The eagles have landed (and by eagles, we mean the new MacBooks)

Look what the FedEx guy dropped off...

Forty-eight hours after Steve Jobs showed off his latest MacBook collection to the public, a pair of shiny new Apple laptops have arrived in the CNET Labs.

We're currently benchmarking these new systems--one 13-inch MacBook and one 15-inch MacBook Pro, so stay tuned for full reviews. In the meantime, we snapped a few photos of the new systems to show off some of the physical changes, and to compare an older black 13-inch MacBook.

The 13-inch MacBook is the more radically redesigned of the two, with an aluminum body that closely apes the classic MacBook Pro--so much so that we've heard it referred to as the "MacBook Pro Mini." The edge-to-edge glass on the display and giant touch pad are also new.

Side by side with a previous generation MacBook, the new model is slightly thinner, and the metal body (carved from a solid block of aluminum) feels much sturdier (not that the older MacBooks felt particularly flimsy).

The giant touch pad will take some getting used to--it lacks a separate mouse button. Before opening the box, we had assumed the new touch pad was strictly tap-based, but in fact the entire pad depresses like a button. It's actually a bit hard to get used to, and feels a little clunky at first compared to a totally fixed-position touch pad. On the other hand, there are some useful new gestures: you can hide all your apps by sweeping four fingers up on the pad, and you can also designate one corner as a "right-click" zone.

Check out these unboxing and comparison pics, which will hopefully hold your interest while we test and review the new MacBook and MacBook Pro.

They call these "unboxing" shots for a reason.

The new packaging seems to use a little less cardboard.

Th 13-inch and 15-inch systems, side by side.

Another side-by-side view.

The new touch pad.

A closer view of the touch pad.

The new MacBook and the previous black model.

A closeup, showing the new system is slightly thinner.

[kyler]

slightly? the new macbook ends where the old one's screen is just beginning

[jameskimRIP]

Kyler,
It *is* only 'slightly' thinner because the edges are beveled. If my memory is correct, it is around .8-.12th of an inch slimmer. It is half a pound lighter. And according to CNET, feels much sturdier than the previous model.

Now I'm wondering if I should sell my blackbook right now or wait for Gen 2 of the new Macs. Decisions, decisions...

[sanenazok]

The screen is slightly thick so the new laptop is slightly thinner

[theSTP]

Any problems with the AC adapter? I picked up my new MacBook yesterday and it will not charge. The LED comes on and goes off randomly and I've tried my home and office. I'm taking it back today.

I love the new body of the Macbook. I can't wait to get one so I can retire my PC notebook ; - )

[quantum_force]

Do not think they are more reliable. We have had multiple problems with the display wire becoming disconnected on Macbooks and various charging and battery issues. Far more issues than HP or Dell.

[ihadiyanto]

Can you compare the New MBP with 17" MBP with new hardware, I am really confuse about picking up the new MBP 17" or better waiting couple months with 17" MBP new design ( I am hoping it will came with 2 display options, I really need that matte screen ). Thanks. Good luck with the review

[myles taylor]

From what I have read, the glass display isn't as bad as people think it will be. If you really need that matte screen, you can get a third party cover that will give you a matte screen. I wouldn't put my money on them having two options though.

[tcr071]

I'm not so sure about the touch pads. PC users have been able to tap the touch pad to click for a while now but I almost never use it because it is all but worthless unless you are doing simple things. How would you play games on it without a mouse? I'll have to go check it out in the Apple store.

[bfdynasty]

tcr071: "PC users have been able to tap the touch pad to click for a while now"

It's not that Mac users haven't been able to "tap" the touch pad to click, that functionality has been there for years on our side, also. The difference with the new Macbooks is that the touch pad is actually a Physical button; so instead of simply 'tap'ping the button you can also press it for a physical Click just as you would a button on a mouse. That's what all the hubub is about, because - to my knowledge - this is the first laptop to ever have such a 'feature'.

[bigmc6000]

They actually addressed that saying you can actually assign areas on the track pad as "right click" (i.e. the bottom right corner) and the hardware will tell the game you right clicked. Personally I've never liked gaming with a track pad, PC or Mac, so I'm not really inclined to care how game friendly a track pad is.

