Apple today took the wraps off a revamped MacBook that weighs in at just 2 pounds and is 13.1mm thin.
"Can you even see it?" CEO Tim Cook quipped while holding up the new laptop during a press event in San Francisco.
Phil Schiller, Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing, said the new MacBook is the "most extreme and efficient notebook ever," thanks to upgrades to its keyboard, battery, power connectors, and more.
The upgraded MacBooks will arrive on April 10 in silver, space gray, and gold. They start at $1,299 for a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, Intel HD Graphics 5300, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. Upgrade to a 1.2GHZ processor and a 512GB SSD for $1,599.
The 12-inch MacBook sports a 2,304-by-1,440-pixel Retina display that's covered with full edge-to-edge cover glass. At 13.1mm at its thickest point, it's the thinnest Mac Apple has ever made, and 24 percent thinner than the 11-inch MacBook Air.
The new MacBook is housed in an all-metal enclosure, and Apple has integrated the antennas right into that enclosure.
Schiller talked up the keyboard advances. Traditionally, laptop keys move on a scissor hinge, dipping down on the edges as you type. With this new MacBook, however, Apple developed what it called a "butterfly mechanism," which Schiller said is four times more stable than the scissor mechanism. It's also 40 percent thinner, allowing for a thinner keyboard, and MacBook.
"The keys are much more prescise and accurate, even if you strike them on the side," Schiller said.
The trackpad also gets an upgrade. Underneath the glass, multi-touch surface are four "force sensors" that incorporate tap-centric feedback like you'll find on Apple Watch.
Click anywhere on the trackpad and get the exact same feel, Schiller said, which can be adjusted to be stiffer or softer. Meanwhile, the trackpad will respond to a range of pressure, from a light click to a deeper press Apple calls "force click."
In OS X 10, get an automatic Wikipedia lookup with a force click, or get a map by force clicking on an address within an email.
The new laptop will also be the first fanless MacBook. Removing that component allows for the densest logicboard ever on a MacBook; 67 percent smaller than the one on the 11-inch MacBook Air. "This is insane," Schiller said.
The new MacBook has built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. To maximize space, there is also a single port for multiple connections: power, USB, DisplayPort, VGA, and HDMI. Apple has embraced a new standard, USB-C, which links up via a reversible USB-C cable that Schiller said is a third of the size of a standard USB.
Apple is also upgrading its existing Mac lineup.
The MacBook Air will get updated to the fifth-generation Core i5 and Core i7 processors and Thunderbolt 2, while the 13-inch version will get faster Flash.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro will also get the force touch trackpad found on the new MacBook, the faster Core i5 and i7 processors and faster Flash, as well as longer battery life.
The upgraded MacBook Airs and Pros start shipping today.