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Apple MacBook MB467LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Slot Loading SuperDrive)  | 
| Brand: Apple
Category: Personal Computer
List Price: $1,599.00
Buy New: $1,539.99
You Save: $59.01 (4%)
New (5) from $1,539.99
Rating:  91 reviews
Sales Rank: 20
Media: Personal Computers
Operating System: Mac OS X
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.4
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Processors: 2
System Bus Speed: 1066
System Memory: 2000
Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive Size: 250
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Modem: None
Display Size: 13.3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.5
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 12.8 x 1
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: MB467LL/A
Model: MB467LL/A
UPC: 885909223411
EAN: 0885909223411
ASIN: B001GCTT7G
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Redesigned MacBook with thin, strong aluminum unibody frame and 13.3-inch LED-backlit glass display | | • | New glass trackpad with 40 percent more tracking area and supports more Multi-Touch gestures | | • | 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (4 GB max), DVD/CD SuperDrive | | • | Integraed NVIDIA graphics (with 256 MB shared memory); Draft-N Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 2.1; Gigabit Ethernet; Mini DisplayPort video output | | • | Preloaded with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system and iLife '08 suite of applications |
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Product Description
Machined from a solid piece of aluminum, the new MacBook is thinner, lighter, and more powerful than ever. The streamlined enclosure slides easily into backpacks and briefcases and is stunning in any setting. Open your MacBook and you're instantly greeted by glorious full screen brightness. The brilliant, ultrathin LED-backlit display provides instant full screen brightness and enhances any media viewing experience. Power your way through the 3D environments of Quake, Call of Duty, and Spore. NVIDIA delivers discrete-level graphics with up to five times the performance, so you can immerse yourself in faster, smoother, more lifelike 3D gameplay. Click anywhere on the all-new glass Multi-Touch trackpad?the spacious, smooth surface doubles as the button. Multi-Touch gestures now come to the MacBook, so you can use your fingers to swipe through photos, rotate an image, and pinch to zoom in and out. With the new four-finger swipe gesture, access Expose modes and toggle between open applications. Inside the new MacBook is a powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.4GHz with an increased 1066MHz frontside bus and next-generation 1066MHz RAM. That faster memory lets you quickly and easily manipulate large, complex files and keep more applications open at once. All of this with a full-size illuminated keyboard at just 0.95" thin and 4.5lbs, MacBook is truly the next generation of notebooks. 13.3 Glossy (1280 x 800) LED Backlit Widescreen Display Built-in iSight Camera and internal omnidirectional microphone NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256MB Shared Video Memory 8X Slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+-R DL/DVD+-RW/CD-RW) AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet Ports - 2 x USB 2.0, Digital/Analog Line In; Digital/Analog Line Out, Mini DisplayPort, RJ-45, MagSafe Power Port Unit Dimensions - 12.78 (W) x 0.95 (H) x 8.94 (D) Unit Weight - 4.5 Pou
Amazon.com Product Description
Redesigned with a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, the MacBook is thinner and lighter than its predecessor as well as stronger and more durable. But Apple didn't stop innovating with the body's design. The MacBook also includes a new 13.3-inch, LED-backlit glass display (instead of an LCD panel) and a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) and features includes Apple's Multi-Touch technology. 
The redesigned MacBook (see larger version). | Under the hood, the MacBook is powered by a powerful 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (with 3 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus), which runs applications faster and more efficiently as well as helps to reduce power requirements and save on battery life. And the MacBook features the integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor, which delivers outstanding 3D game play with up to five times faster graphics performance than the previous generation. It's pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which enables easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications--including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes--and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser. Other hardware features include a 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (which can be upgraded to 4 GB), an 8x combo Superdrive (for burning dual-layer DVDs as well as CDs), built-in Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), and Mini DisplayPort video output (for DVI and VGA connections) The New MacBook Design
Traditionally notebooks are made from multiple parts. With the new MacBook all of those parts with just one part--the breakthrough unibody enclosure. Every MacBook starts its life as a single block of aluminum, which is precisely machined into the basic unibody design. Another pass and the unibody takes shape. Another, and the integrated keyboard emerges. When you pick up a new MacBook you immediately notice the entire enclosure is thinner and lighter. And it feels strong and durable--perfect for life inside (and outside) your briefcase or backpack.  | The standard aluminum electro-static trackpad has been replaced with a new glass Multi-Touch trackpad, which provides 40 percent more tracking area than before. Use two fingers to scroll up and down a page. Pinch to zoom in and out. Rotate an image with your fingertips. Swipe with three fingers to flip through your photo libraries. Swipe with four fingers to show your desktop, view all open windows, or switch applications. The entire trackpad surface is also a button, allowing you to both track and click virtually anywhere on the trackpad. And you can easily enable multiple virtual buttons in software, such as right-clicking. The keyboard has also been improved, with the rigid aluminum keyboard webbing cut precisely to hold the keys, which are curved to perfectly fit fingers. And it's illuminated, so when you're in low-light settings, such as airplanes or conference rooms, you can always see what you're typing. The 13.3-inch display is made of edge-to-edge, uninterrupted glass for a smooth, seamless surface and features LED backlighting for brilliant instant-on performance that uses up to 30 percent less energy than its predecessor. The ultra-thin displays provide crisp images and vivid colors which are ideal for viewing photos and movies Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Experience improved energy efficiency, expanded wireless connectivity, and amazing battery life with the 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which has a super-fast 1066 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and a large 3 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) The new hafnium-infused circuitry--which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors--conserves even more energy, giving you more time away from the wall outlet. With 3 MB of shared L2 cache, data and instructions can be kept close to the two processor cores, greatly increasing performance and allowing the entire system to work more efficiently. And, because the processor cores share the L2 cache, either can use the entire amount if the other happens to be idle. Video Processing & Output
The new MacBook uses a graphics processor that economizes space without sacrificing battery life. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M is great for gaming, providing up to a 5x performance boost. Enjoy faster, smoother, more responsive gameplay as you power your way through the 3D environments of Quake, Call of Duty, and Spore. The 9400M graphics processor shares 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM with main memory. The MacBook includes a next generation Mini DisplayPort, which delivers a pure digital signal that can drive up to a 30-inch widescreen display. The Mini DisplayPort is ultra-compact at just 10 percent the size of a full DVI connector, and is compatible with Apple's 24-inch Cinema Display. Adapters are also available for using VGA, DVI/HDMI and Dual-Link DVI displays Hard Drive and Memory
The 250 GB Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive (5400 RPM) quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. The 2 GB of PC3-8500 DDR2 RAM (two SO-DIMMs of 1024 MB) has an industry-leading 1066 MHz speed, and the RAM capacity can be increased to 4 GB. Wireless Connectivity
The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works seamlessly with the new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n. Use the built-in Bluetooth wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone, synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as well as quickly share files with a colleague. Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight
Artfully placed in the glass display is an iSight camera, which enables easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of yourself and create video podcasts. Using the iChat AV application, video conferencing is integrated into your iChat buddy list, so initiating a video conference is a breeze. iChat also lets you hold audio chats with up to 10 people and provides high-quality audio compression and full-duplex sound so conversation can flow naturally. For video podcasting, you can record a short clip using the iSight camera, then use iWeb to create a video blog entry or post your GarageBand-recorded podcast. Other Features
- Two USB 2.0 ports
- Mini DisplayPort compatible with DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI connectors (all optional)
- 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with the following write speeds: 8x DVD R; 4x DVD R DL (double layer); 4x DVD RW; 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW
- Built-in full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement)
- Internal omnidirectional microphone and built-in speakers
- Combined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack)
- Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)
- 50-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery providing up to 5 hours of battery life
- Kensington lock slot
- Measures 12.78 x 8.94 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 4.5 pounds (including battery)
Environtmental Considerations
The entire new MacBook family meets stringent Energy Star 4.0, EPEAT Gold and RoHS environmental standards, and leads the industry in the elimination of toxic chemicals by containing no brominated flame retardants, using only PVC-free internal cables and components, and using energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Preloaded with Leopard and iLife '08
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including: - Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
- A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
- Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
- Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
- A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
- Major enhancements to Mail and iChat
Preloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks). | Leopard's new desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, a new way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click. Leopard automatically places web, email and other downloads in a Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and you can instantly fan the contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock. The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network. Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file. The MacBook also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in one click with iWeb. Included Software
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools) iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand) What's in the Box
MacBook, display cleaning cloth, lithium-polymer battery, 60W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 Not quite what we were hoping for... October 29, 2008
Mac Tech (North Carolina)
123 out of 154 found this review helpful
I work as an IT manager, overseeing about 4000+ client computers. About one-fourth of them are Macs. I myself am a long-time Mac user, currently using a dual-quad Mac Pro and a 1st gen white MacBook, which I love both of them.
