MacBooks get a glassy spruce-up but no price cut

APPLE last week launched new versions of its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook PCs, more or less as this column predicted on September 30.

The new features include, as forecast, a new multi-touch glass touchpad. Apple says the touchpad now responds to the latest three and four-finger gestures.

Sounds very jolly, but Doubleclick has a hunch Apple Australia itself might soon be copping a few older, better-known two-finger gestures from some customers as news of the release trickles out.

Some of the news is good, some is bad, and some is downright ugly.

First the ugly news.

Far from cutting its prices, as is customary with many new releases, Apple Australia has increased them by up to $700.

According to Apple Australia marketing manager Rob Small the dramatic change in the value of the Australian dollar has been a major factor.

But, he adds, most models have been enhanced with radical aluminium cases, faster graphics and the glass touchpads, and the new prices reflect that.

Apple has also kept one of its older MacBook models with the white plastic case.

In the US this has gained a lot of publicity by selling for $US999, a $US100 reduction, making it the first Mac notebook to break the $US1000 barrier.

Alas, in Australia this model too has had a price rise: up 13 per cent from $1499 to $1649.

More bad news: Apple has quietly dropped the superfast FireWire connections from the MacBook line, although they're retained on the more expensive MacBook Pro.

The MacBooks do have three USB 2.0 ports, but that is not much solace to users with digital cameras or external hard drives that connect via the aster FireWire port.

They won't be upgrading in a hurry.

Is there any good news? Sure: some of those enhancements are quite impressive.

The all-new bodies are machined from solid aluminium slabs, rather than the usual thin casing over an internal magnesium framework.

This produces a notebook that is lighter as well as much stronger.

The new Nvidia graphics are claimed to run games up to five times faster than the integrated Intel graphics used on the older models.

Then there's that new "silky smooth" glass trackpad, responsive (like the iPod Touch and iPhone) to multi-finger "gestures".

In case you were wondering, three-finger gestures include navigating forward and back, and a four-finger flick hides open windows or switches between applications.

No more two-finger jokes, please: on the MacBook and MacBook Pro, dual digits are used, as on the iPhone, to change the size of photos: pinch the fingers and the image reduces, pull them apart and it enlarges.

The touchpad, incidentally, now comes without an accompanying button.

The whole pad works as a button, with a single finger tap. An advance? Maybe, maybe not -- it's a matter of personal taste.

In Australia, the two new aluminium MacBook models, which both have 13.3in screens, will sell for $2099 and $2549, up $300 and $450 respectively on the plastic-cased models they replace.

Don't expect a big boost in performance. The $2099 machine has a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which is an apparent downgrade from the 2.4GHz chip used in its cheaper predecessor.

The more expensive MacBook has the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo.

Two MacBook Pro models with 15in screens will go for $3199 and $3999, up $500 and $600 on older model pricing.

Both have FireWire 800 connections as well as USB 2.0 and an Express Card slot.

A 17in MacBook Pro will go for $4499, compared with $3799 for its predecessor -- that's the $700 rise we mentioned earlier.

Memory has been expanded from 2GB to 4GB and the 250GB drive has been increased to 320GB.

Well-heeled buyers can also plump for an optional 128GB solid-state drive -- just add $800.

Rumours that Apple would release a mini-Mac portable, something like the Asus Eee or Acer Aspire netbooks, have proved unfounded.

That's a pity in Doubleclick's opinion. People are flocking to these natty, low-cost ($400-$900) gadgets, which can be slipped into a handbag but do all the things most people want in a PC.

A mini Macbook would be even better. Apple should give its expensive (up to $3999) MacBook Air lightweight portable the flick and develop one pronto, we reckon.

davfrith@gmail.com