The New MacBook: A Guide for Beginners

Copyright © 2014

Conceptual Kings.

All are rights reserved.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Introduction

The Apple MacBook is one of the leading devices that are made from the top computer manufacturer Apple Inc. It was first released in 2006 and now it is re-released in March of 2015.

It is billed as a thin and portable notebook that has a similar design to the MacBook Air. The initial colors released are Silver, Space Gray and Gold. It carries features such as the Retina Display, Trackpad, Redeveloped Keyboard and Two Ports.

It was designed to be a full experience in a light and compact computer that is immensely powerful. This book will seek to cover many of the features of the unit to properly inform the reader.

Amazing Design

The new MacBook was designed with power in mind while keeping the unit small and compact. Apple set out to make the unit thinner and better than the previous notebooks. What they ended up with is the flagship of the industry.

2.       Keyboard

The keyboard is one of the design approaches that was upgraded. It is still a full size keyboard that uses half of the space. This is essential to user friendliness and Apple has achieved this construction.

3.       Improved Display

The display has been redesigned with an edge to edge glass that brings the display into sharp focus. When viewing the screen, the content is rich and vibrant with vivid details. It contains over 3 million pixels that render the content with crystal clarity with energy efficiency to top it all off.

4.       Great Trackpad

The trackpad has also been improved with a brand new experience with Force Touch. It has new features such as better response, uniform clicking no matter where is pressed and force sensors to detect the pressure that is being applied to the surface. The additional features gives the user new capabilities based on the new functionality.

5.       Wireless capabilities

The new MacBook is equipped to be fully wireless and handle all its capabilities with the least amount of effort. The machine takes advantage of the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology which makes the unit capable of connection virtually anywhere. There is no need for cords to transfer your files, photos or music.

6.       USB-C port

The new USB-C port allows the user to efficiently charge their unit by connecting the charger to it. It is an advanced port that allows charging and the fastest USB transference. The design is also made to be small and compact making it about 1/3 the size of a regular USB port.

7.       Efficient performance

The MacBook has been engineered to provide good performance that runs on a 5th generation Intel Core M processor that runs on approximately 5 watts of power. It is also made more efficient through the use of OS X Yosemite. The efficient balance of power makes the unit run very resourcefully.

8.       Battery Life

The Apple notebooks are known for their great battery life and the new MacBook is no different. It offers up to 9 hours battery power while still retaining the thin shape of the unit. This was achieved through Apple developing its own type of battery to comfortably fit in the slim space and still be very powerful.

9.       OS X Operating System

The OS X Operating System is what powers the newer versions of Mac computers. The foundation of the system is solid as a rock and is designed to efficiently use all the hardware that is available to it. The operating system allows all you iOS and Mac devices to work smoothly together.

10.   Built-in Apps

The apps that are on the system are produced to allow the user to be creative and useful in anything they have to do. There are many apps that allow the user to carry out many of their functions quite easily with the least amount of effort from the user. An application search can be done in the app store to find an app that will do what you want. Many times you will search for an app that you do not know exists and when it is found it may prove to be useful.

11.   App Store

The app store is the place where the user will go to find the apps they need for their device. A simple search can be done to find apps of many kinds that can do many things the user may require. There are over one million apps that can be searched and they will be certain to find something that will suit them.

12.   Solid Invention

The MacBook was designed to be powerful and efficient while being thinner and lighter. While doing this, it is functional and intuitive. Apple took the time to redevelop the complete design from scratch to ensure that no stone was left unturned in the development of the new version.

13.   Butterfly Mechanism

The traditional approach to the keyboard used the scissor mechanism which would give trouble of wobbling around the edges of the keyboard. This may cause the lack of precision which would end up with the user making multiple mistakes and typing inefficient. The makers have reduced this wobbling and made typing better by using the butterfly mechanism which makes it more responsive to the key strokes.

14.   Design of the Keys

The area on the keys are much bigger which is in fact a larger surface area that uses thinner construction with deep curvature. It allows for more space for the fingertips so typing is distinct and intuitive. This approach along with the butterfly mechanism, gives the user better control when they are typing.

15.   Keyboard Backlight

In addition to the efficiently designed keyboard, Apple has figured out how to illuminate keys without taking up much of the space that is was saving in the first place. They did this by putting an LED under each key with uniform brightness and maintaining the energy efficiency.

