For my Weekly Tech Roundup I decided to give a review of Apple’s new White Macbook and discuss the rest of the updates that were announced on Tuesday. In the video I discuss some of the things I like about the new Macbook and some of the things it lacks.
To begin, I really love the new shape of the machine. I am a big fan of the unibody and I am very glad they were able to bring it to the polycarbonate Macbook with such style. If you have ever used one of Apple’s unibody Macbooks/Pros before, you know that they are so solid and lightweight at the same time- a feeling one wouldn’t normally get with any other notebook computer. The unibody gives the computer a sleek silhouette with very few visible screws and now with the non-removable 7-hour battery the notebook looks so flush with just a few breaks for ports and the superdrive. I also like the fact that the unibody allows the high gloss polycarbonate to cover the hand rest as well, so there should be no issues with yellow or oily hand rests from now on. In that same area, the Macbook now has a full glass trackpad with all the multi touch functionality of the Pros and a bright LED backlit display comparable to the Pros as well. One final touch I am obsessed with is the full rubber bottom of the Macbook, which to me is an amazing incorporation into the design, as we all know the polycarbonate is prone to scratches and nothing attracts them more then the bottom of the notebook.
Now, a few things missing from this machine that really draw it apart from the Macbook Pro line are the lack of an SD slot, lack of Firewire, and lack of a battery indicator light. Perhaps the first two are not big surprises as it looks as though Apple was trying to remove Firewire from their low end consumer driven Macbook, setting it apart from the high performance Macbook Pros. Again the SD slot missing from the design isn’t a big surprise as it seems as though Apple is drawing a clear line in the sand between the Macbooks and the Pros. However, I am shocked that there is no battery indicator light on these new Macbooks, especially since they also use the new 7-hour built in battery. I am not sure if it was a conflict with the design or the materials, but there certainly is plenty of white space on the sides of the machine where Apple could have put an indicator. My guess is that the polycarbonate might be difficult to work with and a series of pin-sized holes may have been difficult to achieve without compromising the solidity of the unibody enclosure. Again, just a guess that has no real basis in any sort of knowledge of polycarbonate!
There was one final thing I wanted to touch on in regard to not just the new Macbooks, but the new updates as a whole. I was quite surprised that Apple did not hold an official press and media event around the announcement of the new products. I guess we can speculate the reason for the lack of an official announcement, like the health of Steve Jobs, but I think that this level of secrecy around announcements might become more of a trend for Apple. Usually, when they make small adjustments to specs or pricing, we don’t hear anything big directly from Apple, but this recent update did bring some pretty new changes to their computer and accessory lineup that you would assume they would want to celebrate. So why not yell it from the rooftops? Well, I think for one, the ever spinning rumor mill of suspected and impending Apple products puts a dark cloud over the Apple events that usually leaves people feeling cheated or underwhelmed. Even with this update, we knew something was coming, and although many rumors of an updated Macbook, iMac and Mac Mini did come true, some fans are still waiting out that Apple Tablet that may never arrive. The pressure of an event also inevitably causes Apple stock to fall- I assume because of the build up leading to the event and the broken hearts that are left when every desire or rumor isn’t fulfilled. It is most likely our fault as obsessive consumers that demand so much from Apple and their products, that we end up ruining it for ourselves. But then again, if it weren’t for the obsessive consumers Apple would have no one to try to impress!
I know you’ve mentioned the basic differences in the new Macbook and the Macbook Pro 13. Can you further expound on that or make a video about the difference?
I have a Macbook Pro 13″ but I’m thinking about getting a Mackbook white too, simply because the white which cost $999 has 250GB while the pro $1199 has 160GB now… That’s a lot of space difference. What do you think?
I will be looking back at this post for your reply! 🙂
Anonymous- that’s a very good point you make about choosing between a white Macbook and a Macbook Pro 13. I will make a video and post it in the next few days on how one should decide which to choose and the sublte differences between the two machines that truely make them unique and made for a specific user. I’m going to have to spend a little more time with the white Macbook since it’s not actually mine I haven’t spent much time using it!
Thanks again and keep an eye out for the video!
great! looking forward to that video! till then. more power!
To the first commenter:
Why don’t you just buy a 500GB hard disk and install it yourself (or have a tech do it for you) and save yourself $850. Buying a new computer just for a larger hard disk?! Wow.
Anonymous #2-
Although I can’t speak for Anonymous #1, I assume it is not just the hard drive size they are interested in, but rather what other details have been bumbed up to exceed the Macbook Pro 13 base model. This was a good question to ask, and I am going to try my best to answer it for them in my next video.
To Miss.Trenchcoat:
The commenter stated explicitly that he/she is thinking of buying the new MB “simply because the white which cost $999 has 250GB while the pro $1199 has 160GB”. The keyword is ‘simply’, which is, in this context, synonymous with ‘only’, ‘for no other reason than’, ‘just because’. Perhaps he/she mis-spoke, but I responded to what was actually stated in the hopes of saving him/her a great deal of money. Many people don’t know that the individual components of computers, including laptops to a certain degree, are replaceable. 🙂
Anonymous #2-
I do not mean to argue symantics with you. I was merely reading the comment as a whole as an inquiry into all the differences between the two models in order to make a decision on a purchase. I agree that purchasing a Macbook White just for the extra space would be an unneccessary expense, especially when a new hard drive- as you point out- costs a fraction of the price to have installed, and external hard drives cost even less.
Thank you for your comments, I am delighted to have such a lively debate on the merits of the new Macbook!
To Miss.Trenchcoat:
Never intended a debate or any animosity. I too would look forward to a side by side comparison between the MB and MBP, visually and in text. I’m especially interested in the MB’s new screen and how it compares to that of the MBP in brightness and clarity. Cheers.
I will make sure to take all these elements into consideration when putting together the review!
I’m the first person who commented and actually Miss. Trenchcoat got me right.
I was asking because I’m planning to buy brother another computer and I was deciding which one. So it’s either I give him my pro so I can get the white or just buy him a white. that’s why i’m waiting for your next video!
but to the second anonymous, I already have a EHD, thank you very much! 🙂