Gallery: Apple's new unibody polycarbonate MacBook
With every other laptop in Apple's current lineup using the "Pro" moniker, the single non-Pro MacBook was starting to look a little dated. While many industry watchers expected Apple to lower prices on the white polycarbonate version, the company has given the system an upscale makeover, keeping the price the same.
Dan Ackerman
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications.
"Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
With every other laptop in Apple's current lineup using the "Pro" moniker, the single non-Pro MacBook was starting to look a little dated. While many industry watchers expected Apple to lower prices on the white polycarbonate version, the company has given the system an upscale makeover, keeping the price the same.
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Apple's new unibody polycarbonate MacBook
The final product is more like the MacBook Pro than ever. But, some features found in the Pro that you won't find in this new MacBook include the SD card slot and backlit keyboard (and the FireWire port has finally kicked it, as well).
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Apple's new unibody polycarbonate MacBook
While still recognizably a MacBook, the new version has more gently rounded edges on the lid, making it look slightly thinner from a side angle.
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Apple's new unibody polycarbonate MacBook
Like the aluminum MacBook Pro models, the MacBook now has a unibody chassis, although in this case, it's still made of polycarbonate.
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Apple's new unibody polycarbonate MacBook
Internal components, including the Nvidia GeForce 9400, are either the same, or very similar to, current models.
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Apple's new unibody polycarbonate MacBook
A separate bottom panel has a matte non-slip feel, as opposed to the glossy white upper body. The unibody construction means the battery is no longer removable--also like the current Pro lineup.
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Apple's new unibody polycarbonate MacBook
While consumers have long called for lower entry prices for Mac laptops, Apple has always been reluctant to stray into the lower-margin sub-$1,000 market. With this new upscale version of the MacBook, Apple is giving a slight recessionary nod to buyers, without having to dive into the Netbook price wars.
