13.3″ Unibody Apple MacBook Review
Windows 7.
Snow Leopard.
With both of these new operating systems on the horizon, AND in my foreseeable future, I knew I would need a PC capable of running both, and running both well. While my MSI Wind can run Windows 7, I don’t know if a PC of that caliber is going to have what it takes to push Snow Leopard. My thoughts are no, since its truly going to support 64bit architecture (as well as other key features), according to Apple. Looking at my current setup, my 2006 MacBook Pro was good, but perhaps not good enough to run both OS’ without some huffing and puffing, or other serious performance hits.
This being the case, I thought it prudent to buy a new Mac. I chose the 13.3″ unibody MacBook. Let’s see how this baby stacks up.
Configuration:
I purchased the high end MacBook; and not just because I could/I had the cash to do so. This PC is going to have to last me for a few years. I’m not going to have the money available to go out and buy another in 2-2.5 years from now; and I wanted to have enough PC to last me for a while. Yes, I’d likely put a bigger hard drive in it, but I wanted to be able to have it last for a while.
Having had and reviewed a 15.4″ MacBook Pro, purchased in 2006, and reviewed here with one of my best mates, Mitchell Oke, I was hooked on the Apple experience. Their computers are the bomb; and the experience is hard to beat…So is the price by the way.
To say that Apple computers are a bit on the pricy side is a bit of an understatement. My thoughts, with three kids, and college expenses for the oldest on the horizon, are to put the kibosh on the larger expenses and to start packing it away… That being the case, this was going to be the last major PC purchase for a while.
So, what did my MacBook come with? Good question. Here are the (default) specs on the box:
- 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2×2GB
- 250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
- SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Backlit Keyboard (English)
- Apple Care Protection Plan for MacBook/MacBook Air – Auto-enroll
I made one small change to this configuration after I purchased the PC. My MacBook Pro had a 320GB hard drive in it. I swapped out the 250GB drive in the MacBook for the 320GB drive in the MacBook Pro; and saved myself $75 US. Apple swapped the drives between the 2 PC’s (after feedback to the Apple Store Manager on the purchasing survey AFTER the purchase) for free. I later spent $89 US and put a 500GB drive in. The 320GB was fine, but with all of my video and other iTunes fodder, I found myself quickly running out of space. The extra 180GB in the 500GB drive will go a long way as far as iTunes and movies were concerned.
One of the best things about the newer Mac laptops is the unibody aluminum case. Compared to my older MBP, its really night and day. While the older Mac looked like it had an aluminum case, it really was only partially aluminum on the outside. The newer boxes are all aluminum, all the time.
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| My MacBook is on top. | The case from the older MBP. |
Is it me, or do the newer Macs just look sooooo much better than their previous incarnations? Wow! I can’t tell you how much I love these new cases!
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| The right side of my MacBook |
Solid construction, flawless lines. Oooh! I’m geekin’ out!
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| The front of my MacBook |
The one thing that I really don’t like on my Mac (maybe because I so often expect something to crap out…) is the lack of a hard drive activity light. The power/sleep light is on the right front corner of each; but it doesn’t do anything else other than wink when the PC sleeps. It would be nice if it also flashed hard drive activity; but again, that may be just me worrying if my PC is going to crash and wanting to know if the hard drive is still doing something.
Windows… go figure.
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| The business side of my MacBook |
From the top down, the above is my 13: MacBook, my dad’s late 2008 15″ MacBook Pro, and my mom’s early 2009 15″ MacBook Pro. You’ll notice the ports are swapped around a bit between the two 15″ models, and mom’s has the SD card slot.
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| The back side of my MacBook |
Easy access to the battery and hard drive is just a latch pull away. I like this setup a lot better than the older MBP I had. Swapping out the 320GB drive for the 500GB drive was really easy. All you have to do is remove a couple of screws on the drive housing, swap the drive and replace the screws. It took about 7 minutes to replace the drive and put the battery cover back on.
Screen
I love the screen on this thing! The only problem that I have with the screen is the 1280 by 800 resolution. While its not bad, the non-standard size is a bit on the problematic side. 1280 by 800 serves the wide screen very well, so its good for video and such, but it falls a bit short when it comes to applications and such.
It looks absolutely fabulous; but the resolution could be much better than it is.
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| The MacBook Open. The screen is gorgeous! |
Keyboard & Trackpad
When I first got the new MacBook, I was somewhat skeptical about how the keyboard experience would be. Being housed from a single piece of aluminum, I thought the feel would be stiff and restricted.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The key layout is nearly perfect. You don’t have to stretch for any keys and I’m able to hit my normal 75-85 words per minute rate on this keyboard without batting an eyelash. The key travel is good, with just enough tactile feedback to make the keys feel as though you are hitting something. They don’t feel too mushy; and they don’t make a loud clacky sound, like other laptop keyboards might.
