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The MacBook family is a brand of Macintosh laptop computers by Apple Inc. that merged the PowerBook and iBook lines during Apple's transition to Intel processors. The current lineup consists of the MacBook (2006–2012; 2015–present), the MacBook Air (2008–present), and the MacBook Pro (2006–present). The MacBook and redesigned MacBook Pro are the only MacBooks that do not incorporate the use of a MagSafe charger, but rather a USB Type-C port.
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Overview
The MacBook family were initially housed in designs similar to the iBook and PowerBook lines which preceded them, now making use of a unibody aluminum construction first introduced with the MacBook Air. This new construction also has a black plastic keyboard that was first used on the MacBook Air, which itself was inspired by the sunken keyboard of the original polycarbonate MacBooks. The now standardized keyboard brings congruity to the MacBook line, with black keys on a metallic aluminum body.
The lids of the MacBook family are held closed by a magnet with no mechanical latch, a design element first introduced with the polycarbonate MacBook. Memory, drives, and batteries were accessible in the old MacBook lineup, though the newest compact lineup solders or glues all such components in place. All of the current MacBooks feature backlit keyboards.
The MacBook was discontinued until March 2015, when a new model featuring an ultraportable design and an all-metal enclosure was introduced.
MacBook
The MacBook features many firsts from Apple, including a butterfly mechanism keyboard, the Force Touch trackpad, and a USB Type-C port. This lack of Type-A USB ports ubiquitous among modern PCs means it requires a mechanical adapter to attach almost any 3rd-party peripheral on release. The ports consist of one USB Type-C, able to charge the MacBook, and a headphone/microphone jack compatible with inline remote control. Adapters are available for USB, mDP, HDMI, and VGA. This Apple laptop is also the first in 17 years since the “Wallstreet” PowerBook G3 to lack a translucent illuminated Apple logo on the back of its lid, instead having a polished metal logo.
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is Apple's least expensive notebook computer. It comes with a 13-inch screen, and was Apple's thinnest notebook computer until the introduction of the MacBook in March 2015. The MacBook Air features two USB Type-A 3.0 ports and a Thunderbolt 2 port. This model of MacBook does not have a Retina Display. A MacBook Air model with an 11-inch screen was available from October 2010 to October 2016.
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro is Apple's higher end laptop available in both 13-inch and 15-inch configurations. A redesigned MacBook Pro was introduced on October 27, 2016, which is thinner and lighter than the previous generation MacBook Pro. Both size models feature a touch-sensitive OLED display strip located in place of the function keys, a Touch ID sensor integrated with the power button, a butterfly mechanism keyboard similar to the MacBook, and four USB-C ports that also serve as Thunderbolt 3 ports. The 13-inch model is also available in a less expensive configuration with conventional function keys and only two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports.