Talkin' Bout My Generations: A Brief History of Intel-based Portable Macs

Question

During my first four years here at Discussions, I came across a fairly common problem while trying to help folks using Windows on a Mac: very few people I responded to could tell mewhat kind of system they were using. Many were users of portable Macs, so to try and help them out identifying the machines they used, I thought of making a guide to portableidentification.  But as I was writing this article two years ago, I got thinking about a more detailed history of the MacBook family from 2006 to 2010. I’ve taken many of the news snippets I’ve read from Macworld magazine and other sources to provide the historical content in this guide and combinedthem with my personal opinions on each model. Specifications where used have been verified by Brock Kyle’s EveryMac.com and by Apple support documents as well as keynote speeches from Apple execs.  The opinions provided are those of the author and are independent of Apple, Inc, so in other words, if you feel differently about these machines…
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER!
And now, the guide.  Enjoy!
First generation (1G):
These are the only 32-bit Intel Mac portables in the field, sporting Intel Core Duo (“Yonah”) processors from 1.83-2.16 GHz (Early '06, including Glossy)
MacBook
This long-awaited upgrade of the iBook has a port setup comparable to the Mid-'05 iBook--2 USB 2.0, 1 FW400, audi oout, mini video.   Also uses an inset keyboard, which drew some groans from the community-at-large when it first launched.  Internally, uses an Intel GMA950 graphics system that borrows up to 64 MB as video RAM and adds 16 MB overhead. 
Case type: Solid white or black polycarbonate shell
Chipset: Intel 945GM
Standard RAM: 512 MB (432 MB usable)
Maximum RAM: 2.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM(1968 MB usable)
Pros: Solid performance vs. iBook, goodbasic machine for the Web, hard drive is user-serviceable.
Cons: Poor graphics make this unit ascratch for mid-level business work, games or creative apps; limited RAM, no64-bit support
MacBook Pro
This was Apple's Intel debut, along withthe iMac (Core Duo).  Apple flashed a1.67 GHz prototype at Macworld Expo ‘06 that was scratched in production for a1.83 GHz model.  Supply chain economicsresulted in an optical drive downgrade to a standard single-layer drive fromthe double-layer drives in the late '05 PowerBooks.  It's also the only model in the MacBook Procontinuum not to bear a FireWire 800 port.  Although functionally similar to the MacBookthat followed it, this line has discrete graphics by way of AMD's RADEONX1600--up to 256 MB.  Slightly revisedversions, rolled in by mid-year, included a glossy display and improved videoRAM. 
Case type: Anodized aluminum compositewith plastic edging.
Chipset: Intel 945GM
Standard RAM: 1 GB
Maximum RAM: 2.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
Pros: Good step up from PB '05, can runpro apps and games with ease
Cons: limited RAM, no 64-bit support, no DVD±DL support, lack of FW800 abother for some
Second generation (2G):
The 2G portables (“Late 2006” in Applespeak) were a mild speed bump of the 1G lines, replacing the 32-bit Core with the 64-bit Core2 (“Merom”).  Processor speeds ranged from 2.0 GHz-2.33 GHz. Apple fixed many 1G shortcomings here, but retained the 945 family chipsets until well into 2007.  As aresult of the 945 family’s addressing limitations, usable RAM is limited to 3GB, even when 4 GB can be installed. (See http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/faq/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-3-g b-memory-limitation-details.html)  Further, Apple has chosen to limitWindows support on these units to Vista; anything else is “use at own risk”.
On the plus side, these 2G portables arethe absolute earliest qualifiers for Mac OS X Lion, albeit with a significantlylimited user experience—that is, many features of note simply are not possible given the nature of the 2G internals. 