[myles taylor]

Two things.

1) Mac AND PC users have been able to tap the touch pad to click for a long time. It's not the same thing. The touch pad actually depresses like a button when you push on it. You don't need to lift your finger from it to tap like you do on the previous touch pads or the PC ones.

2) Find me a gamer that plays games on a laptop without an external mouse. Most of the time it's impossible to play games on a touchpad anyway. I know that I can't play WoW (at least now well) or any other games without my external mouse. If someone is a serious gamer, they won't be playing with the touchpad, button or not.

[Aman720]

do you have any idea what your talking about? Macs have been able to tap to click for a really long time. And the touch pad is supposed to use gestures (which a PC CANNOT). oh and you want a mouse? then PLUG ONE IN... have you ever used a computer?

[whosblue]

bought the black macbook a week before news broke on the new macbook. but kinda happy with it. i like the black matte finish. i'm one of those who are switching from windows to mac, for the hell of it, to try something new.

[bigmc6000]

well if you aren't happy with it (the new guys have 5x graphic performance) you're still in the time frame that you can take it back...

[sanenazok]

too much free time on your hands, heiress...I wish I had the chance to try a new computer platform (that does practically the same things only differently) just for the hell of it.

[sumstari]

I had just bought a new MacBook Pro right before the new ones debuted...not knowing they were coming. Delighted, with it, but very unhappy that it was already outdate, I went into the Apple Store, prepared for a no/can't. I asked for the manager, very politely explained my distress, and before I knew it, was offered a swap! I had brought my MBP just in case they said yes, so went to the car to get it. The swap took about 7 minutes. Apple is a wonderful company, and this particular manager I truly appreciate. You never know what you'll get if you try.

[ucbedge]

Look at the glare on those babies! At least theyre multi-functional - I can use them as a bathroom mirror in the morning to shave while checking cnet.com!

[ucbedge]

Look at the glare on those babies! At least theyre multi-functional - I can use them as a bathroom mirror in the morning to shave while checking cnet.com!

[latina179]

I can't wait to switch from my PC to MAC. The new books are beautiful. I can't wait to purchase one for myself. >drooling over them<

[alenas]

It is funny, how Apple were not able to make drivers for Nvidia Hybrid SLI, so they though, lets not use Hybrid SLI at all - cause that would give a big advantage for Windows users on Macbook Pro. Apple is useless...

[kelmon]

The more concerning aspect is the requirement to log out before a switch takes place - that's going to be annoying. The non-use of Hybrid SLI is probably due to the heat that both chips will generate. Reports already suggest that these things get hot and running 2 GPUs at the same time will likely give a computer that you could fry an egg on. Other laptops will no doubt be able to deliver Hybrid SLI but they'll be much chunkier so that the heat can be dissipated.

[tipoo_]

they look awesome, but a Geforce 9400M is far from enough for a gamer like me, and the Macbook Pro with the 9600M is too expensive.

[dragonbite]

It will be interesting to see how well it avoids false-clicks. As somebody said earlier, PCs have had tapping for a click, but a number of times you are must moving your finger to continue running the cursor from one side to the other that is registered as a click.

[ausernamenoonehaschosen]

The usual tap, tap and hold, etc, work just the same. The only difference with the old track pad is the ability to push down on the pad to click (for those like my wife who never liked the tap gestures, and preferred the button.

[ceebee23]

Of course no Firewire on the new MacBooks... Apple has abandoned a whole group of its core users .movie makers and musicians by dropping Firewire...not to mention the loss of Target mode ..so useful for backups and transferring files.

Sorry Steve ...that is a HUGE mistake!

[ywkhgqo]

they only took away firewire for the macbook. The macbook pro still has it

[kelmon]

Totally agreed. Removing Firewire without providing suitable alternatives is a mistake, particularly when USB is inferior. Buying a Pro model when Firewire has been standard on consumer Macs until now is not an acceptable option.

