04/07/2008, 3:50pm, EDT
Monday, April 7thMacBook, Pro to get major redesigns?
Both the consumer MacBook and the performance-minded MacBook Pro will receive a major overhaul with their next updates, say sources speaking with AppleInsider. Either design has remained largely unchanged but will now allegedly receive visual cues from the aluminum iMac and MacBook Air, including an all-aluminum design, traces of black, and more tapered edges. The trackpad is also likely to switch to the extra-large design found in the Air, though whether the 13-inch MacBook will gain multi-touch is unknown.
Apple's next update is also all but confirmed to use most of Intel's Centrino 2 platform, which includes both a revamped mainboard chipset with better integrated graphics as well as newer Core 2 Duo processors, which will range from 2.26GHz to 2.8GHz for regular Core 2 Duo models. A 3.06GHz Core 2 Extreme is also known to exist but consumes more power than Apple has often deemed acceptable for all but its iMac line. All of these processors will have a faster 1,066MHz bus and will launch in June, though Apple has rarely launched new systems alongside major Intel refreshes.
The shift if accurate will mark a major change to Apple's design language for either of its portables. The MacBook Pro is the longest-serving design of the two, having launched in February 2006, and itself is just a minor change to the aluminum PowerBook G4 from 2003. Its smaller counterpart is newer, having debuted in May 2006, but itself is closely based on the plastic design of the iBook it replaced.
A switch to aluminum for the MacBook is said both to bring a more consistent look to Apple's lineup and to improve the company's eco-friendly stance, which is helped by use of the more easily recycled metal. The prospect of LED-backlit displays for the base notebooks is uncertain, as the thinner, mercury-free illumination often commands a price premium over traditional cold cathode fluorescent (CCFL) backlights.
Filed under: computers
Other story tags: Intel, MacBook, Core 2, Centrino, PowerBook
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What is that supposed to mean? Perhaps this anonymous writer is trying to say, "The design of both the MacBook and the MacBook Pro has changed little since their introduction, but both will now allegedly be updated, receiving visual cues...?"
Seriously?
Honestly though, I'm with JamesShays; if the design isn't broken, why fix it? Unless they can preserve the flexibility and longevity of the current offerings while shaving off a pound or so of weight, I just don't see the point.
Isn't the MBP already 'all-aluminum' (I mean, except for the screen and other items that can't be aluminum). Or is this in relation to the MacBook only?
And is the 'all-alumninum' referring to the metal or the color? As 'traces of black' contradicts the color, if not the metal as well.
Unfortunately, sometimes Apple seems to put more concern into sexiness then flexibility/usability. But, then again, I guess I'm no so self-conscious or materialistic that I worry about how something looks more than, you know, anything important, like how it works.
I was in the AppleStore last week taking my PowerMac G5 back in for service (since the first time is apparently never the charm to get the logic board/cpu fixed - but why am I complaining, I had it back for a whole half hour before it stopped working again - thank god I was smart enough to get AppleCare for that thing). A woman came in with her MacBook Air but with a conundrum. She needed to install the printer drivers for her new printer. But the drivers were on the CD. But in order to install the drivers, it wanted you to plug in the printer. Which she couldn't do, because she had the CD drive plugged into the sole USB port. But that was OK, because just look how cute that laptop is...