Apple MacBook

Introduction

MacBook
Manufacturer: Apple (product page)
Quick specs: Intel Core Duo T2500 CPU, 512MB RAM, 60GB hard drive, Intel GMA950 graphics
Price as configured: US$1,299 (shop for this item)

We all knew it was coming and we had a pretty good idea about what form it would be arriving in. The announcement was supposedly delayed for a week, and the tension building up to its actual release was thick despite the overwhelming amount of information readily available, albeit rumored, on certain websites. Once the MacBook was announced, Apple shut the door on PowerPC portable computers, completing a chapter of the transition to its Intel-powered future.

On May 16, the MacBook replaced the nearly seven-year-old iBook and brought with it a new era of consumer-grade portables from Apple. For the first time since the clam-shell style iBooks were discontinued at the beginning of 2001 is an Apple portable available in more than one color. Apple has been toying with the idea of offering both black and white devices since the iPod nano and subsequently the video-capable iPod, and now they've begun offering their consumer-grade portable laptop, the predictably named MacBook, in similar glossy black and white models.

As configured by Apple, there are three models of MacBook to choose from. The cheapest, and least powerful model is nearly as capable as the original MacBook Pros (they received their own incremental upgrades this week as well). An Intel Core Duo T2400 processor (1.83GHz) powers this base model, and a 2.0GHz T2500 processor sits inside the other two. Unfortunately for lovers of glossy black Apple stuff, only the most powerful and expensive MacBook model is available in ebony. The specifications of the three base models can be seen below:

Looking down at the MacBook from on high

As our astute readers have probably already realized, there is scant difference between the low- and high-end models of MacBook. Actually, the only differences are very slight variations in CPU, optical drive, and hard disk space. This has caused several questions to be raised about the pricing of the models, which are US$1,099, US$1,299, and $1,499 in respect to the figure above. An oft-bandied-about factoid is that if you were to configure the midlevel model to ship with an 80GB hard disk to match the high-end model, you'd still notice that it's approximately US$150 cheaper. The only difference is the color and finish of the shell, of course (white is glossy and the black has a matte finish). This is undoubtedly done on purpose and is the direct result of Apple's experience selling iPod and iPod nanos in two color options. It didn't take long for Apple, and casual observers of Apple's operations to notice that the black models were selling out faster. A lot faster.

Obviously the demand for black Apple products is much higher than the white products, and Apple is simply responding as most companies would when faced by high demand for a product. People who are set on getting that black MacBook are going to have to wrestle with the US$150 mark-up. Apple is banking that most people will willingly hand over even more cash to get a unique item. It sucks for people without the extra moolah to blow, but it doesn't take long to come to the realization that it's just a different color and that you're going to be saving a nice chunk of change by going with white.

It's up to you to decide whether black is worth US$150.

The G4 iBook on top of the MacBook

Lets get on to what's new in the MacBook, my clever observations on the machine, and how it compares to its predecessors and peers.

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High-gloss

For readers coming from an iBook into the Intel-powered portable era, the changes to the machine are striking. My previous laptop before my new MacBook was a 1GHz G4 iBook. While a trusty and dependable machine, it was slowly getting left in the dust—feature-, and performance-wise—as Apple charged on with its transition. The leap from an iBook to the new MacBook is quite dramatic and I'll do my best to summarize the new features you'll find if you plan on making the same upgrade as I did.

Probably the most striking, and divisive new "feature" of the new MacBooks is the glossy finish of the LCD. While PC laptops had long ago ventured into this territory, Apple had stubbornly refused to put these reflective beasts onto their hardware. Starting today, and for reasons unknown, there is no way to purchase a MacBook without a glossy screen. MacBook Pro users will get the ability to choose between a glossy or matte screen, and Apple is promoting each as having their own relative strengths and weaknesses:

MacBook Pro offers an antiglare coated widescreen display that's perfect for color-minded professionals. For a more immersive viewing experience, you can configure MacBook Pro with a glossy finish. This gives everything you see a richer, more saturated feel.

