MacBook Review
Writing by stickman on Tuesday, 12 of June , 2007 at 4:13 pm
After talking forever to a friend the other week about what laptop to buy and recommending a MacBook, I am going to save myself some time and write a quick review of one (my mates MacBook in fact, which I am currently setting up for him!) and will in the future only need to email a link to this article!
To start with the first thing is to work out which of the three models of MacBook to buy. This is easily answered by asking yourself do you want to spend as little as possible? If the answer is Yes, then just get the cheapest model, you can always add an external DVD writer later (or Blue-Ray or HD when they become affordable) and an external hard drive if you run out of space (which you always do, no matter how big a drive you buy). You are not going to notice the difference in CPU speed between the models because odds are you going to be using iTunes, Safari (Apples version of Internet Explorer), watching films and playing the odd computer game on it. Maybe you are even going to use Microsoft Office or Apple iWork ‘06. For any of those applications the difference in CPU speed is virtually unnoticeable. In fact unless you are doing very complex video editing or its equivalent then CPU is really not an issue nowadays. If you are, and you make money from what you are doing then you really should buy a MacBook Pro instead or as well as a MacBook / Macbook Pro.
So save yourself the money, buy the cheapest Macbook and then buy an extra 1 GB of memory for it (and to save even more don’t buy Apple RAM, instead buy Kingston from here . It very easy to fit on the MacBook, if you can change a plug you can add the memory yourself - if not buy it from Apple. With 2GB of Memory the MacBook will run much faster.
If you answered No, then take a look at the black model (its what my mate bought), yes its a lot more expensive but its black and looks much more sassy! Also we all know what happens to white things (sofas, t-shirts etc.) they get dirty eventually. I can imagine the resell value of the black models is going to be higher, relative to the white models, so you may even be saving yourself money in the long run. Again buy yourself an extra 1 GB of Memory.
Now we have the hard part out of the way lets take a look at the MacBook.
Its smaller than the MacBook Pro, with only a 13.3″ screen but surprisingly only slightly lighter than the MacBook Pro (1/2 pound). It comes in White or Black.
For me the first thing I notice (apart from the dimensions) is the keyboard is smaller than the Macbook Pro and it takes me a while to get used to it. However once used to it (its a muscle memory thing) its perfectible usable.
After you have registered the MacBook (yawn!) you are ready to start using it. For anyone who has set-up a PC this is such a pleasant surprise, no more configuring x, y and z, it pretty much ready to run. There are 5-10 3rd party programs I usually install (I can see another article coming), however it has the usual OS X applications (Mail, iCAL, IDVD, iLife, Safari etc.) all installed and ready to run.
Apple RemoteI think this is one of the coolest things about the new Apples (it comes with all the new Intel ones) and its always one of the biggest talking points, as its just so neatly designed and works automatically with Itunes and iDVD. This immediately illustrates the difference between your standard PC and the new Apples.
Magnetic Power Cable
This really is the best single “why didn’t anyone else think of it” useful computer invention of the last 5 years. I personally have broken a laptop by kicking the cable and can imagine kids and big pets making it more essential.
Build Quality
Maybe not quite as solid as the MacBook Pro but again feels better built than your standard Dell or HP. In white or black it also just looks more elegant.
Speed
To be honest (sorry Intel etc.) I really can’t tell the difference anymore if a PC is quicker (except if you run Microsoft Vista and then the answer is SLOW!), maybe I have become more patient but secretly I believe we have reach a plato and until we see new applications been developed (like second life
Display/Graphics
The display is nice, if a tiny bit cramped compared to my 15″ MacBook Pro but that’s why its cheaper! Otherwise the screen is nice and clear. Personally I am not 100% convinced by the new glossy screen. It looks much better for some things but in some lights you can see yourself reflected back (not nice early in the morning!). But its not really a negative or a positive in my view, balancing itself out.
Overall the MacBook is a great little laptop, for people who just want a reasonably priced laptop that is easy to use, maintain and reliable. Both my friends who I recommended it to love it and the best thing is as they are so reliable and simple to use, I virtually never get a phone call from them asking for help - which is why I keep recommending them!
Category: Laptops, Apple Laptops, MacBook, review, Apple, Apple MacBook
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