4 reviews

Apple MacBook

$999.00 Released May, 2010

The Pros:Improved battery life from 7 to 10 hours - very impressive, the same as the Macbook Pro 13" model. Mini DisplayPort now also includes digital audio output (HDMI compliant). Great value next to the Macbook Pro 13" for the vast majority of consumers - features the same internal components.

The Cons:Not differentiated enough from the Macbook Pro - very close in featureset and price (plastic enclosure, no illuminated keyboard, 2GB of RAM and Firewire 400 only for only $200 less) - would have been better if it saw a price drop. Same old 1280 x 800px display resolution. Still features the previous generation Core 2 CPU architecture.

The MacBook is Apple's entry level portable computer. The May 2010 refresh brings several upgrades including a higher capacity hard drive and a faster Nvidia GeForce 320M in place of the GeForce 9400M graphics card.

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Apple MacBook MC516LLA 13.3" White Notebook by PriceGrabber.com

Physically and visually it remains unchanged, retaining the same white polycarbonate unibody design. One small change is the processor speed upgrade from a 2.26GHz to a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo. Even though the MacBook Pro line have been upgraded with Intel's Core i series processors, the MacBooks retains the older Core 2 Duo processors. The battery itself has gained an extra 3.5Whr capacity (now up to 63.5Whr); whilst Apple reports a raise in battery life from the previous 7hrs to 10hrs. It offers the same 13.3'' LED backlit display and the same range of memory and hard drive options. This revision of the MacBook brings a couple of expected updates, but the reason to stay with Core 2 Duo processors instead of the more efficient Core i3 or i5 processors remains unseen. All in all it remains as Apple's entry level notebook running their OS X Operating system boasting excellent battery life.

Features / Specifications

13.3'' LED backlit display (1280x800)
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
Up to 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Up to 500GB hard drive
8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Nvidia Geforce 320M with 256MB share memory
2x USB2.0, Mini Display port, Audio in/out
AirPort Extreme a/b/g/n wifi card, Gigabit ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1
63.5WHr battery (Up to 10hrs)
MagSafe power port

User Reviews (5)

Add Pros & Cons

ProScore

Pros

2

improved battery life from 7 to 10 hours - very impressive, the same as the Macbook Pro 13" model
2

Mini DisplayPort now also includes digital audio output (HDMI compliant)
2

great value next to the Macbook Pro 13" for the vast majority of consumers - features the same internal components
1

slightly more robust than the aluminum Macbook Pro which gets dented and scratches easily
1

large glass multitouch trackpad
1

slight CPU bump, improved Nvidia graphics
0

available immediately

Cons

2

not differentiated enough from the Macbook Pro - very close in featureset and price (plastic enclosure, no illuminated keyboard, 2GB of RAM and Firewire 400 only for only $200 less) - would have been better if it saw a price drop
2

same old 1280 x 800px display resolution
1

still features the previous generation Core 2 CPU architecture
1

Mini DisplayPort is far from an industry standard - requires shelling out money for annoying adapters to use with the vast majority of displays
0

unimpressive upgrade depreciates the value of the model - very little difference for the same price as last year's machine
0

not worth it if you want 4GB of memory - only around $50 difference from the aluminum-clad 13" Macbook Pro once configured