There are several theories about why Apple decided to hop on the glossy bandwagon, but I think John Siracusa got it right when he concluded that the decision came down from on high:

We've set aside cost for the sake of argument, and we've eliminated the idiot consumer as a factor. Only Apple itself is left. The long-standing tradition of Apple punditry demands that Apple be personified in the form of one Steve Jobs, and so I will now consider the possibility that all blame for the GlossBook and GlossBook Pro lies entirely on him.

The glossy screen in all of its [ ] Glory [ ] Horror

In addition to being glossy, the MacBook's screen is in a widescreen format. We iBook users have finally escaped the world of 4:3 and 1024x768 and have leapt into a whole new universe. This is a big step, because it finally unifies the aspect ratio for nearly all of Apple's lineup. Movin' on up to a screen resolution of 1280x800 isn't half-shabby either. iBook users have always been stuck in the world of poor resolutions; first 800x600, then 1024x768. It feels nice to finally be somewhat on par with the rest of the world, if at least for a little while. I'm of the opinion that 1280x800 is a fine resolution and that going much higher would be wasted on most people. However, I'm fully aware that some of our readers love eye-blistering pixel densities, so I'll just wrap this section up by saying that 1280x800 on a 13.3" screen works fine for me.

Serviceability

The next biggest improvement comes in the area of serviceability. Anyone who has installed their own RAM in an iBook is well aware of the keyboard shuffle. Often you never get the keyboard inserted back exactly the way it came and having the keyboard flopping around during the install can be a little annoying, to say the least. In the new MacBook, installing memory is as simple as removing the battery and unscrewing two screws. You're presented with two dead-simple slots where you can remove and insert the chips.

Upgrading the RAM is easy...

What's cooler than easier RAM installations? Apple has made it just as easy to remove and replace your hard drive! You heard me right! You no longer need a complete set of hex screwdrivers and the fortitude of three men to get at your internal drive. When you remove the metal cover to replace the RAM, you're also presented with the ability to simply slide out the hard drive and slip in a new one. Apple certainly made the right decision here, as anyone who has tried to replace the hard drive in an iBook will attest.

As is the hard drive

Having the option of swapping out the stock hard drive with a 120GB 7200rpm model bought on the cheap beats the heck out of the expensive Apple options. Now geeks like us who know what they're doing can easily replace one stock component of the MacBook in seconds with no risk of damaging the computer, and those users who'd rather not can pay a Mac Genius whatever exorbitant amount of money it costs for this simple procedure.

Integrated graphics

Also new to the portable line is the use of Intel integrated graphics subsystem. The GMA950 chipset, first used by Apple in the Intel Mac mini, doesn't have any dedicated memory, instead siphoning off a fixed amount of the main memory before its available to the operating system. I covered the integrated graphics more in-depth in my Intel Mac Mini review a few months ago.

While the use of integrated graphics in the MacBook might exclude the system from ever playing top-of-the-line games, it doesn't totally prevent its owners from ever having any fun. As you'll see later on, it's still possible to play some popular and entertaining titles on this machine.

Keyboarding

Probably the second most striking feature of the new MacBook is the keyboard. In doing research for this review (asking smart people what they'd like to know about the machine), I kept getting requests to describe how the keyboard felt, whether there were dividers between the keys, and if your fingers got all confused when typing on this obviously alien device.

Before I answer any keyboard questions, I should just say up front that I'm no keyboard snob. Give me an input device that is quieter than the music I'm listening to, and I'm content. I will, however, do my best to describe how the keyboard feels. That's not to say that the new keyboard "feels" that much different from the keyboard on any other Apple portable I've used. It certainly looks much more "integrated" with the machine (mostly because it's no longer a removable part) but I'd be hard pressed to describe the "action," "response," and "travel" of the keys to be very different from those on the MacBook Pro, PowerBook, or iBook G4.

