I visited the Apple Store over the weekend and took a look at the new MacBook (the iBook replacement). Apple has outsourced the production of this laptop to Asus, but it’s definitely still an Apple. It was supposed to arrive in June, so it is ahead of schedule.
The overall impression is that it’s a very nice laptop, and a welcome successor to the iBook, whose design I thought was in need of improvement. The MacBook is thin, glossy, and beautiful. The design is very similar to the MacBook Pro, except that the case is plastic, not aluminum.
The option to get it in two colors is a nice touch, and coming from Apple, is a tip of the hat to PC laptop users, who are used to the black color. The two finishes are a bit different. While the outside of the computers are similarly glossy, no matter the color, the insides are another story. The white MacBook’s inside finish is a little grainier than that of the black MacBook. Having never owned a white iBook before, I wondered what grime from everyday use would do to the keyboard and the white finish. I can say that my white iMac keyboard has stood the test of time well so far (since last September, at any rate.) I can also say that I could see grease from people’s hands on the black MacBook in the store. The grease didn’t show on the white MacBook, but there was a bit of grime. I guess you can take your pick: grease or grime. That’s why I always wash my hands before using the computer.
Apple did another nice thing by including some of the features people have come to love on the MacBook Pro as standard on the MacBook: integrated iSight, remote control with FrontRow, and the MagSafe power adapter. This is good stuff!
The wide screen is beautiful. I know people are used to the matte screens, but either finish is fine with me. What I look for in a screen is brightness, high resolution, a wide aspect ratio, and wide reading angles, and the MacBook has all those.
The lid doesn’t have a latch like the MacBook Pro or the now-extinct PowerBook. Instead, it has a notch, so you can just pull it up. What I didn’t like so much is that the lid seemed pretty flexible. If I grabbed the corners, I could bend it back and forth, and I wondered what that would do to the display after long-term use.
The keyboard is interesting. One thing I liked on the iBook was the ability to remove the keyboard in just a few seconds. That was handy in case you spilled something on it. You could rinse it, and wipe underneath. With the new MacBook, the keys rise out of the plastic casing, and they’re more square around the edges than I’m used to. They’re very similar (although the feel is much better) to the keyboards one finds on the computers inside REI stores. The design is utilitarian. But again, I wonder if Apple’s placed anything under the MacBook keyboard to guard against spills.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Dave Nalle
I'm curious. Does it run the same version of OSX as the previous generation of g5 based Macs, or is a different version required to run on the Intel chip?
Dave
2 - Guppusmaximus
In this case it seems they did such a seemless conversion to the Intel that there is no need for a different version.It's probably just preloaded on the harddrive but I don't see why they couldn't incorporate the OS into the chip. Anyways, just a few seconds research at apple.com and I learned with their new version coming out,"Leopard" you will be able to install Windows XP on an Intel based Mac.
That would be sweet... Running Mac OSX & Windows XP. Talk about an "all around" machine?!?
3 - Guppusmaximus
*oops* I think I answered my own question... Seeing how you are going to be able to use Windows XP then OSX "Tiger" must be software driven...
4 - Eric Olsen
very interesting and informative Raoul, thanks and welcome!
5 - Raoul Pop
It's the same version of OS X as the G5's, albeit a slightly different sub-version. Apparently Apple's beein working on putting OS X on Intel chips for years, and has been developing OS X for Intel in parallel with OS X for PowerPC chips. When they rolled out the Intel chips, they issued a new 10.4.x version of OS X, and that was that. As far as individual applications are concerned, they need to be re-done, but from what I've heard, it's not too much work. That's why they've also issued Rosetta, which is a code translation app that allows PowerPC apps to run on the Intel Macs.
About running Windows XP on a Mac, you can do it right now, even on the PowerPC Macs. On the latter, you can do it with apps like Virtual PC or other hardware emulation software, and on the Intel Macs, you can do it with either hardware emulation, or natively, using Boot Camp, the beta software that Apple has released for this purpose.
Thanks, Eric!
6 - Guppusmaximus
Yeah...I was pysched because it isn't going to be emulation or Beta when Leopard is released. I don't necessarily enjoy Beta releases...
7 - Dave Nalle
Why would anyone want to run Windows XP on anything?
Dave
8 - Greg
It should be noted that there are three levels available, differentiated by memory, processing speed and of course, price. And only the high-end one is available in black. Further, the only difference between level two (white)and three (black) is 20G of memory on the hard drive. But if you're stuck on white, buy the mid-level version for $1299 on-line and upgrade to 80G hard drive for only $50, rather than another $200 for black.
9 - jon
does the new macbook have GarageBand and photoshop?
10 - Raoul Pop
Thanks for the clarification, Greg! Yes, I agree with you, I have no idea why the white and black MacBooks with the exact same specs are priced differently. Does the black plastic cost more? Does Apple think it's more stylish, and charges more for it? I don't know.
Jon, the MacBook, as any Apple computer, comes with GarageBand. Photoshop is made by Adobe, and will cost extra - quite a bit extra, to be exact.
11 - Nicole
You make me want to buy my first MacBook. I've just ordered a Dell Precision 17" WUXGA because I got tired using the scrollbars in my MVC 8.0 environment. It may not look as good as the Mac but I can't wait to put my hands on the dual core 2.0 GHz, 2GB RAM, and NVIDIA® Quadro FX 2500M.:)
12 - Raoul Pop
Nicole, I had a Dell Inspiron 8500 with 1,256MB of RAM for a little over two years. I also purchased plenty of Dell laptops, including newer models, in my job as an IT Director.
I speak from personal experience when I say Dell design stinks. Their laptops look like they were slapped together, and the newer XPS looks like a souped-up Honda Civic, South American-style - you know, with the loud exhaust pipes and all the trimmings. Yuck!