Full disclosure: I do not own this new MacBook (although I had planned to upgrade), but we bought several for evaluation purposes to determine whether they would be purchased in larger quantities. I have used one for almost a week now and have developed a love / hate relationship with them.
The Good:
The unibody is a beautiful design, and makes for a rigid and solid feeling notebook. I like the fact they've make it easier to perform hard drive and memory upgrades. The battery indicator on the side is a nice touch, instead of on the bottom, but I admit, I never used it that much, since I tend to check the battery life when it's on and I check it on the menu bar.
Once you get used to it, the new trackpad, it's a delight to use, and the new finger gestures are useful. The new DisplayPort also seems to work well enough, although once again, new adapters will have to purchased. Some people have complained about the lack of HDMI, but if you read the specs for the DisplayPort standard, it really takes us into the next generation of video display and is a better standard, IMHO.
Finally, the new graphics update is much welcomed. Graphics performance has substantially been increased, and the 2.0 GHz machines we're testing are pretty snappy when using graphics intensive tasks. We don't play games with these, but I'm sure gamers will welcome the change. Our Pro Apps are noticeably faster.
The Bad:
Naturally, this new manufacturing process has to cost Apple more, but we didn't except to pay so much more for a computer with worst [basic] specs than what we were getting in our purchase of the white and black MacBooks. Except for graphics performance, our CPU benchmarks are very lackluster in comparison. Our IT budget is very tight right now, and it's going to be hard to justify a purchase with so little difference in performance.
Several of our early testers are complaining about the ultra-glossy (or glassy) screen and the quality of the display itself. Our offices are brightly-lit and it takes quite a bit of adjustment to properly see the screen without severe glare. This isn't as noticeable in low-light environments, but we also see poor side-to-side viewing, meaning you almost have to look at these dead-on straight to see a good image. Comparing it to earlier MacBooks and MBP's, these new models are much worse. Fingerprints are much more noticeable also, and the glass front bezel seems to be a fingerprint magnet. That's not a big deal, but they complained that calibration doesn't help the color flaws in this new display. These use LCD displays, as opposed to TFT displays that the previous MacBook had. I think it's just a cheaper panel, because other reviews have had no major complaints with LCD displays in the new MacBook Pros.
Lastly, and most important to me as a technician, is the lack of a FireWire port. Many of my peripherals are FW and also I frequently use the Target Disk Mode (TDM) in my job of diagnosing, repairing, saving and migrating data from other Macs. Even though I had planned to upgrade, I now have no choice but to keep what I have. Also, our Media department will not be getting upgrades. They also use video and audio FW devices that cannot be substituted or re-purchased simply because Apple choose to leave FW out on this model. Not only is cost an issue to go to a MacBook Pro, but many of us liked the smaller footprint of the 13" model.
I find it ironic that Apple increased the graphics performance to use their Pro Apps more effectively, but left out the very port that is used to import the video and audio files for those Pro Apps to work with? Many of us would have even traded the ethernet port for the FW port, since you can get a USB to Ethernet dongle.
Also, since our department uses cloning software to quickly install drive images for our clients, this will affect us dramatically. USB, is not only much, MUCH slower, but less reliable. You have to turn off any software that may execute during the clone. In our tests, we found something as small as "Little Snitch" coming on during a clone install, is enough to choke a USB drive to almost stopping the clone process. It's a much slower and more unreliable process.
I know some people have stated that FW is dead, but no, it isn't. It is continuing to be developed into a faster standard. And USB-3 isn't a reality yet, so saying that USB-3 is coming anyway, doesn't do anyone any good at the present since only USB-2 ports exists on these models. And yes, I realize some people have never heard of FW and to them, this is no big deal. Although, part of the power, and reliability of a Mac, is the fact you can make an exact, bootable clone of your hard drive, and within minutes of a major hardware failure, be up and running, and continue to do your work, while your hard drive is being replaced. This is a powerful feature that some people will never know until it's too late. Granted, you can basically do the same from a USB drive, but if anyone has ever had to do so, they know how excruciatingly slow it is. And of course USB cannot duplicate the functions of TDM.
