Apple MacBook user reviews (Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD, SuperDrive DVD)

Pros Size, Speed

Cons Backwards-Compatibility, Display

Summary The main reasons to buy a Mac are met with this bad boy: style and speed.

I could not imagine traveling with any other notebook. It's lightweight, thin, and functional... easy to whip out during a layover at the airport bar or in the back of a taxi.

This thing is also fast enough to multi-task four or five resource-intensive applications with virtually no effort.

I would not own any other notebook, except perhaps the MacBook Air, which I have yet to even see in person.

All of that being said, you will find a few quirks with this system. Remember that applications built for old Mac G4s and G5s can have a few problems with the Intel Processors. Microsoft Office actually runs slower on THIS computer than on my old G4, which had half the RAM. Microsoft Entourage has serious issues with this system... it was so bad that I had to quit using that particular email client.

The display can also be a bit finicky. If you're plugged into A/C adapter, you'll probably be fine. I have been particularly embarrassed a couple of times, though, when I have carried this machine to client offices; when not plugged in, the display can often go so dim that you have to squint, adjust, and move really close to the screen to see what's on there.

In general, Apple really should put more USB ports on these MacBooks, too... there are only 2 of them. Once you plug in an external mouse and Flash Drive, that's pretty much the extent of what you can do unless you are carrying around a USB hub (which also means you're going to need your power adapter).

Overall, though, this is a great system for a great price, and at least three times superior as any of its closest PC counterparts.