At Apple's Spring Forward event in San Francisco on Monday, the iPhone maker announced a new MacBook that promises to be the thinnest, lightest and most energy efficient notebook yet.
Weighing at an airy two pounds, the new 12-inch MacBook is the lightest laptop Apple has ever made according to Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, who came out onstage during the event to detail the book's features. Chiefly, the new MacBook is the thinnest notebook Apple has made yet, measuring in at just 13.1 mm at its thickest point. That's 24 percent thinner than Apple's previous MacBook.
"Can you see it?" Apple CEO Tim Cook asked while holding one onstage during the reveail. "I can't even feel it!"
To achieve this lightness, Apple opted for an alumnium, all-metal enclosue with the MacBook's antennas integrated right into the chassis. Apple streamlined the MacBook's keyboard as well, with keys that extend all the way to the edge of the deck so there isn't an inch wasted. Apple replaced the switches beneath the keys, too. Instead of the usual "scissor mechanism" most laptop keyboards use, Apple invented a new "butterfly mechanism" that uses a single assembly with a stainless steel dome switch. This allows for a much more precise and accurate key stroke that is four times more stable. The key cap is also 17 percent larger. Furthermore, an individual LED sits below each key for improved illumination.
Schiller went on to describe the new MacBook's 0.88 mm-thin Retina display that outputs a 2,304 x 1,440 resolution. With barely any bezel, the new MacBook's display uses 30 percent less energy while achieving the same amount of brightness as other retina displays.
One of the more interesting new tidbits about the new MacBook is the trackpad. Unlike other trackpads, which are hinged and feel stiff at the top end and looser at the bottom "like a diving board", Apple's new "Force Touch trackpad" uses "Taptic engines" and four "Force sensors" that let you click anywhere for the same uniform feel. You can even adjust the click feel to your liking. The four sensors also allow for a range of clicks with different amounts of pressure, from a light tap to a deeper press. A new "Force Click" lets users access a variety of options depending on how deep they press the trackpad. For example, force clicking a line of text in Word or a Web browser could open a Wikipedia entry, or you could open the option to create a calendary entry by clicking a date.
On top of that, this is Apple's first MacBook without a fan. Hopefully that won't mean hot laps. Plus, it uses a logic board that is 67 percent smaller than Apple's previous record. It is powered by Intel's fifth-generation Core M "Broadwell" processor which clocks up to 1.3Ghz or it can turbo charge up to 2.9Ghz. It uses only five watts of power.
Thanks to the tiny logic board, the rest of the MacBook is stuffed with terraced, contoured battery cells so that the inside looks something like a tiramisu or a cross-section of stratum. Apple promises nine hours of use while Web browsing and 10 hours of video watching.
Interstingly, the MacBook uses the new USB-C connection. This new format can deliver 100 watts of power, data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps, and it can transmit audio and video signals, which eliminates the need for HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and power cords. It's reversible too, so no more fumbling around while trying to insert USB keys or cords. While a forward-thinking design decision, you will likely need to use a dongle or adapter to use any USB 2.0-compatible devices.
Schiller described the new MacBook -- and it's just the MacBook, there are no surnames -- as "the most extreme and efficient notebook we have ever created."
The new MacBook comes in silver, "space gray" and "stunning gold." It is Energy Star 6.1-rated, contains arsenic- and mercury-free display glass and it's highly recyclable. The $1,299 base model comes with a 1.1Ghz dual-core processor, 8GB of memory, a 256 GB solid-state drive and Intel HD Graphics 5300. A $1,599 model contains a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 512GB SSD. Both go on sale on April 10.
Photo Credit: Apple
