- Joined
- 27 Dec 2001
- Messages
- 7,626
MacBook Specs:
Hardware
As expected, the MacBook is a beautiful machine. I chose the white finish because I expect it to hide scratches better, plus the black finish is more expensive. It's pretty light-weight and very slim -- totally acceptable to me for portability. It feels like a very solid piece of hardware.
The AC adapter is the new Mag safe technology that uses a magnet to hold the adapter into place. The connection is easy to make and a small LED glows amber as the laptop charges, then green when the charge is complete. There are also 5 green LEDs on the bottom where the battery is, and they light up as well as the battery charges.
The MacBook's latch is also magnetic, so there are no physical latches and no button that might be prone to wear over time. The built-in iSight is mounted above the screen with a status LED and a microphone. The Apple remote is included for use with the Front Row software, and there is an IR port on the front right corner. The speakers are actually installed at the two back corners at the base of the screen, so you can't even see them unless you look. It seems to work as the sound bounces off and up the screen.
The screen itself seems to have drawn some strong opinions. It is glossy coated so there is some glare. My opinion on this so far is that I don't have a strong feeling about it either way. The glossy makes for a great picture, and the glare can be avoided for the most part. Besides, most TVs have glass screens and you learn to look past the glare -- this is the case with the MacBook as well. I have not tried to use it in direct sunlight, but in all other cases I've been able to avoid the glare.
The keyboard is also designed differently from previous Apple laptops. Each key is raised above the surface independently, so hitting one doesn't effect the rest. This prevents any bending of the keyboard when you type. So far I've seen no evidence of the keys leaving an impression on the screen when the laptop is closed.
Finally, the trackpad and mouse button are very wide, making for plenty of room to work with. The two-button scroll works flawlessly, and I haven't had a single case where my mouse jumped to a different position as I typed.
Software
The MacBook is pre-loaded with OS X 10.4.6, iLife '06, Photobooth, Front Row, Comic Life, Big Bang Board Games, OmniOutliner and the iWork '06 Trial.
iLife '06 was made as a universal binary so it runs perfectly on the Intel processors. Comic Life was a pleasant surprise and it is a lot of fun to use. Photobooth is hours of fun -- literally. I wasn't sure how often I'd use Front Row, but I already have several times to show pictures that I've taken in Photobooth. The combination of Photobooth and Front Row is almost enough to sell a PC-user on the MacBook -- I can back that up, too.
Performance
So far, most everything runs very fast on the Core Duo processor. The boot time is 5-10 seconds, and the iLife apps seem to run quicker than on my PowerMac 1.8GHz with 1.5GB of RAM. It seems that most of the apps I use are already written in universal binary, though Photoshop is a big one that won't be released until probably next year (CS3). RapidWeaver has yet to be either, but 3.5 will be and it's due for release in a week or two.
For the most part the MacBook has run completely silent. MacBook Pro users complained of a "whine" -- I may have heard this once or twice on my MacBook, but only in a completely quiet environment. I read that running Photobooth on the MacBook Pro silented the whine, and it seems that the case is the same on the MacBook.
Heat is the other major issue that has been addressed with the MacBook Pro. I notice that the back left corner does get pretty warm over time, but I don't know that it is something I should be worried about yet. I downloaded a mini app called Core Duo Temp, and so far the highest reading has been about 63?C. I'll be checking around other forums to see what the consensus is on what is too hot.
Conclusion
I love my MacBook! I see no reason why anyone would buy an iBook G4 now that this has been released. I thought the price was reasonable and I read that a similarly configured Sony laptop was $500 more.
4.5/5 OSNN Stars -- Highly recommended. :up:
*Feel free to post any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.*
- 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo Processor
- 512MB RAM
- 60GB HD
- 13.3" TFT widescreen display
- 64MB Intel GMA950 graphics processor
- CD-RW/DVD optical drive
- Color: White
Hardware
As expected, the MacBook is a beautiful machine. I chose the white finish because I expect it to hide scratches better, plus the black finish is more expensive. It's pretty light-weight and very slim -- totally acceptable to me for portability. It feels like a very solid piece of hardware.
The AC adapter is the new Mag safe technology that uses a magnet to hold the adapter into place. The connection is easy to make and a small LED glows amber as the laptop charges, then green when the charge is complete. There are also 5 green LEDs on the bottom where the battery is, and they light up as well as the battery charges.
The MacBook's latch is also magnetic, so there are no physical latches and no button that might be prone to wear over time. The built-in iSight is mounted above the screen with a status LED and a microphone. The Apple remote is included for use with the Front Row software, and there is an IR port on the front right corner. The speakers are actually installed at the two back corners at the base of the screen, so you can't even see them unless you look. It seems to work as the sound bounces off and up the screen.
The screen itself seems to have drawn some strong opinions. It is glossy coated so there is some glare. My opinion on this so far is that I don't have a strong feeling about it either way. The glossy makes for a great picture, and the glare can be avoided for the most part. Besides, most TVs have glass screens and you learn to look past the glare -- this is the case with the MacBook as well. I have not tried to use it in direct sunlight, but in all other cases I've been able to avoid the glare.
The keyboard is also designed differently from previous Apple laptops. Each key is raised above the surface independently, so hitting one doesn't effect the rest. This prevents any bending of the keyboard when you type. So far I've seen no evidence of the keys leaving an impression on the screen when the laptop is closed.
Finally, the trackpad and mouse button are very wide, making for plenty of room to work with. The two-button scroll works flawlessly, and I haven't had a single case where my mouse jumped to a different position as I typed.
Software
The MacBook is pre-loaded with OS X 10.4.6, iLife '06, Photobooth, Front Row, Comic Life, Big Bang Board Games, OmniOutliner and the iWork '06 Trial.
iLife '06 was made as a universal binary so it runs perfectly on the Intel processors. Comic Life was a pleasant surprise and it is a lot of fun to use. Photobooth is hours of fun -- literally. I wasn't sure how often I'd use Front Row, but I already have several times to show pictures that I've taken in Photobooth. The combination of Photobooth and Front Row is almost enough to sell a PC-user on the MacBook -- I can back that up, too.
Performance
So far, most everything runs very fast on the Core Duo processor. The boot time is 5-10 seconds, and the iLife apps seem to run quicker than on my PowerMac 1.8GHz with 1.5GB of RAM. It seems that most of the apps I use are already written in universal binary, though Photoshop is a big one that won't be released until probably next year (CS3). RapidWeaver has yet to be either, but 3.5 will be and it's due for release in a week or two.
For the most part the MacBook has run completely silent. MacBook Pro users complained of a "whine" -- I may have heard this once or twice on my MacBook, but only in a completely quiet environment. I read that running Photobooth on the MacBook Pro silented the whine, and it seems that the case is the same on the MacBook.
Heat is the other major issue that has been addressed with the MacBook Pro. I notice that the back left corner does get pretty warm over time, but I don't know that it is something I should be worried about yet. I downloaded a mini app called Core Duo Temp, and so far the highest reading has been about 63?C. I'll be checking around other forums to see what the consensus is on what is too hot.
Conclusion
I love my MacBook! I see no reason why anyone would buy an iBook G4 now that this has been released. I thought the price was reasonable and I read that a similarly configured Sony laptop was $500 more.
4.5/5 OSNN Stars -- Highly recommended. :up:
*Feel free to post any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.*
