MacBooks going for a song
At Singapore's Grand Hyatt hotel
yesterday, Apple formally announced the launch of the MacBook series,
which completes the transition for its notebook lineup to the Intel
platform. Merging the 12-inch PowerBook and iBook series, which were
based on the older PowerPC processor, the MacBook ups the display to a
glossy 13-inch widescreen LCD while introducing several features which
were
first available on the larger MacBook Pro series.
There
are three options available for the MacBook. The entry-level system
uses a Core Duo 1.83GHz processor, 60GB harddisk and a combo drive. The
midrange MacBook ups the processor to 2.0GHz and incorporates a DVD
SuperDrive. The high-end series increases the hard drive to 80GB and,
in a nod to the iPods, comes with a black chassis instead of Apple's
iconic white.
But what really set tongues wagging,
and wallets flying, was
the price. At S$1,889 (US$1,390.78) for the base system,
the MacBooks depart from the premium pricing placed on previous Apple
notebooks despite the fact that they have dual-core processors in them.
In fact, one can go so far as to say that it is comparably to
value-for-money brands like Dell and Acer. The price may hit
the
sweet spot with both Mac and PC users and, combined with the Boot Camp
application for dual booting to Windows XP, could be the turning point
for sales of Apple portables.
In conjunction with
the launch was the announcement that Apple will be bumping up the
processors for the 15-inch MacBook Pro and also offer a larger 17-inch
version. There will also be an option to change the MacBook Pro display
to a glossy transflective widescreen. These upgrades come at no
increase in price. However, current MacBook
Pro owners are
out of luck as Apple has no plans to offer after-sales upgrades. But
if you have already placed order for a portable and it has yet
to be shipped, you may call up Apple's customer service hotline to
change the display to the glossy version.
| Model
name |
In a nutshell |
| Wow
factor: Replacing the older PowerPC-based
12-inch iBook and PowerBook, the MacBook offers a slightly larger
13-inch display and increased performance with Intel dual-core
processors.
Other notable frills:
13.3-inch transflective widescreen display
Core Duo processor
Integrated graphics
Front Row software with remote control
Internal optical drive
2.36kg
Gigabit Ethernet; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
One-year warranty Three
possible configurations, with the high-end option wrapped in a black
chassis while the others are in Apple's iconic white body
Expected: Available
now
Price:
Starting at S$1,889 (US$1,390.78)
| | Wow
factor: Upping the processor for both configuration, the
MacBook Pro now comes with an option for a glossy 15-4-inch widescreen
display.
Other
notable frills:
15.4-inch display
Core Duo processor
ATI Mobility Radeon graphics card
Front Row software with remote control
Internal SuperDrive
2.54kg
Gigabit Ethernet; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
One-year warranty Two
possible configurations: The base system uses the Core Duo 2.0GHz
processor and the high-end configuration offers the faster 2.16GHz chip
Expected: Available now
Price:
Starting at S$3,488 (US$2,568.05)
| | Wow
factor: The
17-inch MacBook Pro comes with top-of-the-line
performance and an optional transflective display. It may also be the
thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook in the market.
Other notable frills:
17-inch displayCore Duo processor
ATI Mobility Radeon graphics card
Front Row software with remote control
Internal SuperDrive
3.1kg
Gigabit Ethernet; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
One-year warranty Two
possible configurations: The base system uses the Core Duo 2.0GHz
processor and the high-end configuration offers the faster 2.16GHz chip
Expected: Available
now
Price:
S$4,788 (US$3,525.18)
|
|
