Filed under: Hardware, MacBook
White MacBook specs quietly bumped
Apple released a stealth upgrade of the entry-level MacBook this morning. The white MacBook, still priced at $999USD, now has a 160GB hard drive, a 2.13GHz processor and a slight increase in RAM speed -- 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM. The previous version, released back in January, had a 2.0GHz processor with a 120GB hard drive and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. Other features on the revised MacBook remain the same, including the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card that we wrote about a few months ago.
Thanks to all those who tipped us about this!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ben said 7:37AM on 5-27-2009
Not in the UK...
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chris said 8:07AM on 5-27-2009
not yet in Austria
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Chris Howard said 8:10AM on 5-27-2009
I'm feeling like Australia is the uncivilized world of broadband. :( So what's broadband like in the civilized world? Is Icelander's limit of 250GB good or bad? What limits do most folks have? And what sort of real speed (not advertised) do folks get? (I get between 1.5Mbs and 4Mbs download, though usually under 2Mbs, and around 600Kbs upload)
What sort of speed do you need for Backblaze to be viable? Like, at my 600Kbs upload, it would take me 30 days for my first backup (of 192GB)! And that's provided I didn't use the net for anything else or it would take even longer! (Thanks to the brilliant iPhone app, Converter for making that so easy to calculate)
The irony is that it'd be only halfway thru the first backup when the free trial expired. lol. Kinda makes it hard to evaluate for me. :)
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Chris Howard said 8:12AM on 5-27-2009
DAMN!! Excuse that last comment. Problem with 1Passwword remembering too much. Must go fix it.
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Adnium said 8:30AM on 5-27-2009
I know exactly how you feel, 1 Password has done that to me more than once!
I'm glad to know that Apple is continuing to bump, and I expect WWDC will see my MacBook Pro bumped further towards obsolescence.
Chris Howard said 8:13AM on 5-27-2009
What I wanted to say was, how long before the 2.0Ghz unibody gets the CPU bump?
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NoAndThen said 9:29AM on 5-27-2009
Iduno, but I'm seriously considering selling my 2GHz unibody macbook for one of these- the ram isn't much slower at this point, it has the 9400m, and I miss my firewire port, as I'm an audio guy. Plus I could use the $ from the free ipod to offset the cost/help buy the Presonus Firestudio i want. Which is why I want firewire.
But I can't afford a MBP- damn product line differentiation!
skareiva said 9:50AM on 5-27-2009
I don't understand why they are doing this. When I bought my MacBook in Feb., the only hard-sell I got at the Apple store was the 2.0ghz unibody. It was like the white one wasn't worth it, even with the same specifications and being $300 less. I figured they were focusing on the new iteration and phasing out the other model. I guess keeping a notebook that's under the $1K price point is still appealing to the market.
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Kevin said 10:53AM on 5-27-2009
I literally just bought a unibody macbook yesterday. Will Apple still honor the free ipod deal?
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Simon Arch said 1:50PM on 5-27-2009
It looks like you have to have purchased them at the same time. Still, it can't hurt to contact Apple and ask.
Sean said 5:33PM on 5-27-2009
Apple have a 14 day returns policy, just return it under that. And then buy it right back (with iPod)!
ianlive said 12:28PM on 5-27-2009
Having firewire on the white MacBook is a nice plus, but I think everything else about it really lags when comparing the 13"unibody. The white plastic shell is extremely prone to scratching and the inside white plastic for the palm rests and screen frame pick up dirt and stain really easily.
Also the unibody frame feels rock solid in comparison. Sturdy enough to throw down the stairs kinda tough. Just make sure it's in sleep mode ;)
My two cents.
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Roberto said 1:09PM on 5-27-2009
If the only argument you are going to fling is the structural material, then that's truly a 2 cent post.
This spec bump has made the cheap unibook Macbook slower and more expensive than the white MB.
ianlive said 1:36PM on 5-27-2009
You're entitled to your (slightly condescending) opinion Roberto but I think great hardware is worth more money. If that's not your view then buy an Acer and Hackint0sh it.
And when did a opinion post become an argument fling?
Simon Arch said 1:56PM on 5-27-2009
I love the look of the unibody MacBooks, but the price difference is insurmountable. I can't justify paying an extra $300 for a machine just because I prefer its looks to the less expensive, faster model which has MORE ports and is otherwise nearly identical to the more expensive model. Just can't do it. Even if I were rich as Croesus I wouldn't do it.
I've owned a white MacBook for the last three years and while your criticisms of its case are definitely valid, they are unimportant to me. I could definitely cope with owning another machine like the one I'm typing on.
ianlive said 2:11PM on 5-27-2009
A thoughtful post Simon. Good to see that someone knows how to counter point without being a dick.
If the upgrades to hardware aren't relevant to you than the white MacBook is a better deal. I was pretty disappointed in the amount of wear my 13" white went thought in the last few years in contrast to my MacBook Pro (non unibody) that looks the same as the day I bought it over a year ago.
It is a little odd that the white specs are actually higher right now than the Unibody. I'm curious if Apple has bumped them with plans to bump the Unibody soon and chose to do it to the white one first. Maybe they just wanted to see the outrage and drama it would create online.
Simon Arch said 11:08PM on 5-27-2009
I expect we'll see the speed inequity addressed at WWDC. It really doesn't make sense for the entry level machine to be slightly faster than the next step up. Even if the speed difference is imperceptible (and even if the unibody MB is actually faster) people will notice the speed difference and think the white MB is faster.
Roberto said 12:13AM on 5-28-2009
(sorry for being a dick before)
If Apple doesn't remediate the unibody predicament in WWDC, we are going to witness that cannibalization we've always feared would happen in this kind of situation. Apple will be forced to lower the price of the unibook if it can't bump its speed.
There are millions of fence-sitting laptop hunters who will snap one of these hot white macbooks, and completely ignore the unibody.
Andre said 12:42PM on 5-27-2009
So... This thing is now faster than the unibody MacBook? That makes sense...
What also makes sense: this is the white MacBook's second bump since the last batch of updates. Definitely not the system to get if you always need to have the latest...
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Myself said 2:24PM on 5-27-2009
There is also an option to upgrade the hard drive to 500gb for $180. That option is not available on any other notebook that Apple makes. This white macbook is looking better and better.
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