For weeks – months even – analysts have been telling Apple to make a netbook for the masses, a $299 junker designed for those who surf the web on the couch, their Cheeto-stained hands scrabbling for the TiVo remote while they incessantly refresh Reddit and hope against hope that their Craigslist Missed Connection emails them back. The Air, they said, was too expensive, designed for the frou-frou quiche-eaters of Silicon (V)alley while the MacBook Pros were too overpowered for the likes of Flyover Sally and her sad-eyed brood of younglings. They needed to sell something to the masses, something solid, American, and corn-fed.

Well, now Sally, the quiche-eaters, and the Cheeto dude – and the rest of us – have the new MacBook. It offers a bit less power and peformance than the Pro line, a little more of the styling of the Air line, and sells right at $999, a magic marketing number that is neither North of $1000 (before taxes) and South of corporate financial suicide.
[UPDATE - Added battery test.]

I recall in about 2003 when Wal-Mart first breached the thousand dollar mark in a laptop, a defining moment in the marketing of laptops. With the advent of cheap networks, that mark is now, in short, the high water one while sub-$500 is the norm. The breach of a $1000 meant that manufacturers had to cram cheaper hardware into cheaper cases in order to turn a profit.

Apple never went that route and for good reason. By selling lots of cheap netbooks for no money, big manufacturers like HP and Dell could squeeze profit out of a tight market. Apple, on the other hand, squeeze profit out of a constellation of products, iPhone included, and they hope that the social, societal, and mental pressures to make the earbuds match the laptop are enough to make people switch. For the most part their plan is working.

Designed for students and entry-level users, think of this model as the Mac Mini of laptops. The new design is quite smooth with rounded edges on the bottom – the old model was squared off – and an internal battery thart can hit about 7 hours on one charge. The ports were slightly changed in this model with two USB ports, a DisplayPort, and a combination headphone/line-in jack. The laptop also doesn’t have an IR sensor, presumably because you can now control iTunes with the iPhone or Touch. There is also no Firewire port. From an aesthetic standpoint, the battery/active light on the front which winks playfully through a slit in the metal in MacBook Pros looks like an accident on this model. Apple made it large and brooding rather than thin and charming and it seems like the materials limited their design choices.

Geekbench maxed out at 3258 (the 2008 models hit about 3139) thanks to a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo CPU and 2GB of RAM. This is more than acceptable for most users considering a new MacBook Air clocks in at 2762. The battery lasted for five full hours of video playback with wireless on. I noticed that the bottom of the laptop stayed cool throughout the test.

The large, spacious trackpad is just like the MacBook Pro’s and seamless aspect of the build ensures there’s little to break in a backback or laptop bag. A few caveats: there is no external battery indicator and the bottom panel can be removed but the battery, technically, cannot be changed by mere mortals.

Another caveat is that this thing will get dirty and scratched almost immediately. Polycarbonate is not related “carbonite” or “polyadamantium” – it’s related to plastic. As such, your beautiful white MacBook will soon be a beatiful gray MacBook if you’re not careful.

Obviously you get Snow Leopard with this version and it comes with a power supply, longer power cable, and little else. For example, this model does not include the remote although included remotes seem to be extinct allowing Apple to charge $19 for the new remote.

Bottom Line
This MacBook is not for everyone. It’s a great addition to the MacBook canon, an effort to appease the analysts with an entry level laptop, but don’t ever expect something like this to drop past the $500 mark. Apple doesn’t deign to play in those muddy fields, leaving that to the PC makers in their race to the bottom.

Here’s a quick look at the new MacBook. Look for a full review later this evening.

Special thanks to cameraman/editor DanielBru.

Hey, it’s not like I have a problem with it. And their teardowns do reveal interesting things occasionally. In this case, with the new unibody MacBooks, they’ve determined the wattage of the battery, the replaceability of the hard drive, and a number of other things. Check out the full teardown hereabouts. It’s still in progress, so check back again later. I’m guessing they’ll be looking at a new iMac as well.

Gadzooks, a new MacBook! Yup, Apple has re-designed the entry level MacBook, and it’s now made of “rugged polycarbonate that withstands the rough and tumble of everyday life.” LED backlit, too.

Other things to get excited about, if you’re the type of person who gets excited over laptops:

• Unibody design, like the MacBook Pro

• 13-inch LED backlit display

• Runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.6GHz

• 2GB of RAM

• 250GB HDD

• SuperDrive (people still burn discs?)

• Glass touchpad, multi-gesture, etc.

• It’s environmentally friendly

I think that’s it. Oh, right, $999, available today. Yes, today. Go ahead, go to your local Apple Store, they should have ‘em in stock. (And sorry if this seems rushed, it was written in approximately 90 seconds.)

Just like the Apple Cinema Display and iMac’s, the mStand has a cable organizer in the back, to keep all your cables nice and tidy. There is a lip at the front of the mStand which prevents it from slipping forward and also rubber pads on the corners for extra grip.

