14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has set up means for its customers to choose wisely between the three different models of notebooks it is currently offering. As most of you should know, Apple has enhanced its entire notebook lineup this month, with a new 17-inch MacBook Pro due out soon as well.
A comparison list exists on Apple's website for the three just-updated 13-inch MacBook, 15-inch MacBook Pro, and the elusive MacBook Air, with the option to order a model immediately. Apple has divided the list into main features, specifications, details on each of the notebooks' displays, info on the optical capabilities, size & weight, of course, and other things worth mentioning about the trio.
While all three models boast a precision aluminum unibody, as showcased by Apple's VP of Design, Jony Ive, on October 14, the 13-incher is Apple's most popular and best-selling Mac. This is why Apple decided not to compromise on some of the aspects defining a notebook, offering up to 2.4GHz of Intel Core 2 Duo processing power, a 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display and a Multi-Touch glass trackpad. The next-generation MacBook starts at $1,299, but for the specs mentioned above you'll need to fork out an additional $300 ($1,599).
Where the Pro is concerned, processing speed goes up to 2.8GHz (Intel Core 2 Duo), the LED-backlit glossy widescreen display is larger in size (15.4-inch), while the same Multi-Touch trackpad is in place. Being the Pro that it is, this Mac boasts “high-performance graphics,” according to Apple, particularly thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor, which delivers up to five times better visuals than before. Optionally, those who buy the new Pro can ask Apple to throw in the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, for more raw processing power. Starting at $1,999, the 15-inch MacBook Pro is available today.
Since Apple's MacBook Air impresses customers (first and foremost) with its reduced size, it was only logical that one of its main features be the thinness of the body: 0.16 to 0.76 inch thin. A 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, a full-size illuminated keyboard and the ever-present Multi-Touch trackpad round up the list of main characteristics. What the Air doesn't have, unfortunately, is an Optical Drive. Instead, “the world's thinnest notebook” boasts Remote Disc capabilities. Users can buy an optional, 8x external USB SuperDrive as well. You can grab your HDD model today at $1,799. The SSD (solid state drive) specimen is “a tad” more expensive.