A bit of the expected and a dollop of sheer surprise.
What was not expected—Apple has announced an all-new MacBook, slimmer and lighter than anything it has ever made.
What was expected—the specification upgrades to the existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Retina line-up.
We take a closer look at the new laptop, and how it is different from the existing ones.
The new MacBook
It weighs just 0.92kg and measures just 13.1mm at its thickest point. This makes it the lightest MacBook ever, 24% thinner than the MacBook Air. This is a fan-less design, which means there are no moving parts inside the laptop and no vents to spoil the look.
Users can select from two processor options, which can be further tweaked. The first is the 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, and the second option packs in a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor; both can be upgraded to a 1.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor.
All this slimness and portability does come at a cost though, and that can be an issue if you like to connect multiple USB devices to the machine at the same time. The MacBook has just one USB-C port. It supports higher wattage charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) data transfer and DisplayPort 1.2 standards, but you will need to buy adapters to get all this to work smoothly.
The MacBook has a 12-inch IPS LED screen, with a resolution of 2,304x1,440 pixels. Apple says this is the thinnest display panel it has ever used in a MacBook and uses 30% less battery than the displays on the existing MacBook Pro Retina.
It also features the all-new Force Touch trackpad. This has built-in force sensors that allow users to customize clicks based on the amount of pressure needed to register each of those clicks. This trackpad also has a new gesture called Force Click, a dual combo of a click followed by a heavier press, customized for tasks unique to the software you may be using at the time—get the definition of a word while writing a document, quickly see a map while searching for an address or glance at a preview of a file in any folder.
The MacBook is following the colour portfolio of the iPhone and the iPad—gold, silver and space grey.
Pricing: The 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300 variant is priced at Rs.99,900, while the 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300 variant costs Rs.1.19 lakh.
Updated: MacBook Pro Retina 13
The 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina line-up has been refreshed. The new variants get the Force Touch trackpad, along with newer processors.
The updated variants are now powered by fifth-generation Intel Core processors, clocking up to 3.1 GHz, with Turbo Boost Speeds up to 3.4 GHz. The new power package also includes the faster Intel Iris Graphics 6100, and flash storage that is up to two times faster than the current 13-inch Retina. Because of the newer processor, Apple says the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display can now give up to 10 hours of battery life.
The 2.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor variant, with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB flash storage, is priced at Rs.94,900, while the 2.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB flash storage option, is priced at Rs.1,09,900. If you want something more powerful, the 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and 512 GB flash storage will cost you Rs.1.29 lakh.
Updated: MacBook Air
Apple also updated the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air, with fifth-generation Intel Core processors, Intel HD Graphics 6000 and Thunderbolt 2 ports. The 13-inch variant also gets faster flash, twice as quick as the one in the MacBook Air being sold till now.
The 11-inch MacBook Air, with a 1.6 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM and 128 GB flash storage, is priced at Rs.65,900, while the variant with 256 GB flash storage costs Rs.79,900. The 13-inch MacBook Air, with a 1.6 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM and 128 GB flash storage, will cost Rs.72,900, whereas the 256 GB flash-storage variant is priced at Rs.86,900.
