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.
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.
So I choose the thinkpad T400.
Thanks for the review, I will check the Macbook in Apple online store.