Ars Technica Reviews the MacBook 453
phaedo00 writes "Ars Technica has performed another of their in-depth and thorough hardware reviews. The subject in this review is the newly released MacBook. From the article: 'The Apple portable web site proudly announces that the "family is finally complete." What began with an announcement from Steve Jobs at the MacWorld conference in January has come full circle with the release of the MacBook this week. Every Apple laptop is Intel powered and moving in what I would consider is the right direction. The laptop line is finally better delineated by pro and consumer features, and the prices have been fixed at points that better reflect the minute differences in the models.'"
The consumers were clamoring for new laptops (Score:5, Informative)
Re:The consumers were clamoring for new laptops (Score:2)
Re:The consumers were clamoring for new laptops (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The consumers were clamoring for new laptops (Score:3, Funny)
Speaking as someone who would like but can’t really afford a vasectomy, I could spin that as added value!
Re:The consumers were clamoring for new laptops (Score:3, Interesting)
from the link... (Score:2)
"OMG, it's a CPU not a sandwich!"
"That's not a f-ing sundae!!"
This review tempts me to no end. I'd need to try out that weird-looking keyboard. (The powerbook g4s have great keyboards and I type a lot, so the keyboard is, um, 'key.')
But I can't stand the tacky glossy screen--I don't need Toys 'R Us colors from the screen! Give me matte or give me, um, nevermind.
Complete... but I still wish there was a 13.3" Pro (Score:4, Interesting)
After getting my hands on it, I think I will eventually buy a black one. But still...
I wish that they had a 13.3 Pro coming out with a matte screen, backlit keyboard, and the extra little perks that the 15 and 17 Pro's have... But that would probably end up costing as much as the 15...
Re:Complete... but I still wish there was a 13.3" (Score:2)
Re:Complete... but I still wish there was a 13.3" (Score:3, Interesting)
Bottom line is you are paying $200 for the color, or lack thereof.
I still want one bad, but 82 degrees C is way to hot for my lap. I can believe he didn't mention the temperature as a con at the end, I agree with his conclusion earlier in the
Re:Complete... but I still wish there was a 13.3" (Score:5, Informative)
Some of you might also find this interesting: step-by-step take apart [kodawarisan.com]. Text is in Japanese, but fortunately the pictures are in English. =) Click on the left hand picture. Looks like the whole unit is much easier to disassemble than were previous 'books.
Re:Complete... but I still wish there was a 13.3" (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.oreillynet.com/mac/blog/2006/05/macboo
A video to show how easy it is to to get to the RAM chips and hard disk.
JP
Re:Complete... but I still wish there was a 13.3" (Score:4, Insightful)
Considering everyone wants faster CPUs and higher benchmarks, the answer is "yes"
Benchmarks (Score:5, Interesting)
So what's worse? Integrated graphics or an underclocked Radeon X1600?
Nonetheless, the MacBook looks great, and I can't help but feel sorry for the people who rushed out and got a MacBook Pro. It seems that Apple rushed the Pro out of the door, whereas they took their time with the MacBook and got it right.
Re:Benchmarks (Score:2)
The only thing that was a surprise is how fast the MacBooks are [compared with the Pros].
Re:Benchmarks (Score:2)
How I admire your faith!
Re:Benchmarks (Score:3, Interesting)
Remember that funny (and accurate) web page that shows the Apple product cycle? The Macbook is not yet at the stage where users demand their money back over some small detail that Apple overlooked. Wait a week or so, people will be damning Apple over heat issues, weird sounds, smells, thermal paste, whatever.
TiBook (Score:2)
But, I admit Intel-lust. I want an Intel-based processor not so much for the definite speed bump but for w
Re:Benchmarks (Score:3, Informative)
You mean this one [misterbg.org]?
-Grey [wellingtongrey.net]
Re:Benchmarks (Score:5, Informative)
Macbook Pro owners didn't get ripped off (Score:3, Interesting)
That's a pretty stupid question. The builtin chipset used sucks; it uses system ram, for starters. That is -really- going to hurt when you're mucking about in Aperture or iPhoto, or go to play a video and the whole system becomes slow as a dog.
