Apple’s MacBook – Review
February 21, 2007 – 12:12 amIf you’re not familiar with using an Apple computer, you might be a little hesitant to purchase one for general use, however nowadays that’s less and less of a barrier. If you like, you can setup Windows XP on the latest Mac machines and either run it as a virtual machine or simply boot into XP natively. Some people may question the concept of buying a Mac to run Windows, but it could be a good idea for several reasons I’ll get into later (Here’s a hint, look at the Price section).
Hardware:
Computer hardware fanatics have always had a love/hate relationship with Apple machines. On some fronts, Apple has been the early, or first, adopter of new technology, like the mouse, 802.11b wireless, or Firewire (IEEE 1394). On others, like processor or some hardware graphics technologies, Apple has been, at the worst behind, but probably for the most part abreast, of its PC counterparts. For the most part, Apple has closed this gap with its adoption of Intel hardware in the past year.
With most of their machines sporting the new Core 2 Duo processor from Intel, their speed and responsiveness is simply amazing, easily surpassing anything they’ve had in the past. The new MacBooks also contain an absolutely beautiful 13.3” TFT widescreen display, Bluetooth 2.0 w/ EDR, 667Mhz DDR2 RAM, a SATA hard drive, Gigabit Ethernet, built in iSight, optical audio in and out, and 802.11g wireless (upgradeable to 802.11n for $1.99) all built in and standard on every model. You’ll be hard pressed to find all of those features standard on any PC laptop.
Normally I wouldn’t mention the power adapter in a review, but the power adapter on the new MacBooks, and MacBook Pros, is a thing of beauty. Apple has always had better-looking power adapters, no giant black brick to lug around, but this time they’ve made the connection to the machine magnetic. Long story short, if you trip over the power cable, you won’t bring the whole system onto the floor, it’ll just pop out, no damage done. It’s saved mine on several occasions and I wish that I had it on all my laptops.
The MacBook also has an infrared port and an included Apple Remote that allows you to control media presentations, movies, music, slide shows, etc, from across the room.
Software:
Most PCs come bundled with some version of Windows XP, a Microsoft Word clone like WordPerfect or Microsoft Works, a 90-day trial of some internet security suite, and 50 little annoying programs that you can’t get rid of unless you reformat. The MacBook comes bundled with software that actually works, and that people will actually use.
With a new MacBook, you get all the built in features of Mac OS 10.4, including robust and integrated email, address book and calendar programs, a DVD player, a system-wide search that actually works (Spotlight), an audio/video instant messaging client (iChat AV), and handy little programs that you can activate at the touch of a button (widgets).
You also get Apple’s iLife ’06 suite that has music/movie management software (iTunes, also available as a free download), photo management/editing software (iPhoto), video editing software (iMovie HD), DVD creation software (iDVD), music creation software (GarageBand), media presentation software (Front Row), and some third party applications. You’ll still have to purchase either Microsoft Word or Apple’s iWork suite if you intend to use those programs, but you get trials of both preinstalled.
You also get a complete set of system restore DVDs and an included hardware test that you can run. You’ll be paying extra for that in most, if not all PCs.
Price:
Here is a big stickler that I hear all the time about Macs. They’re more expensive. So, I took a mid-range MacBook and priced a Dell with comparative specs. Take a look at the table below and decide for yourself.
| Apple MacBook (White) | Dell Inspiron E1405 | |
| Processor | 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo | 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo |
| Screen* | 13.3 Glossy TFT Widescreen | 14.1” WXGA+ Ultrasharp TFT |
| Optical Drive | 6X DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW | 8X DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW |
| Hard Drive | 80GB Serial ATA @ 5400 RPM | 80GB Serial ATA @ 7200 RPM |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 950 graphics processor | Intel GMA 950 graphics processor |
| Wireless | 802.11g & Bluetooth 2.0 w/ EDR | 802.11a/g & Bluetooth 2.0 w/ EDR |
| Audio | Built in stereo speakers, optical audio in/out | Built in stereo speakers, analog audio in/out |
| RAM | 2 GB 667Mhz DDR2 SDRAM | 2 GB 667Mhz DDR2 SDRAM |
| Misc | Built in iSight, Apple Remote | 56K v.92 Modem |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 BaseT | 10/100 BaseT |
| Battery** | 6 hours | 6 hours |
| Weight | 5.2 lbs | 5.3 lbs |
| Warranty | 3-Year AppleCare Protection Plan | 3-Year PC-Care Plus Bundle |
| Included Software | Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, Preview, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools), iLife ’06 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand), Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, iWork (30-day trial), Big Bang Board Games, Comic Life, OmniOutliner, Apple Hardware Test, Front Row, TechTool Delux (With AppleCare) | Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 6 months AOL online dial-up access, 3 year internet security suite (with PC-Care), Microsoft Works 8, Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo |
| Price*** | $1,723 | $2,167 |
* I upgraded the screen on the Dell because otherwise it doesn’t even begin to compare to the MacBook’s display
** This is reported optimal battery life by the manufacturer. Average use battery life on the MacBook in my own personal tests is ~ 5 hours. I was not able to test the Dell.
*** This is the price without any discounts from either manufacturer. Dell specifically says that you cannot apply discounts to the model/specs I picked, so I left out the government/higher education discounts on the Mac that many probably qualify for.
Summary:
If you’re looking for a new laptop, the MacBook is a great choice. It can do anything you want it to: office productivity, media creation, games, Windows XP (if you really want it). It’s very portable and light, and quite durable. You nix the virus/spyware issues when you get a Mac and can concentrate on work or having fun.
Useful Links:
This contains information and price specifications about Apple’s MacBook and Dell’s Inspiron E1405 obtained off their respective websites as of January 23, 2007. At the time of publication, this information may have changed.