The MacBook keyboard

When using the keys, they're pushed flush with the casing beneath them. There are no "dividers" other than open space between the keys, so there should be no worries of fingers getting bruises from bumping into hard objects all day long. If your fingers touch anything when a key is fully depressed, it's the key next to it, and that's only if you've got fat fingers like me.

Fat-fingering it

Ports

The MacBook port layout is similar to that of its PowerPC predecessor. All of them are positioned on the left-hand side of the computer. The MagSafe power connector is towards the rear, with the Ethernet port, external display port, Firewire 400, 2 USB 2.0 ports, optical audio in/out, headphone port, and security. There's no modem port however, so if you need to dial up, you'll have to buy a USB modem from Apple.

A plethora of ports

When it comes to running an external display, the MacBook is a mixture of good and bad news. The good news is that the iBook finally supports display spanning. Apple is no longer limiting iBook owners to mirroring (although there are workarounds). The bad news is that the display adapter is no longer included and it will cost you another US$19. If I had to pick, I'd take the display spanning over an adapter.

Other new features

Other new features to the iBook/MacBook lineage include the black shell options, which you already know all about. There are also optical audio input and outputs. The audio input is a welcome addition to the consumer line, mostly because budget users will no longer have to spend even extra money on bulky external devices to replicate the functionality. Apple has been pushing GarageBand for a while now, and with Apple's recent commitment to Podcasting, they couldn't afford to leave it out anymore.

iSight

Also new is the integrated iSight. What began with the iMac has now filtered down to every Apple computer with an integrated LCD. Will we see integrated iSight's in the next revisions of Apple's LCD displays? I'm betting we will. If you've used an iSight, you've used this hardware. The image is crisp and clean as always, and it's nice to see third-party developers taking advantage of the hardware. From Adium to the included "Big Bang" games suite, it's always interesting to see how the iSight is being put to use for utility and entertainment.

The MacBook's new, wider trackpad

Finally, Apple included a larger and more feature-packed track pad on the MacBook. While you could install a third-party driver for your track pad on the G4 iBook, the MacBook comes standard with options to use two-finger scrolling (both vertically and horizontally) as well as a new option to use the presence of two fingers on the pad as a modifier for the mouse button. When holding two fingers on the track pad, the click can be interpreted as a right-click instead of a left-click. This feature is strangely absent from the 15" MacBook Pros but is intact on the 17" MacBook Pro and the MacBook.

Usage

During my time with the MacBook, I've made a number of observations about the changes and updates that I think would be useful to cover in this review. This is basically the section for my subjective opinion of certain aspects of the machine, and shouldn't be taken as any sort of absolute statement. What I like and observe might not necessarily be the same as you or the next person who uses a MacBook, so please keep that in mind.

I don't feel the need to spend too much time on the MagSafe connector. Jacqui covered that very thoroughly in her review of the MacBook Pro, and my experience with the MacBook has been the same. The connector itself is the same as that on the MacBook Pro, although the power adapter is smaller—60W instead of 85W. Aside from the difference in the adapter, the MagSafe on the MacBook provides the same advantages and drawbacks as it does on the MacBook Pro.

Next up is the already (in)famous glossy screen. What can I say that hasn't already been said? If you wondered whether or not the glossy screen was too reflective, it really depends on the environment. For the first few hours of usage, I was in a typical office building. fluorescent lighting fixtures everywhere played havoc with trying to find a suitable viewing angle. Every time I rotated in my chair I'd have to readjust everything to get rid of the glares. That being said, in proper lighting (like in my apartment), the screen really does seem to be crisper and the colors do seem to be richer and brighter. Compared side-by-side to my iBook G4, I could see the difference. Unfortunately, this observation is difficult to get on camera due to the nature of the subject, but hopefully the image at the beginning of the review will give you an idea of how the glossy display looks. If you're concerned, you'd be well-served by taking your current laptop (if you own one) down to the nearest Apple retailer and compare them side-by-side for yourself.

