MacBook Teardown Images Reveal a Number of Additional Minor Changes

[hiimamac]

The lack of infrared port surprises me given the new remotes. Are they now a "pro" feature too?

Does anyone else find it ironic that on a
mac rumor site, that you cannot watch the ifixit video on an iPhone due to no flash. Lol to funny and sad in a way after all these years.

Peace all.

 

[Cloudane]

Not really surprised to see that they're doing everything they can to encourage anyone except the tightest of wads to get the Pro.

Whoever did that video is obviously new to iMovie or Final Cut or whatever. They've got "flashy whizzy look-at-all-these-effects newbie syndrome" that people sometimes get when new to video editing (often applies to web design too). I practically felt dizzy watching all those random transitions

 

[greygray]

Shame about the lack of IR. On the whole a good update though. The profile looks a lot smoother now with the rounded edges and the new trackpad is welcome.

Yeah. It looks and feels much better with the rounded edges. The new trackpad was an addition that I did not expect too.

To increase MPB sales.

MBP, you mean.

 

[bmoorhouse]

I like the uniform look of the MacBook over the MacBook pro's black on grey. At the same time, however, I need FW. if you don't that's fine, but I do.

If apple is using FW to differentiate between pro and non-pro models that's fine. I will get over the black and grey, spend the extra money and buy the MBP.

What concerns me is the inconsistency. First, the MacBook has FW, then it doesn't. Then it does, and no it doesn't again. Will the next revision?

 

[*LTD*]

@*LTD*

Thank you. I'm not a pro, but I use Firewire..

There aren't enough of you. It's that simple.

If you'd like an illustration, head over to Bestbuy.ca.

Do a search for "Firewire." You'll get 42 matches (on 1 page.) The only hardware you'll see is 1 portable drive and several Macbook Pros. The rest are cables.

Then do a search for "USB." You'll get 501 matches over 15 pages.

Just for kicks, head over to Tigerdirect.ca.

Have a look at their Hard Drive selection. There's over 230, including internal, external, SSD, you name it. Of those 230+, only 14 are Firewire or Firewire-capable.

Firewire is legacy-ware, or hardly-anyone-uses-this ware. Call it what you like. If Apple had included Firewire on an entry-level notebook, it would have been a pleasant surprise. Had they chosen to not include it (which is the case), I would not have held it against them by any means. The port would have likely gone unused, in which case there's no reason for an extra port that will function as an extra hole in the chassis that does nothing.

Would you like Apple to include a parallel port too? Let's get Apple to bring back floppy drives since you can still find those in stores. Would you like a Macbook to be a 24-port monster Frankenstein-book? That way EVERYONE will be happy, right? Yeah, that'll go off really well <sarcasm>

 

[rolandf]

Fruits of Monopoly

What we are witnessing are simply the fruits of Intel having more or less a monopoly for CPUs.

Everybody has to use the same processors, which by now goes as far, to include the same chip sets etc.

So you have to create artificial distinctions, by degrading products.

This hardware monoculture will ultimately also kill the software business, because there is more or less an optimum for a given hardware platform.

As generations of engineers and computer science people tend to come from the same universities with the same know-how as background, there is no difference, when they have to develop and optimise software for exactly the same hardware platform, irrespective for which major company they work.

It was a mistake from Apple to give up the relation with IBM. At the 32/28/22nm nodes, an evolved Cell Processor is the perfect CPU, also for portable devices.

Just to finish, to have great software you need your own hardware.

 

[jouster]

The white plastic MacBook is by far the largest selling Mac ever. It sells over aluminum MBPs and MBs. A lot of people view the aluminum as a negative that is pretty but easily dings and damages while plastic stays nice and durable.

Some of us view the plastic as something that literally falls to pieces.

@*LTD*
You keep repeating that firewire is dead. It's not dead yet.

Indeed. It may be dying from a market/sales viewpoint, but that's immaterial if you own FW devices. They don't stop working, but I wouldn't be able to use them (in my case, a perfectly good, if old, 180GB hard drive) with this computer.

