Apple MacBook Update Offers New CPUs, Longer Battery Life, and Rose Gold Color
Apple today updated MacBook with the latest Intel processors, improved graphics performance, faster flash storage and an additional hour of battery life, making the thinnest and lightest Mac better. Featuring an all-metal unibody enclosure. MacBook is now available in four aluminum finishes - gold, silver, space gray, and for the first time on a Mac, a gorgeous rose gold. With a 12-inch Retina display, highly responsive full-size keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, versatile USB-C port and all-day battery life in a design that is just 2 pounds and 13.1 mm thin.
"MacBook is the thinnest and lightest Mac we have ever made and it's our vision for the future of the notebook," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Customers are going to love this update to MacBook, with the latest processors, faster graphics, faster flash storage, longer battery life and a beautiful rose gold finish."
MacBook comes with the incredibly small and versatile USB-C port for charging, data transfer and video output in a single connector that is one-third the size of a traditional USB port. Following the introduction of USB-C on MacBook, the ecosystem of Apple and third-party USB-C accessories has continued to grow, giving users added flexibility and capability.
With no moving parts or vents, MacBook is entirely fanless for silent, efficient performance. Designed for the wireless world, MacBook is equipped with the latest wireless technologies, including built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 for fast wireless connectivity. It is perfect for tasks like streaming content from your MacBook to your Apple TV using AirPlay, exchanging files quickly using AirDrop or using wireless headphones.
Apple also today made 8 GB of memory standard across all configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Every new Mac comes with OS X El Capitan, the latest version of OS X that refines the Mac experience and improves system performance. El Capitan builds on the groundbreaking features and beautiful design of OS X Yosemite, with updates to window management, built-in apps and Spotlight search, and performance improvements to make everyday activities - like launching and switching apps, opening PDFs and accessing email - faster and more responsive.
iMovie, GarageBand and the suite of iWork apps come free with every new Mac. iMovie lets you easily create beautiful movies and you can use GarageBand to make music, or learn to play piano and guitar. The iWork suite of Pages, Numbers and Keynote makes it easy to create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iCloud let you create a document on iPhone or iPad, edit it on your Mac and collaborate with friends, even if they are on a PC.
Pricing & Availability
MacBook is available through Apple.com starting today, and in Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers starting tomorrow. MacBook comes with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.2 GHz, 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of flash storage for $1,299 (US), and with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core m5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 8 GB of memory and 512 GB of flash storage for $1,599 (US). Configure-to-order options include a 1.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core m7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz. Additional technical specifications and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/macbook.
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-Looks at my 12" Macbook with USB Type C. Throws it away-
Need a new one.
Senior Member
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Joined: 2008-12-09
It looks pretty nice.
It's interesting to see how they design their mainstream laptops, when low-end CPUs are good enough. Raw power is not enough to attract buyers.
Their fans buy it and love it I guess. The one thing I can say it that the overall build quality is definitely very nice (even though I can't justify the price). The track pad on the Lenovo I bought last year definitely leaves a lot to be desired, however the hardware is much more powerful and it was half the price.
Senior Member
Posts: 1843
Joined: 2005-08-12
I wasn't saying that to criticize them - if a weaker, more power-efficient CPU is enough, why would they put a hungry behemoth inside? My mother and a friend of mine both have Acer Nitros with 4k screen - these laptops are powerful, with great screens, GPUs, keyboards, they're pretty sturdy, light, thin, have good materials etc, at some silly price (less than entry-level MacBook from this article), but... the battery life is weak and the touchpad isn't appealing.
In my opinion, laptop vendors should work on making laptops usable without mouse (good touchpad) and lasting a day on battery. I don't say that all the laptops should be like that, just some and they shouldn't cost $2000+
Moderator
Posts: 15142
Joined: 2006-07-04
I wasn't saying that to criticize them - if a weaker, more power-efficient CPU is enough, why would they put a hungry behemoth inside? My mother and a friend of mine both have Acer Nitros with 4k screen - these laptops are powerful, with great screens, GPUs, keyboards, they're pretty sturdy, light, thin, have good materials etc, at some silly price (less than entry-level MacBook from this article), but... the battery life is weak and the touchpad isn't appealing.
In my opinion, laptop vendors should work on making laptops usable without mouse (good touchpad) and lasting a day on battery. I don't say that all the laptops should be like that, just some and they shouldn't cost $2000+
Problem is vendors cut corners all the time.
I have the first generation of the new Macbook with the USB Type C, paid $1000 for it but it is very awesome. Awesome quality, love the touch pad, love everything about it. It's awesome.
Now there are some that have recently come out that are actually surprisingly good, like the new Inspiron 5000 series from Dell that is cheaper and about the same performance and battery.
It's going to be an interesting year for laptops I think.

Senior Member
Posts: 1843
Joined: 2005-08-12
It looks pretty nice.
It's interesting to see how they design their mainstream laptops, when low-end CPUs are good enough. Raw power is not enough to attract buyers.