looking at the pictures now you can see that they keys are flat and don't have that nice contoured surface. they're probably more plastic-y as well. i'm kinda itching to go to an Applestore now to try it.
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MacBook Features and Photos
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iSee
macrumors 68040
dnedved said:
Yeah, it really does seem like these 13.3" MacBooks open up a hole in Apple's notebook lineup at the tiny end. And with the consolidation of the both the 12" iBook and 12" Powerbook into the MacBook.
Think about it: If the 12" iBook design team has been working on the MacBook for the past X months, what has the 12" powerbook design team been working on?!? 😀
(Although, I don't like the idea of a notebook without some kind of optical drive. I'd end up having the stick some damn external one in my bag all the time anyway...)
beige matchbox
macrumors 6502a
Need to get my fingers on that keyboard, looks pants for typing in the photos 🙄
And the screen will make it totally useless in most situations (yes i do have a lappy with a glossy screen).
Apart from that, it looks excellent. And if it wasn't for the graphics i'd trade my powerbook in for one just like that, and don't tell me to get a macbook pro, I'm too tight for that 😎
And the screen will make it totally useless in most situations (yes i do have a lappy with a glossy screen).
Apart from that, it looks excellent. And if it wasn't for the graphics i'd trade my powerbook in for one just like that, and don't tell me to get a macbook pro, I'm too tight for that 😎
Well, there's certainly no space on that motherboard to put a discrete graphics chip. It is incredibly compact. I'm surprised there was space for a Firewire chip!
Also the CPU looks like it will be directly underneath the middle-top-left of the keyboard (around the F3/F4 keys?). Nice in the winter, keeps your fingers warm.
Again we see how a massive optical drive takes up all the space in a laptop. Without it you could easily create a 10.6" widescreen subnotebook, but I don't see Apple wanting to move to an external drive, even if in the main it would mean a smaller lighter system.
Battery is now inset into the bottom of the laptop - I hate how my iBook's battery is visible from the front and side. Still it lasted 10 months before it was replaced, sadly it was replaced by something several times more powerful, except in graphics.
Also the CPU looks like it will be directly underneath the middle-top-left of the keyboard (around the F3/F4 keys?). Nice in the winter, keeps your fingers warm.
Again we see how a massive optical drive takes up all the space in a laptop. Without it you could easily create a 10.6" widescreen subnotebook, but I don't see Apple wanting to move to an external drive, even if in the main it would mean a smaller lighter system.
Battery is now inset into the bottom of the laptop - I hate how my iBook's battery is visible from the front and side. Still it lasted 10 months before it was replaced, sadly it was replaced by something several times more powerful, except in graphics.
iSee
macrumors 68040
Wow, what is that thing? That looks awesome! 🙂 The computer and keyboard are built in together, C-64 style? I haven't seen one of these before. Maybe I'm skewed because I like retro-looking computers, but I think the design of this thing really holds up. 🙂 Anyway, as you point out, Apple clearly used it for inspiration for the design of the MacBooks. (Whew, just managed to bring my post back on topic. 😀 )geese said:
the keyboard just looks different...i want to type on it. the black one reminds me of the powerbook g3.
iSee said:
Then you might not be in the market for a subnote. I've had 4 over the years and have always loved them. The first 3 were pre-USB and I still found them perfectly usable as my main machine. I found the fact that I took it absolutely everywhere with me to outweigh the lack of features / performance. Between 802.11, bluetooth, firewire taget mode, cheap USB memory sticks, and $50 external USB hard-drive cases I can't see why I'd ever want an optical drive on the road these days, but that's just me and I definitely AM in the market for a subnote. Bring on the 8" tablet!!! I'll gladly trade in my 17" PB for a mini and a subnote.
prechrchet said:
3d gaming performance will be weak. Just about anything else, you'll see no lag at all. These machines will do HD video playback without breaking a sweat.
Just make sure you get a gig (or more) of ram. That goes for ANY intel mac.
jonharris200
macrumors 6502
thequicksilver said:
I doubt it. The same rumors were flying about the iMac G5s when they came out, but they turned out to be false. An Apple CSR told me that they'd still warrant the machine for any problems not HD related, and for any problems if I put the original disk back in (for my iMac, not MacBook).
iSee said:
That, my friend, is a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. They were big in the UK in the 80s, designed by Sir Clive Sinclair. they gave Commodore a run for their money. In fact they were never quite as good graphically, but they had a huge user base. Take a look at these also...
sinclair QL: http://homepages.tesco.net/dilwyn.jones/
original spectrum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum
ZX81: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_ZX81
They were, in my opinion, design classics!
prechrchet
macrumors regular
Mal
macrumors 603
As the proud owner of a new MacBook (base model), I can say with authority that the screen is amazing, and the keyboard is very nice as well. I'll probably end up upgrading the hard drive at some point, once a 100GB or 120GB drops in price and I'm able to afford it.
I did want to know, what exactly is the advantage of paired vs unpaired RAM in these MacBooks? I can obviously upgrade the RAM cheaper with just one 1GB stick, but if the advantage is enough, I may wait and get two sticks.
jW
I did want to know, what exactly is the advantage of paired vs unpaired RAM in these MacBooks? I can obviously upgrade the RAM cheaper with just one 1GB stick, but if the advantage is enough, I may wait and get two sticks.
jW
miketcool
macrumors 6502a
Macrumors said:
Maybe I'm crazy for saying this, but has anyone stopped to think that glossy screens offer the most options for the user? That article was outrageously hateful toward glossy screens and people who use them. Was the writer's parents killed when a truck packed with glossy LCDs rammed their car?
Two words: Screen Protector
And yes, they are amazingly cheap. And yes, I recommend them. And yes, they are most often anti-glare.
Its the best of both worlds, another user friendly choice. You know, easily upgradeable RAM, easily upgradeable storage, easily upgradeable display.
Before anyone shoots back at me; there probably isn't an antiglare film available for the 13in MacBook now, but give it a few weeks. Yeesh.
dmcgann said:
You can play it safe with the memory selector at www.crucial.com, or if you're even a little bit familiar with memory you can get some at www.newegg.com. If you go to Newegg, be sure to check the specs and reviews before you buy.
If you can swing it, get a matched pair 2GB now and never look back. You can sell the original 512MB on Ebay. OS X flies with 2GB. One note, though - matched pairs offer a slight advantage, but I've never seen a system where it was really that significant.
milo said:
I thought that, correct me if I am wrong, the excellent performance of HD playback in the macbook pros was primarily due to H.264 decoding that is built into the hardware of the X1600? Will the MB be able to do 1080p? how does the mini perform... I assume the macbook will be exactly the same....
balamw
Moderator emeritus
1984 vintage ZX Spectrum+ close cousin of the Timex Sinclair 1000 which was sold in the US.iSee said:
EDIT beat by red wedge.
B
balamw said:
Yep, and in Brazil it was sold as the TK90X, produced by a company called Microdigital... 🙂
iSee said:
My God I feel so old all of a sudden! 😱
That's a ZX Spectrum by Sinclair. Mr Sinclair the UK Inventor, it was like a competitor to the C-64... I really enjoyed his Sinclair QL with dual Mini Tape Drives and built in Spreadsheet, Word etc... Easy BASIC programming...
But, back to the future... LOVE these new MacBooks, sorry strayed off topic... What a nasty person to post photos and remind me I'm nearly 40!!! 🙂