CNET Editor's rating: 8.3 out of 10
Reviewed by
Dan Ackerman
Review date: 12/17/07
Release date: 11/14/07
The good: Upgraded CPU for the same price; same great design; Leopard operating system.
The bad: Still no Express card or SD card slots; only more expensive models are available in black.
The bottom line: Apple has been content to issue minor periodic hardware updates to the 13-inch MacBook, but the modest performance gains and new Leopard OS keep it in our top tier of laptop recommendations.
Introduced in the fall of 2006, the current version of Apple's 13-inch MacBook laptop was a revolutionary product, combining Intel's Core 2 Duo CPUs with Apple's much-lauded operating system. Add in Apple extras such as the iSight camera, Front Row remote, iLife software, and MagSafe power adapter, and you have what is arguably one of the best-loved laptops on the planet.
Since then, Apple has been content to issue minor periodic hardware upgrades, which, while not all that exciting, continue to add CPU horsepower while keeping prices steady. The latest update, from November 2007, bumped up the top available CPU to a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, and added Intel's Santa Rosa platform and slightly better integrated graphics, resulting in a modest boost in performance. But you'll probably be much more interested in Apple's new Leopard version of its OS X operating system, which comes preinstalled on new MacBooks. It adds a handful of useful new features, keeping the MacBook in our top tier of laptop recommendations, even if we're secretly itching for something new.
While the $1,099 entry-level MacBook is available only in white, we're much more used to seeing the black version (starting at $1,499) in the wild. The matte black look still isn't quite as sharp as the metallic MacBook Pro, but we still like it better than the plastic-looking white finish.
Inside, you'll find Apple's typically minimalist setup, including a power button, a full-size keyboard, a sizable touch pad with a single mouse button, and a built-in iSight camera that sits above the display. If you miss the scroll bar found on almost every Windows laptops, the two-finger scroll option works well (run two fingers down the touch pad, and it scrolls like a mouse wheel). We remain fans of Apple's flat-key keyboard, although Windows users will have to get used to a Delete key that functions like a PC Backspace key, and no standalone equivalent key for what PCs call Delete. Compared with previous MacBooks, the main visual difference is that a few of the alternate functions on the F keys have been juggled around.
The biggest new feature is the inclusion of Apple's latest version of OS X, commonly known as Leopard. The look and feel are largely unchanged, but several useful new features have been added, including Time Machine, an easy-to-use backup utility; Spaces, which allows you to set up multiple desktops (one with all your media apps open or one for Web pages) and swap between them on the fly; and Quick Look, which lets you open a fast preview version of any document or file without waiting for their associated applications to open.
The MacBook still includes the Front Row remote control (sadly, only available in white), and the extremely handy MagSafe power adapter, which handily (and safely) detaches itself from a magnetic plug on the laptop's side when you invariably trip over the power cord.
The 13.3-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a clear and easy to read 1,280x800 native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size, as well as most 14- and 15-inch laptops (although Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro offers a higher 1,440x900 resolution).
Apple MacBook
Average for category [thin-and-light]
Video
Mini-DVI video out
VGA-out, S-Video
Audio
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data
2 USB 2.0, FireWire 400
3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, mulitformat memory card reader
Apple's previous revision added support for 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, but the lack of an SD card reader remains one of the MacBook's few weak spots. Adding mobile broadband--not offered by Apple--will also be difficult without an Express card slot.
Not surprisingly, we saw a decent uptick in performance from the new 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, with the new system beating the earlier 2.16GHz MacBook in each of our benchmark tests. If you have a previous generation MacBook, the difference isn't enough to make you want to go out and get a new one, but credit goes to both the fast CPU and Intel's Santa Rosa platform for the improvement. Note that our review unit came with 2GB of RAM, a $150 upgrade over the default 1GB offered in even the $1,499 MacBook.
The MacBook ran for 4 hours and 30 minutes on our DVD battery drain test, which is even longer than the 3 hours and 36 minutes we got on the older 2.16GHz MacBook. We again give credit to the efficient Santa Rosa platform, and because our DVD battery drain test is especially grueling, you can expect even longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.
