The new MacBook, and why everyone should have one

Cometh the moment, cometh the MacBook
It's finally here - the much anticipated Intel-based Apple laptop! Despite December's rumour frenzy, the first portable Intel Mac was NOT the iBook. With an all-new dual core Intel processor running at 1.67 or 1.83 MHz and supporting up to 2 GB of RAM this is by far the fastest Apple laptop ever. Connectivity is via a Firewire 400 port, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11g WiFi and optical audio input and output. The MacBook also ships with hard drives ranging from 80 to 120 GB at speeds of 5400 and 7200 rpm and comes with a built-in dual-layer DVD-RW/CD-RW drive. The machine boasts a 15.4" 1440 x 900 resolution display with VGA and dual-link DVI output powered by a ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor, as well as a backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor and stereo speakers. As this is the first Mac laptop officially supported by Front Row it also comes with Apple's new remote control. The MacBook retains its predecessors' vaunted 1" thickness and weighs in at 5.6 lbs. On the software side Apple's usual full-featured package is included, with OS X Tiger, iLife '06, Front Row, and PhotoBooth all featuring prominently.


New hardware
Although the big news is the new dual-core Intel Core Duo processor (formerly known as 'Yonah'), the new MacBook also features an iSight video-conferencing camera built into the upper bezel of the screen. The bezel appears to be wider than previous models, presumably to house the camera's innards. This new mini-iSight is said to have the same specifications as a full-sized iSight, i.e. VGA resolution and auto-focus. Despite the relatively low resolution, the iSight image quality is widely considered to be superb (especially with some extra software). The laptop also benefits from high-end ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics and a dual-link DVI connector for that 30" Apple Cinema Display we all secretly lust after. Apple have dropped the PCI card compatibility in favour of the smaller PCI Express - which is a mixed blessing given the lack of PCI Express cards currently available.

Power? No trip!
Apple are making a big deal of the new MagSafe power connector, which is a magnetized power connector which easily pops out if someone tugs (or trips over) the power cord. Whilst I've never had my PowerBook fly off my lap due to someone tripping over the power cable, it's a thoughtful design touch which embodies Apple's attention to the little details.

Yonah! Yonah! Yonah!
The Register has a nice round-up of the dual core Yonah processors here, but essentially the range includes the top-of-the-line 2.16GHz T2600, the 2GHz T2500, and the two chips used by the MacBook Pro, the 1.83GHz T2400 and 1.67MHz T2300. It seems sensible to assume that Apple opted for the two lower-speed chips due to volume requirements.

The BIG question
Can it run windows software at near-native speeds? No one seems to know. You might remember that Apple said this should be possible, but then again we never know when Apple will try and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. If there is a way to maintain their exclusivity and alienate thousands of customers, I'm sure Apple will find it! Hopefully there will be no surprises, and Windows apps running at native speeds will be in our futures. Personally, I look forward to the day when I can hurl that slug known as Virtual PC into my virtual trash!

The Hyperbole
APPLE RELEASES FASTEST NOTEBOOK EVER! Or so proclaims MacRumors. They seem to have missed the fact that while Apple's high-end offering uses the 1.83MHz Core Duo, there is already a 2.16GHz version (the T2600) available in stores now. Nevertheless, expect much cheering for this new laptop (kind of like what I'm doing now ).

How much?
£1,429 (US$1,999) for the base model. It may seem like a slightly high price tag, but given the Core Duo competition it's not overly outrageous, especially when we consider that some features that used to cost extra are now standard across the line (Bluetooth, Airport, Superdrive, we're lookin' at you). Some Windows-based Core Duo laptops are significantly less expensive, but are missing a raft of features and software. Windows machines with similar specifications are possibly slightly less expensive, but it's still a coin toss depending on what features a user is looking for.

Core Duo here, Core Duo there, Core Duo everywhere
There's a nice roundup here, but with just a little research we see that the MacBook isn't priced out of the ballpark when compared to other Core Duo laptops, especially when we consider the added value provided by the iLife package and other Apple standard features.

For instance, the just-announced Acer Aspire and Travelmate laptops start at $1,500 and $2 grand respectively. The high-end model has a slightly higher resolution screen, more RAM and a bigger hard drive, but is otherwise not too dissimilar to the MacBook except it is heftier by exactly 1 pound.

Aspire 5670 will be available in a few different configurations starting at $1499, but the flagship model will feature 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 120GB hard disk, and an ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics controller pushing a maximum resolution of 1200 by 800 to the 15.4-inch display.

The TravelMate 8200 notebook offers similar specifications to the Aspire 5650, including the same new camera functionality and system tools, but ships with superior 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics delivering a resolution of 1680 by 1050 to its 15.4-inch screen

Dell's Inspiron 9400 is another Core-Duo-sporting laptop with a 2 grand starting price, although for this price you also get a 17" screen (this is Dell's only dual core offering). On the downside the thing is 1.6" thick and weighs 8 lbs.

Customers can opt for either an Intel Core Duo processor T2500 (2GHz) or a T2400 processor running at 1.83GHz. The unit's 17-inch widescreen display has a standard maximum resolution of 1400 by 1050 but a 1600-by-1200 UXGA option also is available. The Inspiron E1705 features NVidia's latest 256MB GeForce Go 7800 graphics controller, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, a 60-100GB 7200-rpm SATA hard disk, and an optional USB 2.0 TV tuner that is compatible with its Windows Media Center Edition 2005 operating system.

For a low-end Core Duo system we turn to Gateway, whose dual core offering is the S-7510N at a base price of $1,150 which includes Windows XP and Microsoft Works. For that bargain price you get the slowest Core Duo processor, the T2300, a mere 40GB hard drive, a 15.4" 1280x800 screen, lousy onboard Intel graphics, no DVD burner or dual-layer DVD capability, no remote control, no camera and no Bluetooth. You do however get 512MB RAM, a modem, 4 USB 2.0 ports, and an integrated media card reader. Unfortunately it's also a bit of a brick, at a portly 1.31" thick and weighing 6.32 lbs.

Conclusions
The MacBook is a winner. This is a cutting edge laptop in terms of both design and speed without compromising its svelte 1" form factor. While I am sorely tempted to buy one RIGHT NOW I am trying, with difficulty, to restrain myself until there is an updated model to allow the inevitable kinks and bugs to be ironed out. I'd still like confirmation that it will indeed run Windows apps at near-native speeds, but given Apple's previous statements it seems likely that it will. If I was into rating things I'd give this beauty a 9 out of 10, but I'm not so let's just call it awesome . The only negatives that I can see is the lack of an internal modem and lack of Firewire800, and those are pretty minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things. In my eyes the price is perhaps 10% more than a comparable Windows-based laptop, but the Apple extras - slick design, iLife integration, security and lack of malware - make that extra money well worth spending.

Related entries

Don't chuck out Virtual PC yet, the MacBook doesn't do Windows - 12 January 2006
Windows on Intel Macs - 7 June 2005
Tri-booting Intel-Macs - 26 July 2005
iGlasses for iSight - 11 November 2004
More iSight stuff - 11 November 2004
More on MacBook To Buy Or Not To Buy - 23 February 2006
YA MBP review - 7 March 2006
XP on a MacBook Pro pics - 20 March 2006
Intel demos Mac mini lookalike - 4 March 2005

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» Why everyone should have a MacBook from Apple Heaven
Tim Houghton has written an excellent article telling us why everyone should have a MacBook (hey, you don’t have to convince us, Tim…) Anyway, he provides useful specs on the new machine, and compares it to other Intel Dual Core offerings f... [Read More]

Tracked on January 30, 2007 12:59 PM

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