MacBook
No visible markers set these units apart from the 1G models, and all internals are the same save for the Core2 CPU.  These units were slightly revised in 2007 toenable draft 802.11n support; those models shipped in October 2006 and onward could download an update to enable 802.11n. The only way to confirm a 2G MacBook is via software; the Model ID iseither ”2,1” or “2,2”
Case type: Solid white or blackpolycarbonate shell
Chipset: Intel 945GM
Standard RAM: 1 GB (944 MB usable)
Maximum RAM: 3.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (2992 MB usable)
Pros: Core2 offers 64-bit support and modest speed boost, max RAM up
Cons: Still comes up short forhigh-demand applications.
MacBook Pro
Functionally similar to its predecessor while retaining the AMD X1600 graphics, the 2G Pro had three notable differences.  This line marks the permanent return of the FireWire 800 port—this one’s on the right side. Also back for an encore is the double-layer SuperDrive; Apple’s suppliers finally had the size of optical drive that Apple needed.  Like the MacBook, it also gets a lift from the new Core2 CPUs with twice as much L2 cache as their predecessors and their trendier plastic-clad siblings.
Case type: Anodized aluminum composite with plastic edging.
Chipset: Intel 945GM
Standard RAM: 1 GB
Maximum RAM: 3.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
Pros: FW800 is back, as is DVD±DL; max RAM up, graphics still strong
Cons: Speed improvement only nominal, Windows Vista support still lacking inspots (X1000-series chips are not DX10 qualified)
Third generation (3G):
The “Mid/Late 2007” portables were somewhat of a redesign from the inside, though they remained similar to 2G models when viewed from without.  Common to both lines is the Intel 965 chipset family, best known by its Intel codename, “Santa Rosa”; with it, the system bus got ramped to 800 MT/s while the memory bus remained at 667 MT/s.  Here, the Core2 gets another modest speed bump, with standard frequencies ranging from 2.1 GHz-2.4 GHz.  At this time, the RAM ceiling was lifted, allowing 4 GB to be used in all models and making theseMacs capable 64-bit machines.  Windows x64 variants will run on this class, but it requires Boot Camp 2.1 or higher and some finesse with installing individual software packages since Apple’s installer places a soft block on these units.
Also of note: 3G and 4G MacBook Pros were particularly susceptible to a defect in the NVIDIA graphics chip, which left unchecked would cause these units not to display video, or to show scrambled video.  Apple has a current repair program to fixthis issue if you should run across it, but time is running out.  Unless you are aware that the defect has been repaired, these models are best avoided
MacBook
By the time the 3G models surfaced, the2G models were dealing with heavy criticism for not being refreshed in sync with the Pro models.  Apple had three convincing reasons for such a delay. First came the iPhone EDGE, for which development was a top priority.  The delay actually bought some time for Apple to reveal the other two reasons; Intel was providing the GMA X3100 as a companion to the GM965, which in itself was a modest improvement over the GMA 950 used in the first two iterations; and Apple had been working on its latest flagship OS, “Leopard”, released just days before the new MacBook surfaced on All Saints’ Day (11/1).  One might say that waiting does indeed payoff, judging from Macworld’s bench scores of the 3G MacBooks, 2007 was a good year to upgrade the old iBook to something better.
Case type: Solid white or black polycarbonate shell
Chipset: Intel GM965
Standard RAM: 1 GB (880 MB usable)
Maximum RAM: 4.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (3952 MB usable)
Pros: Better graphics, potentially faster WLAN support, improved speed, conservative energy usage
Cons: Poor graphics in Windows, game support on both platforms limited to casual titles (many FPS/RTS/MMO games not supported)
MacBook Pro
The 3G Pro underwent a massive interior overhaul in June 2007, sporting NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics and—for the first time in an Apple portable—an option to build a Core2 Extreme into the unit at 2.6 GHz.  These were the first portables to carry 802.11n as a standard option, as well as the first Apple portables touse an LED-backlit display.  The 3G Pro also meets or exceeds all Windows Vista operating requirements, and was one of the best performing computers to run Vista, according to PC World.
