After a few days, I have gotten a clear impression of my 2.0 GHz white MacBook with 60 GB HDD and 1 GB RAM. So, here it is:
Glossy screen cover:
Many people have benn worried about the glossy screens, and so was I, but when I first started the MacBook, I saw no reflection. When the screen is completely turned off, you can see slight reflecyion, yet I have not experienced any reflection while the computer was turned on, neither in sunlight or any other conditions.
Battery:
My old PC laptop (Amilo Pro V1000, 2.4 GHz Celeron D, 256 MB DDR RAM, 30 GB HDD and Intel GMA/852 16 MB), had around 2 hours pf battery while surfing the web (wireless). My new MB presented 4 hours and 57 minutes of this (screen dimmed to 3 sticks). So roughly 5 hours of battery. Working Word with screen dimmed to one stick, I got 7 hours and 13 minutes!
It is really an impressive battery, and I won't need an extra one in any case.
Keyboard and trackpad:
WOW! Man, that's a pimpin' keyboard! After three hours, I had gotten used to the new keyboard, It is very easy to type on, and somehow your fingers feel more relaxed. I know the scrolling trackpad is old news, but I was very impressed by how handy the scrolling function was. Also with this new gigantic trackpad, it makes it a lot easier.
Speakers:
I have finally discovered where the speakers are located.
Those griles on the back are the speakers. Though many may find it unpractical that they're sitting here, it works surprisingly well, also when you have it in your lap. The bass has also improved from the iBook speakers, and I have completely dropped my extenal speakers. I still use my wireless uber Sennheiser (see sig) though.
Screen:
The brightness is frickin' insane. I haven't yet taken a comparison picture with the iBook, but I will soon. The iBooks screen has top brightness, where the MacBook has around 60% brightness. This is insane! The resolution is bery impressive, likewise the contrast, and watching the Halo 3 trailer in 1280x720 High Definition is a uber experience!
Magnets (latch and powerplug):
The MagSafe works very well, and since it is old news, I will go straight on to the latch. It is very practical, and it looks very cool too. Because I baby my MB, I open and close it very slowly and carefully, but besides saving time, it is in general a good feature.
Speed:
Tie your seatbelt: I booted this MacBook in 21.2 SECONDS! It is wickedly fast. It too 7 seconds for my old PC to start iTunes, now it opens instantly. It is in general snappier at everyday stuff, and especially in waking up from sleep. It took my old PC 13 seconds to do so, and the MacBook does it in less than one second.
Issues:
None.
No, seriously, it is completely free of issues. It mooed once for 1.5 seconds, that's it. No whine, no falling apart, no moo, it is perfect. It doesn't get hot either. The max I've had was 33 degrees celcius, and that was running iTunes, Safari, iPhoto, Keynote, Word and MSN.
AirPort Extreme:
Though Apple claims, that the MacBook should have better AP reception that former Macs, I have not experienced so. It is excactly the same as my brothers iBook (1.07 GHz G4, 256 MB DDR RAM, 14.1", ComboDrive, AirPort Extreme abd 40 GB HDD). It is good, but not impressive.
iSight:
The iSight is just uber! The quality is good, clear colors, everything. There is one downside though. I kow this is common for all webcams, but it works very poorly in dark. Here I have a trick though. Turn screen to max brightness, and it will work as a SightLight.
SuperDrive:
Many people have reported that the drives in MacBooks are very sensitive to scratched discs, yet when I inserted my "Busted Stuff" CD, it read it without any problems, whilst my old Xbox (not 360), couldn't. Though the drive is noisy when ejecting discs, this is not a problem, it is more silent than any tray-loading drive I've seen or heard. Though it is inferior to the drive of the 14" iBooks and 12" PB's drive in burning speed, I don't vare much for that, since I rarely burn DVD's.
Weight/size:
I can't feel a difference when carrying the 14" iBook or the MacBook. Though the MacBook is pleasently thin, they weigh around the same. The MacBook is more compact, and you can hold it between two fingers, without taking the risk of dropping it. I'd say it is the ultimate protable soloution.
