MacBook

New MacBook Air's newness lies within

The latest MacBook Air masks a lot of new electronics under an old skin.

To me, the new MacBook Air (MBA) is truly a second-generation product despite its unchanged appearance. But before I explain why, let me clarify where I am coming from.

I have been using an MBA for the last eight months. Why the over-priced Air? I am a minimalist when it comes to computers (though not necessarily when it comes to spending money on computers). The more spartan the laptop is, the better. In a well-executed design this translates to more portability, which, for me, takes priority … Read more

New models from Apple, Samsung, Toshiba, and Fujitsu: The week in laptops

What a week for laptops! We'll start with the big news, which drew many a visitor to Crave: at a press event in Cupertino, Calif., Steve Jobs announced a number of updates to Apple's MacBook line. Get a sense of the changes with our "new vs. old" analysis of the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, or just have a look at which new MacBook is right for you.

You can also read our review of the new MacBook; stay tuned for the MacBook Pro review. (Also follow those links to see video of the new … Read more

Hands-on with the new MacBook Pro

When Apple announced its new notebooks on Tuesday, it said the new machines would be in the company's retail stores the next day.

So I went to the Apple store at the Westfield Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara, Calif., after work on Wednesday. I got there a few minutes after 6 p.m. and discovered that an Apple technician was in the process of replacing an old MacBook Pro with the first one of the new models.

I positioned myself authoritatively about a foot from the tech's left elbow, so when he was done, I was the … Read more

Nvidia says chip faster, smaller than Intel graphics

Nvidia on Wednesday introduced its GeForce 9400M graphics chip, a direct threat to Intel's graphics silicon.

Apple's choice of the 9400M for its refreshed MacBook line heralds a much-needed infusion of competition in the market for mobile integrated graphics--a low-cost solution that is built into Intel chipsets. To date, Intel has dominated the market, with many of the top notebook vendors defaulting to Intel graphics in low-end models and ultraportables. Apple chose Intel graphics for previous versions of the MacBook and MacBook Air.

Not this time though. Apple did its homework and CEO Steve Jobs made a point Tuesday … Read more

OWC offers trade-in MacBook memory upgrade kit

Just a day after Apple showed off its new MacBooks, Other World Computing (OWC) announced on Wednesday its 4GB DDR3 memory upgrade kit for the computers.

The kit includes two matching 2GB modules of PC3-8500 DDR3 memory designed specifically for Apple's new MacBook 13-inch and MacBook Pro 15-inch models. It costs $140 but you'll get a discount for trading in your current Apple standard memory modules.

The company's trade-in program offers $7.50 cash back per GB of old memory, which is a savings, but not such a good deal considering the new kit costs about $35 … Read more

The 404 206: Where we only like you as a friend

It's true that we only think of you as a close friend, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate your support! On today's show, we attempt to sell off Jeff's old busted G4 Powerbook, make fun of Don Cheadle's awful British accent, fan out over the new Avengers movie, and do our impression of some of the most popular video game quotes. If nothing else, listen to this show for Jeff's spot on Mario!

So after yesterday's Apple announcement, Jeff and I have finally agreed to shed our ancient G4 Powerbooks for one of the new Macbooks. The question that I'm sure other people are asking right now is which one should we get? We both want to spend less than $2,ooo, so it's a toss-up between the $1,600 Macbook and the $1,999 Macbook Pro. Is the slightly larger screen and dual-video cards worth the $4,000 price difference? We've both gotten so comfortable using a 15 inch screen that it seems difficult to adjust to a 13 incher. And what about that giant one-piece track pad? There are so many questions to answer about the design, but we'll be getting both models into the office tomorrow, so that's when the deliberation will begin. Is anyone else in this boat with us, trying to decide between the two? For me, it's less a question about performance and more a deliberation about screen size. I don't travel much and don't do image or video editing (I don't even have Photoshop!), so maybe all those extra features aren't worth it for my purposes. Help!!

EPISODE 206 Download today's podcast … Read more

The new MacBooks: Beauty more than skin deep

I couldn't be at the Tuesday morning Apple launch event for the new MacBook and MacBook Pro systems, but I've had a chance to review the announcements.

Normally I focus on the technology in new products, but this time, I have to say my first impression is dominated by the appearance of these systems. These are some good-looking laptops.

The most dramatic change is the new display surround, black glass that goes right out to the edge of the upper case just like on an iPhone. The lower case also looks significantly cleaner now that the old gray … Read more

Apple's new MacBooks: Which one is right for you?

As you've perhaps heard elsewhere on Crave, Apple on Tuesday held a pretty broad-reaching laptop event in which it updated its entire line of portable computers.

Sure, there's new tech and spec bumps to talk about, but the really interesting part is that Apple dramatically simplified its line. While the 17-inch model is still around (with a modest upgrade to the included RAM), the real stars are the new MacBook and the 15-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the lust-worthy MacBook Air. If you're in the market for a new OS X portable, you've got some choices to make.

Each laptop is geared toward a certain kind of user. These users, in turn, each likely have a primary feature they want out of a laptop: portability, power, or price. While it'd be nice to have all three, that's unrealistic, though these machines are all fairly close to each other on all three fronts. … Read more

New MacBook Air lineup vs. old lineup

Editors' note: As of June 2009, the product reviewed here has been replaced by these updated models.

The MacBook Air started the unibody trend earlier this year, and, thus, it doesn't receive much of an upgrade. Physically, it's the same as the original Air, but Apple squeezes a mini DisplayPort connection under the flap that hides the lone USB port and headphone jack.

As with the MacBook and MacBook Pro refreshes, the new MacBook Air ditches the Intel chipset for Nvidia and features integrated GeForce 9400M graphics. It also increases the front-side bus from 800MHz to 1066MHz, while … Read more