We're still not fans of Apple's nearly obligatory extended warranty upsell. The default warranty for the MacBook is one year of coverage for parts and labor, but toll-free telephone support is limited to a mere 90 days--well short of what you'd typically find on the PC side--unless you purchase the $249 AppleCare Protection Plan, which extends phone support and repair coverage to three years.
Multimedia multitasking test (in seconds) (Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard)
OS X 10.5.1 Leopard; Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz; 2,048GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 144MB Intel GMA X3100; 160GB Fujitsu 5,400rpm
Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz)
OS X 10.4.8 Tiger; Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz; 2,048GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 64MB Intel GMA 950; 160GB Fujitsu 5,400rpm
Fujitsu LifeBook S6510
Windows Vista Business Edition; 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700; 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 965GM Express; 120GB Toshiba 5,400rpm
Dell XPS m1330
Windows Vista Home Edition; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 128MB Nvidia 8400M GS; 160GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Intro:
This configuration of the Apple MacBook is a 5-pound, mainstream notebook computer.Compared to other general-purpose notebooks on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $1,140.Has Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) built-in.
Noteworthy Features:
Has only a 5-pound weight, which is somewhat lighter than some similarly priced notebooks.In fact, the typical cost of a product with this light a weight is $1,405.Also, this notebook has a Core 2 Duo processor.This is more efficient than the average notebook on the market today, but is to be expected for a notebook of this price.
Weaker Features:
Has only a 13.3-inch screen size.This is not out of line with the product's price, but is smaller than the average notebook on the market today.Also, this notebook has a CD-RW/ DVD-ROM combo removable disc drive, which is somewhat less favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.This notebook's Intel GMA X3100 graphics chip uses system memory, which sometimes results in slower performance.
Suitability:
Suited for those who just need a basic notebook.Enjoy movies while in transit with this laptop's DVD player.Be nice to your friends using a dial-up modem; share images on CD using the CD burner in this notebook.Includes advanced word processing software -- fine for most serious business or academic writers.Clean up your digital pictures with the photo editing software included with this laptop.If you have a wireless network at home, wirelessly browse the Internet from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled laptop.
Value:
In view of its relatively inexpensive price, this notebook has good features for the money.Generally, not targeted at the gaming crowd, this computer will likely fulfill more modest laptop needs.
Suggestions:
(1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a wireless access point for your home, so that you can browse the Web more conveniently from any room.(2) To get the most out of this notebook's Bluetooth capability, you could have a Bluetooth-enabled headset, PDA or other device, and be able to link it wirelessly to your computer within a range of 20-or-so feet inside the same room.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal Apple India Sucks and so is MacBook - Check out why
I am an IIT Delhi graduate and an entrepreneur based in Delhi, India. Early last year, I started my 2nd ...
I am an IIT Delhi graduate and an entrepreneur based in Delhi, India. Early last year, I started my 2nd venture and along with my two partners, I bought an Apple MacBook.
The main reason for which I bought Apple MacBook was its reliability. I was very happy and excited when I started using Apple MacBook and as expected Mac's design fascinated everyone around me. However, within the first few months, its battery broke suddenly. The same happened with one of my partners. It was shocking but we got the battery replaced.
Although we were not expecting any more failures, we were not so much worried about any potential failure as we paid for 3 years protection plan. Unfortunately, within next few weeks, I lost my address book and contacts due to a sudden data corruption on my Mac. It was a big loss in terms of the time and lost contacts but somehow I survived.
But, the real horror started after that. One fine day, my partner's MacBook's harddisk suddenly crashed and he lost all the data, except the one's he had already backed up. The lost was irreparable and huge. Moreover, he wasted many days getting his MacBook's hard disk replaced due to false promises and repeated delays on the service center's front.
