I'd been waiting for these laptops since the introduction of Intel processors in Macs. The MacBook Pros used nearly the exact same case design for far too long. While I didn't think the MacBooks really needed a design refresh, I like the choices Apple made so much that I bought one. I like having a smaller laptop, though I do appreciate some of the additional features you get with a MacBook Pro. That said, many of the extra bells and whistles once left out of the MacBooks have found their way in and while I never really thought I'd care I have to say--it makes a huge difference.
Owning a new aluminum MacBook is a lot more like owning one of the old 12" Powerbooks. I used to have one and it was wonderful. It's probably the one discontinued Apple computer that's coveted by its owners. Their resale value is still fairly high, considering how comparatively slow they are. If you're a blogger or a writer and you don't use the machine for much else, it's sort of a best of breed. However, with these new aluminum MacBooks I think things have changed. You get a backlit keyboard in the higher end model (which is the one I'm reviewing), an aluminum body (of course), and a multitouch trackpad. I think the backlit keyboard is the nicest addition. It's really something you appreciate more once you've used it. I've never had any difficulty typing in the dark but I can't see myself ever buying a machine without a backlit keyboard again. It's incredibly helpful when you need to type a special character or press a function button. If you don't have the usual key positions memorized, I imagine it's even better. This makes the high end MacBook feel a lot more like a MacBook Pro.
Regarding the aluminum unibody Apple likes to talk about so highly, it's very nice. While they did this with the Macbook Air, it seems much more refined with the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. My one complaint, which I feel will fade over time, is that it sometimes looks too perfect. I don't mean this as a backhanded compliment, but that there is such a thing as being so perfect it lacks a human touch. Think about listening to a computer play a song versus a human. It's just not as good. Well, technically the computer is better but that human touch is relevant to us. This machine is so exact and precise that it sometimes feels inhuman. At the same time, it is rather stunning. I think I'll get past the lack of human imperfections as I get used to looking at it each day.
The multitouch trackpad is something I'm not foreign to, as I used a MacBook Air for awhile. The new trackpad space is identical. I found this very fortunate as I don't like buying new machines without being able to get a Marware Protection Pack as well. Luckily I bought a MacBook Air pack and it fit perfectly. Even the trackpad film fit. While multitouch gestures didn't make their way into my regular routine too often, I did use them here and there and am glad they now exist throughout Apple's line of laptops. The disadvantage of the new trackpad is the lack of a button. Yes, the whole trackpad is a button and yes it's very clickable. The problem is that sometimes the click doesn't register. I turned on single and double taps for left click and right click (respectively), but sometimes those don't register as well. If this were my first Apple laptop, I'd panic and run to the Genius Bar for help. Since I've been through a few of these, I've found that it takes a month or two before you really break in the button. I've had the laptop for about ten days now and it's already working better. Still, I wish it just clicked as expected out of the box. For those that are wondering how you click and drag if there's no actual button, you just kind of pretend there is a button. While Apple gives you the entire trackpad for tracking, and you can click pretty much anywhere (with resistance building more and more as you move upwards), you can expect this trackpad to work just like the MacBook Air's trackpad. The space where the Air's button would be is where you can safely rest a thumb (or whatever) for clicking. It will not register as a second finger as easily. If you pretend there is a button at the bottom of the trackpad, you'll quickly forget there isn't one.
But those are the bells and whistles. As far as performance goes, there's not much excitement in regards to speed. The computer's architecture has changed, but the Core 2 Duo processors aren't really much faster (or any faster as the case may be here). The big jump is in the new graphics processor from NVIDIA. I'm not going to pretend to be a hardcore gamer. I don't play many games, and especially not when it comes to those that are GPU-intensive. I can't give you frame rates from World of Warcraft or anything like that. What I can tell you is that the new NVIDIA graphics make for smoother performance around the operating system and seem to contribute to 1) better battery life and 2) a cooler system.
One of my favorite things about this laptop is that it doesn't really get hot. I ran an H.264 video encode today so I could put a video on my iPhone and it didn't feel hot at all. The MacBook Air heats up in about five seconds and then cripples the GPU first, before throttling anything else, and gets pretty warm. You could iron a shirt with the old MacBooks and I won't even start with the MacBook Pros. I can't believe how cool this machine has been. I'm not punishing it with endless work, but for it to make it through a twelve minute video encode without breaking a sweat is pretty amazing. It's the first time I've used an Apple laptop and didn't worry about becoming sterile. I don't know what they did, but it's wonderful.
