New $999 Apple MacBook Review

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Earlier this month Apple unveiled their new redesigned entry-level notebook - the new MacBook. The new Apple MacBook has a polycarbonate unibody design for extra durability, glass multi-touch trackpad, a 13.3-inch LED backlit display, 2GB RAM, 2.26Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 250GB HDD, 8x Super Drive and a built-in 7 hour battery. Apple sells the new MacBook for $999.

Macworld has tested the new MacBook and published this review. Read more

Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:01:29 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

MacBook Pro 6.1/6.2 Coming Soon?

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Put on your rumor caps, boys and girls, we've got a big one for you. Applesfera (via MacRumors.com) has been doing some poking around inside of OS X 10.6.2. Yesterday evening, they found something interesting.

While browsing through they came upon a list of MacBook Pro support files. These files went all the way up to supporting versions 6.1 and 6.2 of the Pro. Now, the most recently shipped set of Pros carry the version 5 designation. That means OS X has support for two MacBook Pros that do not currently exist.

Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:01:49 CDT | by Robert Evans

New Apple MacBook With LED Display Unveiled

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Apple has just sent out the press release for its brand new MacBook. This update to the line has been given a polycarbonate unibody design for extra durability. It has a glass multi-touch trackpad, an LED backlit display, and a built-in 7 hour battery. This notebook is Apple's attempt to answer the netbook, both in terms of battery life and portability. It's available for $999 now.

The new MacBook weighs 4.7 pounds, and has a very sleek design. It packs some serious hardware inside its small frame, though. We're talking a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 250 GB HD, and an Nvidia Geforce 9400M integrated graphics card. All in all, that's a pretty hot little package.

Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:04:35 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Impressive Apple iMac, New Plastic MacBook, New Mac Mini Rumored For Today

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As reported over the weekend the Apple rumor mill points to a big hardware announcement today Tuesday 20th.
John Gruber on his Daring Fireball site posted a short post on what he heard Apple will unveil today. His list contains new Apple iMac, which he calls impressive. Well, I really hope they are. If the new iMac has Core i7 and SSD options, I think I will get weak. Read more

Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:45:51 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Apple MacBook Economy Line Rumored

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New rumors from AppleInsider point towards Apple introducing the most affordable notebooks in the Apple history.
The new MacBook would revolve around a redesign of the white plastic MacBook. This was already rumored last month.

The new low-cost (question remains what Low-cost means for Apple) MacBook would have a sleeker enclosure that uses Apple's latest internal battery technology. Read more

Posted on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:48:40 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Macs to Include 13" MacBook?

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If you're an Apple fan, you've probably already heard about the new wave of Macs that could be hitting imminently. The rumor is from a research firm called Wedge Partners, and they allege that new MacBooks and iMacs are hitting "in the next several weeks".

My-oh-my, that certainly sounds imminent, doesn't it? "Several weeks" is a term that is vague enough to mean, "two weeks from now" or "two months from now". Still, the idea that an update to the MacBook line is on the horizon isn't strange or new. Back in August we heard rumors of a revamp to the 13" MacBook line. It now seems very possible that the 13" MacBook could be among those Macs revised.

Posted on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:09:30 CDT | by Robert Evans

New Apple MacBook and iMac Computers Rumored

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Barron's reports that Research firm Wedge Partners sees Apple announcing new iMacs and new MacBooks in the next several weeks. Well, you can bet your house on Apple unveiling new Macs for the Holiday shopping season.
Apple unveiled the iMac 2009 back in March. The latest MacBook got unveiled in June with the 15 inch MacBook. Read more

Posted on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:35:46 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Apple To Overhaul MacBooks

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Apple's entry-level MacBooks are apparently about to see a major overhaul. AppleInsider reports that the 13” notebooks are about to be slimmed down and slashed in price. Insider reports state that, urged by the high sales of the $999 notebook, Apple intends to revamp it substantially. One analyst believes that Apple will release multiple models of MacBook, all at different sub-$1000 price points.

Apple needs to get prices down substantially in order to make their notebooks more competitive with the variety of netbooks and CULVs that have come down the pipe as of late. Increasing battery life by a large margin is believed to be a major priority of Apple's when it comes to redesigning the MacBook. It's also likely that, by using last-generation processors and components, they will be able to cut down on costs while offering a solid boost in computing power over the last generation of MacBooks.

Posted on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Refurbished Apple MacBook, Pro and Air Prices Dropped

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The Apple Store informed us about several price-drops in their refurbished department. An Apple certified refurbished 15-inch MacBook Pro with 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM and 320GB HDD can now be had for $1,599 for instance.

A refurbished MacBook with 2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM and 160GB is available for $899. Read more

Posted on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:29:07 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Apple Offers Matte 15” MacBook Screens

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While the glossy screens of the MacBook Pro line are very popular with some people, not everyone is a fan. They can be annoying to use in bright sunlight, and some research even suggests that they might be unhealthy in certain situations. For quite a while, if you didn't want a glossy screen your only option was to get the expensive 17” MacBook Pro and upgrade to a matte screen for $50.

Now, according to AppleInsider, this anti-glare option is being extended to the 15” Pro line as well. Just pay an extra $50 when buying your MacBook and you'll be good to go with a much healthier screen. The 13” MacBook line still has only glossy screen options, but now that it is the 'odd man out', perhaps Apple will consider extending the option to it as well.

Posted on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:40:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Selling Out?

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When the new 13” MacBook Pro was announced, it didn't take a genius to guess that it would sell well. Apparently though the little MacBook is exceeding all expectations. Some stores are having trouble keeping the notebook in stock. Gene Munster, an analyst for Piper Jaffray, notes that the faster version of the 13” MacBook is showing 7-10 day lead times.