After using the mStand for a few weeks now, it’s clear why the mStand has gotten such high reviews, and is highly recommended. The only setback — the price. The mStand comes in at $49.90, but if you really need a laptop stand, the mStand is well worth it. The mStand can be bought online at Rain Design’s website, or at MacMall, and many other online retailers.

This game really shouldn’t be that surprising anymore. It’s that time of year when Apple announces new models anyway. Plus there have been rumors circulating ’round the ‘tubes about updated iMacs and plastic MacBook, but this is the first we’ve heard anything about new Mac Minis. It makes sense though as the last update was in March. That model is past outdated. It needs a new GPU, larger hard drive, and more memory to be considered current. 120GB and 1GB doesn’t cut it for $599 these days – even for Apple.

The new iMacs and MacBooks however might get a complete makeover instead of just a hardware bump. They have been sporting the same overall look since 2007 and 2006. Hopefully price drops aren’t out of the question either. But at this point all we know is the current models are going to be very hard to purchase. It’s not like you would buy one of those anyway knowing that new models are imminent.

The iMacs definitely aren’t slouching in the tech department but it’s been a while since an update. If anything, the CPUs might get a slight bump, but it’s likely to see updated GPUs and larger hard drives. Chances are that if the model line was going to get a drastic change, Apple would have made sure that they were available before school started back up.

The same goes for the MacBook. If there was going to be a major revamp, it would have probably been unveiled a few weeks ago. But don’t be surprised if a larger hard drive and a faster CPU makes its way into the classic, white MacBook.

The machine itself carries a 90-day warranty and includes 1GB of RAM, 120GB hard drive, slot-loading DVD burner, web cam, Bluetooth, and Mac OS X 10.4 preinstalled.

Not too shabby for $600, eh? The deal’s good until the end of the month.

Apple MacBook [Geeks.com]

The app is seven bucks, and runs only on the newly released Snow Leopard. Buy a Pogo Sketch stylus and you can get Autograph for free, for a limited time.

The plastic MacBook that I’m typing on right now has been around for three long years now, but if you believe certain Barclays Capital analysts it’s about the be completely redesigned. About time!

AppleInsider, always good for a Mac rumor or two, speculates that the new MacBook will be “slimmer” and “lighter,” and with a “restructured internal architecture.” Expect to see previous generation Intel Core 2 processors and legacy hardware (Firewire) phased out. That’s fine: I can’t remember the last time I needed a Firewire port.

And if you do need a Firewire port, odds are you’re a power user who’d be better off with a Mac Pro or high-end MacBook Pro. Remember: the MacBook is for everyday consumers.

Further questions remain: will there be more than one model of the new MacBook, or will Apple maintain the one-size-fits-all dynamic? How cheap will it be? The MacBook is already $999, so how much can we expect Apple to cut that? After all, Apple doesn’t want to eat into sales of its tablet computer, whenever that blasted thing comes out (probably Q1 2010).

To recap: expect a new MacBook in the coming months.

No, not exactly Nostradamus-level prognosticating, I admit.

In case you didn’t know, Apple refreshed its notebook lineup a few weeks back and rebadged the 13-inch unibody Macbook as a Pro model. Apparently the masses like it as that model now occupies the top spot in Amazons best selling laptop computer list and number four overall. It wasn’t that long ago that netbooks ruled that second list and the white 13-inch Macbook was the top selling Apple computer at number 14.

But as Fortune’s Apple 2.0 blog points out, netbooks are returned nearly 30% of the time and most people don’t understand the difference between a netbook and a notebook. Maybe Apple actually knew what it was doing by not jumping on the underpowered, small screen notebook bandwagon. Anyone else glad that this fad is finally winding down?

The better performance comes from the updated Core 2 Duo CPU that now runs at 2.13GHz paired with 800MHz DDR2 memory. The only place that the unibody MacBook soundly beat the white model was in Quake 4 frame rates. So if you’re willing to forgo the multi-touch trackpad, slightly thinner aluminum casing and don’t plan on gaming, you can save $300 and get a faster machine with the white MacBook. Sounds like a no-brainer to us.

FYI, Apple will probably update the unibody MacBooks next week at WWDC or shortly there afterwards.

Now, the base model white MacBook comes with a 160GB HDD, 2GB of RAM, and a slightly faster, 2.13GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo. Specs for spec, these updates now make the white MacBook faster than the base model, and $300 more expensive, aluminum unibody MacBook. Funny. So chances are that this white MacBook update points at future unibody spec bumps.

Harry G. Frankfurt wrote a great essay on the concept of “bullshit,” explaining that it is the locus of truth and and falsehood, the “deliberate making of false claims about what is true.”

“In fact, bullshit need not be untrue at all,” he writes. Well, the boys at BBG just picked up on a little pet peeve of mine: analysts and their various prognostications. To wit: Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray who has been predicting an Apple tablet “coming very soon” since 2007.

Gene Munster makes this prediction over and over again because it’s easy, and because he knows he will eventually be right. By the standards of his profession, his record is pretty good. More interesting is what the eruption of hype yesterday says about the quid-pro-quo relationship between analysts and reporters. Analysts are identified in print as experts, bolstering their credibility with private clients. And reporters use them to dress rumors as credible, multiple-sourced news stories.

