia. Its still $1649 for the x3100 base model.
The white Macbook really is the ugly duckling in Apples lineup. It cracks, it creaks, it stains...the black model would of been much more suited until they switch the entire lineup to Aluminum.
Damn Apple...neglecting their core computer market. They havent been getting things right lately. Still no Mac Mini...iMacs havent been updated...Mac Pros havent been updated...
The danm iPhone put a spanner in things.
Yes, but I think the white is more iconic.
My white MacBook takes offense to your scathing comments.
we still have the old specs in the german store
2.1GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo Prozessor
1 GB DDR2 Arbeitsspeicher
120 GB Festplatte1
Intel GMA X3100 Grafikprozessor
Standard tastatur
Weiße Polycarbonatschale
Also
Height change - 1.08 to 0.95
Wieight change - new MacBook is half pound lighter!
Mini DisplayPort instead of Mini DVI => No more composite or D-vidio output, put Dual Link DVI is now possible
45Whr battery instead of 55Whr (but claims a half hour more battery life)
bigger HDD in base configuration (160Gb instead of 120Gb)
No more FireWire 400!
It does have Firewire according to Apple's "Compare" tab:
"Expansion Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port"
Which is good news :)
lol those are the alu macbook specs
DeepKeeper: That happened in October
The change now is the updates speccs on the white old MacBook, the main thing is the change from Intel GMA X3100 to NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, and also updated CPU and double memory.
oh, sorry. Of course I meaned S-VIdeo, not D-Video =)
now this is a great opportunity for all the people complaining about the lack of FW on new macbooks to put their money where their mouth is.
Not here in the New Zealand store yet either :\
Although personally I wouldn't see the point in downgrading my 2.2ghz Macbook just to get the better gfx/chipset (and lose money from selling the old MB)
On a related note, wheres our Core 2 Quad notebooks, computer industry!?
Perhaps I have my sarcasm detection turned off, but was that an attempt at humor or did you really think that you can massacre the English language and call other people stupid? If I did miss the sarcasm then let me know and I'll get my detector checked out...
Oh, this is going to be a dilemma later this year when the wife's laptop gets replaced. On the one hand you get a better hardware design with the new unibody models and DDR3 but on the other hand this model is cheaper, very close in specification and still has Firewire 400. Damn you, Apple!
Maybe it's worth to wait a bit and see if this new model is prone to cracks, like the older model.
My MacBook cracked on the palmrests twice, the bottomcase twice, the bezel once. The HDD also died. They ended up giving me the aluminum MacBook for free because of this.
Well, the upgrade isn't due until around October so I guess that's plenty of time for feedback to roll in, although I'd like to think that they sorted out any issues by now with the older MacBook design. Mind you, by then they'll probably have replaced the model entirely but I'll wait and see.
@Uncontrol: seriously? You lucky sod. Apple have a semi-official extended warranty on the white macbook's body. They'll replace it out of warranty; mine got done about 3 times.
Still the same in the UK:
2.1GHz
* Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB DDR2 Memory
* 120GB hard drive1
* Intel GMA X3100 graphics
* Standard keyboard
* White polycarbonate shell
You just wait. All the UK stores are out of stock of the old one.
Just a tip...The swedish version has the 2 Gb DDR3 Ram....
http://store.apple.com/se/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook
not is doesn't... i just copy pasted this with your link... the white MacBook is over towards the right the unibodies are over on the left if that's what you were looking at
2.1GHz
Core 2 Duo de Intel
***1 GB DDR2 Minne***
Hårddisk på 120 GB1
Grafikprocessorn Intel GMA X3100
Standardmässigt tangentbord
Skal av vit polykarbonatplast
Färdig att skickas: 3 dagar
Gratis frakt
9.495,00 kr
oops sorry...my mistake :)
Does this model have the LED screen?
It does not
feature reserved for the aluminum macbook for now
The german store just updated the specs and has listed the 2GB DDR3 memory, maybe a typo in the US store?
