Hands-On MacBook Review

I have been working with my new MacBook for a month now and I’m ready to give you my hands-on impressions of the new mainstream notebook from Apple. Let me start by saying that I am very happy with my purchase so far and I recommend this model for most users. Here’s my take on the major features:

Model and Configuration — I ordered the 1.83 white book with memory upgraded to 1GB and hard drive to 80 GB. I do not recommend buying a MacBook with less memory, especially if you will be running non-native applications such as Microsoft Office. This model offered the best price/performance value for me. I read the Macworld speed test of all the latest books and there is little difference in performance between this entry level MacBook, the faster models or even the MacBook Pro. The only real caveat is that the MacBooks are not a great choice for gamers because of the integrated graphics card. This was not a factor for me. By the way, if you are upgrading memory, it’s just as cheap to buy it direct from Apple as a third-party. As for the delivery time, I ordered mine on a Monday evening and it arrived the following week on Wednesday morning.

Speed — The MacBook powers up faster than any Power PC Macs I have owned. That’s a small but very nice feature. The native applications such as Safari run noticeably faster than my other Mac, a G4 desktop with dual 867MhZ processors. Microsoft Office runs just fine with 1GB memory. Processing times seem pretty similar to my other machine even though this application is not native to the Intel Macs yet. I haven’t edited any video in iMovie yet so I’m not sure how it will do. I suspect it will be fine for basic editing although Apple does not recommend this model for Final Cut Express or Pro.

Display — The 13” widescreen really is the perfect form factor. I find that applications such as Word can be operated with the palettes open and it seems much roomier than the old 12-inch screens. The glossy display is not overdone; after a week, I don’t even notice much difference between this one and the matte display on my other machine. The screen is definitely brighter than the last generation iBooks.

Keyboard — The new keyboard on the MacBooks has generated lots of commentary, both positive and negative. I love it! The keys are spaced a bit wider and I find it much easier to type. The keys have a very nice, tactile feel that’s not too light or spongy. It’s a treat.

Remote — Apple’s new machines come with a remote that operates Front Row, a program to control music and presentations. I’ve been using this a lot with my Keynote presentations and it works just great. I don’t think it works with PowerPoint, however.

Battery Life — I have been running the MacBook on battery for most of the day albeit with sleep mode when I’m doing other tasks. I’m confident in predicting that average users will get 4-5 hours of processing.

Misc. Issues — The MacBook does get quite hot underneath especially on the left side. The handrest and keyboard area is not bad though and certainly much cooler than the MacBook Pro models I tried out in the retail stores. The MacBook is incredibly quiet. The fans rarely come on except when using CD’s. This computer isn’t a lightweight at just over five pounds, but it’s a pretty good compromise between screen size and portability.

The Bottom Line — The white MacBook represents the best value in Apple’s lineup and is a terrific notebook. You won’t be disappointed.

Comments

[R. Mansfield]

Thanks for writing this review. I have a black model on order which will hopefully(!) arrive tomorrow. I'm actually stepping down from using a 17" PowerBook in regard to screen size, but I was tired of lugging this big laptop around. I'm looking forward to getting the MacBook and I assume I will experience faster processing time than my current computer.

[Lee R]

Thanks for the review. I agree with most of what you said, but I really have to disagree with you on the cost of RAM. I bought a new MacBook and replaced the stock RAM with 2GB I bought from NewEgg.com for a total of $159.95 US. This is compared to $500 that the Apple Store will charge you. It takes about 2 minutes to replace it and is no more difficult than hanging a picture on a wall.