Analysts are paid to sell advice investors. They’re about as impartial as the investors themselves – by talking up or taking down a company they help their constituency make investment decisions. It’s lazy for journalists to ask analysts what they think on a topic even though they do it all the time. Why? Because the average business journalist can’t talk intelligently on every topic every day and by making a call to someone whose “job” it is to cover a particular company or sector they can get an intelligent – but decidedly impartial – comment without much work.

This is “bullshit” in its purest sense. It’s a riff on the truth that is potentially damaging but ignored by the general public as innocuous. It’s not innocuous.

And yes, I know our own Dear Leader posted on the tablet and there is some truth to the tablet rumor, but I assure you Gene Munster doesn’t have inside line to God who is feeding him info on this potential multi-touch monster. He’s as in the dark as the rest of us.

Ah yes, HyperMac, how I’ve pined over you for two whole days and now I have you in my possession. The 60Wh and 150Wh are in our testing lab (re: my office/apt) and we’ll have a review shortly, but just wanted you to see what they looked like in person (images of the 60Wh only). The 60Wh is pretty small and relatively lightweight while the 150Wh is a bit of brick and heavy, but if it means I’m getting 17.5 total hours of use then it’s worth the backache. We’ll see if that holds true in the next week or so. And yes, the HyperMacs come with MagSafe adapter attachments.

Praise Jeebus! Today in Sunnyvale, CA, Sanho announced the world’s first external battery pack for all MacBook laptops. The HyperMac is available in 60Wh, 100Wh, 150Wh and 222Wh capacities with built-in variable power tech that adjusts output based on the MacBook model that’s being charged. You can also plug in your iPhone or just anything else via a USB port. Each HyperMac model is rechargeable up to 1000 times and comes with a one-year warranty.

You can pre-order now for $200, $300, $400 and $500, respectively. Oh, and there’s a car charger version for $150.

HyperMac

As Apple’s WWDC gets ever closer the rumors begin to hot up. Today’s drivel: the MacBook and MacBook Pro may see slight upgrades there. Apple may throw in built-in 3G support, along with the usual speed bumps; it may also make the battery more difficult to remove, in the interest of aesthetics.

And aside from those possible notebook upgrades, expect to see something happen to the company’s pro applications, like Logic and Final Cut Pro.

Nothing yet on that rumored Apple netbook, I’m afraid. Should it actually come out, I cannot wait for dozens of “what does this mean for Apple?” stories.

Obligatory zoomed in and super tilted photo: Flickr

The bottom casing cracking issue that some folks have been experiencing in their 13-inch white MacBooks is real and Apple is willing to replace your MacBook if it happens to you, so sayeth the latest Apple service bulletin.

This is similar to the iPhone cracking syndrome that was eventually accepted as truth but don’t try to take your MacBook back if you dropped it out the window.

Apple added, however, that other portions of the case could be affected by the cracking issue. For all instances, providers were reportedly asked to inspect the MacBook carefully to determine whether the cracks could be the result of the notebook haven been dropped or other accidental damage caused by the owner.

In the event that providers are unable to identify signs that the user is at fault for the cracks, they’re advise to escalate the notebook for coverage by Apple, regardless of whether its 1-year limited warranty has expired.

Eddie Zarick, the guy who stuffed an LCD into the little cut out Apple logo on his Macbook. While you’re not going to get much overall usability value out of the mod, it’s still quite cool.

Ed has published a full tutorial on how we worked his magic and it doesn’t look hard as long as you don’t mind cracking open your MacBook.

First off you need to get the drivers installed on your computer that you will be using and make sure you get the LCD working first. This is very simple, just download and install them and then plug in the USB LCD and it should act as a secondary monitor.
Ok first off you need to go ahead and disassemble your MacBook. Yes.. this WILL void the warranty. Use the guides at iFixit to remove your Logic Board and Screen (HERE). You are going to need to remove the screen from the bottom half of the computer.

Whoa, now here’s a patent that’s actually worth discussing. (The majority of patents are boring, that’s the implication.) Apple filed a patent last September (but just now made public) that would turn give your iPhone or MacBook the ability to determine your identity, thereby increasing its security. That is, the device would have a built-in scanner, biometric or otherwise, that would determine if you’re really you, if that makes any sense at all. You touch the iPhone’s screen and it recognizes your fingerprint; hello, world! You place your palm on your MacBook’s palm rest and trackpad and the computer recognizes you; no password needed anymore!

Of course, like all patents, there’s no guarantee this feature will ever find its way to market; companies file patents just for the hell of it, or just to keep “the other guy” out of their backyard.

The scheme would be implemented in order to improve the security of your mobile devices. Passwords work well, but not everyone bothers to password-protect their MacBook, yet they sure as hell don’t want Prying Eyes looking inside their Home folder. By putting weaving a biometric scanner into the everyday use of a MacBook, Apple improves the security of every laptop leaving the factory.

Anything that improves a computer’s security, and as transparently as possible (in order to get Joe Public to play along) is okay in my book.