Tech specs: Apple's new MacBook

Apple has added a new MacBook to its lineup. The company claims that this offers a full-sized Mac experience in the thinnest and lightest form so far.

Tech specs:

More MacBook

Apple's new MacBook puts a $79 price tag on USB ports

Tech specs: Apple's new MacBook

All-metal, focus on the keyboard

LaCie unveils USB-C external drive

12-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology
2304-by-1440 resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
16:10 aspect ratio
1.1GHz or 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, upgradeable to 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor
8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 of RAM
256GB/512GB PCIe-based onboard flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 5300 GPU
Height: 0.14-0.52 inch (0.35-1.31 cm)
Width: 11.04 inches (28.05 cm)
Depth: 7.74 inches (19.65 cm)
Weight: 2.03 pounds (0.92 kg)
Up to 9 hours wireless web or up to 10 hours iTunes movie playback
Built-in 39.7-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
Full-size keyboard with 78 (US) or 79 (ISO) individual LED backlit keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys with ambient light sensor
Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
480p FaceTime camera
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Single USB-C port with support for charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps), native DisplayPort 1.2 video output, VGA output using USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (sold separately) and HDMI video output using USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (sold separately)
Stereo speakers and dual microphones
Available in silver, space gray, and gold
Price: Starts at $1,299

Keyboard

In order to make the new MacBook as thin as possible, Apple has had to reinvent the keyboard, dispensing with the traditional - and wobbly - scissor mechanism with a new butterfly mechanism.

The redesigned keys on the new MacBook feature a larger surface area, a thinner construction, and a deeper curvature, but are 40 percent thinner.

Each key also features its own LED backlight, which not only allowed the keyboard to be thinner, but also allowed more uniform lighting.

Apple

Display

The new 12-inch display is only 0.88 millimeter, making it Apple's thinnest Retina display to date.

Apple also redesigned the pixels to create a larger aperture, allowing more light to pass through, which enabled it to use LED backlighting which was 30 percent more energy efficient than the Retina display on any other Mac notebook, yet still achieve the same level of brightness.

The Force Touch trackpad

The trackpad has also been redesigned. Gone is the old trackpad that's hinged at the top 'diving board' arrangement, and in is a new one that features four force sensors, one in each corner. This means that it is just as easy to click no matter where you press.

Apple has also added a new haptic force-feedback that sends feedback to the user as they use the trackpad.

Also added is a new Force Touch feature that detects how hard the user is pressing on the trackpad. Different actions can be carried out depending on what they are pressing on.

Smaller, fanless logic board

Apple has shrunk the logic board from the 11-inch MacBook Air by 67 percent and got rid of the fan, making more space inside the device for batteries. The fanless design has been made possible by the new Intel Core M chip, built using 14-nanometer technology, which only draws 5 watts of power.

New battery design

In order to squeeze more battery power into the new MacBook, Apple has developed a terraced battery cell, custom shaped to fit the specific contours of the enclosure, resulting in 35 percent more battery cell capacity than would have been possible before.