Temperature

I'm sure everyone up till this point has been wondering about two specific issues: is the machine still ludicrously hot and does the machine whine like its big brother? First up, let me address the heat issues. Yes, the machine still runs hot. Individuals with access to the MacBook's service manual indicate that it—like the MacBook Pro manual—suggests applying piles of thermal compound. My analysis of the temperatures seem to bear this out.

To test out the temperatures, I loaded up an application called CoreDuoTemp that loads a kernel extension and then monitors the machine's temperature, processor speed, and CPU loading. I then put together a python script that looked like the following:

import math
while 1:
    for x in range(10000):
        y = math.cos(x)

I then ran two instances of this script in order to peg both processor cores. The system would step the speed of the processor up to 1.833GHz until the processor crossed a threshold of approximately 82°C at which point it would step the processor down to 1.667GHz. When the processor dropped below 80°C it would speed step back up to 1.833GHz and the cycle would continue. As expected, this would cause the system's fans to rev up to their full speed and overall, the machine was very noisy at this point.

Running hot as usual

I think that most people would agree that a machine running over 80°C is not operating properly. This is especially true when there are several examples of users applying the thermal paste properly, resulting in maximum temperatures of 64°C. 63°C is the idle temperature of the 2.0GHz MacBook in my possession. That should say a lot about whether or not Apple has remedied the error in their manufacturing process.

Second is "the whine." I was never able to hear a well defined "whine" from the MacBook Pro in the first place. If I could hear anything, it was a very, very, very faint buzz when I held my head very near to the machine. As you might have expected, I hear no whine noises from the MacBook. In addition, I don't hear any noise from the machine while it's idle, except for the standard laptop noise generated by the hard drive.

Latch

The MacBook lacks a mechanical latch. On the MacBook Pro, iBook, and PowerBooks there are one and sometimes two latches that are magnetically activated and function to hold the screen shut when the machine is not in use. In the new MacBook, there is no such latch. Instead, the MacBook uses magnets to stay closed. In the lid of the machine, there are two metal plates on each end (use your MagSafe connector to verify). When the lid is closed, these attract to what I presume are magnets in the frame and the machine is held very securely shut. It makes for a very slick looking form factor, and the lack of latches and keyholes really tightens up the already sleek design.

The new magnetic latch makes for a sleek profile. The IR port is at right

One last observation I really wanted to make were my impressions concerning running a popular game in Windows XP on the MacBook's hardware. Many people are critical of this machine's apparent lack of ability to run state-of-the-art games. While these people are technically correct (see benchmarks later on), there's a whole class of games out there that can be fully enjoyed.

One game that I've been dying to try out for a while is an MMORPG called EVE Online. I've run across several people online who were concerned about whether or not the MacBook would be able to play this game efficiently. I downloaded the client from the EVE website and signed up for a 14-day trial and got started. Having never played the game on a souped-up PC, I can't really give a comparative analysis of the speed of the game. However, I did play through the entire tutorial and ran a few "missions" and I'm confident when I say that playing EVE online with the default settings looks beautiful and turned out to be pretty darn awesome.

I notice no stuttering and only a few delays which I believe could be attributed to the game downloading content from servers as I progressed through the game. I found the game pretty enjoyable—it reminded me of a little of playing TradeWars 2002 on a BBS back in the day—and I think that casual gamers will find that the MacBook will be able to adequately run somewhat new and enjoyable 3D Windows-only games. From discussions with people more knowledgable than I, I'm also confident you should be able to play games like Second Life, The Sims 2, and World of Warcraft with tweaks to the graphics options. If you were hoping to be able to play taxing games like Oblivion and Half-Life 2, you're going to be out of luck, and you'd be better off waiting for Apple's Intel workstation offerings or just buying a dedicated gaming machine.

