Prince McLean compares the new MacBook with older models:

To see the progress Apple has made on a design level over the last half decade, here’s a 2005 iBook G4 up close to the new model. No clunky port framing, no huge intake gills, no exposed screws on the side, and nearly half as thick.

There’s also considerably better fit and finish overall. The old iBook isn’t worn out, it shipped with that warped frame around its hinge. The lid didn’t come within a millimeter of the body when closed, but hovered with a big gap, held down by a clumsy mechanical catch that necessitated a big button to release it.

— First look: Apple’s redesigned 13-inch unibody MacBook, appleinsider.com, October 22, 2009

The included side-by-side photos of the old and new models show remarkable design progress in just a few years. Taken together, the improvements will make a real difference to the many teachers and others using these MacBooks.

Nowhere is Apple’s drive for elegance and refinement more obvious than in its lower-end products.

Friday, October 23rd, 2009, 7:47 am    Trackback.