New Apple MacBook review roundup
What better way to wrap up "new MacBook week" than to round up our reviews of three of the new models in one handy place?
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Editor's Note: We've updated this post to include the fall 2009 version of Apple's white MacBook.
What better way to choose a new MacBook than to round up our reviews of all the latest models in one handy place? We took a look at the latest 13-inch white polycarbonate version--the last laptop to still carry the standalone "MacBook" name, the aluminum unibody 13-inch, now part of the MacBook Pro family, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro. There were not radical changes in 2009's summer and fall round of updates, but the small tweaks all added up to a decently improved product.
We were especially excited about the SD card slots on the Pro models, a feature we've wanted for a long time, and the new batteries, while non-removable, offered a boost in battery life. In a nod to today's especially price-sensitive consumer (and the growth of low-cost Netbooks), most Pro models are $100-$200 less than their predecessors. The latest version of the $999 non-Pro Macbook now has the same large multitouch touchpad as the other models, an LED display, and a similar unibody design.
Apple MacBook
For $999, it's hard to beat this MacBook's nearly MacBook-Pro-level specs if you're in the market for a budget Apple laptop.
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch
Previously known as the MacBook, Apple's basic 13-inch aluminum unibody laptop has been promoted to the "Pro" series, all while adding features and cutting the base price.
Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro makes only minor tweaks to the previous version, but cutting prices and swapping the ExpressCard slot for an SD card slot are enough to make it a solid improvement over its predecessor.