This is a very substantial delay, and Munster says that it is the longest lead time ever for a 13” Apple notebook. In a phone survey of 10 Apple stores the analyst found that seven of them were short on at least one model of 13” notebook. He states that this shows MacBook demand is outpacing production, and that it may be several weeks before things normalize.

Posted on Tue, 7 Jul 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

New MacBook Pro Firmware fixes SATA Speed

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There has been a lot of buzz around the issue that the new 13 and 15 inch MacBook Pro notebooks are not supporting SATA 3Gbps drives as the former MacBook Pros. According to Apple the issue has only been reported by a small number of customers.
In any case Apple answered to the problem with a new EFI firmware update for the MacBook Pro that fixes the issue.
Apple added this disclaimer: "While this update allows drives to use transfer rates greater than 1.5Gbps, Apple has not qualified or offered these drives for Mac notebooks and their use is unsupported."
Read more

Posted on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Apple MacBook Pro Review Round-up

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Last Monday Apple updated the MacBook Pro notebook line at the WWDC 2009.
All MacBook Pro have the aluminum unibody and also prices have come down. You can choose now between a 13, 15 and 17 inch MacBook Pro. Besides more performance the battery life has increased as well quite a bit.
To see what the new MacBook Pro are offering check out the reviews of the new MacBook Pro notebooks below. Read more

Posted on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Old MacBooks and Pros on Sale!

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A whole new family of MacBook Pros are hitting the streets, and that means Apple is eager to get rid of all of their last generation MacBooks. They just sent notice to all of their stores that the old model MacBooks are to be sold off as quickly as possible on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Prices are going to vary based on which store you go to, but discounts on the old model MacBooks should be pretty significant. You can expect to get $100-300 off on 13” MacBooks, $400-800 off on MacBook Airs, and $400-500 off of MacBook Pros.

Posted on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:45:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

New MacBook Pro and New MacBook Air Details

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There are a whole bunch of new MacBook Pros in the house. Apple announced the update to their Pro line earlier today at the WWDC, and you can order your new Pro today from the Apple Store.

Posted on Mon, 8 Jun 2009 13:32:24 CDT | by Robert Evans

Apple Updates MacBook Pro Line

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Apple's earlier announcement at the WWDC has just been confirmed with a press release.
The unibody MacBook Pro notebook line has just been updated to include 13, 15, and 17 inch models, all of which pack Apple's new built-in battery. This internal battery brags a 40% longer battery life, and claims to be much more “eco-friendly” than any other laptop line on the market right now.

The new MacBook Pro line starts at $1,199 with the 13” Macbook, and Apple says that many of the new Pro models beat their predecessors by up to $300. All of the new Pros have a few features in common, including the new batteries, an LED-backlit display, a Multi-Touch trackpad, an illuminated keyboard, an SD or ExpressCard slot, and a FireWire 800 port.

Posted on Mon, 8 Jun 2009 13:21:40 CDT | by Robert Evans

New 15 inch MacBook Pro Announced at WWDC 09 and More Notebooks

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Moments ago, Phil Schiller announced the release of a brand-new MacBook Pro during his keynote address (Engadget Live Blog) at the start of the WWDC (MacRumors). This new Pro will have a 15 inch screen, and a built-in battery with a 7 hour charge. Apple claims that a 'typical user' will see roughly 5 years of use before they see any diminished battery capacity. The new batteries are supposed to last more than 1,000 charges and are billed as much more 'eco-friendly' than other notebook batteries.

This new Pro is going to be the fastest netbook Apple has ever released. It's got a 3.06 Ghz Dual Core CPU, options for up to 8 GB of RAM, up to a 500 GB hard drive or up to a 250 GB solid state drive. Those are some impressive specs, and the price is...well, less excessive than you'd imagine. $1699 is the starting price, although some builds could cost as much as $2,229.

Posted on Mon, 8 Jun 2009 12:25:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

MacBook Air To Get 3G, SSD?

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I love the smell of Apple rumors in the early afternoon. This latest batch comes from SiliconRumors.com, who MacRumors.com considers a fairly reliable source. Here's a summary of what we should expect to see from the MacBook Air in the coming months;

Posted on Wed, 27 May 2009 12:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

MacBook White gets updated

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If you've been looking for a new MacBook, now might be the time. Apple just updated their online store, and the white polycarbonate shell Macbook is up for sale now (Via 9to5Mac). Apple has already started calling it MacBook White and the updated specs look very solid. Let's take a look at what's been changed:

Posted on Wed, 27 May 2009 09:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Dell Adamo versus MacBook Air

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The new Dell Adamo got hyped to have what it takes to battle the Apple MacBook Air. Digital Trends published a comparison of the Dell Adamo and the MacBook Air.
Quote: "For those seeking the smallest, sexiest notebooks on the market, there are no closer two choices than Apple's trend-setting MacBook Air and its late-coming competitor, the Dell Adamo. Read more

Posted on Thu, 14 May 2009 15:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Quad-Core MacBooks On The Way?

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Mac sales haven't exactly been stunning in light of the incredible sales numbers the iPhone and iPod Touch have seen. The future of Apple obviously rests more with the iPhone and iPod line than it does with Macs. But, that doesn't mean that the MacBook is dead. In fact, thanks to Intel it's about to get a quad core processor.

Intel just went over its notebook plans for the near future, and the Calpella notebook platform featured heavily in them. The Calpella will be designed for 13, 15.6, 17.1, and 18.4-inch high-end notebook products. The Calpella will come in 1.6 and 1.73 GHz Core 1 Quad chips ($364 and $546, respectively), as well as a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Extreme XE chip ($1054).

Posted on Tue, 12 May 2009 09:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans