Apple MacBook

Some necessary background:
I have always been a "PC guy". I need to say that up front. Back in 2007, when I was looking for a replacement for my aging Acer Ferrari 3200 notebook, I went and looked at a MacBook Pro then, and although I thought they were nice, I couldn't pull the trigger on one, considering I was going to pay about $300 or more then I would pay for a similarly configured Dell with my corporate discount. So, I bought a Dell, which I have been very happy with.
This year, I decided I needed to broaden my horizions and after seeing the Macworld Keynote and how cool the new iLife looked, I thought I would buy a used mac on ebay and explore MacOSX and add that to my resume. That was a mistake, and I ended up sending it back to the seller so I could order a new MacBook.

Apple's site was extremely easy to navigate and order my new notebook. I didn't want a Macbook pro, as I wanted the 13.3 inch screen. I also thought that if I was ordering new, I should get the new aluminum body, since that is highly rated as durable and this machine would become my traveling companion when I went places.

Apon unboxing (Which I understand is almost a religious experience for many Apple fans ) I plugged in the power cord into the wall and the "Magsafe adapter" into the side of the notebook. There are 2 USB2.0 ports, 1 mini DVI video out port, a headphone and mic/audio input ports and a Kensington lock port on the left side.
On the right side is the slot for the DVD superdrive. There is no button on the side to eject the disc.
On the back, there are no ports
On the front, there is a light (which emmits through TINY holes drilled in the case) that lights up in sleep mode, and the IR receiver.
There's no latch for the lid. You put your thumb in the indentation and the top comes up nice and easy.
The keyboard looks like it would not be easy to type on as you look at it. That was a mistaken impression on my part. This keyboard, although not as easy to type on as a regular PC keyboard, is rather easy to work with. I can touch type on it fairly well.
On the 2.0GHz model I bought, the keyboard doesn't light up like it does on the higher end and the Mac Pro models. I couldn't justify the extra expense for this. I wish I could buy a lighted keyboard and install it after the fact, though.

The new trackpad is not documented well. You actually have to click down on it, fairly hard. NOWHERE in the documentation is that stated, and I was initially worried that my unit was defective until I accidently pressed too hard on it an heard it click.
I love the multi-touch interface and how it's used on this computer.
The screen is extremely bright and clear. I was worried that I wouldn't like the smaller size compared to my other 15.5 inch screens, but that's not the case.

I've not used the iChat camera other than to take a quick shot with it. It is a high quality camera and I am impressed with the quality like everything else.

I've not done any benchmarks nor have I loaded Bootcamp on it to setup a Windows partition on the box. I hope to do that soon so I can see how well Windows runs on this Intel Hardware and play some of my games (Specifically Steam games)
Overall I'm extremely happy, and I will probably be selling my Dell once I get my data all on this laptop.

The Might MacBook

Background:
Ok I'll be brutally honest when I first thought of a Mac i thought of the nasty old things we had in elementary school, you know that had the original Oregon trail loaded on them. But after having a desktop replacement laptop for a good 3 years I was ready for a change. I needed something I could take to college classes for the day and not die on me half way through the day. A few friends had switched over and raved about their Macs so I figured what the heck it fit almost all the specs i needed it to and was pretty cheap to boot. So I went to the local apple store and walked about with the mid range MacBook, a extra battery, and the Apple care protection thing all in all about $US 1,500

Specs:
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1 GB memory
80GB Hard Drive
SuperDrive

First Impressions:
Apple sure does know how to pack things, there was no way this baby was getting damaged in that packaging! Picking up the laptop it felt well built but not heavy. That is to say it didn't feel like cheap plastic it didn't crack and moan when I opened the screen but at the same point its defiantly not an ultralight. But its a very good balance between weight and what I feel will be durability. The entire set up process seemed quite easy and much tedious then that of Windows XP (waiting for Vista for my desktop). Not a single dead pixel on the screen, and no scratches! The screen is very sharp and bright, though you wont be able to keep the brightness cranked down when outside but that was the case with my non glossy laptop screen before.

Connectivity/Other:
As far as I'm concerned the ports are well places and quite adequate. I guess one or two more USB ports could have been nice but defiantly not required as this is meant for me as portable machine don't plan on plugging a lot of things in that could sap the battery life. Getting this on my local network was absolute cake and that is a huge difference from my last laptop, in fact with only one exception this notebook was received a extremely noticeable better signal then any machine I've ever used. Getting through the security set ups is easy and quick, and signal strength is outstanding. As far as the speakers go, they are laptop speakers if you are expecting movie theater quality you will be disappointed but they are quite functional and only with decently hard bass do i notice them lacking, that being said I don't listen to much without headphones. The headphone jack serves quite well btw. As for the infamous mag connector power cord, I think its one of the greatest features, i have already saved myself the pain of seeing this laptop hit the deck once tripping on the power cord only to have it live to the hype harmlessly unplugging itself. To me it does not seem over easy though to unplug it but thats highly opinionated i guess.

Performance:
Not wanting to play games or anything of the like I only have experience using the programs that come stock (iLife). The machine is defiantly not a powerhouse but its not a slouch either. It does seem to take a few seconds for some programs to load but once loaded I can have tons of programs open and not encounter any problems (max i have open was iTunes, iCal, iWeb, iPhoto, NeoOffice, Mail, and several Safari browsers). I may play a few games on this eventually but right now I don't want the temptation for more then a few reasons.

Portability:
Probably the main reason I got his laptop, was I felt it would be good on the go and I was not disappointed. First off battery life using only NeoOffice, Mail, and safari (not all at the same time and turning off airport when I wasn't using it) I am able to use this laptop throughout the course of the day on battery power alone. That being said I still like to carry the power pack just so I can surf the web more and turn up the screen brightness a few notches but it is defiantly not a requirement. As i mentioned earlier the weight of this laptop is ideal, i can through it in my backpack and really not notice that much, I do notice it a bit in my messenger bag but thats the one vs two strap difference. With my laptop it was never any where near my lap for fear of the loss of any future children, underside was molten hot. That is in stark comparison to this MacBook I can run it to its max on power adapter then still feel comfortable setting on my lap. Oh and with the exception of the hard drive whining for a second on start up this machine is dead quite, it doesn't utter a peep! It is perfect for in class I can hear other peoples laptops whining and moaning while mine is dead silent.

OSX:
Right now I'm a dual user but I highly doubt I will continue with the window's OS when its time for my desktop to be replaced. That being said the first few hours with the mac OS where a bit confusing/frustrating. But the more time you put into learning all the shortcuts and keystrokes the more intuitive it becomes and the more and more I'm liking it.

Inputs:
The keyboard at first likes a strange alien landscape, but I have come to absolutely love it. I much prefer this keyboard over that of my full size one for my desktop. The keys have a great depth and travel (hope I'm using those terms right). The spacing allows for extremely little accidental striking of another. The track pad for me is pretty similar to the last one I in design (use i had a PC laptop that had a single bar design). The pad is responsive and I love the ability to both right and left click on it. Again this is highly subjective and I would recommend everyone go and try it out if possible (just make sure to go and toy around in the system prefs for speeds and such). I really don't have much use of frontrow and its remote but I did try it on the first day and it works flawlessly as far as I could tell.

Software:
The included software were more then ample for what I needed, well minus a office program but I had already planned on using a free ware program for that. That was actually one of the reasons I went with Mac is didn't feel like I needed much more then what was included. The built in mail and calender are extremely powerful and rival if not beat Outlook. The iLife suite is a great set of programs that are quite fun to mess around and pretty practical. The only downside is that you pretty much must download at least Firefox or another browser as some sties just don't play well with Safari (but these seem to be in the minority from my experience). I am currently using the 60 day free trail of .Mac and like what I see. The free web space is fun and the storage is handy for those few critical documents I just cant loose. But like I said above I don't feel the need to install more but I'm probably in the minority. Oh yeah and no virus protection probably a big selling point of macs is that you don't really need it, eventually I'll probably install a anti-virus but currently I don't feel a strong need to (unlike my PCs)

Pros:
Excellent Built Quality
Great keyboard and wifi
Little to no need for much additional software

Cons:
Without student discount could be a bit pricey
Need to download Firefox (oh the humanity)
Not a ultralight (just put it here so things were even)


Total Score: 9/10

Noticed there were no MacBook reviews posted yet, so thought I'd do a write-up on mine. I'll post some better pictures when I get some time.




Specs: Stock 1.83 GHz CoreDuo White MacBook, 1280x800 display, integrated Intel 950 graphics, 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive with 2 GB RAM (purchased Transcend RAM from Newegg and self-installed). I googled benchmarks comparing the 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz CPUs, and decided the speed differences between the two were negligible for my needs.


First Impressions: Great build quality. I like the magnetic closure of the lid with no latch to worry about. The magnetic power adapter connector is also good - have had no problems with it disconnecting too easily and it's a nice safety feature. Performance is quite good - very fast at opening apps and have had no problems with multiple applications running at the same time. Battery life is excellent - easily getting 3.5+ hours when watching videos / surfing NBF. People complain about heat...it does get hot on the bottom left side...gets hotter when it's charging. This doesn't bother me, as I think it's pretty typical of newer notebooks. I have no problem using it on my lap...but it wouldn't be comfortable if wearing shorts. This is easily solved by putting a book or other laptop holder underneath it.

(Note - I did have a problem with my first MacBook...the fan would not shut off and it was apparently not reading the internal temps correctly. The store where I bought it replaced it with no questions asked, and the new one has been fine for the three weeks I've had it).





Display: The size is just right...plenty of screen real estate for web browsing, email, watching DVDs/iTunes videos, and for basic photo work. 1280x800 resolution is good for the screen size - text is very readable. I've been using it a lot to watch videos I've downloaded from iTunes. Even thought these are low res (designed to be watched on the video iPod), I find watching them in full screen mode is good...much better than on a notebook with a larger/higher res display. I was hesitant about going back to a glossy display, but the one on the MacBook is excellent. I get very little reflection, and the screen is quite bright. I've found other glossy displays hard on the eyes, but this one is not.

The MacBook comes with a built-in video camera, good for using on iChat for video calls...the quality is surprisingly good (I've only used it to take my photo for my system ID, but the pic quality is very good). I can see where this would be quite useful...but I prefer to do most of my communicating via phone or email - hate to have to put makeup on and comb my hair to take a call.






Keyboard: The "stand-up" keys take a bit of getting used to, but I found I adapted quickly. It gives the notebook a different look. I prefer the keyboard design on the PowerBooks (and MacBook Pro), but this one is fine.



Combo Drive: I have DVD writers on other computers, so opted for the Combo Drive. It works fine, but it is noisy when inserting and ejecting disks...not an operating problem but it can be a disconcerting when you put your first disk in.



Sound: Without headphones or external speakers - not great. Sound is fine with headphones.



Airport Wireless: Very strong signal, and an easy connect to our Linksys router. I have full Airport strength while surfing downstairs - cable modem/Linksys router is in an upstairs office. Definitely get a stronger signal than with my 12" PowerBook.



Ports: USB ports work fine, as you'd expect. Same for ethernet connection. I don't miss having an internal modem, as all connections are wireless or through the ethernet port for direct link up. FW 400 works well with external LaCie hard drive. Would be nice if it had a card reader for direct download of digital photos - currently using USB cable for that. Will purchase an inexpensive USB card reader. The lack of a PCMCIA card is a concern, as there are times I use a PCMCIA Verizon wireless modem...but imagine I'll find a work around for that.



Boot Camp: Took me several tries to get Boot Camp installed properly (user error). Loaded up Guild Wars and it plays surprisingly well, getting 25+ FPS on medium settings at 1280x1050 resolution. It's very playable. Haven't bothered loading up other games, but I've no doubt I'll be able to play many of my last generation games just fine on the MacBook. I didn't buy it for a gaming machine, but it's good to know it's more capable than many people would lead you to believe. I run the MacBook almost exclusively in OS X - I imagine smoother solutions (like Parallels) for running under Windows will be developed in time, and I'll wait before doing much. I have a Windows notebook that I use for gaming, so no need to clutter up the MacBook too much.



RAM installation: The first thing I did was order 2 GB of RAM from Newegg. While I don't really need to max the RAM, it's just something I do when I get a new notebook. Purchased 2 x 1GB sticks for $US 170. Installation was NOT a breeze. Fortunately, I had read about how difficult it was to seat the RAM...even so, it took me three tries to get it fully seated. Anyone can do it...you just have to be patient, and make sure you get it all the way in. It's best to work it in - pushing one end, then the other, then the middle and so on. I've put my 2 x 256MB sticks in the drawer, and I'll re-install them if I ever send the machine in for repair.









Comparison to 12" PowerBook: I have a 2 year old 1.33" PowerBook that I really love...it's been such a workhorse, it's performed flawlessly, is easy to carry, and looks so darn cute! Almost felt like a traitor switching to the MacBook...but it's been a good move. The MacBook display is so much brighter, this makes all the difference in the world. I've also become used to widescreen format on other computers, so that's good as well. The MacBook is "snappier" and definitely faster - but, to be honest, this was not a problem on the PowerBook. I had not upgraded to Tiger on the PowerBook, so that is another new thing for me. And, quite frankly, I don't see much difference (spotlight is nice), but I was very happy with Panther. The updated iLife apps are nice, but I've not really played much with them yet. For me, at least, the MacBook display is what makes the difference. The photos comparing the MB an PB show the difference.



Bottom Line: The MacBook is an outstanding machine. For the majority of users who are going to be using a notebook for email, internet, watching movies, iTunes, and downloading a few digital photos - it is a 10/10. Even power users will find it fits most of their needs. Obviously, I'm very happy with mine and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.