Dave's Download

Apple Laptops Get Multitouch Pad, Drop Only to $1,000

By David LaGesse

Posted: October 14, 2008

MacBook Pros start at $2,000.

MacBook Pros start at $2,000.

Apple borrowed a term from the car industry in announcing new laptops, saying they carved a new, more stable "unibody" frame from a single piece of aluminum. Mercifully, nothing about hot rods in the company's promotional materials.

But the company clearly intends to stay at the fast end of the market, recession-scared consumers be damned. Apple surprised many followers by not dropping its laptop prices to $900 or less. The company hit $1,000 with its low-end MacBook, but analysts had been anxious to see the company go for more market share. AppleInsider among others reported how all kinds of revenue gains would come from lower-priced Mac notebooks.

Apple models are getting cool features, including a glass touchpad that can manage multitouch commands, much like the iPhone. Multiple fingers, for example, can resize, spin, and magnify images. Powerful graphics chips, lighter weight, and LED-backlit displays round out other major changes.

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Dave's Download

Our in-house gadget guru, Senior Writer David LaGesse, checks out the latest technologies and gizmos, from computer software to GPS systems -- and reports back to you in plain English.


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