16.   3 Million Pixels

The unit comes with a 12 inch Retina display that is sharp with over 3 million pixels. This amazing display packed into a paper thin device is stunning. This machine holds the title of having the thinnest retina display ever on a Mac computer. The edge to edge glass that is utilized is only 0.5 millimeter thick and it is developed by using an automated manufacturing process.

17.   Design Approach

To achieve the improved retina display, they had to employ great innovation all the way down to the pixel. The pixels were redesigned to allow more light to pass through based on the larger aperture. The new approach allowed the machine to be about 30% more energy efficient based on the changes. This is one of the new approaches in the design which allows it to be a well thought out unit that places emphasis on efficiency.

18.   Taptic Engine

With the new Force Touch trackpad the force sensors can detect wherever the user will click to make a selection. The taptic engine is used to provide haptic feedback which means not only do you see what is happening on the screen, you can feel it too.  There is a tangible response that is given to your fingertip when certain tasks are performed.

19.   Force Touch

The force touch features puts a new dynamic to the multi touch gestures that you have been used to in previous machines. That is, in addition to the scrolling, swiping, pinching and rotating. The force touch allows the user to adjust how much pressure they should give to register a click. The trackpad can even detect whether it is a thumb or finger so the sensitivity level can be adjusted appropriately.

20.   Accelerators

There is a feature that will recognize the amount of pressure that is being applied and allow the user to fast forward through things such as videos or zoom through easily on something like a Map.

21.   Pressure sensitive actions

There are actions that can be done on the unit that will respond to different levels of pressure. For example, in drawing applications, when the user presses lightly you will get a thin line in the drawing, if you press harder you will get a thicker line.

22.   Compact Components

The components that are contained in the MacBook are meticulously made to maximize the compact space that is in the unit. It is a thin and light enclosure, so it has to be made in such a way not to increase the weight of the device.

23.   Optimized Device

The device has a very efficient processor along with the Intel HD Graphic 5300 which makes it powerful without pulling much on the processor. There is also no need for a fan as there are no moving parts and it operates virtually silent. With the compact design, it makes more space for the battery to contain more cells to give more time for performance.

24.   Intel Processor

The device contains a 5th generation Intel Core Broadwell processor which is the first processor to be designed with 14 nanometer technology. This approach packs the processor with more transistors than the previous designs which gives better performance.

25.   Fanless

This is the first MacBook that has been made without a fan. The lightweight processor already pulls only 5 watts of power and does not provide much heat. In addition to this, the design is made to disperse any heat that may be generated during use. There are also many apps that ensure that the right amount of power is used during the operation.

26.   Logic Board

The new MacBook combined some of the things that were learned in the design of the other devices such as the iPhone and iPad with new concepts. The components such as the processors, memory and flash storage were carefully arranged on the high density logic board to get the best performance.

27.   Storage

Despite the small internal components if the unit, there is an immense capacity in the MacBook. It can store all the files and applications that the user needs in their daily lives. It has 8GB worth of memory that is combined with 256 or 512GB of flash storage.

28.   Innovation in every inch

The manufacturers made sure to use every inch of the space in the system enclosure to achieve efficiency. In regards to the battery, it is terraced and done in a custom shape to use all the area in the enclosure. This resulted in a 35% increase in the performance as the amount of cells in the battery is more.

29.   Portability

The MacBook is thin and light and makes a special effort on efficiency in every detail of the design. Even the peripherals and the power has a new connectivity standard that combines all of this into one port.

30.   Energy Efficient

Every aspect of the MacBook was made with energy efficiency in mind. This includes the Retina display, the battery and the many features of the OS X operating system. The unit has an average consumption of 10kWh per year and exceeds the low power requirements that have been set by EPA. Also with less need to be constantly charged, there is not much of a carbon footprint for daily use.

31.   Environmentally friendly

The unit was designed with no harmful toxins that can affect the environment. It is designed from recyclable materials that includes glass and aluminium. It has also achieved an award for a high environmental rating based on being energy efficient, the design and its manufacturing process.

32.   Connectivity

The connectivity is one of the great things of the MacBook as it is fully wireless and not connected by any cables. It is designed to maximize wireless technologies and to get the most out of Apple software. Along with the light and compact design, the absence of wires makes it absolutely portable.