I get about four hours of battery life under normal usage. While this still doesn't quite match what Apple promises, it's the highest I've ever, realistically, gotten out of an Apple laptop. I'm more than happy with four hours. I rarely use my laptop off of the power adapter anyhow.
Another neat feature of the new MacBooks (and MacBook Pros) is that you can use your iPhone/iPod touch stereo headset with microphone to record (crappy) audio and have basic control over iTunes. Since I swap my iPhone headphones out of the iPhone and into the laptop very frequently, this is fantastic. I can't tell you how many times I've been interrupted and clicked the microphone on the headset to pause the song, only to remember that I can't. Now I can. This is wonderful.
So far I've only had good things to say and that's because, overall, this is an excellent machine. I want to talk about a few bad things, however. In my opinion, the biggest flaw is the display. This is why I've rated it a four and not a five. The display is an embarrassment. If you have any intention of doing any visual work that actually matters, this machine will be completely useless to you. The viewing angle is so terrible that no matter where you are, you will not get even contrast. I don't notice it quite as much when I'm surfing the web or just writing, but when I watch a video it's very apparent. If you do visual work and it's not just for fun, do not buy this machine. Get a MacBook Pro where it's not an issue. Even the old MacBooks have better displays. I don't do visual work on this machine for that reason. If it's not critical, I might, but for the most part I work on my desktop machine instead.
Another downside about the display is that it's glossy. These look cool and all, but the reflections are obnoxious when you can't easily avoid them and you don't get very accurate color or contrast. This is a fault of the panel itself, too, but the glossiness just ruins it further. For general use, this isn't a big deal. If you want to color correct or design, Apple has pretty much opted to screw you over regardless of how much you decide to spend on their hardware. Matte screens are just not going to be an option anymore. I think this is a stupid choice, because the people who kept Apple alive are the designers who chose Macs early on in Apple's history. The loyalists are generally not fond of glossy screens and have been vocal about it. I think having an option is fine, but forcing people to use glossy screens is awful. Being a loyalist and needing a matte screen, I've just started using my laptop for everything but color critical work. It's allowed me to prefer working on a smaller screen, which is nice because it means less computer to cart around. I've been able to work around this problem, but my situation allowed for it. It's still a big problem for a lot of people who can't defer to a desktop.
The other disadvantage is a lack of Firewire. While I rarely employed Firewire in my laptops, especially after using the MacBook Air (which has none), I still liked having it around. I don't really miss that it's gone. Again, this is primarily due to having a desktop companion that can connect with just about anything. Whether or not this is a major issue is really up to the individual. If you know you need it, you have your answer. Personally, I wish Apple would've kept it until they had something better to replace it with. Maybe they couldn't fit it into the new, slimmer casing. I would just like to see a USB 2.0 alternative, since USB 2.0 doesn't quite live up to its claims.
When it comes to upgrades and replacements, this machine gets a little better and a little worse. If you're upgrading from a MacBook Pro to a MacBook Pro, you're getting easier upgrades all around. If you're used to upgrades in a MacBook, however, I'd say things are better and worse. If you want to replace RAM, you have to remove the bottom case. It's not that hard to do but it means keeping track of quite a few screws and exposing the entirety of your machine's innards. If you're simply replacing the hard drive, however, you can pretty much just yank it out. One of the first things I did is replace the hard drive with a solid state disk. They're getting cheaper and you can get a 120GB or 128GB drive for much less than what Apple offers. But on the plus side, if you do want your computer to come with an SSD you now have that option as a custom order. While in tests SSD hasn't really proven to have too many benefits, in real world practice it makes the machine feel much snappier. For that reason, having an SSD is worth it.
Apple's RAM upgrade prices are also not as terrible as they used to be. At least, it seems that way. A RAM upgrade through a third party only saves $10-20. When spending a lot of money on a new machine, I think many people would choose the convenience over the comparatively small savings that come with doing it yourself.
Anyway, that pretty much covers the majority of the relevant pros and cons of the new MacBook. So far I love it. I think it's a wonderfully made machine. It's sturdy, it's attractive and it works really well. I've very pleased with it and as long as you can handle the poor display, I highly recommend this MacBook.Get more detail about Apple MacBook MB466LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop.
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