Disappointed by the new MacBook and MacBook Pro

Nobody does aluminum like Apple.

Apple’s new MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks, introduced a week ago, are drop-dead gorgeous. That’s about all you can say about them, compared to the older models.

The prices are the same as the previous generation. The size is about the same. Weight is actually higher. Sure, the new entry price is $999, but that’s for a white polycarbonate plastic MacBook model that’s essentially a leftover from the previous product line. The new aluminum models are just as pricey as the old ones.

The under-the-hood modifications are a new NVIDIA graphics chip set that blows the socks off the old Intel chipset, and a next-generation set of Intel processors that seem to boost speed by about 20% on the MacBook, and 5-10% on the MacBook Pro. That’s all good.

One techie friend claimed that I was underwhelmed because I hadn’t seen the machines. However, I had seen them. Yes, the new machines are beautiful. But that’s not a reason to go ooh and ahh, as much of the media seems to be doing.

Apple also gave us LED-based screen lighting, which is nice. Battery life might be a little better, but it’s too early to tell. A 128GB solid-state hard disk is available on the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

But what don’t we have?

• A new 17-MacBook Pro. If you want 17 inches, they still sell the old model. Rumor is that the 17-inch one using the new design will appear in a few months.
• Blu-ray optical drives. Not sure if there’s demand, but they’re already showing up in Windows notebooks.
• A 500GB internal hard drive option. I was sure we’d see that.
• A really significant gain in processor speed. While the MacBook got a decent boost, the Pro didn’t gain much at all.

And what have we given up?

• A standard DVI connector on the MacBook Pro. External monitors now require an adapter.
• FireWire 400 connectors on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. That means no more Target Disk Mode, and terrible support for external drives and cameras. USB 2.0 is not a good substitute for FireWire 400 for high-bandwidth connectivity. (There’s still FireWire 800 on the MacBook Pro.)
• A left mouse button. The new models have a solid glass trackpad. You click by tapping the trackpad. I wanted to gain a right mouse button, not lose the left mouse button!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t see anything, beyond the beautiful aluminum case, to get excited about, and much to be disappointed in. If you want a MacBook or MacBook Pro, try to get a deal on left-over inventory of the older models.