Hands On: Apple’s Latest MacBook

Awhile back, the internet was all abuzz over an Apple launch event, with pre-launch rumors swirling around that Apple would be introducing their refreshed lineup of laptop computers, a vague reference to a US$899 item listed in a US store’s inventory, as well as something called the ‘brick’.

As it turned out, the bulk of the pre-launch rumors proved correct. Apple had introduced new MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops, as well as an LED-backlit 24-inch Apple Cinema display (priced at US$899 over the United States), while the ‘brick’ proved to be a reference to Apple’s new way of manufacturing their laptop chassis, being milled out of entire blocks of aluminum.

Earlier today, journalists in Singapore had the opportunity to check out the new releases (for the most part) for ourselves, despite the fact that official specifications, images and whatnot were already available online since the launch in other parts of the world a couple of days ago. Nevertheless, this was a hands-on opportunity too good to pass up.

Unfortunately for us though, while the new and refreshed MacBook and MacBook Pro were both available for us to paw over, the new Cinema Display and MacBook Air weren’t.

Physically, the new MacBooks feel very similar to the older MacBook Pro (the first generation Powerbook G4 Titanium comes to mind as well). Lots of brushed aluminum everywhere. What’s immediately obvious though is the industrial design elements on the MacBook; curved corners, smooth metal almost everywhere; the chiclet-like keys on the keyboard reminiscent of the original MacBook Air. I’d safely say that Jonathan Ive and team have outdone themselves this time, as the MacBook looks nothing like what Apple intended to be their mainstream entry in their laptop lineup, but instead looks like a top-of-the-line model with a hardware spec somewhat lower on the food chain as compared to the MacBook Pro.

The kicker about the new Macbook (and Macbook Pro as well as MacBook Air) is what Apple call the Unibody Enclosure. Basically, Apple decided to make the chassis of their laptops from a single block of aluminum, with the necessary holes, gaps and spaces all milled out using CNC (computer numeric control) machinery. Long story short, this basically enabled them to build the chassis with absolute precision. This also meant that the laptop had less parts to fit together inside, therefore leading to less weight and a slimmer design overall. What’s more, since the whole process of milling the laptop chassises were computer controlled, you could literally repeat the same process over and over, and be guaranteed of a perfect fit each and every time.

Apple also did away with the singular large button found below their trackpads, and at the same time ditched the old trackpad for one made out of glass, while also making that entire piece clickable, much like, yes, one huge button. While the act of pressing on the touchpad like a button certainly will take some getting used to, the trackpad is smooth and silky to the touch. Even pressing it resulted in just the right amount of give. Apple certainly gave a lot of thought to making this work well, and i have to say, they did a damn good job of it too. Multi-touch also makes an appearance on the MacBook, up to four fingers worth.

Someone remarked that the keys on the MacBook were a little too much like the MacBook Air for comfort, but I personally think that it looks great. A nice touch is the inclusion of keyboard backlighting on the MacBook, though this will only be made available on the models running a 2.4GHz processor. The cheaper S$2,088 unit running the 2.0GHz CPU comes with a keyboard just like that, but minus the backlighting.

Briefly on the available specifications of the MacBook today; they come with Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0/2.4GHz processors, 2GB of DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, an LED-backlit 13.3-inch display, slot-loading SuperDrive (basically a DVD writer) and 160/250GB HDD. Only two SKUs are available; at S$2088 and S$2588; with the differences being the processor speed, the hard disk capacity and the backlit keyboard.

Keen-eyed Mac users will probably notice the lack of FIreWire connectivity on the new MacBook. While this decision is bound not to go down well with the legions of Mac users who still own and use peripheral devices that use FireWire, the Apple rep cited the increasingly widespread use of the USB standard, as well as pointing out that the MacBook Pro does come with FIreWire 800 connectivity as standard.

One other interesting point to note about the MacBook is the use of a glass-covered LED backlit display. Just like on other LED backlit laptops i’ve seen and used before (i.e. the Dell XPS M1330), the colors just pop out at you. The power efficiency benefits of the LED backlighting are obvious as well, though the glossy screen on the MacBook does prove a bit of a distraction. I’m not particularly a fan of glossy screens, but I do have to admit they’re great for multimedia; just not too great when in brightly lit places with lots of reflections.

I’d only managed to get some serious time with the MacBook, as the MacBook Pros on display were swarmed by journos, photographers and reporters. And no, we weren’t allowed to actually bring any back for some proper reviewing, so we only really spent maybe 20-30 minutes of quality time with the MacBook in our corner of the launch event. The updated MacBook Air and new Cinema Display were MIA as well, for some vague reason mumbled by the Apple reps on hand.

That said, the new MacBook is certainly so much more of an improvement over the older black and while MacBooks, and not just in terms of the hardware specifications, but also in terms of industrial design and aesthetics. If there ever were a product line that exemplified Apple (and Steve Jobs’) dedication to bringing to market devices that looked and felt simple while being absolutely cutting edge, the laptop lineup introduced today would certainly be it. Given that the MacBook line is apparently one of Apple’s best-selling product lines, I’d be really surprised if these babies don’t manage to outdo the previous generation in terms of units sold.

The MacBooks (and MacBook Pros) should be available to purchase at Apple resellers in SIngapore starting from tomorrow (22nd October 2008), according to the Apple rep at the launch.

Would I buy one for myself? The gadget geek in me is simply dying to buy one, that’s for sure. But the realist in me says to stick with my (still quite new) Dell XPS M1330. Plus the fact that the wife would kick me out of the house if I ever came back with a MacBook under my arm and a freshly swiped credit card in my back pocket. One can still dream, I suppose.