New Aluminum MacBook - quality hardware

Welcome to the aluminum generation 
The newest additions to the Apple notebooks arrived in the fall of 2008 with the overhaul of the existing "MacBook" chassis to a new, all-aluminum design similar to the year-old MacBook Air.  The existing poly-plastic model has been pushed down a few dollars and is still available - in the white chassis only.  So, what is new?  Is this the notebook you've been waiting to buy?

Unique features The MacBook has traditionally been Apple's entry-level notebook offering, although at > $1000, it is tough to call these entry-level prices.  What are you paying for.First up, the new MacBook uses an all aluminum chassis and case that first came to life in the MacBook Pro, was refined in the first-generation MacBook Air, and has been now refined for the entire MacBook line.
Not only is the case all-aluminum, the process to create a MacBook has matured into an insanely artistic process.  The entire chassis of all the new MacBooks is milled from a solid piece of aluminum.  That's right... instead of stamping, pressing, and screwing the chassis together from multiple parts, the whole frame is one part.  This provides an extremely rigid, yet light case, and allows for the maximum use of existing space.  Or, put another way, allows the amount of space the whole machine takes up to be minimized.
We're not talking MacBook Air thin here, but it's pretty close.  Unlike the Air, the MacBook retains a slot-loading Super-DVD mechanism, but still manages to maintain a thickness of less than 1 inch and weigh less than 5 pounds.The screen itself continues the innovative use of aluminum and seems impossibly thin for how strong it feels.  The 13 inch screen is backlit by energy-efficient LED lighting instead of the traditional fluorescent tubes.  LED's have several advantages... they last longer, light up quicker, and contain less harmful materials.  The screen also has a glass cover that looks very similar to the desktop iMac's.  While it does increase the glare a bit, it is easily adjusted to a proper angle to reduce this effect and still give brilliant colors.  I love it, as it allows for easy cleaning and dusting without having to worry about scratching or damaging a sensitive LCD panel.  The display is a very crisp, 1280 x 800 dot panel.  Perfect for high-def viewing.

This base model, and the one I own, comes with a 160GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, a Super-DVD drive (Apple speak for a DVD burner that does all formats), 2 USB ports, a mini Display Port, wireless N networking, gigabit ethernet port, audio in and out, Bluetooth 2.1, and the MagSafe power port.
Absent from the list?  Apple's long-supported Firewire format, or IEEE 1394 as it is also known.  This will be an issue if you have an older video camera that does not have both a USB and Firewire connector, or if you have Firewire-only external hard drives, or a Firewire audio box.  Although this isn't a deal-breaker for many people, if you need these features you'll need to look at the MacBook Pro, or stick with the iMac desktops.
Mini Display Port?  This is a relatively new standard that rids the notebook of the large VGA or DVI connector and replaces it with a very small, multi-use port.  At the moment, only the newest Apple Cinema Display (24 inch) uses the Display Port connection.  For use with older VGA or DVI monitors (or large LCD TV's), you'll need to by a Mini Display Port to Whatever adapter... cheap, but an additional cost.  The MacBook has enough processing power to run the built-in display at full resolution, as well as an external Display Port device at 2560x1600 dots!  Which, coincidentally is the resolution of the Cinema Display...

The USB and ethernet ports are pretty much standard issue.  A nifty feature is the MagSafe power connector.  Basically, it's a easy-breakaway power cable that is held in place with magnets.  Sounds pretty simple, but this is a unique feature to Apple.  I've had more than one friend loose a laptop to a fall from a trip over a power cord - so if you are going to be using this on the kitchen or living room table, it could be a laptop-saver.
The MacBook has wireless N/G for all your untethered networking needs, as well as Bluetooth 2.1.  Bluetooth is particularly useful on a notebook if you want to use an external keyboard or mouse.
Another common feature is the iSight web-cam in the display frame.  Nothing dramatic here - just the tried and proven camera.
Another interesting feature is the keyboard.  The keyboard has a very similar feel to the aluminum iMac keyboard, although they have gone with black keys on the MacBook.  I guess it does match the black screen bezel surround better, but at first glance it seems un-Apple-like.  Sort of evil actually.  On the next model up, you can get a back-lit keyboard that is sensitive to the ambient light level...  cool!


