Posted on May 16, 2007 at 9:35 am
The new and revamped MacBook
The changes were made to all three consumer MacBook models, Cupertino, California-based Apple said in a statement today. Prices for the 1-inch-thick machines start at $1,099.
Some had speculated that the computers would run off flash-based memory or have brighter, energy-efficient screens, but the new machines have only minor adjustments: the lowest-end one will now come standard with 1 GB of RAM and an 80-GB hard drive, instead of 60 GB. It will run at 2.0 GHz instead if 1.88. The higher-end MacBooks receive similarly small bumps: from 2.0 GHz to 2.16, and each of their hard drives jumps up 40 gigs, to 120 (white) and 160 GB (black). Their Super Drives will also become a little bit faster, from 6x to 8x with dual-layer support.
Sales of the consumer MacBook and higher-powered MacBook Pro notebooks accounted for 60 percent of Apple’s computer revenue last quarter.
The European Connection
Italians who received news of the spring 2007 MacBook update directly from Apple may have also been tipped off as to a change in the 13.3-inch displays used for the systems.
In its announcement, Apple Italy listed a 250cd/m2 brightness figure for the top 2.16GHz black model. The company has previously refrained from mentioning the display’s specifications in the past, suggesting that the brightness was a selling point for at least the top system.
Europe as a whole also saw the price of the systems drop despite the change, with each system dipping 70 Euros to 1,049, 1,249, and 1,449 Euros respectively.
Final Cut Studio 2 shipping delayed
Apple has given signs that its Final Cut Studio 2 video editing tools will slip past their intended May release window.
Visitors to Apple’s online Apple Store who place new orders are told that both the full version and its two upgrades will ship within 2-3 weeks, putting deliveries into early June. And despite showing an intended release date of May 15th, Amazon as of this writing is currently listing a 1-3 week shipping timeframe for new buyers.
A loud fix as well…
Apple vows to fix speaker issue
Meanwhile, Apple is aware of and intends to fix a problem with the volume of the internal speakers on at least some Macs, including last fall’s Core 2 Duo iMacs.
Owners of affected systems have complained that the built-in speakers have become too loud since the Mac OS X 10.4.9 update issued earlier in the year. The problem has become chronic and some customers have complained that Apple has taken a dismissive approach until today, denying that the patch was the root of the problem until the company privately admitted this month that its next software update should provide a cure.
“Not all Apple users enjoy being blown away by their systems nor are they from the generation that believes “loud” is the norm,” said one report. “There has been no explanation as to why Apple took the direction it did in regards to this issue.”
The first way will give you results you’ll be using later.