33.   iCloud

The iCloud service allows users to back up their photos, music and files to their cloud account. This is all done wirelessly and it allows many of their devices to synch seamlessly. The iCloud account will simplify the life of the user as it makes the secure organization of their information very easy to do.

34.   Airdrop

This function allows users of a Mac or any other iOS device to easily share files with just a few clicks. Files can be shared between the devices which are in close proximity to each other. There is no longer a need to share it by any web based service or email, it is as easy as drag and drop.

35.   Bluetooth Audio Technology

The wireless features are also extending to audio features such as listening to music. Wireless headphones can be used as an accessory so it is easy to connect your headphone and have your music streaming via Bluetooth technology.

36.   AirPlay

AirPlay allows the user to share their photos and videos from their computer to a TV without any complicated setup. Using Apple TV, this content can be wirelessly streamed to the television set. This can be convenient in some situations where guests are in the vicinity and they can use the Apple TV to get access without connecting to the Wi-Fi network.

37.   Personal Hotspot

This setting allows the user to have a wireless connection wherever they go. If the user happens to be outside of Wi-Fi range, then it can connect to the iPhone which will use the phone network for connectivity. Once you have set it up to recognize it, the operation will go seamlessly to ensure that you will always have a connection.

38.   Wireless Printing

The new MacBook allows for wireless printing which makes it easy for the user to print their documents, photos, web pages and various things from their MacBook. This capability is built into many of the latest printer models so they will allow printing via the network (Wi-Fi) without any driver installation.

39.   Automatic Backup

There is a feature called Time Machine which allows the user to keep their information backed up wireless to the AirPort Time Capsule or an external hard drive that is connected to an Airport Base Station. This is an automatic operation that is done via the wireless network so the user does not have to always remember to do it.

40.   Price

The new Apple MacBook is quite reasonable when compared with other comparable units. At $1,299 it is a great bargain for all the features that you receive in the light and compact unit.

41.   Software and Hardware

The operating system used on the new MacBook is OS X which was designed to get the maximum usage out of the Mac computer. It allows the software and the hardware to work in synergy with each other. Along with the processor it gives the best performance and is highly responsive to the user’s needs.

42.   Mac and iOS connection

OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 allows all the Apple devices to connect to each other in a smart way. The user can use features of their iPhone such as making calls on their Mac even when the iPhone is not in the room. Text messages can also be sent from the Mac computer as well.

43.   Intuitive

Everything that is done on a Mac is intuitive and designed to be easy to understand. The applications have been built to assist users with their everyday life in the best possible way with the least amount of effort. The application dock allows the user to easily launch the app they are desirous of running at the time.

44.   Finder

The finder is a search feature that allows the user to easily find everything that is stored on their Mac computer. This is also functional in the iCloud so the files and documents can be found quite easily.

45.   Easy Control

The MacBook is easily controlled by using finger gestures that including clicking, swiping or pressing. The Force Touch trackpad allows the user to interact with their Mac in many new ways that are all done from the fingertips of the user.

46.   Mac Style – Multi Touch

The multi touch gestures were integrated into the surface of the trackpad for it to determine what the user is doing. Therefore, when the user is pinching, tapping, swiping etc., it feels natural to them. The integration between the software and the hardware makes it so much easier to use as the reactions will be smooth.

47.   Power

The OS X operating system utilizes the latest technologies that is back by a solid backbone that have unrivalled stability. It also provides the base for the standard of the internet while using the power of the processors coupled with amazing storage space. This allows the machine to be capable of running any application that the user will require.

48.   Advanced users

There is allowance for advanced users who need a lot of power to get their work done efficiently. With the focus being on efficiency, the users can organize their workspace any way they want to get maximum productivity from the device. For the users who like to work in multiple applications at the same time, Mission Control allows them to get a view of everything going on at a particular time.

49.   New Applications

There are applications that allow high productivity on the Mac computer. There are some basic applications that come with the system and the other required applications can be downloaded from the app store. You can find an application that can do anything the user wants which can be seamlessly integrated into the operating system.

50.   Security

The MacBook computer comes with advanced technologies that work together to keep the machine safe. There are apps such as Gatekeeper which monitors downloads to ensure that they are safe and will not affect the computer. The best way to keep the Mac safe is to keep up to date with the software updates which will upgrade the security features and enhancements.