These new MacBooks will find buyers, there's no doubt that for many people they will be just what they need, and again, they are gorgeous and probably very durable. But people that depended on FW and have an investment in FW devices, will need to think long and hard about this upgrade. Also, I would recommend anyone wanting to purchase, to visit the Apple store and examine the LCD display for themselves.
Although a minor complaint, I don't like the fact Apple makes you purchase the $1600 upgrade in order to get a lighted keyboard, that's as bad as the "black" tax (the black MacBooks costing more). Using three stars as an "average" upgrade, I'm only giving this upgrade two stars because I feel Apple took too much away in relation for the price they are charging. This is unusual for me, since Apple products usually get my highest praise. If this were a new product line, without anything to compare it to, perhaps it would be different. But, the plastic MacBook continues to be the better deal for us at this point, although we will continue to evaluate them and see if perhaps Apple decides to release another revision with some improvements.
Very Poor Display (Beware) October 18, 2008
Charles (Santa Cruz, CA USA)
119 out of 159 found this review helpful
I just got my new Aluminum MacBook last night, and it's going right back for refund this morning. The LCD is far inferior to my 1st generation MacBook display, and it's actually one of the worst displays I've seen on a modern notebook computer. I've been an Apple owner since I bought an SE/30, but Apple has screwed up badly here, and I find the new MacBook nearly unusable. (Please note, my current MacBook has a glossy screen; that level of glossiness is not the issue here.)
UPDATE: I just got back from the Apple Store (refund accomplished), and one of the staff at the store (a photographer) helped me compare my old MacBook with this new Aluminum MacBook and the new MacBook Pro. All of the new MacBooks on display had the same issues: blacks not really black, colors less vibrant, and overall contrast lower than the old MacBook. The new MacBook Pro, however, does not have these issues (although the screen is still a bit more blue than the old MacBook; not as blue as new MacBook). The Apple Store staffer agreed that the new MacBook screen is not great. He also much preferred the old one (or the new MacBook Pro). An online review at gizmodo dot com (gizmodo.com/5063492/macbook-and-macbook-pro-dual-review) clearly shows the same problems that I describe here.
The issues:
1. The whole screen has an icky blue cast, and nothing in the display calibration settings will fix this (I tried for over an hour). My old MacBook has a much more pure and natural looking white. I think Apple needs to work more on the LED back-lighting for the new MacBook (or maybe they cheaped out on the MacBook LEDs).
2. The blacks on the new display are washed out (this used to be a problem with LCD televisions and can still occur with cheap LCDs). This is obvious on the start-up animation (with the multi-lingual "welcome" messages against the Leopard nebulae in space). It's not just an issue with solid black images, however: this propagates to everything looking less crisp. And it's not an issue of adjusting brightness or screen angle. In fact, if you try to adjust the screen angle to get some reasonably good blacks, you get parts of the screen where you have a metallic or posterized effect. I saw this in the store displays as well, but I didn't realize that it would occur under normal viewing angles vs. extreme situations. This is also clearly shown in the gizmodo review referenced above.
3. Colors are not vibrant (nothing compared to my 1st generation MacBook). By not vibrant, I mean that different hues of blue, for example, are not distinct from one another. When I open Word, the splash screen has four different blue colors in the "feather" shape at the top right. On the old MacBook the blues are distinctly different and colorful, on the new MacBook they are much closer in hue and more dull. I think this is a result primarily of issues one and two above, but it may also have to do with other aspects of the inferior LCD on the Aluminum MacBook.
4. The new MacBook screen should be called "mirrored" not "glossy". My 1st generation MacBook has a glossy screen. It's good. I rarely have an issue with visible reflections from it. The new MacBook is a constant battle. One major problem is that the screen needs to be pushed farther back to get reasonable contrast, but this angle directly reflects ceiling lights at the user. It's also so significantly more reflective than the previous glossy screen that it picks up windows and floor lamps and everything else a lot more easily. It's a mess.
