Apple Macbook

Introduced on October 14th 2008, the new 6th generation MacBook included a revolutionary redesign rather than standard evolutionary update process that is seen with previous generations. This redesign brings the MacBook closer to the MacBook Pro in almost all respects, and forced Apple to play the dangerous game of removing key standard features such as Firewire in order to artificially influence consumer and prosumer buying patterns. Due the wide variety of updated (specific updates are listed below) the price of the MacBook – one which usually remains static even when updates are released - has also been updated. The price has now gone up across the board: with two versions of the aluminum MacBook coming in at $1299 and $1599, Apple has also included an older style plastic MacBook for those uninterested in the enhanced version and its higher cost. For $999 users get what appears to be a 5th generation MacBook – with 1GB of DDR2, a 120GB drive and Intel GMA 3100 graphics.

Where to Buy

Apple Macbook 2
MSRP $1,299.00
Release date October, 2008
Brand Apple
love it
want it
have it
tag it
Pros & Cons26
Reviews31
Details
Buy It2
Competitors2
Comments4
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
21 reviews
64
negative
mixed
positive
14 positive
2 mixed
5 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
+17agreedisagree

•
runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
+13agreedisagree

•
half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook
+12agreedisagree

•
a work of art - nicer and more refined than any other consumer notebook
+11agreedisagree

•
Huge multi-touch trackpad
+8agreedisagree

•
environmentally friendly construction
+6agreedisagree

•
eliminates most of the issues users had with the original design
+5agreedisagree

•
significantly longer battery life than previous MacBooks
+4agreedisagree

•
works extremely well with other Mac hardware
+4agreedisagree

•
MagSafe power plug is very cool
+4agreedisagree

•
.9" thick
+3agreedisagree

•
Gestures are AMAZING
+1agreedisagree

•
It's a Mac = very easy to set up and use, and doesn't crash every once in a while like a PC.
+1agreedisagree

•
Right click works just fine (trackpad is multitouch).
0agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
costs more than the previous MacBooks
+17agreedisagree

•
student discount has been reduced from $100 to $50
+11agreedisagree

•
no HDMI or Blu-ray options
+10agreedisagree

•
same old 1280x800 resolution
+9agreedisagree

•
still using proprietary video-out (albeit small and cute)
+7agreedisagree

•
no firewire! (an artificial way to control consumers )
+4agreedisagree

•
Doesn't stay firm on your lap, it's "slippery".
+1agreedisagree

•
sharp edges hurt wrists while typing
0agreedisagree

•
No right click!
0agreedisagree

•
Apple tax
0agreedisagree

•
Apple multi-touch isn't all that impressive compared to the multi-touch you find on much cheaper EEE pcs
-1agreedisagree

•
requires all components (router, etc) to be from Apple to extract maximum value
-1agreedisagree


32 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Features

A completely redesigned all aluminum enclosure is the first major change. This change is mainly aesthetic but also frees MacBook users from plastic that gets brittle, discolours or cracks. This also allows internal components to wisp away heat through the case more easily.

The MacBook gets an upgraded LED backlight - a feature already found on the MacBook Pro. This backlight uses less energy (extends battery life), produces darker blacks, does not contain mercury, and doesn't dim over time like regular CCFL backlighting.

Integrated graphics from Intel have always forced OSX graphics driven Expose events to stutter on MacBooks. An updated onboard Nvidia 9400M graphics chip which performs 5x faster than any Intel offering eliminates this – and paves way for future graphical improvements in OSX. This also allows users to take part in GPU driven professional applications such as Adobe Photoshop CS4, however due to artificial limitations and less-than-ideal speed a MacBook Pro is the preferred tool for these applications.

A new glass multi-touch trackpad similar now to those on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is included. This update gives users a larger, nicer feeling trackpad with advanced functionality which accepts multi-finger touch commands much like the iPhone and Ipod Touch.

DDR3 Ram is now available for laptops, and is being used in the aluminum MacBooks. This RAM is faster than previous DDR2.

