Apple has a new thinnest computer in town. And, no, it’s not a MacBook Air. Dubbed simply as MacBook (no more qualifiers), Cupertino’s newest laptop comes in at just 13.1 mm of thickness, making it a remarkable 24 percent thinner than the 11-inch MacBook Air.
While it won’t be their lightest at two pounds, the new MacBook brings a whole host of other updates that make it feel like one of the most genuinely-fresh computers we’ve seen in some time. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, though, remains to be seen.
The MacBook joins Apple’s Retina display family with a 12-inch 2304 x 1440 IPS panel that consumes 30 percent less power than previous screens, along with a full-width keyboard that uses a “butterfly mechanism” for more precise inputs. They’ve also overhauled the touchpad, which now gains pressure sensitivity, allowing for all-new uses (e.g. press it harder to speed up forwarding through a movie) to an old laptop staple. It’s also the first laptop to come with the new reversible USB standard, USB-C (only a single port, though), in exchange for eliminating all those other ports that usually line the side of Apple’s notebook computers. Seriously, Apple strangely eliminated everything else other than the audio I/O, ensuring you will need to purchase a new set of adapters if you do decide you need the new MacBook in your life.
Inside, everything is coordinated by Intel’s Core M Broadwell CPU, which is installed on a logic board that’s 67 percent smaller than anything Cupertino has ever put together. The onboard battery can keep it running for up to 10 hours of movie playback.
Slated to ship April 10, the 12-inch MacBook will be sold in silver, gray, and gold colors, with prices starting at $1,299.