I thought it was stange that the White Macbook (and Unibody 2.0GHz) has been sold out in the UK EVERYWHERE (Dixons, Currys, Comet, PC World etc) since new year...
I didn't know they were still making these, it's kind of a nice surprise. I prefer the white case to the aluminum one.
I am guessing they updated this instead of discontinueing it cause this is their lowest cost MacBook and with the upcoming release of Snow Leopard that will take advantage of GPU processing this will bring it's processing power more inline with current offerings.
I think target audience for this is really the NetBook lovers that want something small and portable but don't want to really sacrifice that much. I think the price is good for what you are getting not to mention for a College student on a budget this is a great deal.
Just cause you don't think it's good or isn't for doesn't mean there isn't another 2 billion people looking at it thinking "that's perfect".
I really don't think this is 'netbook' territory. The screen is 13.3 inches, and it weighs 5.2 lbs, close to twice the weight of a netbook. The cost is $1k, twice that of a netbook.
On the flip side, its LOADED compared to a netbook with a DVD burner, 9400M gpu, firewire, C2D CPU. It's just a consumer laptop. Whether you choose this or a netbook of some sort, you get what you're paying for, but I wouldn't exactly try and conflate the two.
You can also buy it with 320GB Harddrive now!
Now they just need to reduce its diagonal measure by about 4" ... and reduce the price accordingly. Then I'll buy one.
"Whitey is still stuck with DDR2 SDRAM though"
really? seriously? i know there is a double-standard... but you should probably skip using pretty much any word listed on this page as a descriptor :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs
especially when use of said term is consistently used as a derogatory ethnic slur vs. having any realistic legitimate use. unlike say 'yellow'... which is has legitimate non-racial uses... obviously.
would you have referred to the black MacBook as 'darkie'? i mean... it would be as 'technically' correct as the racist filth you printed. so why not?
Sigh. Your post basically sums up what is wrong with this country.
Being politically correct does not make u big or clever, no matter which country you come from
Ok, how about stopping YOUR racism and not reading racism where there is none? Whitey clearly referred to the snow white notebook that is almost a trademark of Apple for the last ten years or so.
I think that WHITEY would make a great notebook for someone looking to enter the Apple notebook-user's club and I also think it will be a viable machine for them for a good amount of time. Even with DDR2, it's still a powerful entry level book and will do any task that people buy entry-level books to do. I think it would even game to some extent (but really, who seriously games on a laptop?).
I would be very tempted to get WHITEY just to have the FireWire 400. I use Target Disk Mode extensively and the lack of FW on the new book is why I won't buy it. To image the ones at work, I had to pull the hard drives and install them into a Mac Pro to be imaged. Fortunately this design also (brilliantly!) made the hard drive very easily accessible, so that mitigates it slightly. All in all there is still much to recommend the classic WHITEY design.
See, if any other OEM re-released a notebook, you either wouldn't care and not post anything, or just slip it in quietly, with the headline
"XXXX re-releases YYYY, still doesn't make us want it"
Check out the installed software on the Tech Specs page of this beast... it's got iLife 09 listed. Probably not news but if this guy is shipping in 4-6 days that means iLife 09 could be shipping soon too! I can't wait to make my Final Cut Express worthless!
Oh those bastards. I just got an Asus (with better specs really) because the new MacBook doesn't have FireWire. Had I known about this I would've waited the 4 weeks and gotten the update MacBook instead. BLARG!
Fake, how can this be possible? They didn't have a huge conference to tell everybody they were changing it...
You have to be retarded to replace the word 'to' with '2' and the word 'you' with 'u' all the while expecting people to take you seriously.
Old RAM specs, 667 MHZ, do better reporting jackass
They did have the Ram listed correctly. FSB =/= Ram Speed.
Actually, I just noticed something else: does "retarted" mean that my affections are negotiable, or that I am covered in jam? Possibly even both? You decide.
Is it ever possible to be current/cutting edge for over 2 wks in this stuff?
YES THERE WAS A TYPO... APPLE NOW SAYS ITS DDR3 w/ 1066GHz
Source?
go to http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook?mco=MTE3MzM
Followed that link, and it says DDR2. You sure you're not looking at the Al version?