Here's a test: why don't you try running Quake 4 at 1280x1024 or higher and tell me how well it works for you. Works FANTASTIC on the MBP (it was a little laggy sometimes, but they've since up
Re:Macbook Pro owners didn't get ripped off (Score:5, Informative)
I went to the Apple Store today, and this was the second thing I tried! It was able to play the 1080i version trailer of Art School Confidential without any problem (except for some bandwidth issues downloading the 150MB file). I didn't look at how much processor was being used at the time though.
The Cars trailer (it was 8xx X 3xx something resolution) also played without a hitch.
FPS? (Score:3, Informative)
Not saying that's what's happening, but "it looks good" can be misleading if you're trying to
Heard of external monitors? (Score:2)
Ever heard of external monitors?
Re:Heard of external monitors? (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, I picked up a few after I ran out of internal monitor bays in my case. They're more convenient, yeah, but usually more expensive than their internal counterparts.
Re:Benchmarks (Score:2)
Re:Benchmarks (Score:5, Funny)
"My new computer's got the clocks, it rocks
But it was obsolete before I opened the box
You say you've had your desktop for over a week?
Throw that junk away, man, it's an antique! "
It's just a fact of life.
-WS
Why Apple keeps things secret (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Benchmarks (Score:2)
Re:Spot on, this is embarassing. (Score:3, Interesting)
Did you catch the "reluctantly" bit in there?
I'm talking about Apple apologists who beable on slashdot about how the crappy video in the Mini is OK because it's "targeted for a different market".
Not to mention, everything running OS X is running 3D, not 2D.
There is absolutely no T&L or any other advanced 3d required by the OSX user interface. It's all throwing around scaled 2d bitmaps in a 2d plane with fake sh
Hope it was positive. (Score:2, Funny)
Conclusion (Score:4, Interesting)
Cons:
I wonder what hard drives they use. My powerbook's hard drive died in just a little over 2 years. Between whine noises, power adapters that fall away too easily, notebook latches that don't close properly, logic board issues, overheating, display glitches, dead hard drives and more, i think that apple
hardware is just as error-prone as regular pc hardware.
Re:Conclusion (Score:2)
In the Ars review, the mentioned that the thing was throttling the CPU down to avoid damage, and in another review [notebookreview.com] they had some instability caused by the heat.
I would have expected more from Apple, particularly after they had an identical issue with MacBook Pros. They have released a firmware update, but that just turns the fans on at lower temperatures, it can't increase the thermal conductivity of incorrectly applied thermal compound.
Re:Conclusion (Score:4, Informative)
Yeah -- This is an important point. You are buying a 1.83Ghz laptop, but effectively you are only getting a 1.66Ghz laptop. This should never happen under normal use conditions. (And 100% CPU should be considered normal use, so long as you aren't sitting on the beach or something.)
Re:Conclusion (Score:3, Interesting)
What's most amazing is the crowing about features that are on my Dell laptop that I bought back in December. Matter of fact in February I bought another for the SO, but that one had the glossy screen which neither of us really are all that thrilled with. But the screen is wide aspect and 1280x800. Price point is even the same. But the
Re:Conclusion (Score:2, Interesting)
I wonder what hard drives they use.
From what I've been able to gather in most of the disassembled pics I've seen, they use Fujitsu 5200RPM Serial-ATA 2.5 inch drives.
New keyboard (Score:5, Informative)
But, I did not like the keyboard. Compared to the keyboard on my PowerBook, or the MacBook Pro's, it didn't feel nearly as good. Maybe it's something you could get used to. But, I really like the old PowerBook keyboard..
Re:New keyboard (Score:3, Informative)
I got a chance to play with a Lenovo X60 (2GHz Core Duo, 1GB DDR2, bluetooth, wifi) today as well and I have to say that I wish the MB was more like it. It w
Unsure (Score:2)
Re:Unsure (Score:2)
Good bye i/power book (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Good bye i/power book (Score:3, Informative)
One factor could be that if pixel pitch is the same, non-widescreen has more pixels than a widescreen of the same "size."