I hope this helps other folks avoid my mistake in seeking to upgrade from an existing MacBook. The new one does not feel any faster in day to day use (3D rendering excepted), and it has crippling issues with the display. I would strongly encourage anyone with a current MacBook to take it to the store with you and check out the Aluminum MacBook display for yourself before buying.
 firewire / other thoughts October 19, 2008
matblinks (Minneapolis, Minnesota United States)
48 out of 61 found this review helpful
*edit* this was not supposed to be a full review - just a heads up so you know about the firewire issue (and the impact it may have on you directly) before you purchase it. it seems now this issue is widely known anyway, but i think at least here you can decide for yourself as to whether it is the be all and end all or just another feature that would have been cool if it was left in. also note this mac's hard drive is insanely easy to replace, so if your drive was on it's way out, you could replace it, reinstall the os, and put your failing hdd into a usb enclosure (which could cost the same as a firewire cable) to attempt to recover data. i also put in another paragraph or two at the end on other first impressions.
the only thing i would like to add to the the current reviews is that the firewire port was dropped on the macbook models (not the pros though). this is the only thing that worries me because of the inability for the computer to take advantage of target disk mode. you may never have used it before, but it's one of those features that set apart macs from everything else. booting the mac holding the letter 't' will make it boot to target disk (a large firewire symbol will float on the screen). then connecting to another mac with a firewire cable will make it show up on the other mac's desktop just like any external drive would. this is perfect for transferring files quickly and easily, also a great troubleshooting step if the mac will not boot, as it may boot to target disk, allowing you to recover files to another mac before replacing the hard drive if it's on it's way out - it may not boot normally, but may boot to target disk (note, if the mac will not boot but you are sure it's not a hardware issue, you can just do an archive and install, reinstalling your operating system while keeping your files).
another reason many people have used it is for account migrating if upgrading from another mac. migration assistant now uses ethernet, so you are still set here.
if you own a camcorder - please make sure it supports usb 2.0, too, unless you are in the market for a new one of those too.
oh - and i have a feeling all this firewire business might have something to do with usb 3.0 - which it looks like we will be seeing crop up in devices next year.
just wanted to make sure you are aware of this before you make your decision!
ok, so the 'another paragraph or two on other first impressions' - firstly, don't think that anyone could give you a reasonable review of a product that just came out a few days ago. customer reviews are by far the most important thing i look at when deciding to buy something, but please bear in mind that you don't have the awesome posts by people who have actually owned the product more than five minutes yet. anyway - so the screen - personally i like it, and yes, sometimes i can see the light fixture's reflection behind me when i'm powering up. the blacks also look a little faded as per some reviews, but then again, the screen border is jet black, and i wonder if that makes it appear worse than it actually is. also, when looking at an angle, mine looks ok left to right - even at the tightest angle, although not so much if i am looking at the screen from above. i say 'ok' because it's not perfect (colours seem to darken a little), but then again, i'm really not going to be watching a movie from 10 feet away at a 45 degree angle on a 13.3 inch screen. but that's just me - it's the way i roll, evidently.
i'd recommend trying it out if you can at an apple store - see for yourself, understand that people can be really upset if they spend a lot of money and it doesn't work as *perfectly* as they expect it to, and that also the opposite is true - that people need their decisions reinforced and may tend to leave shinier than normal reviews. my own 5 star rating? four for the product and an extra one as it's apple makes five. honestly though i love it but there could be improvements. the pronounced edges make my wrists a little sore. also it's about getting used to a smaller screen than my last notebook had (not apple's fault, but i am sure many people might have this issue). no firewire may suck in the future, but right now it's not an issue. deciding how to replace roboform with something mac compatible is my biggest nightmare (again that's not on apple).
that's it! hope it helps!
 No Firewire, Cheap Screen, $1300. Huh? November 6, 2008
Chrissy Goddick
39 out of 63 found this review helpful
I don't know what Apple is doing these days. They go on and on about how great the new one-piece machined 'unibody' construction is on these new Macbooks, but then they go and mess up on some really important basics.