The trackpad uses a new technology called 'multi-touch'. This allows you to use certain gestures in applications to do special things. In iPhoto, you can twist your fingers to rotate a picture. In Safari, you can 'pinch' the touch pad to zoom in and out. This technology was introduced on the iPhone and iPod Touch, and once you start using it, it is really quite nice. The touch pad is quite large and minimizes the constant lifting and repositioning that is sometimes an issue on smaller pads. The new MacBook and MacBook Air do away with the extra track-pad buttons, and the whole pad is one big button.  Wherever you are, just press to click!  It saves space, but takes a few minutes to get used to if you are a two-handed trackpad driver.  The new pad is also made out of a glass material that has a very nice feel to it... it glides...
The last new feature that needs to be mentioned is the new integrated Nvidia chipset.  Apple has stuck with Intel for the standard Core 2 processors, but has gone with Nvidia to produce the motherboard chip set and video card.  This gives the MacBook fantastic video performance for a notebook.  Most interesting is the upcoming version of OS X "Snow Leopard", which promises to make use of spare graphic processor cycles to boost performance of all kinds of application.  In applications like Photoshop, this is apparently producing hundred-fold speed increases in some cases.
Battery Life 
Under fairly heavy use, I am getting 4 to 5 hours on a single charge.  This MacBook, unlike the Macbook Air, allows you to remove the battery (and hard drive) quite easily if you are an extended-use road warrior.  Everyone else will have to plug in...

Powerful 
The base MacBook uses the 2.0Ghz Core 2 mobile processor. This is pretty standard fare in the laptop world. What is new is the 1066Mhz bus speed, along with 3MB of processor-speed (1:1) cache.  This provides a very desktop-like level of performance, and the speedy OS X operating system does well in the 2GB of standard RAM.  For more zip, the next model up goes to the 2.4Ghz processor and gives you a 250GB hard drive and the back-lit keyboard (for about $300 more).
Expansion 
Most notebooks are limited in their expansion options.  On the MacBook, you can upgrade the memory to 4GB, which requires the removal of the 2, 1GB memory modules that come with it.  Save you money and buy extra memory (if needed) from Crucial or a similar online retailer, it is much cheaper.  Most people will do just fine with 2GB.  The hard drive is standard 2.5 inch SATA notebook faire, and can be easily replaced if you want to super-size it.  There is no Solid State Drive (SSD) option at the moment, as pricey as they are.

Software 
All Mac's come with OSX and iLife 08. I could write a novel on OSX, and how much better it is than Windows, but if you are reading this, you already know that. If you must run Windows programs, OSX includes 'BootCamp' which let's you install Windows XP or Vista, or you can use a program like VMWare Fusion or Parallels to run OSX and Windows applications at the same time. 

Environmental considerations 
Apple has taken the lead in environmental friendly design. Their packaging is minimal and highly recyclable. The MacBook uses a mercury and arsenic free display.The internal cables use no PVCs. The case itself is recyclable aluminum. The average Apple computer uses less than 1/2 the packaging material than the average PC.  If there is an environmental standard to meet, Apple has done it.  Something to think about. 
+ Features + 
+ Very portable 
+ Sturdy case design 
+ Full-size keyboard 
+ LED lit LCD display 
+ Environmentally conscious 
+ Respectable battery life 
+ 2GB RAM standard 
+ Built-in webcam and wireless-N 
+ OS X 10 and iLife '08 standard 

- Shortcomings - 
- 160GB hard drive not the biggest on the block 
- No FireWire 

Summary 
This version of the MacBook is a complete overhaul of the entry level machine and is worth a good look at.  In fact, it is so small and light it is worth considering this over a MacBook Air unless you need the highest level of portability.  Recent price drops on the MacBook Air were needed to keep that machine relevant when this MacBook was released.