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"MacBook Review
I’ve been using a ThinkPad T40 for the past few years and considered it the best laptop I’ve owned — until now. I picked up a MacBook 2.0 GHz (white) last week and I’ve been playing around with it for a few days.
While T40 did many things right and it’s still a great lappy, the mix of Apple’s awesome design and attention to detail in the MacBook is making me into a Mac fanboy.
Size
It’s not the lightest notebook ever — actually might be a tad heavier than the T40. But it certainly is thin and smaller, making it easy to tote around, which to me is key. If you aren’t carrying your laptop around, what’s the use in making it portable at all?
To be honest, I’m a bit worried about the shell scratching and showing wear. I’m not exactly sure what it’s made of, but it just looks like it would be easy to permanently scar. My T40, on the other hand, could take an Ike Turner beat down and jump right up with a few rounds of “Proud Mary” without missing a beat.
Glossy Screen
The screen itself is awesome. I’ve read a lot about people loving/hating the glossy screen. I for one am a fan — I have noticed the glare outside, and it does suck. But it’s something you can work around, much like trying to watch a TV outside. I think for long periods of time it would be very annoying, but for most people I don’t think it’s an issue.
The plus side here is the glossy screen looks great under most circumstances. Peeping some digital pics with iPhoto looked great. I also watched a few HD movie trailers in HD and they looked stunning. The colors are very vibrant and rich. I think this was a good move in a line of notebooks aimed at consumers who eat this kind of stuff up.
iLife & Remote
Speaking of which, adding in a remote & the iLife software to turn the laptop into a media center is great. It sounds like one of those cheesy add-ons that’s just marketing fodder, but I’ve already used it a few times and really appreciate it… Being able to slideshow my new digital pics for the family from 10 feet away with the remote is a nice touch.
I haven’t watched any DVDs yet, but I’ve got Swingers laying around that’s screaming to be watched again… I’m guessing it’ll be money.
Keyboard & Trackpad
I’ve read a lot of complaints about the keyboard. This I just don’t get. In fact, the keyboard is my favorite part! The T40 keys feel cheap and fragile in comparison to the MacBook. It’s well laid out, I think the spacing is great (much more like a full sized keyboard), and the tactile response is excellent.
After typing on this for a few days and moving back over to the T40, it’s almost cumbersome. I think there are a few key differences here that score big for the MacBook:
- The keys aren’t rounded and are spaced out — it’s not all crammed together
- The palm rests (the space between the edge & the first keys) is nice and big
- The trackpad is huge
The last two really make a big difference, especially the trackpad. You have lots of room to move around.
Other things I like are the magnetic power adapter (which is way over hyped but neat), the magnetic lid, and the iSight camera & mic built into the casing. Those are all little touches that end up being nice convienences when you need them.
Having easy access to the memory slots & hard drive is also a big plus — no need to bring it back into Apple support. You can upgrade the machine yourself with any brand memory & drives you want.
Too Hot to Handle
There are a few negatives, the biggest of which is the heat. After about 30 minutes of usage, with nothing more than iTunes running, it’s really, really freaking hot. Way hotter than any other laptop I’ve ever used.
Sure, there’s a dual core chip working here. But c’mon. I could pan sear a London Broil on the underside with enough heat leftover for a nice red wine reduction. It’s hot. I’d be willing to trade off some fan noise (the MacBook is pretty much silent under normal use, btw) for some heat redirection.
Another disappointment is the standard 512MB of memory this thing comes with. Not bad by PC standards, but for anyone doing anything cool with OS X, that’s not enough. I’m no expert user, but I can already see how another 512MB would do wonders.
Overall, it’s a killer notebook
I’m still getting comfortable with OS X, and I’ve yet to scratch the surface of the tricked out Intel goodness of Parallels or Boot Camp, but so far, I gotta say I’m really enjoying this machine.
Something as small as built-in Bluetooth, a stack that actually works with my Treo 650, and the fact I was able to DUNS the MacBook in about 15 minutes. That’s the kind of stuff that drives me crazy in XP. But it works with OS X and the MacBook.
iLife is great. I’ve still wanting to use Garageband with my MBox, but I already dig iPhoto and iMovie HD after just playing around for a bit with each of them. And so far iSync with my Treo has been good.
The big knock is the heat. I won’t lie — it’s hot.
But he size, response & feel? All excellent. It’s the perfect size, the screen is gorgeous, the keyboard rocks, and OS X and the included software is a great deal for this level of machine. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better notebook right now.