The All-New Apple MacBook w/ Retina Display

Apple has reintroduced the iconic MacBook line of laptops. This time around, it is clad in all-metal and comes with a 12-inch LED-backlit Retina Display with IPS technology. It's also thinner than previous MacBooks, or even the MacBook Air, at just 13.1 mm. Moreover, it weighs just 907 grams or 2 lbs. Its display has a 2,304 x 1,440 pixel resolution, similar to Quad HD in smartphones. This results in a pixel density of 226 ppi. And because of it is ultra-thin, it has been stripped of most of its ports. In fact, there is just one USB-C port on the left for both charging and connectivity and a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the right.



The all-new MacBook's keyboard and trackpad have also been redesigned. The trackpad now comes with haptic feedback, which is a first for a laptop. The trackpad also features Force Touch, which aims to deliver a responsive, uniform click no matter where you press the surface. You can use it to look up the definition of a word or preview a file. Intuitive Multi-Touch gestures are still part of the package. Connectivity-wise, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 are on board. Furthermore, the 12-inch MacBook features stereo speakers, dual microphones, and a 480p resolution FaceTime camera.



In terms of processing power, the new MacBook packs a 1.1 GHz Intel Core M processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB of on-board flash storage (for the base model). The graphics is taken care by an integrated Intel HD Graphics 5300 chip. The higher end version of the MacBook will come with higher clocked processors and 2x the flash storage. All of the MacBook's variants are fan-less, boots OS X Yosemite, and boasts a 9-hour battery life. The new Apple MacBook will come in silver, space gray, and gold color variants and its price starts at $1,299. It will launch on April 10, 2015.

Below are promo videos of the newly announced Apple MacBook:


MacBook 12" Reveal Video by gsmarena-com

MacBook 12" Design Presentation by gsmarena-com
However, it's not only the new 12-inch MacBook that is getting some love from Apple. The next generation 13-inch MacBook Pros and the MacBook Air family are getting a fifth-generation Intel Core processors and Thunderbolt 2 ports. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display also gets 2x faster flash storage and a longer battery life. The Force Touch touchpad will also make it to the next generation of the said MacBooks.


Despite its sleek and premium design, my main qualm about this new MacBook is the lack of ports. The USB-C port it comes with requires an adapter for you to connect other computer peripherals such as a thumb drive or a mouse. Apple actually offers such adapter for $79 but I think it should have been part of the package already. It also worries me that its processors are under-clocked, which may have a negative effect on performance. But that remains to be seen. Other than these two concerns, the new 12-inch MacBook Retina Display is clearly on a league of its own and continues to push the boundaries of what a notebook should be.

Note: All images are property of Apple Inc unless stated otherwise.

Source

Til then...

xoxo Nash