Dan Ackerman,
Senior Editor
June 10, 2009
Amid all the buzz about Apple's new iPhone 3G S, MacBook fans were also treated to an impressive set of component upgrades and price drops across Apple's laptop lines. With select systems changing names, others changing specs, or sometimes both, it can be a little confusing to get a clear picture of the current MacBook family.
First is Apple's basic white plastic MacBook, and the last one left to carry the standalone MacBook name. It's always been a good deal for under $1,000, although the new entry price on the 13-inch aluminum models makes this less clear-cut.
Previously known as the MacBook, the basic 13-inch aluminum unibody laptop has been promoted to the "Pro" series, and with good cause--the line between these and the 15-inch Pro models has been very thin since they moved to the all-metal construction and added GeForce 9400M graphics.
More importantly, the 13-inch unibody systems have regained their FireWire ports, and have added (drum roll, please...) an SD card slot. We've been bugging Apple for years to add this basic feature, and digital photographers everywhere are no doubt celebrating.
The standard 15-inch MacBook Pro remains largely unchanged. The ExpressCard slot is being replaced with an SD card slot, also featured on the new 13-inch Pro. It also has the same non-removable battery, which promises up to 7 hours of use. The least expensive Pro has the same GeForce 9400 integrated graphics as the 13-inch models, and the 2.66GHz and 2.8GHz versions add an additional GeForce 9600M GPU--but that's no different from the existing 15-inch Pro lineup.
If you're looking for the new SD card slot, be warned, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is keeping the ExpressCard, and won't be adding an SD card support. The new 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, however, is available as a $300 add-on.
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| Price | $988.99 to $999.99 | $1,149.99 to $1,199.00 | $2,094.00 to $2,299.99 | $2,398.99 to $2,499.99 |
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| Review date | June 10, 2009 | June 10, 2009 | June 11, 2009 | |
| The Bottom Line | For $999, it's hard to beat this MacBook's nearly MacBook-Pro-level specs if you're in the market for a budget Apple laptop. | Previously known as the MacBook, Apple's basic 13-inch aluminum unibody laptop has been promoted to the "Pro" series, all while adding features and cutting the base price. | Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro makes only minor tweaks to the previous version, but cutting prices and swapping the ExpressCard slot for an SD card slot are enough to make it a solid improvement over its predecessor. | |
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| Features | ||||
| Networking | Network adapter - Ethernet - IEEE 802.11a - IEEE 802.11b - IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Network adapter - Ethernet - IEEE 802.11a - IEEE 802.11b - IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Network adapter - Ethernet - IEEE 802.11a - IEEE 802.11b - IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Network adapter - Ethernet - IEEE 802.11a - IEEE 802.11b - IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - IEEE 802.11n (draft) |
| Graphics Controller | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M | NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT / GeForce 9400M - 512 MB | NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT / GeForce 9400M - 512 MB |
| Notebook Camera | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated |
| Optical Storage | DVD?RW (?R DL) - Integrated | DVD?RW (?R DL) - Integrated | DVD?RW (?R DL) - Integrated | DVD?RW (?R DL) - Integrated |
| RAM | 2048 MB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 800 MHz ( 2 x 1 GB ) | 2 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz - PC3-8500 ( 2 x 1 GB ) | 4096 MB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz - PC3-8500 ( 2 x 2 GB ) | 4096 MB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz - PC3-8500 ( 2 x 2 GB ) |
| Cache Memory | 3 MB - L2 cache | 3 MB - L2 cache | 6 MB - L2 cache | 6 MB - L2 cache |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13 GHz ( Dual-Core ) | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz ( Dual-Core ) | Intel Core 2 Duo 2800 MHz ( Dual-Core ) | Intel Core 2 Duo 2800 MHz ( Dual-Core ) |
| Hard Drive | 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm | 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm | 500 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm | 500 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm |
| Display | 13 in TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) | 13.3 in TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) | 15.0 in TFT active matrix 1440 x 900 ( WXGA+ ) | 17 in TFT active matrix 1920 x 1200 ( WUXGA ) |
| Battery | Lithium polymer | Lithium polymer | Lithium polymer | Lithium polymer |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 12.8 in x 8.9 in x 1.1 in | 12.8 in x 8.9 in x 0.9 in | 14.3 in x 9.8 in x 0.9 in | 15.5 in x 10.5 in x 1 in |
| Weight | 5.1 lbs | 4.4 lbs | 5.5 lbs | 6.6 lbs |
| OS Provided | Apple MacOS X 10.5 | Apple MacOS X 10.5 | Apple MacOS X 10.5 | Apple MacOS X 10.5 |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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