 

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This report was started October 20, 2008 at 10:23 am by Erik
with the last edit occurring Today, 12:26 AM by Hebes
This page has been viewed 2949 times, with 349 edits by 34 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Apple MacBook MC240LL/A | 2009 - Plastic - 2.13 GHz - 2GB RAM - 160GB HDD - Nvidia 9400M

• Apple MacBook MC240LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

• 13.3" MacBook Notebook

UPC: 885909337972

EAN: 885909337972

MPN: MC240LL/A

Apple MacBook MB466LL/A | 2008 - Aluminum - 2.0 GHz - 2GB RAM - 160GB HDD - Nvidia 9400M

• Apple MacBook MB466LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

• 13.3" MacBook Notebook

UPC: 885909223138

EAN: 885909223138

MPN: MB466LL/A

Apple MacBook MB466LL/A | 2008 - Aluminum - 2.4 GHz - 2GB RAM - 250GB HDD - Nvidia 9400M

• Apple MacBook MB467LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

• 13.3" MacBook Notebook

UPC: 885909223411

EAN: 885909223411

MPN: MB467LL/A

Competitors

Apple Macbook is ranked 1st among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Laptops »
Dell Adamo

Dell Adamo

MSRP  $1,999.00    Released  March, 2009
Pros
  • extremely thin (0.65-inch vs the 0.76-inch Macbook Air)
  • 128GB SSD storage
  • background-lid keyboard
Cons
  • Intel graphics
  • extremely expensive
  • regular laptop battery life (2.5 hours)
ProSCORE
8 reviews
29
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Apple Macbook 100% vs. vote Dell Adamo 0%
HP Pavilion dv2 Series

HP Pavilion dv2 Series

MSRP  $700.00    Released  April, 2009
Pros
  • 1280 x 800px resolution on a 12.1" monitor
  • HDMI output
  • high end model includes dedicated graphics card (ATI Radeon HD 3410 with 256MB of dedicated VRAM)
Cons
  • the weight and cost of a low end notebook
  • poor performance compared to similarly priced devices
  • glossy finish
ProSCORE
3 reviews
62
Vote! (2 votes)
vote Apple Macbook 100% vs. vote HP Pavilion dv2 Series 0%

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Comments

15 taps
show more
1.  avatar Erik said:

Anybody pick one of these up yet?
Nov 27, 2008 2:52pm
2.  avatar rajivdoshi said:

I got the new MacBook 2 weeks ago, I gave my black macbook to my sister and picked one of these up for myself because I wanted the enhanced nvidia graphics card. I am happy with it.
Nov 27, 2008 4:17pm
3.  avatar viaterra said:

I bought the new macbook as soon as they came out, and I am not disapointed, it's a great laptop
Jul 31, 2009 9:26am
4.  avatar fractalhorizon said:

No right click? Which troll wrote that?
Oct 11, 2009 12:15am
Some HTML is allowed. Your comments remain editable after you post..

Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Erik

avatar
December 19, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
56
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
4 cons
trustedtrusted
want itwant it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
  • half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook
  • a work of art - nicer and more refined than any other consumer notebook
  • Huge multi-touch trackpad

Cons

  • costs more than the previous MacBooks
  • no HDMI or Blu-ray options
  • still using proprietary video-out (albeit small and cute)
  • Apple multi-touch isn't all that impressive compared to the multi-touch you find on much cheaper EEE pcs

Comments

"Anybody pick one of these up yet?"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

rajivdoshi

avatar
November 27, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
40
negative
mixed
positive
2 pros
3 cons
trustedtrusted
love itlove it
have ithave it
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook

Cons

  • costs more than the previous MacBooks
  • no HDMI or Blu-ray options
  • same old 1280x800 resolution

Comments

"I got the new MacBook 2 weeks ago, I gave my black macbook to my sister and picked one of these up for myself because I wanted the enhanced nvidia graphics card. I am happy with it."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Yale

avatar
October 20, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
42
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
7 cons
trustedtrusted
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
  • half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook
  • a work of art - nicer and more refined than any other consumer notebook
  • eliminates most of the issues users had with the original design