Unfortunately for longtime notebook users, the 3G lines of the MacBook Pro also mark some “lasts”.  The line of 3G Pros was the last line of portables to have officially shipped with Tiger, the last portables to includean Apple Remote as standard equipment, and, perhaps more notably, the last tobear a traditional numeric keypad.
Case type: Anodized aluminum composite with plastic edging.
Chipset: Intel GM965
Standard RAM: 2 GB
Maximum RAM: 4.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
Pros: Significantly improved graphics, greater energy efficiency over 2G units due to chipset and display upgrades, fastest unit of its time for current OSes, solid all-around performance, potentially faster WLAN support.
Cons: Not quite “future-proof”
Fourth generation (4G)
The “Early 2008” portables were met with fervent anticipation, as Apple hinted about “something in the air” at what would be CEO Steve Jobs’ final Macworld Expo address. Notebooks were all the rage, as was the upcoming iPhone software upgrade that gave rise to application development and the App Store.  Exciting news indeed, it was.  Yet, as was the norm in Jobsian monologues, he had “one more thing” to show off. Inter-office memos?  Nope, but it did arrive in the classic manila envelope used for such.  It was the first-generation MacBook Air, partof a 4G lineup that saw revamped Core2 CPUs ranging from 1.6 GHz all the way upt o 2.6 GHz depending on model and build options.
The new CPUs were based on Intel’s latest “Penryn” cores, some of which received a drop in L2 cache versus the “Merom” cores used in 2G and 3G units.  However, the drop in cache did little to impact performance; the new CPUs were actually faster by a slight margin at the same speeds as prior Core2’s, per Macworld’s bench scores.  As there were few changes in case designapart from removing the keypad from the MacBook Pro, only software can separate a 4G unit from a 3G unit.
The 4G units, and all units following, officially support x64-native Windows via Boot Camp 2.1 as included on their Install Discs, or ondiscs with future versions of OS X and Boot Camp.
MacBook
The 4G MacBook saw the processor upgrade and little else,but the bump was likely enough to convince any but the hard-core 12” PowerBookenthusiasts to cross over to Intel. Because it’s still based on the Santa Rosa (GM965) platform, the 20-pluspercentage point improvements touted by tech-savvy bloggers and enthusiastsites are never realized. Rather, some sources have documented a roughimprovement of between three percent and ten percent over the 3G units.
Sadly for some, this model is the last MacBook to bear anysize and speed of FireWire port.
Case type: Solid white or black polycarbonate shell (as of late 2008, white only)
Chipset: Intel GM965
Standard RAM: 2 GB (1904 MB usable)
Maximum RAM: 4.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (3952 MB usable)
Pros: Still a solid machine for light work, cheap, fast for its price
Cons: It’s the only cheap way to make your FireWire gear work
MacBook Air
The new kid on the block this go-around;the MacBook Air is Apple’s first sub-notebook since the PowerBook Duo of the early 1990’s. Classified as a “thin and light”, the Air is a very strikingdefinition of that term.  At three pounds weight and 0.16” to 0.76” thickness, and with logic circuitry the length of a standard No. 2 pencil, Apple could crow about making “the world’s thinnest notebook” and still pack more punch into a space of 14 inches at a time when other sub-note vendors were still trying to shrink their wares.  These vendors, according to Jobs, started shrinking items that shouldn’t be shrunk. Where most sub-notes had 11” or 12” screens, for example, the Air packed in a 13-incher; and when a keyboard was needed for the Air, Apple went with a full-size board identical to the then one-and-a-half-year-old MacBook design, complete with inset keys.  From the MacBook Pro, the Air gained an aluminum finish as well as a backlit keyboard.  On its own, the Air introduced solid-state storage (colloquially “flash drives”) as hard drives for the Mac.  However, this option added $1,000 to the Air’s asking price and dropped its already limited storage capacity from80 GB to 64 GB.  To add insult to injuryin some minds, the Air also dropped common expansion options and an internal optical drive to acquire its legendary dimensions.  Left after shrinkage: a single USB port, an audio jack, and a “micro-DVI” video port. Despite these sacrifices, the 1G MacBook Air still outclasses other sub-notes where it counts because its chipset is the same GM965 used in the 3G and 4G MacBook offerings in addition to having the fastest low-voltage CPU’s of the day in custom quarter-sized packages. Its performance in comparison to full-featured notebooks is lower by way of processor speed being lower, and yet normal for a portable of its class.
