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10-hour MacBook delicately disassembled, battery transplanted into earlier model
Not a single day passes since Apple refreshed the MacBook and already the fine folks at iFixit are on the job. For the most part, its full disassembly is business as usual, as only a few components -- CPU, GPU and battery -- have changed since the last go-round. That last is of special interest, however, because iFixit says the battery is exactly the same shape as its former -- all you have to do to get an extra 350 mAh for your existing plastic MacBook is to drop in a refreshed battery. Mind you, the new cells weigh more and it's likely the new silicon that's actually responsible for 10 hours of battery life, but should your Li-ion pack fail under warranty, your older MacBook might be returned with more juice than you'd bargained for. See the full teardown at our source link.
Apple's new MacBook unboxing and hands-on!
We just took delivery of Apple's new MacBook -- it's an interesting revision to the MacBook formula, built using the same unibody techniques as the Aluminum Pros but with white plastic. That means it feels much more solid than the previous plastic MacBooks: there's zero flex when you pick it up by a corner, and the keyboard is nicely rigid. There's a price for that heft, though -- the battery is now sealed in, although we're guessing it won't be too hard to replace if you remove the soft-touch rubber bottom panel. Unlike the Pros, the screen is still set in by a plastic bezel instead of edge-to-edge glass, which means it's a little less glossy overall -- but make no mistake, it can still serve as a mirror in a pinch. Ports are looking pretty dismal -- there's no FireWire, no SD card slot, no dedicated line-in. Instead you get just two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, Mini DisplayPort, and a combo headphone / line-in jack. That's pretty weak in a thousand-dollar machine. We're going to spend some more time playing with this thing before we dish out a proper review, though -- anything you want to know? %Gallery-75975%
MacBook goes unibody, available today
Like a bat out of hell, Apple has just shuttled a new, unibody MacBook in the gadget world's direction. The new model -- which looks like an arctic, glossy version of the familiar 13-inch MacBook Pro line -- will be landing in stores today (yes, today), with a familiar price tag: $999. In terms of changes, besides the new, high-test plastic casing (built in the same fashion as the aluminum MacBook Pros) the 13-incher boasts a LED-backlit display, new glass multitouch trackpad, and a built-in, "7 hour" battery. Inside the single SKU will be a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM (upgradable to 4GB), an NVIDIA 9400M GPU, 250GB hard drive and the old standby SuperDrive. We had a chance to play around with the laptop, and it's pretty snazzy for a hunk of plastic. The surface is super slick (AKA super fingerprint friendly), though the base of the laptop utilizes a soft-touch, non-slip surface that's nice to handle. The display certainly is brighter and better looking than the previous model, though the one on the desk we saw was slightly dimmer than we would prefer -- in its defense it was sitting right next to a super bright iMac. As stated, the new model can be picked up right this very second at stores around the globe, and we'll have a much closer look very soon -- so stay tuned! A full spec breakdown is after the break. Update: Check out our hands-on! %Gallery-75975% %Gallery-75964%
Apple about to unveil refreshed plastic MacBooks?
The white plastic MacBook has been looking pretty lonely at the bottom of Apple's lineup ever since all the unibodies went Pro, but we'd been hearing Apple had some grand plans for the low-end -- and now AppleInsider says revised MacBooks in a thinner, sleeker shell have hit manufacturing and could launch "in the coming weeks" alongside that rumored iMac refresh. AI also says there are hints at a new-school integrated battery and a white plastic case, but we'll see what happens -- anyone think Apple might cut prices below $999?
Polycarbonate MacBook to live on, be redesigned?
It might seem like Apple's been ignoring its non-Pro MacBook line lately -- even doing hardware updates on the sly -- but consumers haven't, and they've been lapping up that solitary SKU with unabated enthusiasm. No surprise then that Cupertino would have bigger plans on the horizon, and AppleInsider claims Apple's engineers are already hard at work on an "industrial design overhaul" for the humble 13-incher, with some configurations expected to come in under the current $999 price point. Great news if you're lusting after a Mac, but still want to be able to buy groceries -- right, Giampaulo?