I also found the Dell laptops unreliable. The lid has a tendency to crack at the joint, and the laptops get annoyingly hot. The exhaust fans also tend to run ridiculously high, in particular on my Inspiron, to the point of drowning out the sound of a normal desktop.
Hope I haven't offended you - again, this is just my personal opinion. Did you take a look at the specs for the new MacBook Pro 17"? I think the specs and the design leave the Dell XPS in the dust.
13 - chexican
I totally agree with you Raoul, in my job (a pc tech) Dell laptops followed by the budget compaq/hp laptops seem to have the most problems. We always get inspiron 1100 series or 5100series with overheating problems, and it seems like every other dell notebook has some type of cracked plastic casing. (including my inspiron 8200s hinge) To me the little things apple does like the sudden motion sensor, and magsafe really do help in the real world. Our company just loves repairing and replacing broken power connectors on the motherboard since it's so common. Also i can't tell you guys how many times i see damaged or dead harddrives from potential shock damage. Plus it's made by Asus; a company known for good mobos and solid laptops my boss has an asus w5n and that things a freakin hoss btw.
Not being a total apple snobb; but seriously, you can't buy a better quality notebook with the specs for the money. unless of course, you can fork over a few grand on something like a loaded toughbook.
14 - Raoul Pop
Thanks, chexican! :-)
15 - lebite
I went to the applestore to check out this MacBook and I have to say, I never owned a Mac, but I think this will be my first one.
The Webcam is AMAZING, the remote is amazing, the display is amazing, the outputs and inputs are just what I need. The Video output accessories are well priced. And it can boot in Windows or Mac OS. I'm in love.
Who wants to load up in XP? People who want to run the latest Skype, DVD shrink, Trillian, Folder Match, Klite Codec packs, CAD, and other silly stuff.
But a worry is that running two operating systems will eat up space on the Hard drive. Especially due to that damn XP that seems to grow and grow on its own.
16 - Raoul Pop
Thankfully the laptop hard drives are getting bigger these days. Hitachi has just come out with a hard drive where the bits are stored vertically, and this will allow for 10x their current capacity. That means instead of a 100GB hard drive, we'll soon have 1,000GB hard drives in laptops. Now that's pretty cool!
Plus, if you're just doing a standard installation of Windows on a MacBook, as long as you don't duplicate the files between them, it should only take about 7-12GB of storage, depending on usage. That's not too bad.
17 - Elly Lee
Just confuse.. which one i should choose? the black/white one? any suggest??
18 - julian
i would recomend the black...thats the one im getting...i currently have a white ibook G4 and it gets so dirty, the top cover also scratches VERY easily...i love to keep my expensive electronics looking like-new so when it scratches so easily i get frustrated =(
19 - Tammie
Just wanted to comment on what you said about the observation that you made on the what the flexibility might do to the screen. I want to say I think that it is causing them to crack, I have one that is less than a month old and the screen has already cracked we didn't drop it or anything and we don't know what has happened to it. After doing some research online I have found out that I am not the only person that this has happened to and so far apple is not doing anything about it and they say it isn't covered under any warranties.
Thanks
20 - Raoul
I'm sorry to hear that. I suspected something might be amiss with the screens, and that's why I suggested in the article that people get the AppleCare plan. Apple unfortunately has a history of trying to brush defects under the rug, and until lots of people press them on something, they'll do nothing. The recent "random shutdown" and case yellowing issues with the MacBooks are typical examples of their behavior. It took months of exposure on blogs for them to recognize those problems, and a few months more for them to fix them.
21 - JADE
My MacBook is only 6 months old and today, out of the blue, I noticed a tremendously, crooked, large crack on the screen. I didn't drop it, nothing happened to it, nobody used it and now there's this. I'm going to the Genius bar tomorrow as this is still under warranty, but I'm guessing it's their defect and I hope they will take responsibility for it.
22 - ndk
I'm typing right now on a MacBook screen covered in those bizarre fractures as well. I can't imagine anything that caused the cracks. It has never been dropped and nothing impacted the screen. It was working fine; then, I put it to sleep, and upon reopening it two or three hours later, I had black hairlines all over the screen. I haven't even taken it to an Apple Store yet because even though I have Applecare I don't think it would be a great use of my time.
23 - Beth
My LCD on my Macbook spontaneously cracked, too. I have always used Apples and trusted their product; however, now I will no longer purchase anymore Apple products. I spent over $1600 on the Macbook and Apple Care, and they still won't replace the screen because they deem it "accidental damage." What B.S. The computer was NEVER dropped; however, they're basically accusing me of doing just that. It was fine in the morning and fine in the afternoon; however, I opened it a few hours later, and it was ruined. Now Apple's saying I have to pay $1295 to fix the screen! I'm going to the MA attorney general's office to file a complaint, and I need as many people as possible on board with the complaint. So I'm going to print some of these out to take with me. Thanks for making me feel that I'm not alone in crappy, crappy Apple Macbook customer care.
24 - Sally
I have exactly the same problem with spontaneous cracking of a MacBook screen after 2 months' gentle usage. Apple in France, Ireland and England have no interest in fixing the screen - they say such a problem is "cosmetic" and therefore not covered. I am going to continue to press them to take responsibility, however. And I'm not going to buy another Apple product EVER unless they do
25 - Moshe
I purchased my Macbook 4 months ago and last week as I opened it as I normally do, and I saw this huge crack on the screen resembling a hair line. It keeps getting bigger. I've spoken to Apple Care and they've told me to walk into an authorized dealer here in Israel. Has anyone had any luck with this or is it going to be a complete waste of my time? I'm just really frustrated. Thanks a lot.