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Apple's new Macbook is thinner, more powerful than the Macbook Air





Who would've thought that the "MacBook Air killer"—that near-mythical laptop everyone hoped would beat out the industry trendsetting MBA—would come not from a competitor but from Apple itself?

In a surprising twist, Apple outshone its consumer laptop darling by unveiling a MacBook that's even lighter and more beefed up than its own current fleet of lightweight MacBook Airs.

Meet the new 12-inch ultra-thin Retina MacBook, which Computerworld noted is the first refresh for the notebook line since 2014.

Philip Schiller, Apple's head of marketing, said this is by far "the lightest Mac we have ever made," noting it is 24 percent thinner than the MacBook Air, measuring a svelte 13.1 mm.

At the heart of the new MacBook is an Intel Core M processor, from Intel's 14-nanometer "Broadwell" architecture.

It has a 12-inch Retina screen with a 2304-x-1440-pixel resolution, but also a unique multi-purpose port based on the new USB-C standard.

USB-C supports not only traditional USB, but also DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA. On the new MacBook, it is also the power connection.

Schiller said the new MacBook can run for nine hours on a single charge when browsing the Internet, and 10 hours while listening to music.

Yet, the new MacBook weighs just two pounds—15 percent less than the 11-inch MacBook Air.

The new MacBook will sell for $1,299 for the entry-level configuration - with a 1.1GHz dual-core CPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB flash-based storage.

A higher-end model sells for $1,599 and has a 1.2-GHz processor and 512GB storage.

Here's CNET's first look at the device:



Past the Air

Computerworld quoted Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research, as saying the new notebook "leaped past the (MacBook) Air."

Kantar WorldPanel Comtech research chief Carolina Milanesi added notebooks "need to be more mobile, so something like the Air doesn't need to be branched out anymore."

Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, said Apple is "taking it to the next level," as competitors HP and Dell "amped up their game."

"Just like when Apple created the Air, it took others three or four years to compete. Apple wants to do the same here," Moorhead said.

Air and Pro upgrades

Meanwhile, Apple slightly upgraded the Air and Pro notebooks with faster processors and using flash storage memory.

The MacBook Pro now also has the new trackpad in the MacBook. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News
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