Case type: Anodized aluminum
Chipset: Intel GM965
Standard RAM: 2 GB onboard (1904 MB usable)
Pros: Size and weight offer maximumportability, big screen and keyboard offer comfort for travelers, multi-gesturetrackpad has large surface for easy usability, and price is on par for class.
Cons: Limited expansion options, limited storage, and service-removable battery ,costly add-ons required for use in environments where WLAN isn’t an option, not well suited to Windows variants beyond XP.
MacBook Pro
Not much new here from the 3G lines, save for the absentkeypad.  Base specs were upped by small increments, and dedicated VRAM doubled for all models.   Nonetheless, the 4G Pro can make a capable,if not solid gaming unit (as if the 3G unit wasn’t competent in its own right).  Like the 3G unit, it is also well suited to Vista and its 64-bit variant, and it can easily run Windows 7 in its many forms as well.
Case type: Anodized aluminum composite with plastic edging.
Chipset: Intel GM965
Standard RAM: 2 GB
Maximum RAM: 4.00 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
Pros: Robust graphics, flexible options,and multi-gesture trackpad
Cons: What’s not to like?  If you liveor die crunching numbers, it’s tougher, but doable.
Fifth generation (5G)
As is done in every odd generation, Apple reworked the entire line of notebooks from within for the “Late 2008/Early 2009” cycle.  In addition, Apple was hard at work on atotally new and totally trend-setting casing process for its portables.  The result: an extreme makeover not seen in Apple’s portable lines since the 68K-to-PowerPC transitions of the early 1990’s.  To rework the interior of the MacBook family, Apple went to NVIDIA—not Intel—for a high-performance logicsolution to be used in notebooks.  NVIDIAwas working on a desktop chipset at the time; but if Steve Jobs’ statement at Apple’s October ‘08 notebook event is to be believed, Apple designers asked NVIDIA to make it mobile, and the company delivered an MCP logic set dubbed“GeForce 9400M” unto Apple.  All linesthus benefited from markedly faster graphics and the adoption of ultra-fas tDDR3 memory.  Here, the 5G MacBook and 2G MacBook Air became passable all-around units, with the 5G MacBook Pro sportingdynamically switchable graphics engines.
For the exterior makeover, Apple Senior Designer Jon Iverevealed that Apple’s latest process created a “unibody” enclosure that waslighter and required fewer parts to produce, for it was milled entirely fromone sheet of aluminum.  To complete themakeover, Apple drew on its experience with the Aluminum line of iMac desktopsand fused all-glass displays into the new assemblies.
For some models, the fifth generation held well into 2010,and so received only incremental upgrades to the CPU, GPU, and system RAM
All models from this generation, save for the whiteMacBook, include a button-less, customizable multi-gesture trackpad.
MacBook and MacBookPro (15”)
Because the two lines had converged in this iteration, only subtle visual differences kept them apart. Both lines dropped the FireWire 400 port and exchanged their respectivevideo outputs for a common Mini DisplayPort, based on an emerging standard.  The loss of certain status quofeatures on both lines  (FW400 on theMacBook, traditional keyboard on the Pro) drew some whining in certain circles,but such things happen when Apple does this sort of retooling.