Just my 40% of a nickel, and I hope it wasn't too boring.
Glossy screen cover:
Many people have benn worried about the glossy screens, and so was I, but when I first started the MacBook, I saw no reflection. When the screen is completely turned off, you can see slight reflecyion, yet I have not experienced any reflection while the computer was turned on, neither in sunlight or any other conditions.
Battery:
My old PC laptop (Amilo Pro V1000, 2.4 GHz Celeron D, 256 MB DDR RAM, 30 GB HDD and Intel GMA/852 16 MB), had around 2 hours pf battery while surfing the web (wireless). My new MB presented 4 hours and 57 minutes of this (screen dimmed to 3 sticks). So roughly 5 hours of battery. Working Word with screen dimmed to one stick, I got 7 hours and 13 minutes!
It is really an impressive battery, and I won't need an extra one in any case.Keyboard and trackpad:
WOW!
Man, that's a pimpin' keyboard! After three hours, I had gotten used to the new keyboard, It is very easy to type on, and somehow your fingers feel more relaxed. I know the scrolling trackpad is old news, but I was very impressed by how handy the scrolling function was. Also with this new gigantic trackpad, it makes it a lot easier. Speakers:
I have finally discovered where the speakers are located.
Those griles on the back are the speakers. Though many may find it unpractical that they're sitting here, it works surprisingly well, also when you have it in your lap. The bass has also improved from the iBook speakers, and I have completely dropped my extenal speakers. I still use my wireless uber Sennheiser (see sig) though.
Screen:
The brightness is frickin' insane. I haven't yet taken a comparison picture with the iBook, but I will soon. The iBooks screen has top brightness, where the MacBook has around 60% brightness. This is insane!
The resolution is bery impressive, likewise the contrast, and watching the Halo 3 trailer in 1280x720 High Definition is a uber experience! Magnets (latch and powerplug):
The MagSafe works very well, and since it is old news, I will go straight on to the latch. It is very practical, and it looks very cool too. Because I baby my MB, I open and close it very slowly and carefully, but besides saving time, it is in general a good feature.
Speed:
Tie your seatbelt: I booted this MacBook in 21.2 SECONDS!
It is wickedly fast. It too 7 seconds for my old PC to start iTunes, now it opens instantly. It is in general snappier at everyday stuff, and especially in waking up from sleep. It took my old PC 13 seconds to do so, and the MacBook does it in less than one second.Issues:
None.
No, seriously, it is completely free of issues. It mooed once for 1.5 seconds, that's it. No whine, no falling apart, no moo, it is perfect. It doesn't get hot either. The max I've had was 33 degrees celcius, and that was running iTunes, Safari, iPhoto, Keynote, Word and MSN.
AirPort Extreme:
Though Apple claims, that the MacBook should have better AP reception that former Macs, I have not experienced so. It is excactly the same as my brothers iBook (1.07 GHz G4, 256 MB DDR RAM, 14.1", ComboDrive, AirPort Extreme abd 40 GB HDD). It is good, but not impressive.
iSight:
The iSight is just uber! The quality is good, clear colors, everything. There is one downside though. I kow this is common for all webcams, but it works very poorly in dark. Here I have a trick though. Turn screen to max brightness, and it will work as a SightLight.
SuperDrive:
Many people have reported that the drives in MacBooks are very sensitive to scratched discs, yet when I inserted my "Busted Stuff" CD, it read it without any problems, whilst my old Xbox (not 360), couldn't. Though the drive is noisy when ejecting discs, this is not a problem, it is more silent than any tray-loading drive I've seen or heard. Though it is inferior to the drive of the 14" iBooks and 12" PB's drive in burning speed, I don't vare much for that, since I rarely burn DVD's.
Weight/size:
I can't feel a difference when carrying the 14" iBook or the MacBook. Though the MacBook is pleasently thin, they weigh around the same. The MacBook is more compact, and you can hold it between two fingers, without taking the risk of dropping it. I'd say it is the ultimate protable soloution.
Just my 40% of a nickel, and I hope it wasn't too boring.
