New MacBooks, new 24' screen but no $800 netbook - meh

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 15 October 2008 10:20

Opinion and Analysis

The 1.6 GHz MacBook Air, for a recommended retail price of AU$2,899 inc GST, includes:

• 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit high resolution 1280 x 800 glossy display;
• 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 1066 MHz front-side bus;
• 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 120GB serial ATA hard drive running at 4200 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• one USB 2.0 port;
• one headphone port;
• Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
• 45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 1.86 GHz MacBook Air, for a recommended retail price of AU$3,999 inc GST, includes:
• 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
• 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 1066 MHz front-side bus;
• 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 128GB solid state drive;
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• one USB 2.0 port;
• one headphone port;
• Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
• 45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options and accessories for the MacBook Air include the MacBook Air SuperDrive, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple Remote and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

The 2.5GHz 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a recommended retail price of AU$4,499 inc GST, includes:
• 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200 glossy display;
• 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 800 MHz front-side bus;
• 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM;
• NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 512MB with GDDR3 video memory;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• DVI output port for video output (VGA adapter included);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• three USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
• ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
• Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
• 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include a 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 320GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB solid state drive, anti-glare display, Apple USB Modem, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.