A 12" "screen" (measured diagonally, as usual) would be approximately 9.6" x 7.2" (= 69 sq. in.) in 4:3 ratio whie it would be 10.5" x 5.9" (= 62 sq. in.) in 16:9. It's about 10% "smaller" even though it's labeled as the same "size."
Be aware of this fact when you buy wi
Re:Good bye i/power book (Score:3, Informative)
How could anyone NOT know? It's been the whole point of numerous Apple press releases and Slashdot stories. The MacBook Pro replaced the PowerBook, the MacBook replaced the iBook.
my thoughts on the heat (Score:5, Interesting)
On the other hand, I notice that my laptop's fan NEVER comes on, as long as I'm not in the hot sun. It seems that with the aluminum case, they have the luxury of using the back half of the laptop as a giant heat exchanger. Heat radiation is proportional to the difference in temperature between the air and the heatsink, so the high temperatures just mean that Apple has decided that having a quiet laptop was more important than a cool one.
My friends all have Dells and Sonys. Yes, they run cooler, but their fans are almost ALWAYS on, and if they run any more than the basics, they start to sound like a leaf blower.
Bottom line- with all my past laptops, I have had underclock them in order to keep the fans off, since that seems to be the first component to fail. I can put up with a hot computer, as long as it is quiet and lasts longer.
A final note- my processor has a full blown whine, but it is easily quited with the well-known quietMBP program. I hope someone comes up with a more elegant solution.
Re:my thoughts on the heat (Score:2)
It appears that Intel has disabled the ability to force down the clock speed in software vs. the PIIIm n
Re:my thoughts on the heat (Score:3, Insightful)
Considering heat is a major engineering issue for laptops, I'd say they should probably train the people to use the right amount, not just swing one way or the other. A thermal paste layer of more then 0.003-0.005 inches thick can be less effective then no thermal paste at all. The thermal paste is used to "close the air gaps" between surface imperfections in the heat sink and the devi
Re:my thoughts on the heat (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, if a significant number of machines in the wild are really sporting a quarter pound of paste then either I’m wrong or
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Not one person has mentioned the hard drive (Score:2)
Not one person ... except TFA (Score:5, Funny)
airport wpa pre-shared key macbook (Score:2)
59 hits [google.com].
Groups? - Nada [google.com].
Is this old news [oreillynet.com] still true that to do WPA from Airport you must talk to an Airport base station?
Re:airport wpa pre-shared key macbook (Score:5, Informative)
I, for one, am dissapointed. (Score:4, Interesting)
I, however, am looking for an upgrade for my 12" Powerbook G4. And this ain't it.
First of all, the glossy screen. I guess we've got that confirmed now. I hate those. As the Ars review mentions, that's not a feature 'professionals' want. I certainly don't.
Quite a few of the new features - display spanning, for example - are NOT a new feature for me. My 12" Powerbook can already do that.
I'm not sure about the keyboard... I'll have to go play with that at an Apple store or something.
Now, I would NOT pay $150 for a black case. I would, however, HAPPILY pay an extra $150 for a non-glossy screen. I will never buy a laptop with a glossy screen.
Re:I, for one, am dissapointed. (Score:3, Insightful)
I think the primary "professional" limitation to the Macbook is the integrated graphics, not the glossy screen. If you're doing video-intensive projects on the run, you'll perhaps want more powerful graphics. That being said, my primary professional use for a laptop is writing, and the Macbook will be more than sufficient for the task.
So far as the glossy screen is concerned, I prefer non-glare surfaces. The colors don't appear as saturated, but satin-finish screens suit me better under a variety of lighti
Ultraportable (Score:3, Insightful)
I really like Apple laptops. Great quality, performant hardware, and NOT expensive. However I have never bought a single Apple laptop. And you know why ? Because they don't make ultraportable laptops, and, oh boy, I wish they would ! The lighter Apple laptop is the MacBook at 5.2 pounds (2.36 kg). For comparison purpose my current ultraportable, a Panasonic R3 stands at 2.2 pounds (990 g !). Wouldn't that be cool a 2.2 pounds Apple laptop ?