Given that we together lost the battery, I immediately took complete back up of my data. Although not desired but consistent to my expectations, my machine started showing symptoms of crashing; it started slowing down and hanging up in between. Since I didn't want to waste more of my time, I called another service center, UC Infosys, one of Apple India's service centers in Delhi. Having discussed the symptoms with them over the phone, I was told that I send my laptop to them and they will rectify it within 2-3 days. It was Dec 5, 2007. After confirming the time with them I sent my person with the laptop to them. Having reached there, my guy was told to wait for 2 hours. I called them and confirmed with them that they will diagnose the problem after 2 hours. After two hours he was told that he should come again tomorrow, as their technical guy was not available. The guy went to them again the next day (Friday) and finally they diagnosed it and found that my MacBook's harddisk is in trouble. They called me and promised to deliver the laptop by Monday. Since I didn't receive any call from them I called them and I was told that the harddisk is in its way to Delhi from Bangalore and is stuck due to flight delay. I was told that my laptop will be ready to pickup on Tue by 2 pm. Again, in absence of any communication from them, I called them and I was told that I will need to wait for some more time. Being frustrated, I called their manager/founder and he told that we are expecting the MacBook's harddisk and you may need to wait for a day or two more. I realized that these people are not taking the responsibility and for them their promise didn't matter. As expected, once again, there was no communication from UC Infosys even after 3 days and moreover, the founder stopped picking my calls. So, I called Apple's US office and I was told that I need to contact Apple's support center in Bangalore only. I called the Bangalore center in Delhi and I spoke to a gentleman from Apple's support in Austria. This guy told me a different story; he told me that 160 GB harddisk for MacBook is not available with them but they will deliver 200 GB harddisk as a compensation for the delay. I was promised the job to be done in next 3 days and I was promised that I would not need to make any call.
Having wasted so much of my time and energy, I was finally expecting the job to be done. At this point, I knew that Apple's service sucks but I didn't expect them to treat their customers as people on the road. Contrary to my expectations, I didn't receive any responsef. I again called them and escalated the complaint to a senior manager. I wanted to talk to the head of Apple India but I was not given any details and was told that I am already talking to the key decision maker. She promised me to get back to me with exact status and committed to sort the issue immediately. But the bug didn't stop there... even then I didn't receive any communication.
At that point I decided to take this route of going through the social media. As part of my organization, I had to work on a critical, 2 week long assignment. So I had to be silent for that period. Today it is Jan 16th; 42 days have passed and no communication from Apple. I am anyways not interested in their machine and Apple's service. But I will do everything it takes on my end to get compensated for the loss Apple made to my organization and to me. More important, I don't want some other Apple's fans and users to fall in the same trap. I am sure that someone responsible (who cares for his customers) at Apple will hear it and take appropriate actions. Till then I am not going to stop... My Apple CaseId is 88611361 & I can be reached at chopra.pradeep (at) gmail (dot) com.
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by pradi77 (see profile) -
January 17, 2008
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 out of 10 - Mediocre Great Notebook but terrible power adapter
I was very happy with my MacBook (my first Mac) until I had problems with the power adapter. The cable ...
I was very happy with my MacBook (my first Mac) until I had problems with the power adapter. The cable next to the box area simply started to break apart after less that 1 year of use and now it is useless. I thought it was an isolated case but reading the reviews in the apple site it seems that the problem is quite frequent http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=701C0CBE&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/power&nplm=MA538LL/B
Apple products are not particularly cheap. By choosing this brand (and its price), customers look for good design and quality. On my opinion the power adapter does not have this characteristics. Apple should find a way to avoid creating frustration on its customers, specially if the are aware that a new adapter can cost up to US$80...
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by fmaldonado66 (see profile) -
December 28, 2007
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 out of 10 - Mediocre Great computer - terrible support
I live in NJ and my 3 month old MacPro broke. After waiting 15 minute (literally) for a phone teck ...
I live in NJ and my 3 month old MacPro broke. After waiting 15 minute (literally) for a phone teck he told me to make an appointment at my local store where they would help me... i tried for 1.5 weeks and the appointments were booked each time i went online to make an appointment.
