Apple Macbook
12:18
Apple
doesn't have a very large notebook lineup; just three MacBook Pro
models and one MacBook. They've always kept it simple and that should
make decision time painless, right? Not so much when it comes to the 13"
machines with the MacBook and 13" MacBook Pro overlapping in most ways.
Both share the same CPU, graphics processor and glass multi-touch
trackpad, but the $1,199 Pro gets you double the RAM, a backlit
keyboard, FireWire 800 and an SD card slot. Sure, only $200 sets them
apart, so why not just go Pro? Price conscious consumers like that under
$1,000 price tag, even if it's under by only a dollar. And the
polycarbonate MacBook has a few things going for it besides the $200
cheaper sticker vs. the Pro: the underside doesn't get burning hot and
it doesn't dent as do the metal-clad MacBook Pro models. This makes the
MacBook both kid and klutz-friendly, though no matter how pretty and
shiny the plastic, the MacBook isn't immune to scratches and
discoloration. In fact, the bottom of our review unit got dirty inI just
a day of careful and hygienic use.
Indeed, plastic never looked so good-- think of the MacBook as the perfect esthetic companion to the white iPhone 3GS.
The unibody design carried over from the last gen MacBook, is curvier
and has a glossier lid than older MacBook generations and the casing is
made from a single piece of polycarbonate for improved strength. The
underside has a soft touch finish (again like the last gen model), and
that keeps it firmly on your desk. The bottom panel is affixed with 8
tiny philips head screws; remove it and you have access to everything--
hard drive, 2 SODIMM RAM slots, the optical drive and the tiny
motherboard. Unlike the MacBook Pro 15", the MacBook has a single fan
inside rather than two.
Bottom cover removed for
access to all components. The black rectangle is the battery, the hard
drive is beside it, the optical drive is above the the 2 RAM slots are
just above the hard drive.
What's new from the last gen MacBook?
Apple bumped the CPU and GPU so they match the 2010 MacBook Pro 13".
While the CPU increase is modest from the older MacBook unibody model,
moving from the NVIDIA 9400M to the NVIDIA 320M makes all the difference
in the world, especially if you're into gaming or use apps that make
use of the GPU (Photoshop et al.). The new MacBook gets a higher
capacity "10 hour" battery that's still sealed inside under the bottom
cover. While manufacturer estimates for battery life are unabashedly
optimistic, in our tests the 2010 MacBook is good for 7 hours of use
when surfing the web, playing some YouTube video with Flash 10.1 beta
that uses the GPU, working on Office documents and checking email.
That's excellent compared to most Windows laptops on the market with
similar CPUs and screen sizes.
The bottom is affixed with 8 philips head screws.
|
In all other respects, the MacBook looks a
little weak compared to its Windows brethren when it comes to hardware
specs. These days a grand gets you an Intel Core i5 CPU and 4 gigs of
RAM and a similar GPU. We've all heard of the "Mac tax"; that extra you
pay for the pleasure of running Mac OS, and that is indeed part of the
deal. Do you want to run Mac OS for its fluidity and near stranger
relationship with viruses and driver update maladies? You pay for a Mac.
But there's more: as with higher end machines like the HP Envy and
upscale Sony Vaio models, you're paying for chic design, superb build
quality and an excellent display.
The MacBook is no longer relegated to the
bargain bin among Apple notebooks, and the gloss LED display is very
color saturated and reasonably bright, though not as bright as our MacBook Air's
display. Viewing angles, particularly side viewing angles are
excellent. It's as good as Sony's XBrite displays and it beats $1,000
Windows laptops for display quality. Still it hurts when you have to
live with 2 measily USB ports and no HDMI, though at least HDMI with
both audio and video out is an option now via 3rd party Mini DisplayPort
to HDMI adapters. While the MacBook Pro has an ambient light sensor
that can adjust display brightness, the MacBook lacks this feature, and
that's one omission we prefer since the Pro's ambient light sensor tends
to drive us mad.
The huge glass multi-touch trackpad is still
unique to Mac notebooks. Yes, there are plenty of multi-touch trackpads
on Windows notebooks, and some like the Envy's, even copy the
button-less design. Sadly none of them work nearly as well as the
MacBook's. It's so easy to use, so intuitive it almost kills my desire
for a touch screen. The chiclet style keyboard is one of the better on
the laptop market, and being white, it's easier to see in the dark. That
said, we miss the backlit Pro keyboards.
The superior GPU in the new MacBook is one of
the strongest reasons to upgrade from an older MacBook, though we're
bummed that Apple is still stingy with the VRAM-- the NVIDIA 320M gets
only a paltry 256 megs of dedicated memory. That seems a few years out
of date compared to Windows notebooks. Still, when running Mac OS it's
more than enough for speedier window opening and better graphics
performance in video and photo apps that use the GPU. If you attach a
very large, high resolution display, the low VRAM and introductory-level
discrete GPU do take a toll on performance though. The MacBook doesn't
have switchable graphics where the machine switches between Intel
integrated and dedicated graphics like the larger MacBook Pro models.
It's all NVIDIA all the time.
If the MacBook doesn't have enough horsepower
for your needs, moving up to the 13" MacBook Pro won't help matters. The
base level 13" MacBook Pro performs identically to the 2010 MacBook
and the $1,499 stepped-up 13" model only slightly improves CPU
performance. Unfortunately for those of you who want the portability of a
13" but need more power, you'll have to move up to the 15" MacBook Pro
with an Intel Core i5 CPU (starting price $1,799).
The machine has Apple's Mini DisplayPort (what have
they got against HDMI?). That means you can use a variety of $29
adapters to connect to VGA, DVI and Dual-link DVI (the Apple 30" Cinema
Display) monitors and HDMI via 3rd party adapters. The Dual-link adapter
for the 30" display will actually set you back a painful $99, but at
least you can do it. Gone are the days when MacBook's were intentionally limited to smaller external monitors.
Audio out is still the combined 3.5mm jack
that's compatible with VoIP headsets and Apple's iPhone headset. The
jack does support digital output, and there are the usual built-in mic,
iSight camera and decent stereo speakers.
Like all Intel Macs, the MacBook can run
Windows via Bootcamp (where you select which OS you want to use when
you boot the Mac) or virtual environments like Parallels that run
Windows in a window on Mac OS. The 2010 MacBook supports Windows XP,
Windows Vista and Windows 7 including 64 bit versions via Bootcamp.
Windows 7 runs very well on this Mac which is as fast a machine as the
recently dethroned Sony Vaio Z
running a Core2 Duo. While we wouldn't throw Crysis at this Mac, it's
more than capable of playing Warcraft and even Call of Duty Modern
Warfare with effects turned down or off. In our 3D gaming tests, frame
rates were 30% improved over the last gen MacBook with the NVIDIA 9400M.
The MacBook uses the same MagSafe charger port and connector as the MacBook Air and it comes with a 60 watt world charger.
0 comments