Benchmarks

In order to demonstrate just where this machine sits relative to the machines it will be replacing and to those Intel portables already released by Apple, we ran our usual battery of tests on 2.0GHz MacBook, a 1GHz G4 iBook, and a 1.83 GHz MacBook Pro. Lets take a look at the 3 machines we'll be testing:

Test systems

Boot times

The first test we ran was a boot up test, to demonstrate just how big of an improvement has been made in this area. While probably not a big deal to most people, it's interesting to note just how much improve the times are over the PPC-era machines like the iBook:

As you can see, the new Intel machines boot incredibly fast. If you're the type of person who is constantly shutting down and booting up their machine, then you will probably be very pleased with the decrease in boot time in the Intel lineup of Apple computers.

Xbench

Next up we ran the venerable Xbench test. This test runs through a series of tests, taxing the CPU's different calculation methods, memory transfers, disk transfers, UI speed, and graphics performance in a consistent way across machines capable of running OS X. We ran this benchmark on all the machines and the results are tabulated below:

The MacBook, at least the 2.0GHz version we're testing here, is considerably faster when compared to the iBook G4 and slightly faster when compared to the slightly older and slower MacBook Pro. In the case of the iBook G4, the MacBook bests its overall score by a factor of 3 and soundly trounces it in every single category of note. The graphics section is probably the most unbalanced, with the MacBook scoring 216 and the iBook a paltry 55.41. The iBook came the closest in the disk test, scoring a 29.07 compared to the MacBook's 42.48.

Comparing the MacBook to the MacBook Pro is another matter entirely. The scores for the processor, thread, and memory were quite similar when you consider that the MacBook Pro had a slower processor, and more RAM available to it (taking into account the shared video RAM in the MacBook). The MacBook with the 2.0GHz processor then scored slightly higher in those areas.

What surprised me greatly, however, is that the MacBook with its integrated GMA950 video chip set, beat the MacBook Pro and its ATI Mobility Radeon X1600. Looking specifically at the OpenGL graphics test, you'll see that the GMA950's score on the MacBook was significantly better than the X1600 on the MacBook Pro. On the Quartz Graphics Test, however, the scores were much more similar, 51.21 and 57.20 for the MBP and MB respectively. It's my suspicion that the OpenGL graphics test in Xbench is not a very good indicator of the full capabilities of a machine's graphics system. It is for this reason that we tested the machines using Cinebench. As you will see, the results played out quite a bit differently.

More benchmarks

Cinebench

The Cinebench was next up on the gamut and it really showed the improvements Apple has made in the graphics subsystem. While Xbench only gives us a simplistic view, the Cinebench suite runs a whole series of tests that quantify the performance of the computer's hardware and software rendering and lighting abilities in 3D environments. Best of all, it's cross-platform. This allowed us to not only compare the MacBook with the iBook and the MacBook Pro, we were also able to compare the MacBook with itself while it ran different operating systems. Lets take a look at the results:

To account for measurement errors on individual runs, the benchmark was run three times each and the results were averaged. As you can see, the MacBook performed pretty consistently within both operating systems, with some of the sub-tests scoring higher in Windows XP and others scoring lower.

The graphics on the MacBooks and especially the MacBook Pro really shine in the Cinebench tests. The slightly faster processor on the MacBook results in the software lighting numbers to win here, but the MacBook Pro's graphics hardware is clearly superior, and the hardware rendering numbers bear that out. A comparison with the iBook's ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 is embarrassing, to say the least. The scores were clearly not even in the same league, and I'm certain that casual gamers will be pleased with the performance of the MacBooks, in general.

QuickTime encoding

The next benchmark we tried was one we've performed on many of the new models Apple has been cranking out. The premise is simple. We use Apple's QuickTime Pro application to transcode a 24.6MB QuickTime movie into an iPod compatible format. We use the default settings for this export option and time how long the operation takes to complete. Lets check out the results for the QuickTime encode:

As you can see, the Core Duo T2500 improves over even the 1.83GHz T2400 found in the first MacBook Pros and the low-end MacBooks. The G4's performance here is just abysmal and I as a user transitioning from the PowerPC to the Intel platforms, I'm very grateful for the 140 percent improvement here.