I wonder if the mounts/screw holes are the same for everything. I have taken apart a few macbooks at work to replace screens, optical drives. I wonder if I got this I could transplant the guts into my black one at home, then sell the resulting downgraded white one on ebay/craigslist.
Lol, I was wondering the exact same thing! Probably some reason it wouldn't quite work, but here's hoping.
A welcome update.
Nice, I just spent an extra $300 for a chuck of Aluminum and a couple extras such as a bigger trackpad and DD3...
This sounds like something Apple would do. I do however love my Macbook so it's no big deal I guess. It's just very annoying.
I bet they even had all this ready when the Aluminum Macbook was out, but held out on releasing it so the unibody would get more sales.
In this day and age I still just can not believe they only ship with 120gb hard drives..and most likely a...toshiba..
As someone who had the white MacBook and now has the Unibody, trust me, the case upgrade is worth it.
You also paid for the removal of FireWire.
Finally, I have been looking to upgrade from my powerbook but the lack of firewire has kept me from looking at the unibody macbooks. Now I don't have to save up for a macbook pro
I just think that Phil forgot to tell us at the keynote.
OMG FIRE WIRE
It's never worth it to buy an Apple product new, it costs too much. I'd just stick to a refurb and get the aluminum shell if wanted.
Plus, I'm wondering since they cut the battery on the aluminum model, does this mean that the white MacBook has more battery life?
I just spoke to Apple tech support, and they confirmed that this mobo supports ddr3 RAM.
I didn't ask about what it ships with, I assume if it's the older ram it's probably to get rid of stock, IMO.
So basically, this is the 2.0 GHz unibody macbook, without the unibody/trackpad, and with firewire 400...
I'm sold. I think I might sell my 2.4GHz penryn white macbook for this one.. the x3100 blows, and the lost clock cycles should be well compensated by the much faster FSB and 4GB DDR3 I'll put in there.
Plus, once 10.6 comes out (assuming the opencl implementation kicks as much ass as I hope it's going to), it will blow away the 2.4GHz one for sure.
No disrespect to the Geniuses cadre, but I think there's a good chance that tech support may be mistaken. The person you were talking about may not know the specs. Be careful on acting on that info before it is confirmed elsewhere.
Now I just need a black shell to have the ultimate sleeper black macbook.
Well, now we know what's going to happen to the Mini.
I guess I'll still get one even though it uses DDR2 instead of DDR3.
And so the 9400m external screen issues continue... The firewire is a nice touch, though.
Confirmed in Mexico. 9400M is comming to the White Macbook. It's already posted in apple.com.mx
It is a bit baffling to me that this MacBook won't be able to run any Apple (DisplayPort) displays. Apple has really screwed the pooch on their display connector strategy.
Why don't any of the macbooks offer 7200RPM hard drives?
Well we are in world wide recession and at least some people are more price conscious so this if for them and to keep sales up... makes sense to me.
How much RAM does the video card have?
The Australian price for the LED Display has gone down - used to be $1,499 (or $1,599, can't remember) and now the store is saying $1,299, which is still a rip off really. Apple's low cost laptop project must be behind schedule, I expected the next update to the white MacBook to bring significantly lower cost, spec, size etc.
there's a very sound logic behind doing it this way...because the faster parts are actually produced in larger volumes these days, they cost apple less then their slower counterparts (not to speak of cost saving stuff like using the same chipset - nvidia's - throughout the line) BUT, apple can't make too much noise over this... because then people might decide to buy the whites instead of the aluminums. they can't have that. this way margines throughout the lineup are staying nice and fat.....
If you look closer, the graphics state its using the 9400 256MB w/DDR2 (not DDR3 like in the unibody) Perhaps a technical oversight, as I dont think the 9400 ships with DDR2 integrated
(This is all about the graphics card. Not the system RAM)
http://www.apple.com/macbook/white/specs.html
These graphics chips are sharing the system RAM, which explains why the two models are DDR2 and DDR3 respectively.