Re:Ultraportable (Score:2)
How much do you like that Panasonic? I remember trying out out in a store once (I think so, anyways... maybe a different model?) and wondered if I'd like it after a few months of normal usage.
Re:Ultraportable (Score:4, Insightful)
For me the 3 extra lbs make a huge difference, let me explain you why. First it's not all about the weight, but also about the physical space a laptop takes. Second, I agree that this extra weight/space is not really annoying when you CARRY it, but in fact it really impacts the way you USE it. If you are the kind of person who exclusively use your laptop laid on a desk or occasionally on your laps for short periods of time (< 1h) and carry it in a regular laptop bag, then yes maybe you won't care about 5 lbs vs. 2 lbs. But if you are like me and like to use it like a book, to carry it with one hand with no bag when you walk short distances, to being sit comfortably on a couch with the laptop laid on ONE lap (because it's so small), etc, then 5 lbs vs. 2 lbs makes a lot of differences.
In addition to the weight/space advantage, such small laptops generally never overheat because they use ULV (ultra low voltage) processors, they have no fans so they are totally silent, and they have a long battery life: about 5h with my laptop, close to 7h with the new Panasonic R5, and probably around 10h with the T5 (Panasonic advertises 15h) !
Ultraportables (generally it means anything less than 1 kg = 2.2 lbs) have really changed the way I feel about laptops. It's as if there was a kind of "barrier" at 2-3 lbs: suddendly when you go under this barrier a lot of things become possible that you would not do with a 3+ lbs laptop.
Poor Dell (Score:3, Insightful)
Integrated graphics are for entry level machines (Score:2)
Yes I understand that this replaced two lines from the Power generation but they should have had an option for discreet graphics. There is a pricing hole between these machines and the Pro's that could have been filled nicely with an integrated graphics solution. Hell even the x1400 would have been acceptable and also easily comparable with offerings commoningly found in th
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:5, Insightful)
Just a thought.
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:5, Interesting)
It's funny how the original post is reflective of how ubiquitous the iPod has become. I'll throw in my own anecdote:
I fly about 15 times a year for business. In the last 6 months, out of about 8 flights, only 1 has told the passengers they can now turn on/off their "portable electronic devices". The rest of them told us we could now turn on/off our "iPods and other portable electronic devices". It didn't even occur to me until maybe a half hour after the first time I heard it. They just assumed most of us who had small electronic devices had iPods.
The fact is, most people won't even consider iPod alternatives. The reasons are varied, but for me it's because I've owned 4 MP3 players, including one Creative, before the two iPods I've bought (one is 3rd generation, and the latest is 5th generation), and every one of them sucked for a handful of reasons. Each one sucked for a different set of reasons, but they all sucked for more than one or two reasons.
I just got tired of wasting my money on "iPod alternatives", so I don't even consider them any more. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
On the integrated graphics, I think the MacBook has the same integrated video the Mac Mini has, which I've been using for about a month. I've tested dozens of apps in Mac OS X and Windows on my Mac Mini, and the integrated graphics performed WAY better than I expected. The only recent game I had any problem running because of the graphics was Doom 3. Half Life 2, World of Warcraft (Win and Mac) both ran comparable to my Powerbook with ATI Radeon 9700 and my AMD desktop with NVidia 6800GT.
We use Solidworks for engineering our products at work, and I showed one of our engineers how it ran on the Mac Mini in Windows XP with a very complex 400mb model, and we were both quite impressed. Especially considering it's an $800 computer, and he needs a $2500 computer to get noticeably better 3D video performance ($750 of that is a high-end workstation card).
Anyway, the point is, don't just write it off because it's integrated video. Not all integrated video is created equal...