 

[*LTD*]

Indeed. It may be dying from a market/sales viewpoint, but that's immaterial if you own FW devices.

It's very material if hardly anyone else does.

And there's FW on the Macbook Pro, so it's still there. The average consumer, however, for whom the entry-level Macbook is targeted does not use Firewire. It's all USB.

Try to think beyond yourself.

 

[Ericatomars]

- There is no external indicator of battery charge state.

I guess they dont have it they wont miss it but I think its really handy.. I use it often.

I think they should drop down the price if there gonna keep stripping it of little basic things.

 

[jptelthorst]

Either there is misinformation on the Apple support threads (which is possible) or the IR remote does work with the newly released MacBook:

http://store.apple.com/us/question/answers/product/MC377LL/A?mco=MTI0NjYyNDY&pqid=QKCADXT2HATPFAFXJCJU44XFDP27C74A4

http://store.apple.com/us/question/answers/product/MC377LL/A?mco=MTI3NTI2MTc&pqid=Q94F2FXKCCU4HK9AKCJU44XFDP27C74A4

 

[jouster]

It's very material if hardly anyone else does.

And there's FW on the Macbook Pro, so it's still there. The average consumer, however, for whom the entry-level Macbook is targeted does not use Firewire. It's all USB.

My comment was aimed at people who do own such devices, so sorry for the confusion. I'm actually not surprised that Apple has done this, as I think you're right: hardly any average consumer buys FW devices any more.

That said, it makes the computer far less attractive for those who do own something. They can pony up a couple hundred dollars more and get a Pro, as you note.

Try to think beyond yourself.

Was that really necessary? If I'm about to spend at least $1,000 on a computer that wouldn't work with a peripheral I already owned, then why would I think beyond myself?

 

[bmoorhouse]

For those concerned about the limited difference between this and the MBP or the fact that this has a larger hard drive than the MBP, I just checked and the current MBP was released two weeks after the previous MB update. This means there could easily be a MBP update in a week or two. To further support that, Macmall just dropped their MBP price by nearly $200 this morning.

I suspect that we will at least see an update to the Macbook Pro's base hard drive. I also would not be surprised to see the $1199 model be dropped, leaving a 2.26 MB and a 2.53 MBP.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Wow, they've really stripped the MacBook down. Hardly any connectors, and now no IR port or charge status LEDs?

This seriously blows. Why would they want to cripple the MacBook?

The same reason they always cripple their hardware...to push you into buying more expensive hardware. They have no competition to worry about (unless you count Psystar that they're trying to sue into oblivion) so they can do whatever they feel like. If you don't like the changes, go buy a PC and run Windows! Yes, I know it bites to lose your entire software library since you cannot take it to Windows (since Apple will not allow OS X to be virtualized like Windows to preserve your software in an outward migration), but that's just too darn bad...unless Psystar wins its case against Apple and then suddenly you'd be able to get any hardware on the market to run with OS X and Apple would finally have to offer REAL features and REAL VALUE for their products instead of pretending that removing Firewire and IR ports is an "upgrade" from their previous models.

Or in the case of the MBP, Apple seems to think that a way to improve it over the model I have is that removing an extra FW 400 port (very convenient to have rather than a pass-through + adapter for things like my Canopy ADVC-110), an upgrade slot (beats an SD slot as I can always get an SD adapter for it if I needed it and a whole lot more like an E-Sata card, etc.), a full DVI connector (who wants to have to use adapters for a "standard" no one but Apple uses on monitors?), a battery cover for easy changing of the battery (still desirable no matter how long your battery will last on one charge; it's never long enough) and finally getting rid of the matte screen option (If I wanted a mirror, I'd BUY a mirror!) would VASTLY IMPROVE it!

Oh, but it does have that uni-body case (like I can tell the difference in day-to-day use anyway or that somehow makes all those downgrades palatable. Getting $600 off because it was the "old" model a few days after the new one came out last October only underscored how bad Apple is getting at designing notebooks that anyone would actually WANT.