iTunes CD ripping

For this final attempt at benchmarking the three machines, we took a random CD off our wall-o-CDs, encoded it in iTunes, and timed the results. The random CD turned out to be a compilation of "Hampster Dance Remixes." The three tracks totaled about 13 minutes of playing time in total and we encoded them to 256kbps variable bitrate AAC files:

As you can see, there's not much to say here. The two MacBooks encoded the tracks at virtually the same speed and the iBook was only slower by four seconds. It looks to me that we're basically seeing that these machines are being limited by the rate that data is being extracted from the disk. For all intents and purposes, due to the read speeds of the optical drives, these machines are identical when it comes to CD ripping. While I think that we may have seen a bit more of a different encoding a disc with more tracks, I still think the difference would have been negligible.

Battery usage

Battery life on the MacBook seems to be quite good. I tested it under three different scenarios:

• High usage: Playing a DVD, brightness set to half, "best performance" setting selected in the energy settings.
• Normal usage: Playing a stream in iTunes, WiFi and Bluetooth on, half brightness, "best performance" in energy settings
• Very low usage: No apps running, WiFi off, Bluetooth off, brightness set very low, &quote;best performance" in energy settings

Personally, I'm quite pleased with these battery testing results. While it's painfully obvious where Apple gets its six hours of battery life claim, a running time of approximately 3 hours while watching a DVD is a good one, especially for jetsetting Mac users. Four hours of usage under what I consider to be "normal" conditions is also acceptable to me. Not all users are going to be using WiFi and Bluetooth simultaneously, so feel free to tack on a few minutes if you're happy being tethered to an Ethernet cable.

Pro vs. not

Now that Apple has finalized their portable line up, the question on most prospective customer's lips is "what's the difference between the MacBook and MacBook Pro?" The answer is nuanced, and I feel that Apple has done a good job delineating the market and pricing the models appropriately. First, lets go over what is in every MacBook Pro that you won't be getting on the MacBook:

• Aluminum shell
• Lighted keyboard
• Ambient light sensor
• Auto-dimming display
• ExpressCard Port
• PCIe graphics system
• Higher-resolution display
• Matte display option
• Larger hard drive

The 17-inch version of the MacBook Pro goes a step further and adds a third USB 2.0 port and a FireWire 800 port. The price difference between a similarly configured MacBook and MacBook Pro (2.0GHz, 512MB, 80GB HD) comes to about US$650. Personally, I feel that the upgraded graphics, display resolution, expansion port, and lighting features are probably worth US$650 to people who need them, but since I do not, I'm very content to stick with my MacBook.

That being said, the similarities in performance might lead some people to believe that shelling out some extra dough for what many might consider to be "fluff" features. All things being equal, I can see thrifty consumers eschewing the US$650 extra for a MacBook Pro and the US$150 extra for a black shell and simply going with the low-end MacBook and I couldn't blame them one bit. After all, the low-end MacBook is for the most part just as powerful as several models of the Pro edition that were released only a few months back.

Conclusion

The Apple portable web site proudly announces that the "family is finally complete." What began with an announcement from Steve Jobs at the MacWorld conference in January has come full circle with the release of the MacBook this week. Every Apple laptop is Intel powered and moving in what I would consider is the right direction. The laptop line is finally better delineated by pro and consumer features, and the prices have been fixed at points that better reflect the minute differences in the models. While some people might point out that the black MacBook shell is unnecessarily marked-up, I think that it's a smart move on Apple's part to try and control their stock levels and take advantage of consumer demand. One thing to keep an eye on is an unconfirmed report of the black MacBook flaking. As of publication, it seems confined to a single unit and others have been unable to replicate the problem, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Apple's new consumer level laptop is full of new features (iSight, widescreen display, MagSafe power connector, optical audio connections, etc.) and the prices are reasonable. The machine's value is increased exponentially by Apple's foresight to sanction the installation of Windows XP alongside the venerable OS X. Being able to boot into Windows to check out a new Windows app or to play a fun Windows-only game makes me that much happier I made this purchase.