The new MacBook

 

Apple took the wraps off the latest addition to the company’s MacBook line at its Spring Forward event, happened in San Francisco. The Cupertino-based tech giant decided to go simple with the name of the new laptop edition and called the new MacBook as ‘the MacBook’, instead of taking forward the Air tag of the MacBook Air. The new MacBook is essentially a thinner, lighter and faster updated edition of the MacBook Air which now becomes the company’s cheapest laptop of all.

 

The new Macbook brings a number of new features and upgrades, out of which some are interesting and enticing while there are some elements which are likely to get a mixed bag of reviews, or possibly hands down. 

 

Talking of the new laptop in detail, here we give you the pros as well as the cons of the new MacBook, which brings some futuristic elements that are welcoming but not for all. 

 

 

 

Slimmer and lighter than ever!

 

As the launch event, Apple’s Phil Schiller touted the new MacBook as the thinnest and lightest Macbook, for it weighs merely two pounds and is 24 percent thinner than the MacBook Air, which was till date the company’s thinnest laptop measuring 17.3mm. As far as the basic is concerned, the new MacBook comes with a unibody Aluminum chassis.   

 

Fanless beauty!

 

If you are wondering that what could be the reason behind the slim design, it is mainly because the new MacBook doesn’t include an internal fan which helped the company in reducing the thickness of the tablet. As per the company, the new Intel Core M logic board is the thinnest ever. The MacBook is available in two variants, one with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.4GHz and another with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6GHz. Both of the variants have an Intel HD Graphics 5300, and come with 8GB of memory. The first version comes with 256GB of flash storage while the latter one comes with 512GB of flash storage.

 

Force Touch trackpad!

 

Another key design element is that the new MacBook comes with an improved keyboard that stretches to the sides, and an updated trackpad called as a Force Touch trackpad. As per the company, the keyboard on the new MacBook is 34 percent thinner, with bigger-but-shallower keys. The new trackpad has a glass surface with four force-sensors, which lets a user click anywhere on the pad to offer identical results. The sensors on trackpad come with haptic feedback capability. Also, the trackpad is pressure sensitive which results in some features working on the basis of the force at which you pressed down on the trackpad.

 

Displays good visuals, comes energy efficient!

 

The new laptop flaunts a 12-inch Retina display that has an edge-to-edge cover glass. The display offers 2304x1440 pixels resolution, with a thinnest ever display panel measuring at 0.88mm. Also, the display comes with a larger aperture for better light and pixels. Additionally, the company says that the display consumes 30 percent less energy, which makes it more energy efficient.

 

 

USB-C: One for all, sadly!

 

With the new MacBook, Apple introduced a new port called USB-C, which in fact is also the only connector that will function as a USB port, DisplayPort, VGA, Power connector and HDMI port. Yes, there is just one port for all these connectors! To use this, one would either need a USB-C cable or an adapter. The biggest disadvantage of this is that you will not be able to use two connectors at the same time, which means that if you are charging the MacBook, you cannot connect it to an external display or use a USB drive simultaneously. To do so, you will be forced to buy accessories like USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter that will cost another $80.

 

 

Not so cheap!

 

As for its price and availability, the new MacBook has been launched at price starting from $1,299 and goes up to $1,599. In India, the laptop’s price will be starting from Rs 99,900. The laptop will start shipping in select countries from April 10 onwards and in India starting April 10, a month after its global launch. A good part is that for those who wished their MacBook to be in Gold just like the iPhones, the new MacBook is available in three color variants which include gold color as well.