Filed under: Hardware, MacBook
MacBook is here, and it's black
Ah, ThinkSecret. You told us we'd get a MacBook on a Tuesday, but not which Tuesday. Regardless, the MacBook has landed, and it's pretty cool.
The MacBook Pro's younger sibling features a Core Duo Intel processor at either 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz, FrontRow (and remote), a built-in iSight, a 13.3 inch "glossy" display that Apple says is "...79% brighter with 30% more viewing area" than the now defunct iBook. The Magsafe power adapter is also included, as well as a latch-less, magnetic closing mechanism. As for graphics, you'll find an Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory. Finally, Airport Extreme is built in as well.
There are three pricing options: The 1.83GHz (combo drive) and 2.0GHz (Super Drive) models are available in white for $1099US and $1299 for starters. If you want black, you're going to need to come up with $1499US. For the extra two hundred bucks you get black paint and a larger hard drive (80GB @ 5400 rpm vs. 60GB at the same speed). But really, who is going to buy a white one?
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
minty95 said 8:50AM on 5-16-2006
That black paint is seriously expensive...
Reply
Emil Heinsen said 8:51AM on 5-16-2006
I think it's a thing of beauty, and now let's see how much i can get for my ibook G4... :-)
Reply
Chris said 8:51AM on 5-16-2006
they also updated powerbooks to be 2.0 on the base and then 2.16 on the 15 high end
Reply
blackout said 8:52AM on 5-16-2006
its a larger hard disk you idiot.
Reply
oldman said 8:52AM on 5-16-2006
"Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory"
^ most important thing missing from TUAW post
Reply
blackout said 8:53AM on 5-16-2006
ack, so its a mac mini style let down?
Reply
DK said 8:53AM on 5-16-2006
They look very cool, but have to say on first impresions the UK pricing is madly overpriced. The low end model is $1099 (549 english) in the US store. The same model is 749 ($1407 US) in the UK site. So thats 200 difference. Maybe I need some friends in the US to buy me one!
Reply
Thomas said 8:53AM on 5-16-2006
The black plastic obviously costs more since the price difference between the black and white is more than hard-drive upgrade price for a bigger HD on a white.
Reply
Aaron said 8:54AM on 5-16-2006
This has a different keyboard and it looks odd. Also, it weighs 5.2 pounds, too much in my opinion.
Reply
Edward said 8:54AM on 5-16-2006
That black macbook looks so damn cool, I wish I had 1000.
Reply
Aaron said 8:55AM on 5-16-2006
Has the "glossy display" always been an option on the macbook pros? or is this something that was added today? .. I wonder what the real difference is?
Reply
Mike said 8:56AM on 5-16-2006
If you max out the white and black MacBooks, the black carries a $150 premium in the normal Apple Store. The black is $155 more in the Education Apple Store.
So is a black computer worth $150 more than the white computer?
Reply
Jake said 8:58AM on 5-16-2006
If you add an 80gig hd to the high spec white one it comes to 939 - making it 90 less than the black one...! Strange - does the black one have something else? Or is it just cos it looks ten times better?
Reply
Samuel McConnell said 8:59AM on 5-16-2006
So, the MBP has a slightly bigger display, better graphics, the backlit keyboard, the (mostly useless) ExpressCard slot, and...anything else? I don't think that's worth the $900 extra I spent on it.
Reply
Matt B said 9:02AM on 5-16-2006
I think the white ones are fine price wise, but an extra 130 for a black paint job and an extra 20gb (up from 60gb to 80gb) is a *LOT* of money.
Reply
Ross Brown said 9:08AM on 5-16-2006
"7. They look very cool, but have to say on first impresions the UK pricing is madly overpriced. The low end model is $1099 (549 english) in the US store. The same model is 749 ($1407 US) in the UK site. So thats 200 difference. Maybe I need some friends in the US to buy me one!"
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but US prices don't tend to include sales tax on the "headline" rate (whereas UK prices are "all in"), so the price differential isn't usually as much as it first seems.
RB
Reply
blackout said 9:09AM on 5-16-2006
i dont care, ive just bought that and a 17" mbp
yuss!
Reply
iFelix said 9:09AM on 5-16-2006
Oh I like the black ones, however I wonder how long it is before we have a whole wealth of people complaining about their scratched MacBooks and are APPLE LISTENING!
Maybe I ought to start the petition now!
Reply
Gordo said 9:09AM on 5-16-2006
Do you think that the power brick for the black one will be black also?
Reply
Anthony said 9:10AM on 5-16-2006
At least everyone agrees that black paint is not worth $150. I'm not crazy. But I feel like I will be when I fork out that $150 for the blacBook (I just made that up).
Reply