MacBook 2008: Apple Announces New MacBook And MacBook Pro With Glass Multitouch Trackpad

MacBook 2008 event at Cupertino is over, and we get 4 major announcements from Apple, as follows:

• New MacBook laptop.
• New MacBook Pro laptop.
• New boosted MacBook Air laptop.
• New 24-inch Cinema Display.

It’s not that we were totally surprised from today’s new announcements. After all, there’s always a strange commotion, preceding Apple’s events, feeding us with rumors, and anonymous tipsters who emerge from the dark with some hidden images. Luckily, this time wasn’t different from others, as we were able to catch up with all the tidbits and leaked pictures, during those recent weeks. Hit the jump to read more about Apple’s novelties in a nutshell.

New MacBook

As mentioned, Apple announces new MacBooks lineup, all equipped with a 13.3-inches 1280 x 800 LED-backlit display, a mighty state of the art NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor, precision aluminum unibody, sized at 12.78 x 8.94 x .95-inches, 4.5 pounds, 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 RAM, built-in iSight camera, stereo speakers, a microphone and Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard onboard, along with iLife ’08. According to Steve Jobs, the updated battery can deliver up to 5 hours of continuos work and there’s a new refreshing multi-touch trackpad, made from glass, to provide 40 percent more tracking area than before, with new 4-fingers gestures, but without the buttons. The idea is that the entire trackpad surface is also a button, allowing users to both track and click virtually anywhere on the trackpad. There are 3 configurations to choose from, as the first one includes the very basic 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor with a 160GB 5400 rpm HDD, for $1299, while the second one packs a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 320GB HDD storage 4GB of RAM, for $1599. There’s also an SSD version, available for premium loaded customers. But wait, you can also get the previous Macbook model for a lower price of $999.

New MacBook Pro

To make it simple, this is probably one of the most anticipated products this year. The new muscular MackBook Pro lineup includes two configurations, both equipped with a 15.4-inches 1440 x 900 LED-backlit display, a super duper NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor AND the monstrous NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, TOGETHER in the same new slim precision aluminum unibody (WOW!), sized at 14.35 x 9.82 x .95-inches, 5.5 pounds, 2GB/4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 RAM, built-in iSight camera, stereo speakers, a microphone, an optical digital input / analog line in/out, AirPort Extreme WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1connectivity and Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard onboard, with iLife ’08. Naturally, there’s this new glass multi-touch surface, providing more tracking area than before, with new gestures. You get a chance to choose either the basic 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 2GB of DDR3 RAM 2GHz with a 250GB HDD and both Nvidia cards on deck for $1999, while the second houses a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 320GB HDD storage, 4GB of RAM and a strong NVIDIA GeForce 9600M graphics processor inside, for $2499. There’s also a 17-inch MacBook Pro version, sporting the same specs, only with a 2.6GHz CPU, starting at $2799.

New MacBook Air

The MackBook Air is also getting an update with a 120GB hard drive (optional 128GB SSD) and the latest Nvidia 9400M graphics processor, together with the new mini DisplayPort instead of the previous microDVI port. You can choose between two configurations, as the first comes with the basic 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU plus the upgraded 120GB HDD, for the same $1799, while the second option comes with a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and a 128GB SSD drive, to be available in November for $2499. The rest of the specs includes:

• Precision aluminum unibody enclosure, 12.8 x 8.94 x .16-.76-inches, 3.0 pounds
• 13.3-inches LED-backlit display, 1280 x 800 resolution
• 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory
• Multi-Touch trackpad
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB DDR3 SDRAM
• Mini DisplayPort output port with support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI
• Built-in iSight camera, stereo speakers, microphone
• Audio Output
• Built-in AirPort Extreme WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1
• 1 USB 2.0 ports
• Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard & iLife ’08
• 4.5 Hour Battery life

24-inch Cinema Display

The new Cinema Display was one of those so-so Apple’s surprises pulled out at the last minute, featuring a 24-inches 1920 x 1200 LED-backlit glass screen, with built-in iSight camera / microphone, stereo speakers and 3 port usb hub, to be available in November for $899.