Final Cut Studio not supported on MacBook (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:2, Informative)
The nanos don't have hard drives, they have flash memory, which is still more expensive per gig than hard drives, but much smaller, and solid state. Which is why they could make them that size.
I don't know if you can blame apple for it (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Integrated graphics are for entry level machine (Score:3, Insightful)
If you put it that way, it sounds like Apple is being very manipulative. However, if you look at the prices, the price difference is relatively not as drastic between the 4GB and 30GB models:
* 200 USD == 2GB iPod nano
* 250 USD == 4GB iPod nano
* 300 USD ==
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Informative)
The parent to my post was implying that the MacBook was a good deal.
So, Dell:
$1229
White MacBook with same specs:
$1549
Black MacBook with same specs:
$1699
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:5, Interesting)
$1487.
An equivalent Macbook (the lowest one) is $1099. Add in $200 for Applecare and the Macbook is still cheaper. Plus the Dell is 50% thicker. It also weighs 16% more.
An Inspiron 640m 14" notebook configured to be the same as the Macbook is $1457. Still $200 more and you don't get all that great software (OS X and iLife). It weighs the same, but is still 50% thicker.
What a 12" screen? You'll need a Inspiron 710m. But that means a 1.7 GHz Pentium M. Matching things the best I can otherwise (CD-RW only, no DVD reader or burner) it costs... $1658. That's $400 more than the Macbook. It weighs one pound less than the 13" MacBook but... it's STILL 50% THICKER.
The Macbook is a great deal. You say you configured a cheaper Dell... can you provide the model? I'd like to see for myself.
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:2)
^An amusing comment amidst all the "OMG my Mac can run XP using Boot Camp now!" going on now.
Not to single you out, but what is the standard mac fanboy's take on XP/Macs/etc? I was under the assumption that *most* of Apple's allure came from the OS. Without that, you've just got hardware (that looks sexy, sure, but these are still PCs that I'd imagine are used functionally, something the look of the case has little to do with). Th
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:2)
Who cares what you run on it, if it's the least expensive option on the market with quality parts? Personally, I wouldn't run Windows on it, but I wouldn't mind if people did.
Also, don't forget that all mac users aren't the same (as all windows or unix users aren't).
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Insightful)
Economically speaking, every retail version of OS X is an upgrade.
You can wipe the drive completely and do a clean install of OS X from any retail version. Upgrades require that you have a previous version of the operating system already on your drive. Sure, if you get a Macintosh you already have a previous version, but if ever something happens like a hard drive crash, you can just do a clean install. Windows upgrades require you install the previous version first then the upgrade in circumstances lik
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Interesting)
"I want a laptop... OSX is so well designed and elegant, and I can't wait to learn Cocoa and objC and do some development for it. But I really wish I could play Civ4 between classes. Maybe Windows isn't sooo bad..."
So you can see why a dual-boot option looks pretty damn good. I will be shelling out for a new MacBook in the next few weeks.
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Insightful)
The point is that people who think the MacBook is cheap are clearly not shopping around. If Dell are more expensive right now, perhaps it has something to do with the relatively short period o
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:5, Informative)
I go to Dell and check out the same model...
2 GHz Core Duo, 1 Gig of RAM, XP Pro, 100 Gig 7200 RPM drive, glossy screen, you're looking at $1746 shipped.
The price YOU quoted was for 1.66 GHz, XP Media Center, 5400 RPM drive, non-glossy screen.
By the way, both prices are after a 22% SALE that Dell is holding. I know they're always holding some sale or another, but even with the sale your price is flat out wrong for the specs you quoted.
This doesn't include all the great software that OS X comes with like iLife, iWork, and more. Also, the Dell is 50% thicker than the Mac. The video out is VGA only (not DVI). On the plus side, you do get the 5-in-1 media card reader (I'm still surprised Apple hasn't done this yet with all the media stuff they push).
If I make a white Macbook match the Dell (by upping the RAM, the hard drive, and adding Apple Care)... it costs $1798.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Macintosh premium: $52
That's 3%.
