FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
I had to give up my HP laptop so I saw this as an opportunity to try out the new Macbook. Granted, it was a few hundred $ more than an equivalent PC but I really don't mind paying extra for quality - and without a doubt, quality was what I got. I've checked it out quite a few times at the Apple Stores prior to making my purchase but for some reason I was a lot more impressed after getting one and having hands-on with it for a few days. The unibody gives it a very solid feel and the build-quality is un-comparable by any PCs that I've seen/used. This is a work of art. I find myself wiping it obsessively on a daily basis and I would leave it on top of my desk just to show it off. The magnetic "Magsafe" power cord is genius as I've already kicked it off a few times.
THE SETUP:
I've never used a Mac before and was a little bit hesitant so I Boot Camped it and installed Windows 7 Beta on it. The installation went flawlessly. All the drivers were included on the CD. Just to test out the 9400M capabilities, I installed Far Cry 2 and Prince of Persia to see how it would run. Well, let's just say it runs ok when set close to the lowest graphic settings but the machine heated up pretty quickly. So if you're a hard core gamer this is probably not for you... But to just play a little bit here and there to kill some time it's pretty ideal (or pop in an older game). Far Cry 2 reported that "My vdo drivers are too old please update" but newer drivers are nowhere to be found. So perhaps with a drivers update it'll get better, we'll see. I also installed 2 older games, Jade Empire Special Edition and Fable the Lost Chapters. Both runs very nicely at the highest res and AA x2 (medium detail etc). Nvidia drivers does not support this Chipset and Apple does not offer updates for it, quite frustrating.
OS X / USER EXPERIENCE:
As for using the OS X. It did take me a little time to learn it and get used to it. Being technically savvy, I was able to figure everything out within a day or two. The first epiphany came when I realized that I can forever do away with the mouse (except when gaming or using Photoshop). This extra large track pad is very intuitive. One finger tap to click, 2 finger tap to right-click, 1-finger double-tap to drag, two finger motion to scroll/zoom/rotate, 3 finger swipe to browse, 4 finger swipe to select a different running app... etc., I never knew so much can be done with just 4 fingers. The MAC OS X is much easier to use than Windows. Everything you need is VERY easy to access and everything else that you MIGHT need is minimized. Spaces - Very cool concept. I set all my chat clients (MSN, iChat, Skype) to one space (desktop) and work stuff on another. Simple tapping switches from one space to the next. There's this other thing where you can set all the corners of your screen to have different functions. Shooting my pointer all the way to the upper-right turns off the screen. Perfect when I'm browsing in bed and it's the last thing I do right before passing out. Powering on and off is extremely fast - Much faster than Windows (Powers off in 5sec). Battery life seems exceptionally better compared to Windows (on the same machine), which tells me that OS X is probably much better optimized. Good 4 hours of usage prior to drain, something that I can only dream of on my previous laptop. The led battery indicator lights up at a touch of a button even when the power is off to give you a quick juice status. Resuming from sleep mode, the WIFI connects instantly without problems (even if it's waking up to a new network).
THE CONS:
... You guessed it, the crazy glare on the screen... Doesn't bother me that much because I'm used to it from my previous (HP) laptop. Would I recommend the new MacBook? You bet... Would I purchase this MacBook all over again? You bet... Get more detail about Apple MacBook MB466LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop.
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