After playing with the new Apple Macbook last week, one thing is clear to us: this is a device we NEED to use. Instead of just making it more powerful and thinner, Apple have added in features that make our laptops at home seem a bit under par, like the new keyboard, the force feedback touchpad, and so much more.

First off, Apple have put Intel Core Ms in the new Macbook. The chip is designed to stray between running cool and silent for when you just need to use Word or watch a video online, and pushing for higher performance. While you can’t have 15 programs open while watching a video, we expect the laptop to handle day to day life without breaking a sweat.

One of the big new features Apple won’t stop talking about is the keyboard. Their keyboard used to have a scissors like mechanism under the buttons, which made them pop up slightly. They’ve now changed over to what they call a butterfly mechanism. The buttons are now almost in line with the rest of the device. Apple claimed that if you take a glance, it almost looks like the keyboard isn’t there at all. After messing around with it for a while, we have to agree. Apple have also put LEDs under each button, perfect for working at night.

The other brand new feature is the force-feedback touchpad. Under the pad there is an electromagnet that shifts when it’s clicked. It can sense how hard it is being pressed and Apple have incorporated it into Safari and it’s other programs. For example, if you’re crawling through Wikipedia and find a word you don’t know, you can put the cursor on it and push down harder with your finger. Safari will immediately bring up a dictionary entry for the word.

The battery life has been greatly improved too. Apple have developed all new batteries that look more like cloths than rectangular blocks. They claim that the new design has helped them to squeeze all the power they can out of the device and promise a 9-hour battery life. While we don’t care much for the design of the battery, 9 hours is enticing.

Apple didn’t say much in terms of release date, but they said it will start around R12 000. The Macbook comes in three colours. Gold, Silver and Space Grey.  The base model has a 1.1Ghz processor, and the second has a 1.2GHz. While it’s not a huge difference, those who want the best from their laptop will have to consider it. Bear in mind that the new Macbook uses one USB-C drive for charging and for all other accessories. An adaptor for this costs R950. While it’s a shame that we need to fork out more just to plug in a USB drive, it’s a necessary trade off for just how thin the device is.

Get it: R12 000 and up
From: www.myiStore.co.za