Comments on: Mini-Review of New 13-inch MacBook

By: John

John — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:48:17 +0000

I’m a switcher. I bought a Mac Mini at Christmas and even though it is not the most powerful machine in the house it is the one I prefer to use, and OS X really does work better on less grunt than Vista so it is hard to compare a 2GHz Mini on OS X with a 2 GHz Dell on Vista Premium.
Windows 7 is changing that, so Snow Leopard had better be something special
Anyway, the new 13″ pro seems to be a Mac Mini with a keyboard, mouse, battery, screen but nearly all of the IO ports eliminated. What did they drop that the bigger “Pros” have? the NVidia 9600 chipset. but maybe they’ll bring back the 10″ Macbook. as the new Pro does seem to encroach on the basic Macbook space.

BTW with this review – testing the 3D card by playing HD video?? My GMA950 on the old mini can play HD video too. Useless test.

By: Poppa P

Poppa P — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:07:59 +0000

I have had my 2.4ghz Macbook for nearly a month now, I like the design and software applications, but what I don’t like is that I can not connect to the internet with my home wireless network I can only connect using ethernet cable.
The symptoms are web pages can take a very long time to load or are timed out or no connection at all.
I think there is a problem with wifi connection on the new Macbook as I have searched forums looking for a soloution and found that a lot of people using the new Macbook are having the same problem but no one has an idea of how to fix this problem .
I have been to the Genius bar at the store where I purchased my Macbook, but it worked there no problem as they have a unsecured network.
I think Apple know about this problem but are keeping quiet on the subject, If you are thinking of buying the new Macbook just research poor wifi on the new Macbook I wish I had.

The addverts said switching to a Mac was simple, Yeah Right!!!

By: dan

dan — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:04:32 +0000

i’ve got one 2 weeks ago and was amazed how the software and hardware works together… don’t think of the specs as too low compare to other notebooks.. apple had configured the apps to work efficiently and eat less resources… so why need the bigger hardware upgrade?

windows+unix+(and now) mac user

By: james

james — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:23:22 +0000

I’ve always been a Mac user. and by always I mean 10+ years. I use a mac at home and a PC and Mac at work. My brother has been a PC user for 10+ years. I’ve owned 2 different Macs in those ten years. My brother has owned at least five PC’s that I know of in those ten years. That to me is money in the bank.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:00:04 +0000

Wow, I recently switched to MAC and its hard for me to even read some of the basic, worthless complaints about this product…..may I suggest to those who just cant be satisfied, go back to PC! Mac users wont miss you at all.

After spending my entire life frustrated with windows, this has been the BEST thing I could have ever done!

APPLE RULES!

By: Eugene

Eugene — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:21:36 +0000

Having switched to the new Macbook from a Lenovo notebook, the things that impress me are:
Rock solid body – no flexing,creaking or bending.
Enormous trackpad – makes navigating SOOOO much easier. I hate having to use my Lenovo machine at work now. The ‘gestures” are a way more efficient way of getting around.
The speed is fantastic.
The screen is very sharp and images have a lot of punch. I do find the screen too sensitive to viewing angle though.
The surfaces have never gotten hot, even with a lot of heavy image processing. No problem sitting on your lap. The whole aluminium body seems to dissipate the heat, so the bottom surface doesn’t get hot.
Backlit keys are fantastic. Try them in a dark room.Lovely!
The sound is very clear, with plenty of volume in reserve. Best I’ve heard from a laptop.
And factoring in the software, which I have to admit is very user friendly and well thought out. Well done Apple. I’m hooked.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:04:49 +0000

I agree with Wes, the MACBOOK is a carefully thought out design running an operating system that leaves Microsoft years behind. As a user of both MACs and PCs over the last twenty years I think the Apple has repeatedly out-classed PCs running Microsoft platform. The only other platform that is in the same class is the long ditched IBM OS2 Warp (1998).In terms of hardware the MACBOOK is admittedly conservative but with class. Sony VAIOs are probably the most stylish systems but as long as they run Vista well I wont say more. I currently have a VAIO and a MACBOOK, having ditched an HP notebook and a Fujitsu Siemens notebook a few months ago. Finally to my utmost surprise MACBOOKs actually run Windows better than PCs using VMWare fusion and so I find the flexibility quite useful. Overall I recommend the MACBOOK, its in a different league. Guess its difficult to compare lemons and grapes.

By: Wes

Wes — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:43:17 +0000

Seems a bunch of you griping about the small features it’s missing (minus firewire). A card reader, that can be overcame. This is meant to be a portable machine, not a desktop replacement. If you need firewire, and more port options, go with the 15 inch macbook pro. If thats too much money for you, stop complaining.

Mac’s are proven to yes be a little more initial cost, but in the long run are cheaper to maintain, and to operate. So look at the big picture, not whats right in front of your nose.

By: Kristan

Kristan — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:19:36 +0000

Alright, I just got mine last night, and this is my first personal Mac ever — I’ve used them at work and in schools before, but never one at home. I am IN LOVE. So far I’ve had no heating issues (re: Ed). After using it my lap on top of a comforter (which STORES heat, keep in mind) for an hour, I realized I wasn’t feeling warm at all! My old laptop used to make me uncomfortably hot in a matter of minutes. So far my only real issue is with the USB ports being too close… I have a Sandisk Cruzer flash drive that can’t plug in next to anything else! Still, there are other flash drives in the world, so that’s hardly a reason for me to get upset given all the other things I LOVE about this computer.

Also, for anyone currently on PCs considering a switch to Macs, let me tell you: The specs may SEEM the same, but Mac design (and I’m talking operating systems not aesthetics) makes the SAME hardware much more efficient.

By: Seany Seany Sean

Seany Seany Sean — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:46:13 +0000

Leaving out the memory card reader is not really a problem. I mean which card reader did you have in mind? I use CF but I would guess that lots more people use SD or memory stick or…. you get the picture.

What really is a fatal flaw for me and lots of other amateur and student musicians is the lack of Firewire. I can’t believe it’s not been covered properly in this review. It’s a huge problem. Without Firewire or an express card slot there’s almost no way to do multi-track recording with a MacBook. USB 2.0 is not up to the job at all. There a few, and only the most basic, USB audio interfaces on the market but they’re generally noted as being unreliable, due specifically to the limitation of USB. If you want to do music with a laptop YOU NEED FIREWIRE.

Now factor in all those with Firewire camcorders who are left out it the cold and you can see why this should have been covered in the review.