A great all-around laptop!

The MacBook product page was practically burned into the LCD monitor of my ancient and clunky Windows machine from months and months of research and lusting over it. I was in awe at how Apple could make a computer so beautiful, so svelte, and at the same time, incredibly functional. This is in stark contrast to Apple’s competitors. Walk into your nearest Starbucks and you’ll see professionals tapping away at their cheap Dells. The lack of dedication in Dell’s product design is evident; they give up at the mere sight of a challenge. The ports are arranged in a hasty fashion and the chassis is constructed of plastic purchased from the clearance rack of their distributers. This is what the MacBook is not. Apple scrutinizes every last detail of the design of their products.

This scrutinization is evident all the way down to the packaging the MacBook comes in. The box is constructed of high-quality cardboard painted a tasteful shade of white. On either side of the box you will find images of the MacBook the box contains. On the skinny sides, you will find specifications and details, plus the subtle reminder that this MacBook was “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.”

Once the clamshell-esque box is opened, you are presented with a unique piece of styrofoam. Not only is it embossed with the word “MacBook,” it is cut with an unusual diamond-like pattern. After some thinking, it became apparent why the styrofoam was cut like this: the less styrofoam, the less the product weighs, meaning that Apple can ship these at a lower cost. Let’s move on, shall we?

Next, you immediately see the MacBook, situated in the dead-center of the box, sitting in its own little hole. On this “level,” you will also find the power-brick. Apple even thought to put tracks for the cords. The cord for the power-brick is situated in this groove and winds up in the bottom “level” of the box. The Apple remote (Front Row) also resides here. Under the MacBook, the box of manuals can be found. Nothing too exciting here.

I understand that this is a review of the MacBook; not the box. However, the point I am trying to stress is this: Apple is fanatic about design. If the box is designed this well, imagine what the product will look like.

The MacBook’s dimensions are stunning. At just a hair over 1”, the laptop will fit in just about any backpack and can be easily carried. While the 13.3” widescreen display seems to pale in comparison with the whopping 17” of the flagship MacBook Pro, it does the job just fine. Colors appear vibrant, mainly due to the glossy display. Some find this type of display difficult to see because of the increased glare. Others find it a welcome addition. I lean toward the latter.

The first thing you will want to do is plug it in. The MacBook and MacBook Pro lines come with a special power-adapter named MagSafe. The MagSafe adapter connects to your Mac magnetically. This means that just about any substantial tug on the cord will release it from the computer. As a result, your computer will not go flying across the room if someone were to trip over the cord. MagSafe works quite well. I have my MacBook situated on a desk most of the time, but I am glad I don’t have a traditional power cord. If I did, I’m sure that I would have suffered some data-loss due to hard-drive problems. The plug also had a very tiny LED light. It glows green if your battery is fully charged and it glows amber if your battery is in need of power.

Located near MagSafe are all the ports. The MacBook has a Gigabit Ethernet port, a Mini-DVI port, a Firewire 400 port, two USB ports, audio ports, and a Kensington lock. Two USB ports does seem lacking especially with the plethora of USB peripherals out there. I have an iPhone dock and a keyboard and I’m already at capacity. USB hubs are an option, but they’re ugly and take up more space on an already cramped desk. The MacBook Pro has more USB ports to take advantage of.

The front of the MacBook is clean except for two tiny items. The first is an IR sensor for Front Row and the second is a sleep LED light. The light is a nice touch. It “breaths” when the computer is in a sleep state. You have to see it to know what I mean by “breath.” The MacBook does not have a mechanical latch to secure the lid to the body of the computer. Instead, there are magnets in both parts. This allows for a very clean design free of holes and latches. Very nice.

The right side of the MacBook contains a CD/DVD drive. This “SuperDrive” can burn CDs and DVDs as well as read both. It is important to note that the base model of the MacBook comes with a “combo drive” which cannot burn DVDs.

One of the coolest features of the MacBook can hardly be seen on the black version. I’m speaking of the integrated iSight camera that is situated on the top bezel of the LCD. To the left of the iSight is a microphone. A green status light is on the right of the camera. The iSight takes a pretty good picture. To achieve the best quality be sure to have good lighting. The camera is used by many built-in applications (i.e. Photo Booth, iChat) and by 3rd party developers. I am not sure if I will ever be able to own a laptop without this feature. I have become so used to it just being there.

Apple decided to be generous when it came to the size of the trackpad and pedal. Both of these items are very large when compared to iBooks or other laptops. With smaller trackpads you must move your finger in small repetitive motions. As an added bonus, you can scroll through documents ore menus if you use two fingers on the trackpad.

When the MacBook was first released, it was criticized especially for the new style keyboard. The keys on the MacBook are placed with uniform separation. It does take some getting used to, but once you get a hang of it, you can’t tell a difference between it and a standard keyboard. That is until you realize how great the keys feel under your hands. Each key makes a quiet tap when touched. I never realized how a keyboard could have a distinct feel, but this one does. It’s smooth. It isn’t clunky or awkward. It just feels right.

The only side left is the bottom. There is not much to see here which is a refreshing change from other laptops. In small gray print, you are reminded (again) that this was “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.” Underneath this tiny text, the serial number and other information is given.

The bottom of the MacBook contains a few other surprises as well. The battery pops out easily with the turn of a switch. This is going to make me sound like a brainwashed fanboy but even the battery is designed with quiet elegance. It’s a single smooth block of brushed aluminum. Not unlike the material used to construct the Mac Pro or MacBook Pro.

With the flip of a lever, the memory pops out. Just as easily, memory can be expanded; just like that. Follow the same procedures to swap out the hard-drive. Apple even put a ribbon on the HDD so you could remove it easily. This is what I mean about design. It goes beyond looks.

I am not going to include specifications like HDD sizes and processor speeds in this review. All of that information can be found on Apple’s website. I will say that every MacBook is an awesome performer. You can definitely tell that you are in the presence of a Core 2 Duo processor. These laptops are screamers. Don’t expect speeds similar to the MacBook Pro though. Those things were built for speed, but you don’t need to buy a MacBook Pro to get really good speeds. The boot-up time for my MacBook (mid-range) is about 15 seconds. You can’t go wrong. All models come with sufficient memory to get many basic-moderate tasks done. If you plan on running many intensive apps like Photoshop or Final Cut Pro often I recommend upgrading your memory. You might also consider upgrading to the MacBook Pro to get the best experience. The MacBook is designed for normal, everyday use by a student or an average consumer. The Pro was designed for graphics or audio professionals.

I’m sorry if you opened this review looking for an opinion on the operating system (i.e. Stability, performance, etc). This is more of a review of the hardware?