The MacBook family is a range of Macintosh notebook computers by Apple Inc. that merged the PowerBook and iBook lines during the Apple Intel transition. The first model released under this family was the MacBook Pro, which was announced on 10 January 2006 at the Macworld Expo. The consumer-focused MacBook was released on 16 May 2006, and the MacBook Air was revealed on 15 January 2008.
Products
| MacBook |
Consumer-focused notebook 13.3" screen with polycarbonate unibody casing Replaced the iBook line |
| MacBook Pro |
High-end notebook 13.3", 15.4" & 17" screens with aluminium unibody casing Replaced the PowerBook |
| MacBook Air | Ultraportable (Thin) notebook 13.3" screen with aluminium unibody casing |
Overview
A majority of the MacBook family makes use of the unibody aluminum construction first introduced with the MacBook Air. The MacBook family (with the exception of the white polycarbonate MacBook) uses a black keyboard that was first used on the MacBook Air, which itself was inspired by the sunken keyboard of the original polycarbonate MacBooks. The now-standarized keyboard brings congruity to the MacBook line, with black keys on a silver aluminum body.
Comparison of MacBook family models
The latest refresh introduced a new NVIDIA chipset to the MacBook family. The chipset brought a 1066 MHz system bus, use of DDR3 system memory (DDR2 on MacBook), and integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics that is up to five times faster than the graphics offered on the original Intel GMA powered polycarbonate MacBooks.[1] In addition, the larger MacBook Pros also feature a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card using 256 or 512 MB GDDR3. The polycarbonate MacBook, 13.3" MacBook Pro, and the MacBook Air rely solely on the integrated GeForce 9400M graphics.
With the exception of the polycarbonate MacBook, the MacBook family feature illuminated keyboards. A FireWire 800 port and a SD Card slot (ExpressCard/34 slot on the 17 inch model) are included with the MacBook Pro; the polycarbonate MacBook has a FireWire 400 and Mini-DVI port; while the MacBook Air lacks FireWire. The unibody MacBook refresh introduced a Mini DisplayPort for all unibody aluminum MacBooks (i.e. all except for the polycarbonate model). The MacBooks feature two USB 2.0 ports, with the exceptions of the 17" MacBook Pro with three ports, and the MacBook Air with one port.
The lids of the MacBook family are held closed by a magnet with no mechanical latch, a design element first introduced with the polycarbonate MacBook. Memory and hard drive access is straightforward in the current MacBook lineup, aside from the MacBook Air which does not allow easy access for upgrades.
Displays
The larger MacBook Pro models offer the largest screens at higher display resolutions (the 15.4" at 1440×900; 17" at 1920×1200), whilst the rest of the MacBook family's 13.3" screens use a 1280×800 resolution. The MacBook family makes use of LED backlighting for the screen displays. All MacBooks now come standard with a glossy display, which was first introduced with the polycarbonate MacBook (though the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models have an optional matte display).
| Portable Macintosh timelines and sales figures |
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Timeline of the MacBook familySee also: Timeline of Macintosh models
Timeline of portable MacintoshesSee also: Timeline of Apple Macintosh models
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See also
| Apple Intel transition |
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Architecture
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References
- ^ Apple. "Apple MacBook Graphics". http://www.apple.com/macbook/graphics.html. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
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