The store explained to me that although i had paid $249 for an extended care plan i was not a priority repair customer. I was only able to book an appointment 2 days in advance. People who had paid another $99/yr could book an appointment 14 days in advance. I was told that these premier customer were booking up all of the repair appointments before I could even get a chance at them... finally the store helped me to get an appointment but they told me that "they could only help me this one time"... I am not sure what i will do if it ever breaks again??
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by erinsark (see profile) -
January 18, 2008
10 out of 10 - Perfect great piece of hardware
let me tell you that i bought my macbook refurbished ,i was worried at first with all the negative reviews ...
let me tell you that i bought my macbook refurbished ,i was worried at first with all the negative reviews about hardrive failures and pther various problems reviewers have been saying, but am really impressed with my machine.like i said i bought this machine refurbished from apple becuase they knocked 200 dollars off the price compared to the mrsp. but the unit was checked over by a technician cleaned up and was given a warranty similiar to the new one.when i got it it came in a simple packaging box not in the fancybox the new ones came with it but i did not care the unit looked brand new. it came with all the accesories and soft ware as the new one. The macbook performance is incredible, it puts my desktop to shame.I upgraded the ram with 4gig ,which i got at a really cheap price ( compared to apple). I changed out the hard drive too, it is very easy to do as well and sata portable hardrives are very cheap and can be found at any computer store. Apple has bee very good at software updates so all the problems people previously had with the software are fixed. This is my first mac and i am really happy with it.I don't think i will go back to windows anytime soon.
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by firestorm23 (see profile) -
February 26, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Excellent! A great laptop for the money.
This was my first Mac and and I sure am glad I made the change. The display on it is ...
This was my first Mac and and I sure am glad I made the change. The display on it is wonderful for the money you pay. Leopard works like a charm and is very user friendly. Bootcamp is good, but I prefer to just use Parallels. Word of advice, don't upgrade the memory through Apple. It is way to expensive. You can buy a 4 Gb upgrade off newegg for around $100 or so. If you are looking for a good quality budget laptop I highly recommend this. If you have a little more to spend, go with the Macbook Pro. Both are great choices.
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by B18cR98 (see profile) -
January 23, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 out of 10 - Average Great Notebook - Criminally bad power adapter
Apple continues to produce flimsy power adapters that not only fall apart, but now apparently catch fire on occasion as ...
Apple continues to produce flimsy power adapters that not only fall apart, but now apparently catch fire on occasion as well. Why is this so difficult for them?
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by jkiewik (see profile) -
January 11, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent i will never go back to windows as long as i live
this is by far the best computer i have ever used. Mine originally came with OS X Tiger (10.4), ...
this is by far the best computer i have ever used. Mine originally came with OS X Tiger (10.4), and upgraded it to Leopard (10.5), and it runs even better. My only 2 gripes are i want more ram for the price ($1199 and only 1 GB!?!?) and more usb ports would be nice. Also, the fan layout should really be thought out better. I often after a couple of hours find that the bottom is hot enough to fry and egg on, and there is only 1 fan (right at the base of the display), and it get inadequate airflow so that it can cool off the computer, and its a definite battery hog. But Apple anything right now is such a better buy across the range than anything running Vista. All i know is that all my friends who went off to college bought macs, and i did too. i fail to see why anyone would buy anything else.
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by daskier1 (see profile) -
January 2, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Perfect computer, runs OSX and Vista blazingly fast
Simply the best laptop I've ever owned. As a previous Gateway and Dell owner, I switched to the iBook ...
Simply the best laptop I've ever owned. As a previous Gateway and Dell owner, I switched to the iBook in 2002 and haven't looked back since. The Macbook is the best by far. I have Vista business running in bootcamp and it performs incredibly fast. Great development platform for a CS major, geek, or other power user (although there are some major benefits from moving to the Macbook Pro). Switch to mac and you will be able to let go of your PC/windows frustrations.
