MacBook is cool!

I was quite excited to see the MacBook was announced yesterday.  This nifty replacement for the PowerPC based iBook features an awesome range of, well, features.  According to Macsimum News:

It’s here at last: the iBook replacement, that is. And just as the PowerBook gave way to the MacBook Pro title, the iBook line has evolved into, simply, the MacBook. The new consumer portable sports the Intel Core Duo processor and a 13-inch glossy widescreen display. They also come in white and black versions.

Apple says the MacBook is up to five times faster than the iBook and up to four times faster than the 12-inch PowerBook—but, based on the figures touted for the other Intel-based Macs, those specs are for ideal conditions running Universal Binary software.

Together with the 15-and 17-inch MacBook Pros, the new MacBook completes Apple’s Intel-based portables lineup and replaces both the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook. Apple’s entire portables lineup now offers Intel Core Duo processors, a built-in iSight video camera, the Front Row multimedia software with an Apple Remote, and advanced features such as DVI with dual display support, optical digital audio input and output, Gigabit Ethernet, Sudden Motion Sensor, Scrolling TrackPad and MagSafe Power Adapter.

With prices starting at US$1,099, the MacBook lineup includes three models: a 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz MacBook in a white enclosure and a 2.0GHz MacBook in a black enclosure. The portables tout a new system architecture including a 667MHz front-side bus and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2GB. At about one-inch thin, the new MacBook is 20 percent thinner than the iBook and has a display that Apple says is 79 percent brighter than the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook. The display, with a resolution of 1280×800, provides 30 percent more viewing area than the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook.

<

p align=”justify”>I am not too worried about the compromise in video card that TUAW commented on.  The MacBook has that all important ‘wow’ factor for little ‘ol me.  I am not going to rush out and buy one, I’d rather wait for the replacement for my baby in due course which now seems like it will have the much anticipated and talked about 13-inch screen (which is probably the only thing I’d really like to add to the small form factor of my PowerBook).

I love that the MacBook comes in white and black.  This makes it the perfect accessory to the new iPod Video and nanos and whatever new iPods Apple will release in the near future.

Tags: MacBook, iBook, Apple, TUAW, Macsimum News, PowerBook, iPod, iPod nano