Cons

  • costs more than the previous MacBooks
  • student discount has been reduced from $100 to $50
  • no HDMI or Blu-ray options
  • same old 1280x800 resolution
  • still using proprietary video-out (albeit small and cute)
  • no firewire! (an artificial way to control consumers )
  • Apple multi-touch isn't all that impressive compared to the multi-touch you find on much cheaper EEE pcs

Competitors

Yale prefers Apple Macbook over Dell Adamo, HP Pavilion dv2 Series
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

hipotecas

avatar
March 16, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
71
negative
mixed
positive
12 pros
5 cons
trustedtrusted
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
  • half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook
  • a work of art - nicer and more refined than any other consumer notebook
  • Huge multi-touch trackpad
  • environmentally friendly construction
  • eliminates most of the issues users had with the original design
  • significantly longer battery life than previous MacBooks
  • works extremely well with other Mac hardware
  • MagSafe power plug is very cool
  • .9" thick
  • Gestures are AMAZING

Cons

  • costs more than the previous MacBooks
  • student discount has been reduced from $100 to $50
  • no HDMI or Blu-ray options
  • no firewire! (an artificial way to control consumers )
  • sharp edges hurt wrists while typing

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Raptor007

avatar
December 11, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
33
negative
mixed
positive
2 pros
4 cons
trustedtrusted
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...

Cons

  • no HDMI or Blu-ray options
  • same old 1280x800 resolution
  • still using proprietary video-out (albeit small and cute)
  • no firewire! (an artificial way to control consumers )

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Omar

avatar
March 13, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
4 cons
trustedtrusted
want itwant it
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
  • half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook
  • Huge multi-touch trackpad
  • environmentally friendly construction
  • eliminates most of the issues users had with the original design
  • significantly longer battery life than previous MacBooks
  • works extremely well with other Mac hardware

Cons

  • costs more than the previous MacBooks
  • same old 1280x800 resolution
  • still using proprietary video-out (albeit small and cute)
  • requires all components (router, etc) to be from Apple to extract maximum value

Competitors

Omar prefers Apple Macbook over HP Pavilion dv2 Series
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

hassaniqbaliqbal

avatar
May 10, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con
want itwant it
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • student discount has been reduced from $100 to $50

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

simplistic

avatar
April 22, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
79
negative
mixed
positive
11 pros
3 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
  • half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook
  • a work of art - nicer and more refined than any other consumer notebook
  • Huge multi-touch trackpad
  • environmentally friendly construction
  • eliminates most of the issues users had with the original design
  • works extremely well with other Mac hardware
  • MagSafe power plug is very cool
  • .9" thick
  • Gestures are AMAZING

Cons

  • costs more than the previous MacBooks
  • student discount has been reduced from $100 to $50
  • still using proprietary video-out (albeit small and cute)

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Master2k27

avatar
June 30, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
11 cons

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • costs more than the previous MacBooks
  • student discount has been reduced from $100 to $50
  • no HDMI or Blu-ray options
  • same old 1280x800 resolution
  • still using proprietary video-out (albeit small and cute)
  • no firewire! (an artificial way to control consumers )
  • sharp edges hurt wrists while typing
  • No right click!
  • Apple tax
  • Apple multi-touch isn't all that impressive compared to the multi-touch you find on much cheaper EEE pcs
  • requires all components (router, etc) to be from Apple to extract maximum value

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Kiong Ho

avatar
May 3, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
90
negative
mixed
positive
9 pros
1 con

Pros

  • full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
  • runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
  • half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook
  • a work of art - nicer and more refined than any other consumer notebook
  • Huge multi-touch trackpad
  • environmentally friendly construction
  • significantly longer battery life than previous MacBooks
  • works extremely well with other Mac hardware
  • MagSafe power plug is very cool

Cons

  • no firewire! (an artificial way to control consumers )

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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