 

[sine-nomine]

Either there is misinformation on the Apple support threads (which is possible) or the IR remote does work with the newly released MacBook:

http://store.apple.com/us/question/answers/product/MC377LL/A?mco=MTI0NjYyNDY&pqid=QKCADXT2HATPFAFXJCJU44XFDP27C74A4

http://store.apple.com/us/question/answers/product/MC377LL/A?mco=MTI3NTI2MTc&pqid=Q94F2FXKCCU4HK9AKCJU44XFDP27C74A4

I'm not sure what to make of that, either. I submitted an answer to this very question last night saying that iFixit had reported that the new MacBooks lacked an IR port, but my answer is nowhere to be seen. If answers are actually reviewed for accuracy, it's going to be very odd if mine turns up contradicting those already there that were approved earlier.

But if you read more of the questions, you'll find that all say the ring is NOT a scrollwheel, yet the lone review of the product indicates that it IS.

It shouldn't be this difficult to get accurate information on either of these products.

 

[cjmillsnun]

The Macbook started life as the eBook the laptop version of the eMac.

No, it was the iBook, the laptop version of the iMac.

 

[jptelthorst]

I'm not sure what to make of that, either. I submitted an answer to this very question last night saying that iFixit had reported that the new MacBooks lacked an IR port, but my answer is nowhere to be seen. If answers are actually reviewed for accuracy, it's going to be very odd if mine turns up contradicting those already there that were approved earlier.

But if you read more of the questions, you'll find that all say the ring is NOT a scrollwheel, yet the lone review of the product indicates that it IS.

It shouldn't be this difficult to get accurate information on either of these products.

Yesterday I posted similar answers (indicating that the new MacBook had no IR), and mine too were apparently not approved.

 

[zotes24]

hey, i asked an apple rep about the new Remotes and if they work with the new macbook (polycarb). here you go

 

[sine-nomine]

hey, i asked an apple rep about the new Remotes and if they work with the new macbook (polycarb). here you go

View attachment 199912

Thanks zotes. It makes one wonder why in the world they have approved 'yes' answers to this question on the remote's page in the store, and denied the correct 'no' answers submitted by jptelthorst and myself (and probably others).

This should be directly addressed on both the MacBook's pages and the remote's pages in the store.

 

[RubbishBBspeed]

Well I use my remote daily with my white 2.4ghz macbook. for both itunes & front row as well as keynote presentations. Seriously though, how do they expect people to utilise keynote in standup presentations without a remote.

Although I'd agree that the reduction in spec seems to be to up sell the 13" MBP, and it almost seems like a token gesture to keep the MBwhite, even my 18 month old MBw was more than a match for the 13" MBP and never saw a need to upgrade. Give it 6 to 9 months though and there will be a new 13" MBP in my briefcase. even then I think my MBw will be 2 to 2.5 years old and probably still a match for what ever I can through at it.

 

[zotes24]

i bet that the price will drop down to either $799 or $899 in a few months.

 

[CodeJingle]

FireWire and External Battery status indication are stuff that people hardly ever use. Lack of IR makes sense if eventually Mac will release a BlueTooth remote replacing the IR one. IR is a technology I've been hoping for years dies a gruesome death anyway as it is burdened by the line-of-sight requirement. The things they took out are in no way a tactic to get you to buy a MacBook Pro (though the things that already weren't there are). This is just tidying up.

The simple fact is, the MacBook got a cpu upgrade, a backlight upgrade from whatever it was before to LED-backlit, the case is sturdier, and the trackpad is now glass and most likely using a new technology like APR. And the price is still the same. You got a deal here! So don't be so quick to judge negatively unless you are willing to perceive the positive as well. If you buy a MacBook and manually upgrade the hard drive and memory over time, the only thing to worry about is the cpu and shotty graphics card which are both decent but can't really be upgraded (both are soldered to board). If for a living you develop software, or edit MPEG4 video, or play the most graphically-intensive games, then you don't really have a choice and should by a high-end iMac or high end MacBook Pro 15 (or MBP 17 of which the only configuration choice is already high-end).