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by ahaun88 (see profile) -
July 17, 2008
10 out of 10 - Perfect perfect computer
I haven't has a single issue with my macbook since i purchased it last February. It works great, extremely ...
I haven't has a single issue with my macbook since i purchased it last February. It works great, extremely stable, and it is a much more pleasant experience than my sony vaio laptop that I had prior to my macbook that literally died on my. If you are questioning making a switch from windows to mac, I can attest to the fact that I did it, having little experience being on mac computers before I bought my macbook and it was a great decision. I used windows-based computers for years and dealt with all there problems on a daily basis, not believing that macs could be that much better. well, in fact, they are, I feel much more comfortable on my mac than I ever did on my windows computers. Like I said, I haven't had a single issue at all. No more troubleshooting, crashing, system restore, error messages, etc. trust me, you'll be happy with your decision if you decide to purchase any mac, not just the macbook.
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by nola2012 (see profile) -
May 16, 2008
9 out of 10 - Spectacular outstanding upgrade
This represents probably the best laptop I've had from Apple, and I can say that for a few reasons....
This represents probably the best laptop I've had from Apple, and I can say that for a few reasons.
First, the device itself is topnotch. The screen is the most brilliant and crisp I've ever seen on a laptop. And everything on it just plain works. Every piece of software downloads from the web or installs from CD flawlessly. And a huge perk -- migration. The excitement and promise of a new computer is always tempered by the hassles of moving documents, pictures, applications, program settings, and everything else from old to new machine. It has never in the past gone well and usually promised several days of installing items one by one with uncertain success on getting new laptop to work like old one. Not this time. Mac OS X has "migration". It asked me, "do you want to bring over programs and data from your old laptop?" Sure, I said. And it did it! It walked me through the Firewire cable connection, the proper booting, and then it moved everything from old iBook to new MacBook. I restarted the MacBook and it was perfect. Every picture, every mp3, every piece of mail, every MS Office document, every application right where it was on the old laptop, every program option/preference just as it was before, every bookmark and browser plugin. I was stunned.
The second big plus I'll add is the support. Other reviews here seem to have trashed Apple support. My experience past and present has been very favorable. First, the Apple discussion forums online have helped me quickly and successfully for years. I've gotten far less help from Microsoft forums and I can't even find forums for Fujitsu, the maker of a tablet I own and use at work. Second, the APPLE STORE is fantastic! Before I bought this MacBook, I strolled in and reviewed all the issues I was looking for and concerned about regarding potential new laptop. The friendly eager guy probably spent 40 minutes with me and it made the prospects of upgrading so much better. I then purchased less expensively online (at Apple Store online, actually). A few days later I came back to my nearby brick-and-mortar Apple Store for a couple tips. The Apple Store provides free tech support with a live person face-to-face to anyone without regard to warranty status. That's just amazing. They helped me iron out a wrinkle and it's been perfect operation ever since. This is a tremendous plus for Apple. You can wait for hours on the phone for Dell or Microsoft tech support and hope that the problem gets solved from far away by a person who can't really see what's happening on your computer, or you can have a live friendly knowledgeable person see exactly what is going on and fix it right in front of you and explain the little technical issues involved which is so educational for the next glitch and you don't have to worry about whether the recommended fix will work because the Genius Bar tech person spends all the time necessary with you until the problem is resolved. And aside from the price of gasoline to drive to the Apple Store, it's free.
I've had Apple products ever since the IIc and PC products ever since IBM's original PC. But I keep my products a long time and don't upgrade for the heck of it, only when there's a big gain to be had which justifies spending some money. This is the best upgrade experience I've ever had. Very pleased, I think you will be, too.
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by steinbej (see profile) -
February 29, 2008
2 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A,
1 x Audio - SPDIF output/headphones - Mini-phone 3.5 mm / TOSLINK,
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 6 pin FireWire,
1 x Network - Radio-Ethernet,
1 x Audio - SPDIF input/line-in - Mini-phone 3.5 mm / TOSLINK,
1 x Display / video - Apple mini-DVI,
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45
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