Macbook - Not bad (Apple MacBook MA699B/A)

Member Name: Tefhel

Product:	Apple MacBook MA699B/A
Date:	31/08/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stylish, easy to use

Disadvantages: Fragile, incompatible with most software/games, expensive

I've had the laptop for just over a year now, and there are many good things about it. It connects to WiFi with about one or two clicks, which is excellent because on my PC it took several hours to get it set up to accept my wifi connection. The software that it comes with, such as iMovie is excellent, and the inbuilt webcam is extremely useful.

This being my first Mac I was worried that I was going to have a really hard time trying to figure out how to navigate the menus, but it was really simple and easy to use.

There are several design flaws with this laptop, however. After about 11 months, the case on the laptop cracked, it was through no fault of my own, but the fact that the way the lid sits it exerts pressure onto the case and can cause cracks by the handrests (after I got this problem I searched on the internet and found that it wasn't an uncommon problem either).

Secondly, the charger is extremely temperamental, which can be very frustrating. Sometimes it just will not charge the laptop, even though it is plugged in and turned on, the charger just seems to be dead. It may not work for an entire day, and then you plug it in the next morning and it will miraculously work as if nothing happened! This may be partly due to the charger being poorly designed, allowing the wires to easily become exposed due to regular use (again, with an internet search it turned out to be a common problem with these chargers).

Recently, the charger has also started to become extremely hot to the touch, hot enough that you would be burned by touching it for more than a second. As a result, because it has become a fire hazard I can only charge for short bursts to prevent it overheating - the cost to replace it is £58!

One final thing (unrelated to this specific laptop) that I have noticed and that does become extremely annoying is the Apple-buying community, who when you go to to find help with any problems are viciously defensive of Apple and refuse to help (saying that you are whining unnecessarily etc.) Just something to bear in mind if you aren't a die-hard Apple fan.

Functionality is what I find most lacking - and this a grievance more with Macs in general, not the Macbook. There are very few programs and games that will work with Macs and this is often frustrating for me, I did know this before I bought it but I didn't realise it would annoy me as much as it does.

Overall, I do like the laptop, and would recommend it for someone who doesn't want to use for much beyond watching movies/internet/word-processing stuff. It is really good for that. But when I need a new laptop I will not be buying another Mac, mainly because the system specs of the laptop are bad value for money, and the fact that I can't do everything that I can do on Windows on it.

Summary: It has style over substance

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