Apple have unveiled their new
Mac notebooks, though the anticipated price drop was not as drastic as expected. Rumours had been abound that an entry level
Apple notebook would drop by $300 to $800, the decrease was just $100 with the cheapest
Apple available now costing $999. Whilst that basic model retains its white plastic case, the most notable update to the
Mac series was the introduction of all-aluminium cases for both the
MacBook and
MacBook Pro . The new cases, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, are lighter, stronger and more environmentally friendly than ever before. Another notable improvement to the
notebooks is the improved
Nvidia graphics processors, with Jobs claiming that the
GeForce 9400M in the MacBooks provides five times the performance of the previous
graphics chip .
The most basic option currently available is the 13.3 inch MacBook which has 1GB of
memory, a 120GB
hard drive and a 2.1GHz Core 2
Duo processor . The cheapest aluminium-cased model starts at $1,299, boasting a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive. MacBook Pros, meanwhile, begin at $1,999 and rise to $2,799. Processors of up to 2.8GHz are available, whilst all revamped Macs will have an expanded glass trackpad featuring a multi-touch surface that allows for gestures.