With the 5G notebooks, Apple further blurred the line thatonce separated MacBook from MacBook Pro, allowing the former a backlit keyboardin its fullest build.  Apple hoped that thiswould swing “fence people” toward the MacBook instead of a low-cost Windows PC since these are folks that would be forced to spend $2,000 on a MacBook Probecause they want to play games in either Mac OS or Windows, casually orotherwise.
Case type: Anodized aluminum unibody
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M MCP (withGeForce 9600M GT GPU in Pro models)
Standard RAM: 2 GB (1792 MB usable)
Maximum RAM: 8.00 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM( 7936 MB usable)
Pros: Fast graphics, lighter, moredurable, energy efficient, hard drive is user-serviceable, wealth of optionsavailable
Cons: Changes in port makeup require conversion adapters; may frustrate some
MacBook Pro (17”)
At MacWorld Expo ’09, Apple SeniorVice-President Phil Schiller spent more than 90 minutes touting the company’slatest software offerings.  In typical Apple style, however, Schiller couldn’t let Apple make what would be its finalcurtain call without a fantastic final act. The 5G-notebook lineup would be rounded out with a stunning revision to one of Apple’s crown jewels: the 17-inch MacBook Pro.  Though it’s fundamentally similar to its smaller siblings and received the same makeover from its 4G incarnation that the others received, its battery puts it in a class of its own; Apple claimed not only that the battery will last an unheard-of 8 hours, but also that it would continue to function at nearly 100% potential after 300charge cycles and drop to 80% potential after 1000 cycles, thereby lastingthree times longer than most conventional notebook batteries, including itsown.  The reason for this is thebattery’s adaptive charging circuitry, which requests that charge be directedonly to the cells that require it instead of the system charging the battery uniformly across all cells.  Real world testing of Apple’s claims yielded figures closer to 5 hours.  Still, the fact that the battery is fixed inplace seemed irrelevant.  Fixed batteries have been a source of worry for many gadget lovers since the original iPoddebuted in 2001.
Nonetheless, Apple’s flagship retained manyof thee same advantages and disadvantages of its 5G fellows, and yet it remaineda solid machine for those fortunate enough to afford its nearly $3,000 base sticker price.  Build-to-order modelsnearly eclipsed the 3 GHz mark—but as Don Adams would have said, missed it by that much.
Case type: Anodized aluminum unibody
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M MCP with GeForce 9600M GT GPU
Standard RAM: 2 GB (1792 MB usable)
Maximum RAM: 8.00 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM (7936 MB usable)
Pros: Powerful, lighter, more durable,energy efficient, hard drive is user-serviceable, wealth of options available
Cons: Changes in port makeup require conversion adapters; may frustrate some ,expensive entry price, fixed battery
MacBook Air (Second Generation and Third Generation)
How do you improve on the world’s most eye-catching notebook?  Apparently, you improve uponit from within, as CEO Jobs outlined during the October event introducing the5G-notebook architecture.  Like itsfull-sized siblings, the 2G Air ships with an NVIDIA 9400M MCP and 2 GB of fast DDR3 RAM onboard even as the ultra-low voltage Core2 CPU at its heart has seenonly miniscule improvements in overall clock speed.  Hard drive options have seen more modest gains, with the standard drive adding 50% more space than its predecessor and the SSD option doubling to 128 GB.  With these adjustments, the Air becomes more palatable to travelers willing toaccept certain tradeoffs in exchange for size and weight.  For Windows users under Boot Camp, the Air also becomes a more capable, if still underpowered, Vista unit, albeit one that won’t gain much from an x64-based variant thereof. 
Case type: Anodized aluminum unibody
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M MCP
Standard RAM: 2 GB onboard (1792 MB usable)
Pros: Size and weight offer maximumportability, big screen and keyboard offer comfort for travelers, multi-gesturetrack pad has large surface for easy usability, and price is on par for class,better storage options than previous model.
