Apple unveils new 13-inch MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro

Computers, Laptops / Notebooks
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Apple has taken the wraps off two new notebooks: the 13-inch MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro.

The 13-inch MacBook features a precision aluminium unibody enclosure — in other words, it’s constructed from a single solid piece of metal and is much thinner than its predecessor. Not as thin as the MacBook Air, of course, but not bad at 2.41cms.

The ultra-thin 13.3-inch LED backlit display is bright, yet the whole unit is thinner than its outdated LCD relative. It can display up to 1,280 x 800 resolution.

An Intel Core 2 Duo processor up to 2.4GHz is available, with 2GB of RAM as standard, expandable to 4GB.

Graphics wise, it packs in an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM, and can support an external monitor at up to 2,560 x 1,600 resolution.

The multi-touch trackpad is also the button, so it can be “clicked” anywhere.

Lovers of FireWire will need to look to the MacBook Pro (over the jump) as the MacBook now only supports USB 2.0.

Starts at £949. Product page

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The 15-inch MacBook Pro is constructed in just the same way as the MacBook, from a single piece of aluminium, but sports a gorgeous 15.4-inch LED backlit display which can display up to 1,440 x 900 resolution.

Alongside an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at either 2.4, 2.53, or 2.8GHz is an NVIDIA GeForce 9600M with up to 512MB of GDDR3 memory.

On both machines, Apple has elected to use the Mini DisplayPort digital standard, which can be converted to DVI output via an optional adapter. The MacBook Pro still features an 800Mbps FireWire port, too.

The beefier MacBook and MacBook Pro models have a backlit keyboard, and all models keep the internal iSight camera, various optical drive options (no Blu-ray yet).

Prices for the MacBook Pro start at £1,399. Product page

Andy Merrett
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