Apple MacBook Black

The Apple iBook is gone, but the portable and powerful MacBook is here to take its place. As with the higher-end MacBook Pro, which replaced the 12-inch PowerBook, the new name suggests a new beginning: All of Apple's notebooks now feature Intel Core Duo processors. This consumer-friendly 5.2-pound system can run Windows (with free Boot Camp software), but it's Apple's elegant OS and superb physical design that make the MacBook worth owning.

 

After running your hands along the smooth polycarbonate shell, you'll first notice the small but ingenious physical improvements that mark Apple products. The power cord now attaches to the notebook magnetically so that it detaches if pulled accidentally rather than tugging your notebook to the floor. The lid also closes magnetically, as the MacBook doesn't have a latch. As with the MacBook Pro, an iSight camera is now built into the case, letting anyone enjoy video chatting—or simply creating goofy self-portraits with the included Photo Booth software.

 

The other thing you'll notice is its keyboard. The keys are low into the base, and they have space between them, giving the impression that the keyboard is composed of many individual keys instead of one cohesive unit. We like that crumbs can't fall in between the keys, but we wish the keyboard was backlit like the MacBook Pro's. The new keyboard feels fine for touch typing, but we suspect it will be a very personal preference for those used to MacBook Pro or iBook keyboards.

 

Apple is introducing a right-click option with its new lineup as well. Instead of holding down the Ctrl key and clicking the single mouse button, you now just put two fingers on the trackpad and then click with your thumb. And the new scrolling feature lets you scroll through any page by sliding two fingers over the touchpad.

 

The MacBook comes with a 13.3-inch glossy widescreen. This treatment improves color depth when showing movies and creates blacker blacks and whiter whites. It also makes the screen noticeably shinier under bright lights; however, thanks to an antireflective coating, we didn't experience as much glare with the MacBook as we have with other notebooks.

 

You can also enjoy movies while kicking back in your chair, as the MacBook runs the OS' excellent Front Row media software and includes a six-button remote. Front Row is the Mac equivalent of Windows Media Center, and it handles all of your multimedia needs. The speakers sit behind the hinge, just over the top from the keyboard. While they have a full sound, we found them light on bass and not very loud.

 

There are three versions of the MacBook, all of which run OS X 10.4.6, have 512MB of RAM, offer integrated Intel graphics (rather than a discrete graphics card), and include built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, two USB 2.0 ports, and a FireWire port. The only differences are that the lower-end model ($1,099) has a 1.83-GHz processor, 60GB of storage, and a Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW), the middle option ($1,299) has a 2-GHz processor and a SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/DVD-RW/CD-RW), and the highest option ($1,499) bumps the storage up to 80GB.

 

The higher-end MacBook we tested is dressed in a sleek and sexy black with a soft-touch finish, while the other two models are no-nonsense white. Upgrading the hard drive of the middle unit as a built-to-order option costs $50, which means users pay a $150 style premium simply to own the black version. Judging by early reports, people are lining up to do so. Also, it has no internal modem, so you can add $49 to the price if you still use dialup.

 

As is now standard with Macs, the notebook's software bundle is excellent, which definitely adds to its value. You'll get Apple's iLife suite, which contains multimedia apps iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, plus iChat for audio or video chatting, mail and address programs.

 

Testing the MacBook is a little challenging, as many high-end applications haven't been written for the Intel chip yet, so they'll only run in pokey emulation mode. All Apple software needs to be rewritten for the new processor, but heavyweights like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop aren't ready yet. Rosetta emulator comes built in and allows you to run previous versions of most software. Encoding a one-hour CD with iTunes took a quick 4 minutes and 26 seconds. Since iTunes is Apple software, we expected it to do well.

 

We tested the battery, which Apple rates at 6 hours, in a DVD rundown test. With Wi-Fi on, the MacBook lasted 3 hours and 5 minutes, and with Wi-Fi off, it ran for 3 hours and 19 minutes. Therefore, we would expect at least 4 hours of runtime when mixing productivity and multimedia applications.

 

The only real weaknesses of this system are the lack of a memory card slot (for plugging in cards from digital cameras or cell phones) and an ExpressCard or a PC Card slot (for wireless WAN modems of 802.11n cards). The best connection options as it stands are 802.11g and Bluetooth.

 

The MacBook comes with 90 days of phone support and a one-year warranty. You can extend both to three years with the optional $249 AppleCare Protection Plan.

 

There's a lot to love about the artfully designed MacBook, both in terms of price and performance. It's a great buy for general home use, and it would make an excellent gift for a grad ready to leave for college. Professionals on a budget could use this system if they wanted to, but we'd suggest that they stick with the more powerful and versatile MacBook Pro.