Cons: No change in onboard RAM to offset new hardware overhead, add-ons still required where WLAN isn’t available, adapter required for new Mini DisplayPort with most displays
MacBook (’09 White)
A surprise refresh in early 2009 brought an entry-level MacBook under $1,000 with most of the 5G features above.  To keep it that affordable, Apple ended up blending a third-gen polycarbonate MacBook exterior with a modified 5G-logicassembly.  Users of this model got the same fast graphics engine as the one in the mainstream aluminum MacBooks, all the while keeping the single and now scarce FW400 port; but they also gave up niceties such as the multitouch track pad and the slightly quicker DDR3 RAM.  Nonetheless, this 5G model was mostlikely aimed at those looking to start with a Mac and get a full-fledged computer.
Case type: Polycarbonate unibody shell
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M MCP
Standard RAM: 2 GB (1792 MB usable)
Maximum RAM:  4 GB (3840 MB usable)
Pros: Solid construction, cheaper than prior models, few if any changes from previous model
Cons: Limited trackpad motion support, RAM capped at 4 GB, looks less classy
Sixth generation (6G)
Perhaps the only generation not to offer a significant step up from the previous one, the sixth generation opened with a minor redesign of the white MacBook, which at long last had caught up with the earliest 5G models and therefore offered a better value than its previousmodel.  MacBook Airs also see but a minorspeed bump.  True improvement is not achieved until the arrival of the first mobile processors to use the emerging “Nehalem”microarchitecture and to see the return of multithreading support.  The processor’s redesign also affords the ability to shut down inactive processor cores whilst boosting the clock speed of those that remain active. Unfortunately, MacBook Pros are the only models to receive this welcome upgrade, even if it only comes in a dual-core package to start with.  All other models run on the last knownreleases of the “Penryn” core—a harbinger of things to come, maybe?
MacBook
From Mid 2009 onward, MacBooks continued to shadow their upper-crust siblings, but in the process, they ultimately catch up—to 2008’s lineup.  It’s from here that these modelstake a multitouch glass-backed trackpad, a fixed battery, and the Mini DisplayPort monitor connection.  A remolded unibody design gives this model a curved front.  FireWire finally drops, as does the IR receiver; Apple found that many consumers buying the MacBook just didn’t care for either add-on.  Still, subtle bumpsin CPU speed and battery life may have been enough to justify an upgrade from previous generation models.
Case type: Polycarbonate unibody shell
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M MCP
Standard RAM: 2 GB (1792 MB usable)
Maximum RAM:  4 GB (3840 MB usable)
Pros: Long battery life, sleeker and slimmer design,slightly lighter
Cons: Almost no change from 5G setup; ports dropped
MacBook Pro (15” and17”)
As mentioned above, the 6G Pro offered little in the way of improvements over the 5G lineup—or so it might seem at first glance.  Externally, they appear very much like the  5Gmodels, except that Apple has added an SD card slot to the port array—a big upgrade for camera buffs whom usually resorted to carrying cheap and oft-clunky card readers to dangle from a USB port.
Internally, these two flagship units make several changes to accommodate the Intel “Nehalem” architecture mentioned above.  No longer could a third-party chipset be used—the direct result of a protracted battle between Intel and NVIDIA over the terms of the deal that allowed the Core2 to run on a non-Intel logic set.  In its place, Intel supplied the “Arrandale” Core i-series multipurpose processors along with the then-new 5 series logic sets.  Arrandale brought with it a completely new bus known as QuickPath Interconnect, which in theory was much improved over the traditional front-side bus. Also making their debut were Turbo Boost, which shut down one core and turned up the other based on demand, and the Intel HD Graphics core, a welcome boost over previous Intel offerings that for their part lacked muscle; this new engine could render 720p HD where 2007’s X3100 had to feign it.  Last but certainly not least, Hyper Threading Technology, absent since the last of the Pentium 4 600 series CPU’s were cas tin 2006, returns to little fanfare but grants users twice the effective coresduring heavy workload.