1) No Firewire- Hey, this is an APPLE technology. They created it, and supported it for years. Lots of people used it, lots of people loved it. Now, all of a sudden, it's GONE from the Macbook line, except for one old plastic model that isn't going to be around much longer. Why? So if you need it, you can go shell out $2000 for a Macbook Pro? Just not a great way to treat your customers, particularly long-time ones.
2) Trackpad issues - Hey, the new trackpad is bigger and all-glass. Cool. There's no button anymore, the trackpad *is* the button now. Cool, I guess. Some of these new trackpads don't always work right... they don't always register clicks, the cursor sometimes moves with a life of its own, making it very hard to select menu items, and other bits o' random weirdness. Not cool.
Apple says they're going to fix it soon with a software or firmware update. I sure hope so. Because if they can't and it's actually a physical/hardware issue to any significant extent, then we're talking either a massive notebook recall (very inconvenient for affected users), or Apple basically nicely telling us "it's not that bad"/suck it.
If the latter, you could be stuck with a way-less-than-optimal trackpad, if Apple were to deem this problem not grounds for a return/replacement. Well, depending on how the inevitable consumer lawsuits would shake out, of course. But that would take awhile.
So again, if you're one of the ones who got a glitchy trackpad, best hope the upcoming update fixes it. I have some faith in Apple that it will, at least mostly.
3) El cheapo screen- The Macbook screen is, to put it nicely, not great. Now, the *backlighting* is good, much brighter than the old Macbooks. But the screen itself? SUPER-glossy. Apple likes this because it makes the colors 'pop' a bit more, but the price for this is that you get TONS of very distracting, annoying reflections (you can use it as a makeup mirror) and oodles of very noticeable smudges, smears, and fingerprints.
Also not a fan of the big, space-gobbling black bezel. It increases the footprint while making the small (aka 'barely adequate') 13.3" screen look even smaller. Check out the previous gen Macbook Pro to see what an appropriately-sized bezel looks like.
More importantly though, the viewing angle on the Macbook screen is TINY. Images can look good if your head is positioned PERFECTLY, but move just a bit right or left, or (especially) up or down, and the image goes to heck. If you think that that's 'just the way LCDs are', compare the Macbook screen to the screen on the MB Pro or even Macbook Air-- neither of those is nearly as 'touchy' in terms of viewing angle as the MB's is, and have much larger 'sweet spots'.
Another bit of Macbook screen wackness is that you have to tilt the screen WAAAY back, almost to horizontal, or blacks will appear washed out. But do that, and you catch ALL the reflections, in glorious super-glossy detail, from any and all overhead lighting. Darned if you do, darned if you don't.
Bottom line, the MacBook uses a cheap screen made to seem higher-quality than it really is by super-glossy glass and a very bright backlight. Clever, but not cool. Apple doesn't seem to have really thought through the drawbacks here. Or perhaps they did but didn't care, since they were saving so much $$$ on the screen.
4) Speakers - If you love music (and I do) you're gonna be disappointed here. These are some fairly muddy-sounding and quite volume-limited built-in speakers, even by notebook standards. And no, not everyone digs using headphones all the time, or lugging add-on speakers everywhere. The whole idea of a notebook is easy, all-in-one portability.
"Well, whaddya expect for $1300?!", some might say, inadvertently revealing just how out-of-touch some of us Mac fans can be. Alls I can say is, my friend's ancient (and lots cheaper) iBook sounds better.
5) No card reader, and no internal 3G option - Disappointing. Apple's too in love with minimalism. Enough said.
6) Specs - Not great, particularly for the money... little 'bump' over the previous gen. At least the graphics chip is significantly improved, though that was a low bar to pass (the previous gen's Intel integrated graphics were very weak).
7) Price - $1300 is a lot for a notebook, especially with the economy heading south. Apple won't give you any options at all for a 15" screen or expansion slots even in the high-end part of the Macbook line, which is really annoying already (again, they want you to cough up $2000 for the MB Pro). But to ask these prices AND not offer those things AND take away Firewire AND cheap out on the screen (among other things)? Wow. Guess all the money went into the unibody construction.
Which makes sense- even Apple has said that the unibody process will be quite expensive at first, with its cost dropping over time. And you can sort of understand Apple's obsession with the unibody, as some of the most serious complaints with the previous gen (plastic) Macbooks were in the areas of build quality and durability.
