So Tyranicus and I took a little field trip last weekend, on down the Apple Store in Lancaster PA to compare our existing laptops (MacBook Pro and MacBook respectively) to the new offerings. Both of our systems are over 2 years old, so it was a bit of a stark contrast to say the least.
The New MacBook
Let me just get this out of the way... if I had the money, I would have one, right now. Still on the fence between the 2.0 and the 2.4, but if I had the cash, I would have the new MacBook, that's how much I like it over my current MacBook.
With the two side by side, there are a few differences, besides the obvious ones. The screens both go back about as far, which either means that every other reviewer that has said that it goes back further is lying, or my MacBook has, over time, found a way to go back further. I am inclined to believe the latter. The new MacBook is not significantly thinner in the palmrest area than my MacBook, which is nice, wouldn't have to adjust my stance much when using it. The new trackpad is incredibly smooth, and given the glass coating probably will not the glossy feeling that mine has acquired over time. The keyboard feels the exact same, if not a little better. I remember comparing my MacBook to the Santa Rosas... and the keyboard just felt too weird, as did the trackpad. Not so here.
The display... well it is certainly brighter, and certainly does have better viewing angles, no doubt about that. I had no real problems using the display in the store, and would be more inclined to use it at a lower brightness setting than my exising MacBook which is almost always at full brightness. The glass screen didn't bother me to much, but I didn't really do too much extensive testing.
The build quality... The new hinge mechanism is great, but with one caveat. When I close my MacBook's lid, it is CLOSED. It takes quite a bit of oomph to get it open again, almost too much. The new one is significantly easier to open, and although I couldn't get the display to fall open when moving the laptop around, I would be concerned later in life. The aluminum unibody palmrest, in conjunction with the small ribbon of rubber around the display means that this screen also closes a lot softer. I have little bits broken off my palmrest and display bezel from the strength of the magnets closing the lid on my MacBook, as I am sure other MacBook owners can attest to. When picking up the laptop, either with the lid open or closed, it felt significantly sturdier than my MacBook. Not to say that my MacBook feels flimsy like some other laptops I have used (*cough* TOSHIBA *cough*) but the new MacBook felt like a solid.... brick... i guess, which I suppose was the whole point.
Battery/Hard drive... Accessing the battery/hard drive in the new MacBook couldn't be easier. Gone are the days that you needed to use a coin to pop out the battery and then remove 7 little screws to swap the hard drive (3 on the L-shaped cover, 4 on the hard drive sled). Now it is just a lever and 1 screw away. And to those of you concerned that someone will want to easily swipe your hard drive (but not your whole laptop?) no worries. The kensington lock slot through the case siding, into the battery bay cover. So if you have a lock on the laptop, the hard drive/battery is inaccessible.
RAM... With this added convenience, we apparently have to take a step back. Now, instead of the battery popping, 3 screw approach to the RAM on the MacBook (and Pro) or yore, it is now battery bay cover, and then 8 screws to access the mobo/optical drive/RAM. A little annoying, but how often are you swapping the RAM?
All in all, the new MacBook is great feeling. The screen is much improved over previous offerings for the MacBook, and the trackpad is a stunner. The feel of the palmrests too is fantastic, and all in all this feels like a much better machine than what they were previously selling. There always was that build quality difference between the Pro and the MacBook, and it is, for the most part, gone with this version. If you are on the fence about it, I would recommend it highly. Do I think that it is worth at least $1299.. I'm not sure. It is to me, but a lot of that is the OS, the keyboard and the trackpad that will keep me using Apple portables.
The New MacBook
Let me just get this out of the way... if I had the money, I would have one, right now. Still on the fence between the 2.0 and the 2.4, but if I had the cash, I would have the new MacBook, that's how much I like it over my current MacBook.
With the two side by side, there are a few differences, besides the obvious ones. The screens both go back about as far, which either means that every other reviewer that has said that it goes back further is lying, or my MacBook has, over time, found a way to go back further. I am inclined to believe the latter. The new MacBook is not significantly thinner in the palmrest area than my MacBook, which is nice, wouldn't have to adjust my stance much when using it. The new trackpad is incredibly smooth, and given the glass coating probably will not the glossy feeling that mine has acquired over time. The keyboard feels the exact same, if not a little better. I remember comparing my MacBook to the Santa Rosas... and the keyboard just felt too weird, as did the trackpad. Not so here.
The display... well it is certainly brighter, and certainly does have better viewing angles, no doubt about that. I had no real problems using the display in the store, and would be more inclined to use it at a lower brightness setting than my exising MacBook which is almost always at full brightness. The glass screen didn't bother me to much, but I didn't really do too much extensive testing.
The build quality... The new hinge mechanism is great, but with one caveat. When I close my MacBook's lid, it is CLOSED. It takes quite a bit of oomph to get it open again, almost too much. The new one is significantly easier to open, and although I couldn't get the display to fall open when moving the laptop around, I would be concerned later in life. The aluminum unibody palmrest, in conjunction with the small ribbon of rubber around the display means that this screen also closes a lot softer. I have little bits broken off my palmrest and display bezel from the strength of the magnets closing the lid on my MacBook, as I am sure other MacBook owners can attest to. When picking up the laptop, either with the lid open or closed, it felt significantly sturdier than my MacBook. Not to say that my MacBook feels flimsy like some other laptops I have used (*cough* TOSHIBA *cough*) but the new MacBook felt like a solid.... brick... i guess, which I suppose was the whole point.
Battery/Hard drive... Accessing the battery/hard drive in the new MacBook couldn't be easier. Gone are the days that you needed to use a coin to pop out the battery and then remove 7 little screws to swap the hard drive (3 on the L-shaped cover, 4 on the hard drive sled). Now it is just a lever and 1 screw away. And to those of you concerned that someone will want to easily swipe your hard drive (but not your whole laptop?) no worries. The kensington lock slot through the case siding, into the battery bay cover. So if you have a lock on the laptop, the hard drive/battery is inaccessible.
RAM... With this added convenience, we apparently have to take a step back. Now, instead of the battery popping, 3 screw approach to the RAM on the MacBook (and Pro) or yore, it is now battery bay cover, and then 8 screws to access the mobo/optical drive/RAM. A little annoying, but how often are you swapping the RAM?
All in all, the new MacBook is great feeling. The screen is much improved over previous offerings for the MacBook, and the trackpad is a stunner. The feel of the palmrests too is fantastic, and all in all this feels like a much better machine than what they were previously selling. There always was that build quality difference between the Pro and the MacBook, and it is, for the most part, gone with this version. If you are on the fence about it, I would recommend it highly. Do I think that it is worth at least $1299.. I'm not sure. It is to me, but a lot of that is the OS, the keyboard and the trackpad that will keep me using Apple portables.
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