The trackpad on the other hand… Oy! What an opportunity for improvement IT represents. The larger touch space is nice; and the fact that it supports all of the touch gestures is pretty cool; but the single button thing…the whole pad as a button… it SO sucks. I like the touch pad from my older MacBook Pro. It had a single button, but it was a dedicated button on the bottom of the pad.
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| The circa 2006 MacBook Pro keyboard. I like the button on the bottom MUCH better |
Comparing the two keyboards, you can see a great deal of difference in the body styles of the two PC’s.
Battery Life
As with any battery estimates, your mileage may vary; but I’ve been able to get anywhere between 90-120 minutes out of my battery so far. One of the things that I’ve noticed is a GOOD thing to do with any and all laptops that I own – drain the battery as close to 0%/0:00 minutes as possible, as often as possible. This is the best way to insure that your battery has the best capacity, and lasts as long as it can. I’ve had my MacBook for just over a year, and I’ve cycled it just over 100 times. Its health is 94% according to iStat Pro.
Batteries for this puppy are $129.99 in the Apple Store. That’s a bit much to spend when you have so much control over how the PC is used, and how the battery life is consumed.
Unboxing Photos
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| The new MacBook, boxed. |
Nice packaging. The MacBook comes in a very green, no frills box that doesn’t waste a lot of cardboard or paper. There may not be a lot to this; but honestly, it ships from China this way, and if it can ship internationally like this, you don’t have to worry too much about getting it from the Apple Store to your house in this baby.
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| Ta-daaaa! There’s my baby! (Ain’t she pretty?!) |
Ohh! Its so shiny!
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| The contents of the box |
Again…no frills. The box doesn’t have much in it beyond the PC, charger and charger cord. The black envelope has the traditional “Everything Mac and Everything Else” literature.
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| The left side of my MacBook. |
From left to right: MagSafe Power connection, Ethernet, 2 USB 2.x, Mini Display Port, Audio In, Audio out and Kensington Lock connector.
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| The right side of my MacBook – the 8x Super Drive |
MacBook Pro Comparison Photos
These photos compare the size of my new MacBook with my circa 2006 MacBook Pro. I thought it would be cool to see the size difference between the two machines, since I was giving up the bigger machine for the smaller one.
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| There’s certainly a size difference between the MBP and the MB |
As you can see, There’s a good inch or so on either edge of the MacBook, where the MacBook Pro can be seen underneath. While that doesn’t seem like a lot of space, when the screen is open, it makes quite a bit of difference.
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| Left sides – MB on top |
As you can see from the above, all of the new MacBook’s expansion ports are on the left side of the PC. I thought my MacBook Pro was thin. At 0.95″, the new unibody MacBook is the thinnest full notebook I’ve had the privilege to own. Its also a full pound or so lighter than the 15″ models. At the time of the purchase, the 13″ MacBook Pro had not been released, otherwise I would have purchased it. This particular MacBook is definitely a go-between model between the white, plastic MacBook and the MacBook Pro line. It was also an obvious move for Apple to do away with this particular model and introduce the 13″ MacBook Pro in its place.
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| Right sides – MB on top |
The new body designs have the CD drive on the right side for both the new MacBook and new MacBook Pro (the older PC’s, including my older MacBook Pro had the CD/DVD drive open on the front of the device). Now, with all expansion connectors on the same side, its a much easier job of connecting/disconnecting cables, or using a docking station.
Cost: The 13.3″ Unibody Apple MacBook ran $1299.99 to $1599.99. As reviewed, the laptop was $2011, after RAM upgrade, Apple Care, tax, title, license, etc.
What I Liked: Besides the trackpad there’s very little to dislike about this laptop. Thin, light and peppy, this baby is much easier to carry and runs Windows 7 without missing a beat.
What Needs Improvement: The trackpad leaves a bit to be desired. The entire thing is one big button, and I really think that it has issues regarding single and double finger touches, even after a couple of system and firmware updates. There were a number of times when my touches were not recognized no matter what I did (and I knew the device was working).
The resolution on the internal display only pushes 1280 x 800.
Conclusion:
This is an Apple product. That’s a heavy statement, in that it is amazing what a US company can create when it brings the right vision together with the right people. Its by far the best laptop that I’ve ever used, though it does have a few minor quirks. The power button is on the inside of the PC, meaning that if you do use it with any kind of docking solution, you’re going to have to work out a way to open it up, turn it on, and if needed, close it and then wake it from Sleep if necessary.
Working with the device with any kind of external monitor can be a bit clunky, as I don’t think the Apple paradigm for their laptops truly includes this option, even though they make awesome external displays. If it did, then there would truly be some sort of docking solution or centralized external connector for quickly and easily connecting ALL of your external devices, including speakers, monitor, USB cables, etc. My point – If the device were truly meant to replace a desktop (as some of the MacBook Pro line undoubtedly can, the PC would be designed to more readily support this. As it stands, with its stellar screen and comfortable keyboard, as well as its stand alone design (and hefty price point), Apple doesn’t truly expect you to use the PC with external devices.
