MacBook

First impressions

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to check out the latest MacBook before it's official release in Malaysia and here are my first impressions.

After opening the box, taking out the MacBook and being in awe of it's smooth solid body, the first thing one notices looking into the box is the lack of DVI/VGA adapter. Hmm...Apple usually takes out an accessory if they reduce the price of a hardware but this time the new MacBook is actually slightly more expensive than the equivalent older version.

With all the hype surrounding the solid 'one piece' aluminum casing of the new MacBook you have to see it (and feel it) to really appreciate the beauty of this cool design. But in actual fact it's not something new. Comparing it with a MacBook Air you can see that this technology was first used in manufacturing the Air.

The new glass screen could be cause for some debate. Yes, it's classy and clear but it's also very glossy and very reflective. And it's a magnet for fingerprints and smudges.

The wi-fi antenna at the bottom of the screen is now black instead of grey. The reason could be that if it was grey it would be annoyingly reflected in the glass. Just a guess.

The trackpad is made of glass and has no buttons. It was easy enough to get used to it as the whole bottom half of the trackpad clicks in as you press on it. The pad itself is obviously smoother but I found it hard to believe at first that it was glass. You really couldn't tell at first glance/use.

One new feature of the pad is the four-finger swipe. Swiping four fingers up or down initiates Expose and swiping left or right switches applications.

A little test was carried out to compare the video graphics and there are obvious improvements in the new MacBook - faster and smoother. The speakers are also better. They provide crisp sounds and are louder and more powerful than the Air or the old MacBook.

The bottom of the MacBook is cleanly divided into two sections. Lifting a little latch releases the bottom cover where you'll see the battery and hard disk (yes, hard disk, not memory!). To change the battery you simply lift a plastic strip which is attached to the battery. The battery is big and long. Not sure whether that is any indication of it's power as I didn't have the luxury of time to test it out.

It looks like Apple is encouraging us to change hard disks instead of RAM with this new line of 'Books. Changing the hard disk merely requires us to take out one little screw and lifting the disk by holding on to another plastic strip. Simple enough. But to change the RAM we have to make our way through eight screws to uncover the other section of the bottom of the MacBook.

The lack of firewire seems to be the biggest complaint voiced by Mac users regarding this new MacBook. But of course if you fall into this camp there's always the new MacBook Pro.

But if firewire is not a concern, this MacBook is quite a nice piece of hardware. I only wished the black and silver design didn't keep reminding me of HP or some other brand!