Adding to that, Steve Jobs is also obsessed with his products having a sort of Jaguar/Mercedes-Benz 'high end' look and feel. While that sure *sounds* cool, it isn't always- not when it, plus the build-quality mistakes made with the previous gen, cause Apple to focus obsessively on a couple of areas while messing up/cheaping out in so many others.
For $1300, the consumer/prosumer rightly expects a good *all-around* notebook. If you look past the surface, this isn't it.
On a more hopeful note, if unibody costs are indeed dropping, the NEXT Macbook revision might have the budget for a better screen and some other improvements, perhaps even better pricing too (yeah I know, good luck). *That* MB could be the solid all-arounder so many are looking/hoping for.
But even if that happens, the Macbook line will still retain at least one serious flaw going forward, as it's highly doubtful that Apple will reverse its very poor decision to dump Firewire. That's a choice which will continue to screw the hobbyist/video-audio enthusiast crowd, a group that was particularly Mac-loyal (though maybe not as much anymore).
Despite the Macbook's drawbacks, don't get me wrong- the new MBs definitely have their strengths: nice looks, should be quite durable, improved graphics card, the included i-Apps are useful (as always), OS X is more secure than Windows, et cetera et cetera. It's just not a good value for the money, particularly considering the minuses.
Apple really, REALLY needs to listen to its customers more. I'm sure they *think* they're listening, but something's off there, as the result -this product- doesn't really seem to reflect that, at least not in any balanced way. Lately, it's like they've been building things more to please themselves, and not us.
Normally I love Apple, but I'd think long and hard before buying this one.
No FireWire Makes the new 'MetalBook' a Mixed Bag... October 22, 2008
Your Role Model (from parts unknown)
23 out of 82 found this review helpful
Well gosh, where to begin...
In a few ways, the new aluminum MacBooks ('MetalBooks') are actually an improvement... the aluminum is IMO nicer-looking than the previous white plastic, there's a slightly more solid-feeling keyboard, a new LED-backlit glass (not plastic) screen, the trackpad now lets you use multitouch gestures (like the iPhone) for a few common functions, the whole trackpad is one big button now (some may dig that, some might not), and there's somewhat better graphics performance too (though still far from hardcore gamer standards).
Sounds pretty nice, right? But somehow, in a VERY puzzling decision, Apple managed to give with one hand and take away with the other, by eliminating FireWire from the new MetalBooks.
Apple's removal of Firewire is a real (and very unnecessary) kick in the teeth, especially at the $1300 point (medium for *Apple*, but high for Windows switchers, who are about 50% of Apple's clientele these days).
Besides losing Target Mode and super-easy file migration, many ppl with expensive Firewire-only video cameras and/or audio equipment are being left in the lurch by this, and USB 2 and Firewire-to-whatever adapters/hubs are not real solutions, as they can't do all the things Firewire can.
These folks are stuck with either having to move up to the very pricey MacBook Pro (at $2000+), or settling for the old 'Plastic'Books, still around at $1000 with FireWire (though probably not for much longer).
Some ppl will also dislike the lack of a matte screen option- while it's nice that the screen is now LED-backlit and made of glass, it's also verrry glossy now, with all the annoying glare and fingerprints that that entails. Also, the viewing angle is surprisingly narrow, and the screen doesn't have very good blacks or contrast, which is disappointing for a laptop in this price range.
All in all, this is a quite pretty MacBook with some clever touches/minor upgrades, but one huge downgrade that did not need to happen, plus a less-than-stellar screen.
If all you plan to do with it is Internet, email, productivity apps and playing Starcraft 2 or WoW, then it's fine. But, isn't much of the reason why MacBooks are WORTH the price premium the fact that you can do darn near ANYTHING with 'em? Not anymore.
At $1300, most 'prosumers' will be expecting a notebook that's a 'win-win', not a 'win-lose'. Sadly, that is what the new MetalBooks ultimately are.
Why Apple, why? =[
[Edit:] Also be aware that many users are noting problems with the new Macbook and MB Pro trackpads, such as not all clicks registering, the cursor repeatedly leaping off of selected items, etc. Apple is now aware of this and is saying that a software fix is on the way, but it remains to be seen how effective it'll be. Another reason to wait, I guess.
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