[thefox84]

Firewire is gone! And I am so angry...I have a black macbook(I paid the premium for the color and love it) and I have patiently been waiting for these new ones so I could get one that can handle 3d from FCP, Color, and Motion(that is extremely portable as a local videographer so I can edit on the go). And what do they do, they add 3d, all while quietly eliminating a simple $10 firewire port. No excuses Apple, and I will not upgrade my laptop(I want the $1599 model) until you include Firewire in your Macbook. And now I'm even angrier that you decide to raise the price on these new macbooks given the current state of the economy. And I find it funny that the $1299 model has a 2.0 ghz processor and the $999 model has a 2.1 ghz processor. And my Mac has a 2.2 ghz core 2 duo. This upgrade was a complete waste, the Macbooks should ALL be $100 cheaper than before AND they should include firewire and all be the new metal design. This upgrade was one step forward, and two steps backward. And for that Apple, you will not get my $1600.

[jeffrox7]

i agree. it sucks the firewire is gone. firewire is awesome and firewire target disk mode is awesome. but on the white 2.1ghz macbook and 2.0ghz aluminum, the new macbooks have a faster bus speed of 1066mhz as opposed to the 667mhz bus. i picked one up yesterday as a sidekick to my iMac and it's quite snappy. but i really do miss firewire. and yes, this thing should have been at least $100 cheaper.

[sanenazok]

Why would you need a new computer sooner than 2010 anyways? Apple can't please everyone, including people intent on giving it money! I have a $500 desktop from 2007 which runs Vista just fine and won't need to upgrade from it until next year at the earliest.

[daedbird]

Like most of the people here, the big disappointment is the lack of Firewire. I use firewire on camcorders, but also with three different hard drives, and an old ipod that I use as a voice recorder. Im sure there will be some adapter coming, but it eliminates the one reason I love firewire - its bus-powered drives, well before any USB drives......Thank goodness there are deals on Amazon and eBay

[Starfires]

I do like the harmonised look across machines, but...

I once saved my Macbook, which wouldn't start up because of a corrupted disk, by using the target disk mode with an older iBook, via Firewire. My girlfriend was amazed and I was thinking that this is such a great feature. So, I'll be waiting until Firewire comes back somehow before I buy into this. People have spoken of an ethernet adapter which would make sense. Oh, and a mini-displayport to HDMI adapter that carries sound- one of the attractions of the new windows machines is just this.

[TheElenchus]

I never used firewire and could care less about its existence or non-existence. I have it on all my macbooks. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have it than not, but I know dozens of base model Macbook users, maybe two of which have ever used Firewire. The Macbooks seem to be utilized for what basically amounts to netbook work from my plentiful experience with them since the first white ones came out, and in my four years of owning multiple ones, I haven't found much use for it.

I am saddened by the loss of the matte screen, one of the reasons I bought my G4 iBook years ago. Glossy screens are awful. They have no use, anywhere, at any time, for any person, for any reason. They should not exist. They have no advantages other than looking prettier when the screen is off. I wish they could simply be eliminated from the face of the earth. And not just on laptops. Monitors, TVs, and so on. When's the last time you went to a theater with a glossy projection screen? There's a reason your answer will be universally "never."

So now instead of seeing OS10 I guess I just have to watch people walking around behind me and so on.

I don't like the black keys or the black bezel either. That said, I love the keyboard from the old Macbook and Air which is now on all Macbooks. I'm an incredibly fast typist, averaging about 120WPM, but laptop keyboards just don't have the tactile feedback to let me do that accurately. I believe with these keyboards I can be fairly competitive with my nicer desktop keyboards.

I have mixed feelings about the trackpad, so we'll just see how that performs on my new one when it arrives.

Not commenting on the hardware until I see some benchmarks.

[sanenazok]

Macbooks ain't netbooks since Macbooks don't cost $400.

[reujan]

i picked up a new 13" macbook yesterday and i love the style and attention that comes with it when i use it at school... a few things i might have an issues with is the trackpad... ive learned how to operate it but its still takes time to get used to... i love it... i recommend it to anyone who wants the newest tech gear!

[Tarsip]

The glossy screen is the vista of mac...