Flash storage, introduced on MacBook Airs, makes its way into the mainstream lines with this generation and all that will follow it, though the drives’ expense and potential loss of storage space were not always justifiable, even though flash storage delivers on the promise of improved read/write access speeds.
Despite these huge gains, users anticipating quad-core chips on Macs when high-end Windows notebooks already had such were at the very least disappointed
For the discrete graphics engine, Apple again turned to NVIDIA for its 300-series chips, these being significantly more powerful than the 9-series previously used. Video RAM remained unchanged.
Case type: Anodized aluminum unibody
Chipset: Intel 5 Series/HD Graphics with NVIDIA GT 330M
Standard RAM: 4 GB (3840 MB usable inlow-energy modes)
Maximum RAM: 8.00 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM (7936 MB usable in low-energy modes)
Pros: Big lift from i-Series CPU’s, SD cards now usablewithout extra hardware, more starting RAM, SSD options for better performance
Cons: Low-energy modes use a graphics engine that is a drag on gaming for some (per user reports), still dual-core.
Seventh generation (7G)
There may be some discussion as to whether a seventh generation of Mac portables exists, or whether this line should be part of the sixth generation instead.  Apple’s internal naming schemes for the mainstream models did indeed point to a seventh generation, so on that basis, here’s a definition: Seventh-gen models were, as the sixth-gen models, a mild refresh. This time, though, the refresh targeted only those models not receivingthe Arrandale i-Series upgrade.  All models received the final upgrade of the Penryn Core2’s, as well as replacing NVIDIA’s 9400M MCP with a more robust version in the 320M.
With Windows XP in decline from 2009’s release of Windows 7, this became the last iteration of Mac portables to run the nearly-decade-old platform.  Vista, too, would meet its end here, though Microsoft still considers it in mainstream support untilmid-2012.  Perhaps Apple wished to streamline their Windows support to a single version—or perhaps it realized what so many others outside of itself knew from experience: Vista was a disaster, and it was best left to rot with its distant ancestor, Windows Me, inthe depths of history’s sewers.
MacBook
The trusty steed of many a cheapskate since its 2006 intro received what would be its last upgrade ever in mid 2010.  The Penryn processor gets a slight bump from 2.1 GHz to 2.4 GHz, and NVIDIA 320M graphics round out the package.  Otherwise, there’s not much new, for its reign as King of Value would quickly come to a close.
Case type: Polycarbonate unibody shell
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 320M MCP
Standard RAM: 2 GB (1792 MB usable)
Maximum RAM:  4 GB (3840 MB usable)
Pros: Modest gains for CPU and GPU—but that’s it
Cons: Still cheap looking with a plastic shell—and you paid WHAT?
MacBook Pro (13”)
Now firmly rebranded as a Pro model, Apple’s 13” aluminum notebook was poised to gain clout with “prosumers” and other types that loved the aluminum look but did not want to pay extra for the new CPU’s of the 15” and 17” models.  Still, these units made big gains from the new NVIDIA MCP and Penryn chips up to 2.66 GHz. All in all, this seemed a very well-balanced unit for one a full generation behind its peers, and one that was well worth its $1,200 entry fee
Case type: Anodized aluminum unibody
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 320M MCP
Standard RAM: 4 GB (3840 MB usable)
Maximum RAM: 8.00 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM (7936 MB usable)
Pros: Full featured for the size, hits a“sweet spot” for the price
Cons: Aging architecture now at limit, no i-Series chips to be found
MacBook Air (Fourth Generation)
The head-turning Air gets a late 2010 all-around makeoverwhile expanding the family of portables to include Apple’s smallest notebook since the 12” PowerBook made a splash in 2003. Even at the new 11.6” size, the Air gets a slightly thicker body than its previous two models.  The extra thickness isn’t enough to keep it from being the thinnest, but it is enough to add a much-requested second USB port and to eliminate the clumsy door covering the initial USB port and the video port in addition to exposing the MagSafe connector, making the once-awkward connection more accessible.  This also gives it a more rectangular profile in line with Apple’s other models.