I'd GLADLY pay $52 to get OS X, iLife, and a laptop that isn't 50% thicker.
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Informative)
sehryan got THAT number by choosing a base model [dell.com] and adding only the stuff he/she thought was needed to be comparable to the MacBook's specs. You chose a premium model [dell.com], which has some non-removable features not found in the base model (or the MacBook), then you added some unnecessary features (not found in the MacBook) to make the Dell even more expensive. You also didn't mention some importa
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Informative)
Macbook:
2Ghz dual core
Mac OS X
13.3 inch display (remember not everyone wants a 15 inch screen)
512 MB 667 MHz (2 DIMMs)
60 GB SATA HDD 5400 RPM
DVD±RW/CD±RW Dual Layer
GMA950 64MB memory (shared)
iSight
Firewire/USB2.0
DVI out
digital audio in and out
802.11g and bluetooth
55WHr battery
5.2 lbs
To add to the specs that you provided the dell also weighs 6.18 lbs assuming a 6 cell battery and a DVD combo drive so we can add more weight for the battery you chose, it also has a media card reader
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:2)
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Interesting)
Having said that, I am disappointed that I'd have to drop another $700 for a Radeon 1600 (in the MacBook Pro, which is actually slower!). Not gonna go there.
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Insightful)
The GMA950 is free, it comes with the system chipset. It's hard to get any cheaper than that. A dedicated video chipset would probably add significant (relative) cost to the manufacturing of the i^HMacBook, as it would require additional system board real estate, cooling allowances and the chips (GPU and RAM) themselves.
With th
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:2)
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:2)
Back in the day, they used to be called laptops.
That was back before they either got too big to put on your lap, or hot enough to render you sterile.
Now I don't think any company in their right mind would market a "laptop," probably for liability reasons. Heck, my corporate ThinkPad came with a warning sticker that said it was only to be run on hard surfaces. (I will leave the requisite joke about laps and "hard" surfaces to the reader.)
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:2)
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:2)
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Interesting)
With a GPU, the Macbook would DESTROY the sales of the Macbook Pro. Once Intel comes out with the C2D, that chip will go into the Macbook Pro, and then there will be enough of a difference to allow big boy graphics in the Macbook. Then again, apparently Intel's next IG, the 965, will not suck AS bad and might suffice for basic 3-D use.
Re:Not to mention (Score:2, Funny)
What are they gonna do when blu ray burners start becoming standard? Call theirs an ultradrive? Or a megadrive, and get sued by sega?
Re:GMA950 graphics, bah! (Score:3, Insightful)
[sarcasm]And you're going to browse the internet/chat online/write a paper/view your digital pictures/watch a movie on a laptop with a 13.3" screen?[/sarcasm]
Why would screensize be the main argument against purchasing a laptop? Small size usually = mobility, which is sorta the point with laptops.
Re:WOW a Laptop!! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:WOW a Laptop!! (Score:2)
Should be noted that it is an ideal space heater for Siberian or Canadian winters
Re:WOW a Laptop!! (Score:2)
Re:WOW a Laptop!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Au contraire, mon frère! It seems the MacBook isn't really a "laptop" anymore [engadget.com]!
Re:WOW a Laptop!! (Score:5, Funny)
The term "laptop" went away after the first guy burnt his dick on one.
Then they called them "notebooks".
Re:Notebooks are complete. Product line is not. (Score:3, Funny)
Mac Mac Pro?
Re:Notebooks are complete. Product line is not. (Score:5, Funny)
Double Big Mac.
Re:Notebooks are complete. Product line is not. (Score:2)
Guy 1: We got one of those new computers at work..
Guy 2: which ones?
Duck: macmac!
Guy 1: those new apple machines...
Guy 2: i don't think I've seen them
Duck: macmac!
Guy 1: They've got the core duos...
Duck: MAC MAC!
Re:Notebooks are complete. Product line is not. (Score:2)
Will somebody please punch me in the face?
Re:$150.00 (Score:4, Informative)