UnibodyMacbook
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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.
The greatest Apple product leaks of all time
There's been much buzz these past couple of days around the leaked images and videos of the 4th generation iPhone. Despite the current hubbub, secrecy is at the heart of the Apple ethos, and it serves two primary purposes: to protect trade secrets, and to create a buzz. When products leak, it's like finding out about your own surprise party. Most of the fun is gone. Hell hath no fury like Steve Jobs finding out about leaked Apple products. Over the past decade, Steve has had many reasons to unleash his anger about leaked products; let's take a look at the rogue's gallery.
Unibody MacBook dips to $728 educational pricing
As you may recall, we weren't exactly overflowing with praise for Apple's new polycarbonate unibody MacBook in our review a couple of months back. It's not that it's a bad laptop (though it does certainly have some shortcomings), it's just that it didn't quite feel like $999 of laptop. But $728? Now that's a bit more like it. While it's unfortunately not a permanent price drop, or even a sale that's available to everyone, that is the price that at least some students and educators can now snag the entry-level MacBook for. It's not clear how long that price will last though, as the regular educational pricing for the laptop is now apparently $899. [Thanks, iSandy] Update: From the looks of it, this "deal" is limited to the University of Maryland, College Park. Go Terps! Update 2: Looks like the page has been yanked -- you snooze, you lose! Thanks John!
Border security guards kill -- literally kill -- a MacBook (update: video!)
Young American woman travels over to Jerusalem to meet some friends, see the sights, live the life. Overzealous border security officers ask her a bunch of questions, take issue with her answers, and a few well-placed bullets later she is allowed entry into the country with a somewhat altered MacBook in tow. So what can we all learn from this incident? Firstly, back up all the data you consider important; B, Israeli policemen don't mess about; and 3, distressed laptops look gorgeous no matter how they got there -- just look at the way the glass trackpad has wrinkled up from the force of the bullet penetrating near it, it's a borderline work of art. The young lady in question has been promised compensation, but lest you think this is a one one-off you can see pictures of an equally dead Dell at the Flickr link below. We've got a couple more close-ups of the ravaged MacBook after the break. [Thanks, Itai N.] Update - We've tracked down a video interview with Lily herself, which shows off a few more angles of the former MacBook and current article of modern art -- check it after the break. P.S. - As always, we encourage a discussion. A sensitive, intellectual, worldly discussion. If you can't infer what it is we're asking of our dear readers tempted to intone on this matter, then please skip commenting on this thread, mkay?
How would you change Apple's unibody MacBook?
Quietly unveiled alongside the 27-inch iMac and the Magic Mouse was this: Apple's attempt to force the unibody construction that we've already seen used on its MacBook Pro into the lowly MacBook line. This 13-incher didn't revolutionize Apple's low-end laptop line, but it did add a pinch of style and an integrated "7-hour" battery while keeping the price tag steady at $999. We certainly had our fair share of gripes when testing this scuff-magnet out, but now that you've had nearly two months to toy around with your own, we're anxious to hear what you'd do different next time. Is the build quality up to your standards? Are you still weeping uncontrollably as you search in vain for a FireWire 400 port? Is the 9400M GPU potent enough for you? Did this honestly deserve to be priced at a few hundies less? Feel free to unleash hot fury in comments below -- maybe ole Steve will feel the heat.
Unibody MacBook (late 2009) review
We'll just come out and say it: we're totally underwhelmed by the new plastic MacBook. Hell, we were underwhelmed by the old plastic MacBook back in June, when we reviewed the refreshed unibody MacBook Pros -- we said we were "honestly left wondering" why the $999 plastic model continued to exist when the $1,199 13-inch Pro was obviously superior. So when we heard the first whispers that Apple was working on a total overhaul of its low-end MacBook, we naturally assumed that it would either gain in features or drop in price -- but neither one of those things happened. The new plastic MacBook remains priced at $999 in its only configuration, and while it's been updated with the same unibody construction as the Pros, it's also lost some features along the way. So... what's going on here? Did Apple just blow a huge opportunity to totally re-think its low-end formula, or is there more to the MacBook than the spec sheets and price tags say? Read on to find out. %Gallery-75975%
A video walkthrough of Apple's newest additions (Unibody MacBook, iMac, Magic Mouse)
Sure, you've seen the hands-on posts and the PR, but have you really gotten a look at Apple's new gear? Join us for a quick and spirited walkthrough of the goods. You won't be disappointed. Or you might be. It really depends on how picky you are.
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%
