Apple MacBook

Apple originally introduced the MacBook in May 2006 as the successor to the older iBook G4 and 12-inch PowerBook series. This notebook was designed with student and adult consumers in mind and with both consumers, the company had tremendous success. A little over two years on, Apple has released a new line of MacBooks though the company hasn't actually changed the brand name.

Compared to the older MacBook, the newer models are distinguishable by their use of an aluminium chassis rather than polycarbonate. Visually, this translates into newer models featuring a silver finish as opposed to glossy white. Aesthetically, the team found the newer look made the notebook appear sharper and, when held, more confidence inspiring.

The notebook features rounded edges everywhere and, like the last MacBook, features a magnetic lid rather than a physical locking system. The power adapter too uses a magnetic connector, so if you happen to trip over your power adapter's wire, the connector will break free without being damaged, shorting the notebook or, perhaps worse still, pulling the notebook to the floor and causing a hard drive head-crash.

Under the attractive exterior, the new MacBook has been improved appreciably in terms of specifications. The new notebook features a nVidia core-logic chipset and this offers a 1066MHz front side bus (FSB), DDR3 memory compatibility and a more powerful integrated GPU in the form of the GeForce 9400M. These components coupled with a 2.4GHz dual-core processor, 2Gbytes of memory and a 5400rpm hard disk made the MacBook feel very responsive.

The Apple took 36 seconds to boot (we timed the notebook from when we hit the power button to the time where the pointer became useable) and nine seconds to shutdown. Running Microsoft's Word and Excel 2008 for Mac simultaneously along with nine different Safari (web browser) window's open, the MacBook never felt sluggish. Switching between applications was lighting quick and for those that work away from their desks, the notebook's battery lasted for a solid three hours and 35 minutes. Impressive. Other improvements over the older Macbook include a LED-backlit display.

This was perhaps the most noticeable improvement over the older model because the new display produced far more vibrant and colour-accurate visuals. The screen also boasts decent off-axis viewing angles though we've seen slightly better on other notebooks we've tested.

Usability-wise, the MacBook is simply without fault. The keyboard is very responsive, silent and spaced for every type of hand size whilst the trackpad is butter smooth to use. It offers a large tracking area and when it came to performing gestures, the Apple never skipped the beat or felt cumbersome, which made getting used to the gestures a painless affair.

The only real issue we have with Apple's new MacBook has to do with its price tag. At US $1961 for a fully-loaded model, Apple does charge a considerable premium if you compare this notebook spec-for-spec to that of a standard notebook. That said, the MacBook does offer a very smooth and pleasing user experience.