New MacBook announced with 12-inch Retina display

In an event dedicated to explaining the benefits of its new Watch, Apple set aside a moment to update a machine that needs no special introduction: the MacBook. It's just MacBook now, no more qualifiers. It weighs just 2 pounds and, at 12 inches, will sit in between Apple's lightest MacBook Air models. It's 24 percent thinner than the 11-inch MacBook Air, measuring 13.1mm in thickness. There's an all-new keyboard, which spans the full width of the new MacBook. The keyboard features a new "butterfly mechanism" for a better, "much more precise" typing experience. The keyboard also has individual LED lighting for each key, helping to make the device that little bit thinner.

The new MacBook has a 12-inch screen, which joins Apple's Retina display family with a 2304 x 1440 resolution. Apple says that it consumes 30 percent less power than previous displays. The touchpad has also been overhauled: it no longer clicks. There are four force sensors, one in each corner, and the "click feel" is managed by software. That allows the MacBook to have pressure sensitivity, which leads to cool new uses such as pressing harder on the fast-forward in QuickTime to make a video play faster. Apple calls this a Force Click.

Looking at the side of the new MacBook, we can see the new USB Type - C Connector , making this, as anticipated, the first laptop to feature the upgraded, reversible USB standard. Also expected was an internal redesign and Apple has duly delivered: the logic board is 67 percent smaller than previous generations and is the densest that Apple has ever put together. There is no fan required as the computer will be powered by Intel's Core M Broadwell CPU. Battery life is promised to extend up to nine hours of web browsing or 10 hours of movie playback.

The new MacBook will be available in silver, space gray, and, in Phil Schiller's words, "stunning gold." The starting price is $1,299 and shipping begins on April 10th. Schiller closed off the presentation by noting that the new MacBook is "the world's most energy-efficient notebook," according to data from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Apple has also updated the rest of its MacBook range today, with upgrades for its Air and Pro lineups, though the big news is the MacBook that requires no extra name.