Apple announced an update to its MacBook line of portable computers today, introducing a new 12-inch model with a retina display that features a redesigned keyboard and a new Force Touch trackpad with taptic feedback.
Apple has reinvented the notebook with the new MacBook, and at just two pounds and 13.1 mm, it’s the thinnest and lightest Mac ever,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Every component of the MacBook reveals a new innovation. From its fanless design, ultra-thin Retina display and full-size keyboard that’s 34 percent thinner, to its all-new Force Touch trackpad, versatile USB-C port and breakthrough terraced battery design, the new MacBook is the future of the notebook.”
The new MacBook is thinner than any other laptop Apple has made, coming in at 13.1 mm at its thickest point and weighing 2 lbs. The full-sized back-lit keyboard has individual LED lights for every key to offer even backlighting across the entire keyboard, and has butterfly mechanisms to enhance stability and precision during typing. The Force Touch trackpad has multiple sensors and can differentiate between light touches and harder taps.
Terraced and contoured batteries inside the new MacBook fill all empty space and offer battery capacity to allow "all day" battery life of up to 9 hours for web browsing.
The new MacBook offers only one port for power and wired connectivity in the USB-C format. Apple will offer several adapters to connect it to USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA devices. It includes Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless connectivity.
The new MacBook will come in silver, space gray, and gold. The base model with a 1.1 GHZ dual-core Intel Core M processor, 256GB solid state drive, and 8GB of RAM will cost $1299. It will begin shipping on April 10.
Updates to the rest of its portable computer line were also announced today. The MacBook Air gets faster processor options and Thunderbolt connectors. The MacBook Pro gets the new Force Touch trackpad, faster processor options, faster flash storage, and better battery life. The updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are available starting today.