The upgraded 13” model doubles onboard flash storage andadds the SD card slot from the MacBook Pros.
Both models now feature factory upgrades to storage andRAM—up to 256 GB and 4GB respectively-- as well as new options from theultra-low-voltage Penryn Core2’s.  Bothmodels also benefitted from NVIDIA’s 320M MCP Starting at 1.4 GHz with 64 GB ofstorage and 2 GB RAM for $999, the MacBook Air slowly began to earn its place as the value leader, costing just as much as the venerable white MacBook.  Even so, with so many options for this model,there was something to fit every budget.
These models are the first to carry a specific OS requirement when running Boot Camp, despite running Snow Leopard as previous models can.  Windows 7 is a must, though one would be hard-pressed trying to squeeze it into a minimally configured 11” unit
Case type: Anodized aluminum unibody
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 320M MCP
Standard RAM: 2 GB (1792 MB usable)
Maximum RAM:  4 GB (3840 MB usable)
Pros: Still thin and light, wealth of options available,extra USB port, ports much more accessible
Cons: Options fixed at time of order, Boot Camp needs toospecific for some users
What About Sandy Bridge?
As of February 2011, Apple was one of the first manufacturers to introduce Intel’s Sandy Bridge platform to the world, ushering in the eighth and current generation of portable Macs.  With this generation, quad-core, eight-thread i-Series CPU’s are a staple of the 15” and 17” high end, while dual-core ,quad-thread models still populate the lower end.  Nonetheless, all models now benefit from the same new technology with none fully ahead of or behind the others. 
All models also feature a breakthrough in peripheralconnectivity that combines bandwidths of both PCI Express and DisplayPort intoa bus markedly faster than any bus presently in use.  Christened “Thunderbolt”, the new interface offers enormous potential with its theoretical 10 gigabit-per-second bandwidth.  However, devices using Thunderbolt are only beginning to emerge on the market,thus it is still too early to offer any concrete opinion regarding thistechnology.
As these models are currently on sale (and have recentlybeen updated) at the Apple Store and Apple Authorized Resellers worldwide, to proffer any opinion of current models defeats the purpose of this, anhistorical document of Mac portable evolution.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
To have witnessed and tracked the evolution of Apple’snotebook lines from 2006 to the present is no small feat.  One could say that doing so is in fact opening a window on the history of Apple itself, for it is in Apple’s notebooks that we have seen the greatest innovations both from the company and in computing itself.  From their inceptionin 2006, Apple’s Intel notebooks have evolved into some of the best and mostreliable notebooks on the market today. To be able to run Windows as well asthe Mac OS only solidifies that position.
Yet, with each stage of their evolution, the MacBook, MacBookPro and MacBook Air, while they have made significant forward progress, havehad to sacrifice features that some users find essential.  Still, while the complaints roll in with each generation of notebooks, time must march on. Apple is a computer company after all, and must continually update its wares if it is to remain in its current position near the top of the industryat large.
The stark realities of Apple’s business, however, should never be used as an excuse to buy the latest and greatest hardware even if yours seems less capable than someone else’s. Holding onto older Apple hardware may actually put you at an advantage, since you may still be able to work with hardware that newer models don’tsupport.  This is one of many reasons Macs tend to stick around longer than most Windows PCs.
I certainly hope you have enjoyed this look back at Apple’s Intel notebook lines.  As a proudmember of the Mac community for almost eight years and a volunteer whose role connects him to computing past, I find this knowledge of the past fascinating; and yet it is vital to maintain such a background, as it can give us as users an idea of where the industry will be in the months and years to come. 

Answer 1

Due to a copy/paste glitch, some necessary spaces have inadvertently been removed.  If I could fix this, I would.