It sure was fun while it lasted. This week, following in the footsteps of its big brother the PowerBook, Apple’s consumer portable, the iBook, shuffled off this mortal coil into the ether of “discontinued products”. Sure, iBooks will still be around, as they are quite capable of running current and new Mac operating systems and software for at least a few more years. Heck, the “tangerine toiletseat” first-generation clamshell iBook I bought my daughter in the fall of 1999 is still serving faithfully right here in Bath, surfing the web, tending to email, and writing college papers with MS Word 5.0. Actually, the iBook isn’t writing the papers, the college student is. You know what I mean.

Anyway, on Tuesday of this week Apple unveiled the replacement for the 12-inch and 14-inch iBook (and, as it turns out, the 12-inch PowerBook as well), calling it the “MacBook”. There are three base MacBook models, each with a 13-inch (diagonal) widescreen display with a 1280 pixel by 800 pixel resolution. These displays are reportedly 79% brighter with 30% more viewing area than previous iBook displays. They feature the currently in-vogue “glossy” finish that, while being more reflective of ambient light and objects near the screen (like your face, for example), delivers richer colors and deeper blacks – supposedly great for watching DVD movies and viewing graphics and photos. I’ll reserve judgment on that until I see one in person.

The new MacBooks are about 13 inches wide, 9 inches deep, an inch thin, and weigh just a smidgen (a technical term for a “small amount”) over five pounds. They’re available in two colors: white and black.

On the new MacBook your fingers do the walking over a redesigned keyboard with keys that sit flush against the bed, helping to keep the MacBook thin. The touchpad also behaves like a two-button mouse if you put two fingers on it. The MacBook does not get the lighted keyboard of the MacBook Pro, however.

Continuing around the exterior, we find an iSight web conferencing camera built into the display, a magnetic (instead of mechanical) latch that holds the closed MacBook shut, and Apple’s Mag Safe Power Adapter connector that protects your MacBook from being pulled onto the floor by clumsy passerby. Ports include Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 400, two USB-2, and combined analog/digital audio in/out.

Inside, the MacBook shines as well. The $1099 “starter” model, available only in white, is powered by a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, which Apple claims is up to five times faster than the iBook G4. 512 MB of RAM comes standard, which is considered the minimum to take full advantage of Mac OS X. Upgrading to 1 GB of RAM would be a good idea, as the MacBook’s graphics chores are handled by what’s called an Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64 MB of dedicated memory. If the graphics processor needs more memory, it grabs it from the system RAM. This system can handle 1080p high-definition video and can run an external 20” or 23” digital monitor.

The starter model comes with a 60 GB hard drive and CD-burning/DVD-watching “Combo” drive. For $200 more ($1299 for the math challenged) you get the 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo and a CD/DVD-burning “SuperDrive”. For $200 more (sorry, no more free math) you get an 80 GB hard drive and the privilege of the MacBook experience in matte black. Is it worth the extra $200? Black iPods outsell white iPods by a sizable margin, so Apple probably figured people would pay the premium. That remains to be seen.

MacBooks are available now (shipping in 3 to 7 business days) from the usual outlets.

© 2006 Peter F. Zimowski