| Product: |
Apple MacBook MB062B/B |
| Date: |
06/08/08 (43 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Relatively cheap, it works as a laptop
Disadvantages: can be overlooked for its better, more pricey neighbours
The Apple MacBook is a sleek, user friendly laptop which is ideal for anyone who wants a laptop for work or play.
Apple computers tend to have the 'arty' stigma attached to them, and whilst they are brilliant at the arty side of things, they also work really well as an all round laptop, as well.
Aesthetics
There is no denying that, aesthetically, a mac is more beautiful than 99.9% of PCs or laptops, and that is, as always, incredibly clear here. Macbooks in general are sleek, with beautiful curves and very few breaks in their shape, and this version is no exception.
Available in both black and white (though I believe the black version is only available for the faster model, which costs more) the macbook has this fantastic rotund look. When it is shut, it looks stylish and smooth, and once opened the keypad and mouse pad both manage to look elegant against the 13.3" screen. The camera is also subtly built, just above the screen it is barely noticeable. A final aesthetic note is that the infamous apple symbol, which appears upon the laptop's casing, lights up when the macbook is turned on. This, for some reason, fascinated me beyond belief.
Processing
The Macbook is incredibly speedy when it comes to turning itself on, loading pictures and opening programmes. It works incredibly efficiently, no matter how many programmes you have open (within reason), and there is very little problem with locating files due to the fantastic search engine available in the "finder" programme (similar to My Computer on PCs).
Programmes and features
The Macbook comes with a wide variety of features, including bluetooth, DVD playing capabilities, a built in camera and a number of pre-installed programmes. The camera is subtle and works well, though the quality is low, but better than the average webcam, and the DVD player works a treat - if the movie has the option, it can be watched in HD using the iDVD program.
The basic programs include Safari (an internet program), Photobooth (for the camera), Mail (a useful email tool) iPhoto (for viewing pictures), iTunes (common on PCs), iCal (a calendar) and Comic Life (a fun program which can help you design comics using the photos you take on photobooth).
Ease Of Use
Macs are so easy to get used to, and once you do adapt they are considerably easier to use than PCs. The basic programs may all have different names, but once you've identified them they are almost the exact same as PC programmes.
The mouse is also incredibly easy to get used to - it is simple to use and does not stick in the manner which some laptop mouse-pads do. The mac is easy to set up accounts with, and doing basics is as easy as pie. There are a number of different 'help' programmes as well, and the apple website will help you with anything you are unsure of.
Keyboard on a Mac laptop
There are a couple of differences between Mac keyboards and PC keyboards, but none of them illogical. The @ sign and the " sign switch places, so the @ sign is above the 2, but this is a relatively logical step as it puts ' and " together. The other large change is the presence of a Command key, which has an apple and a squiggle on it. This is used in the way the Control key is used on a PC, so holding Command+C will copy, etc.
The Keyboard itself is relatively simple and has very few problems - all the letters and numbers are where you'd expect them to be, and the spacing for each key is not too small, so even the largest of fingers can type without bumping too many other keys. Its a great keyboard for learning how to touchtype on, and the keys do not tend to stick, which is a brilliant benefit of the macbook.
Battery
A fully charged brand spanking new Macbook has about 6 hours of battery life (if you have the 'better battery life' option chosen), which, as far as laptops go, is pretty good. I have had my mac for 8 months now, and still, when fully charged the battery has 5.02 hours until it runs out.
On previous laptops I have found that the battery will only last for 3 hours (if that) after 6 months of ownership, so the fact that it is still so efficient is incredibly impressive. It is also worth noting, for those who have never owned a mac before, that the warnings for a low battery are frequent and give you a specific amount of time. When the battery finally does run out, the macbook goes into sleep mode and there is normally around 2 hours before it shuts itself off completely, giving you sufficient time to plug it in so that you can save your work.
Alternatives
Mac has a number of alternatives available, not least the MacBook Pro and the suave Macbook Air, which are both considerably more expensive. Most Macbook Pros, however, come with the Leopard software, a brilliant update to the Mac OS X software which the MacBook comes with, and indeed, I would suggest if you do get a MacBook you consider getting the Leopard software, as it is brilliant. However, the software is not cheap, at around £70, but I must admit that after trying it out I am currently saving up for it, it is absolutely brilliant.
The Macbook Air is famous for its solid state drive and the resulting lightness of it, with the adverts showing how it can fit into a padded envelope. It is reportedly pretty unbreakable (though I'd like to test this out for myself) due to it's ... case. It is the middle option in terms of expense, but it's so sleek and stylish that it would be a good buy, if not one that is particularly logical during the current credit-crunch which the UK is experiencing.
Reliability
The mac is highly reliable in most of its fields, though occasionally programmes will shut themselves down with a "not responding" message in the manner of a PC. However, I have found that this happens a lot less on a mac than on the average PC, and when it does there is often a record of the last site you visited or the last document which you typed.
Another problem that occasionally happens is that if the laptop is shut very rapidly whilst still on, instead of going into sleep mode it will turn itself off. In my 8 months of owning it its only happened to me twice, and both times the documents I've been working on have been backed up by the system, which was brilliant.
Quality Of Service
Buying a mac is almost as pleasant an experience as owning one, and I must say that all the service I have received at my local apple store regarding my mac has been fantastic. The MacBook comes with a years guarantee, and if there are any problems you can go into an apple store and make an appointment with a apple genius, which is a brilliant service where they will fix anything that goes wrong for you at no extra cost during the first year.
There is also the option to buy an AppleCare package, so that you get access to this treatment for all the time you own the laptop, which is a very logical buy if you hope to have the macbook for a long long time.
Key Facts
MacBook MB062B/B
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Screen Size: 13.3"
Summary: good laptop
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Last comment:
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dunner7 - 06/08/08 Fantastic review. My other half has a MacBook and the battery length is mazing! So jealous! |
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