Macbook: The building block of Apple’s laptop empire
The MacBook laptop is Apple’s successor of the iBook G4 laptop. It was originally introduced in 2006 and has been updated several times since then to reflect the changing market and technology. Buy the Right Mac will focus on the latest version of Macbook.
The Macbook is a beautiful laptop. Weighing in at five pounds (2.3 kg), its not too heavy, but also not the lightest. Its only about an inch thick and features a 13.3 inch screen which isn’t the smallest and the graphics are decent despite being integrated.
The Macbook was the first portable offered by Apple that has a glossy display in contrast to the average anti-glare display. While it may sometimes have lighting reflection problems it does show crisp colors and pixel by pixel details which are essential for graphics to be realistic. It also featured a new keyboard which was sunk into the casing instead of above it. The keys are also one piece instead of removable by themselves, which creates a very different feeling.
The outside is a polycarbonate, a type of very-hard-to-break plastic. This makes the outside as glossy as the screen inside, and it’s this look that has become associated with Apple products in many consumer’s minds. Macbook is offered in white or black with a slight price difference as well as different technical specifications available for the different units.The Macbook is latched with a magnet, which means no more latch to snap off, get stuck, or need replacing due to wear. The power cord of course is also magnetic, which means no more tripping over the plug and watching your computer skid across the living room.
A good selection of input/output slots are available. including the MagSafe power cords, Ethernet, digital out, Firewire, USB 2.0 (two of them), and audio in/out. While an analog modem is not included it is available as an USB add-on. Also on board is an iSight camera cleverly designed into the computer so you barely notice it. The scrolling TrackPad allows for nice navigation without a mouse and can even be set up to mimic the two button right-click should the user want. Also present is an IR sensor, useful to some, overlooked by others. The iBook speaker circles have been replaced and moved out of view with the Macbook, which is a sight for sore eyes. Macbook also has the AirPort Extreme 802.11 wireless which makes for an enjoyable wireless laptop experience.
The Macbook is pre-loaded with Mac OS X v10.5, which includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, iTunes, and Xcode Developer Tools. It also comes with iLife ‘08, which includes iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand. You can find out more about both on Buy the Right Mac’s other pages.
With all these great features you can see where Macbook is the jumping off point for other versions such as Macbook Pro and Macbook Air and sets the bar in features for other Mac products that came after it.
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