MacBook
This weekend I’m borrowing a MacBook from work (to do some work, obviously!) and I thought I’d write up some impressions here. For reference its a 13″ black one – I’d prefer the white, but they thought it would be more “business-like” to have it in black. They’re also going to install Boot Camp on it, but there’s no accounting for taste 
My initial impression is that its very similar to the older powerbook in terms of design, layout, weight, etc… but a couple of inches wider, as it has a 16:10 “widescreen”. This would probably be great for watching movies on, but since it’s work’s I don’t think I should. Annoyingly, the extra width means I can’t quite fit this new laptop into the bag that fits my older 12″ iBook. Grrr.
Apple have changed the keyboard a bit and I don’t like it as much as the one on my iBook – the keys feel more rattle-y. On the other hand, the keys are set into a surround, so won’t share the iBook’s problem that stuff gets trapped beneath the keys. The iBook’s keyboard is almost impossible to clean, as the keys are very difficult to get back on once they’ve been removed. The MacBook’s might be even worse, but perhaps has less of a tendency to get dirty in the first place.
Hardware wise, the MacBook inherits the PowerBook’s slot-loading DVD drive, which I never liked as CDs occasionally get stuck in the drive and won’t eject. I much prefer the caddy system in the iBook, but perhaps there wasn’t the space in the MacBook – its very thin.
The battery life seems respectable, on a par with the iBook, but it is physically much larger and takes up about two thirds of the width of the machine. Also, this is a brand-new machine, so I can’t say how the battery would “age”.
The MacBook puts out a lot of heat, mostly through the bottom. The keyboard doesn’t get uncomfortably hot, but I don’t think I’d like to use this on my lap for any considerable time.
On the OS front, this one ships with Tiger, I think. Its very pretty compared to the older Jaguar (which I dual-boot with Linux on by iBook) and much faster – probably due to the considerably more powerful processors in the MacBook. The shipped software makes good use of the “talking point” of this new laptop – the built-in camera. Amusing, but slightly pointless, applications include “Comic Life” (for making comic strips using pictures from the built-in camera. Its fun to play with for 15 minutes or so) and “Photo Booth” (takes photos with the built-in camera and applies fun Photoshop-style filters. Also fun for a few minutes).
For my work it was very easy to install the necessary tools: Xcode and Emacs, although the Xcode download is almost a Gb! After that its the usual, comfortable UNIX working environment: a couple of Terminals and Emacs. The only thing I’m missing is virtual desktops, but I’m told I can get an add-on for that.
Overall, I’m impressed with Apple’s transition to the world of x86, but I’m not sure I’ll dump my trusty iBook just yet. I look forward to seeing the 64-bit (Merom-based?) MacBooks when they come out and possibly change my mind then.
September 16th, 2006