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Hardware Review
Review and Benchmarks: Apple 13-Inch MacBook
7/9/2007
Hardware Features
Beyond the performance-oriented categories of the MacBook's hardware, there are several upgraded and returning features to recommend this notebook. These include, in the 2.16 GHz white model reviewed here:
- 120 GB internal SATA drive (5,400 RPM, with sudden motion sensor);
- 8x SuperDrive with support for double-layer (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
- 1 GB RAM base (667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2 GB);
- Built-in iSight camera for video and still image capture (640 x 480 pixels);
- Gigabit Ethernet;
- AirPort Extreme 802.11n (draft spec), in addition to backward support for 802.11b and g;
- Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
- One FireWire 400 port;
- Two USB 2.0 ports;
- Digital optical audio in and out (mini-Toslink);
- Analog audio in and out;
- An IR remote for controlling music, movies, and slideshows; and
- Mini DVI out (adapters for DVI-I, VGA, and S-video sold separately).
That's a lot of hardware features to cram into a machine selling for $1,199 (including education discount).
Regarding the overall usability and convenience of the system, I find it comfortable to use. I actually prefer the 13.3-inch screen to the larger Mac notebooks for the portability factor, although it has a narrower vertical viewing angle than its higher-end counterparts. And the unit's trackpad is just outstanding, with it's support for gestures for right-clicking, horizontal and vertical scrolling, and the like. (You don't have to worry about the actual clicker having only one button; tapping on the trackpad with two fingers is the equivalent of a right click.)
Any negatives on the hardware front? A couple.
I like the overall concept of the MagSafe power adapter, which is on the whole convenient, but I've also had to replace them on two of my older (one-year-old) MacBooks for the reason that they stopped supplying power, probably owing to a loose wire. These were replaced under warranty with no fuss, and I've been more careful since that time, since my warrantees are now expired.
Heat can be an issue. Apple tried to pack as much as possible into a slim form factor (roughly one inch), and, if you work with your notebooks the way I do, running processor-intensive apps, you're going to feel that heat on your lap to the point where, if you're anything like me, you'll be willing to go out and buy a $50, fan-based cooling tray for the machine.
These are, on the whole, minor annoyances. The MacBook offers a tremendous number of hardware features at a price that comes in slightly lower than comparably equipped notebooks from non-Mac manufacturers. (Of course, there are PC notebooks that come in at less than half the price of the MacBook. They just don't have a lot going for them.)
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