We'll just come out and say it: we're totally underwhelmed by the
new plastic MacBook. Hell, we were underwhelmed by the
old plastic MacBook back in June, when we
reviewed the refreshed unibody MacBook Pros -- we said we were "honestly left wondering" why the $999 plastic model continued to exist when the $1,199 13-inch Pro was obviously superior. So when we heard the
first whispers that Apple was working on a total overhaul of its low-end MacBook, we naturally assumed that it would either gain in features or drop in price -- but neither one of those things happened. The new plastic MacBook remains priced at $999 in its only configuration, and while it's been updated with the same unibody construction as the Pros, it's also lost some features along the way. So... what's going on here? Did Apple just blow a huge opportunity to totally re-think its low-end formula, or is there more to the MacBook than the spec sheets and price tags say? Read on to find out.
Although it's easy to miss at first glance, the new MacBook is externally quite different than its predecessor -- it's all curves instead of hard angles. Considering their shared unibody roots, it should be no surprise that there's a strong family resemblance to the aluminum Pros -- apart from some more aggressively rounded corners, the MacBook is essentially the same case rendered in gloss white plastic. That translates to an incredibly solid feel, with zero chassis flex and no squeaks or rattles whatsoever.
Here's the thing about that gloss plastic, though: while it's not the fingerprint magnet we expected it to be, it scratches like crazy. Seriously -- all we've really done with our review unit is take it out of the box, snap some photos, and move it around the office for a day, and the top looks like it's been attacked by a bear. Considering how durable our older (black) plastic MacBooks have been, that's pretty disappointing -- we're guessing the case-protector market for this machine will do brisk business. On the flipside, it's certainly easier to clean the glossy palmrests, so we're hoping they won't discolor as easily as on the outgoing model.
Sadly, that doesn't carry over to the bottom panel, finished in a soft-touch rubberized material which picks up all sorts of grime. Again, this machine has only been out of the box for a day, during which time we've taken its picture and used it on a desk to write this review, and all four contact points on the bottom have become worn and discolored. (That little yellow patch wasn't there
when we unboxed it, remember?) To be fair, the dirt there cleaned off pretty easily -- Apple recommends a microfiber cloth, of course -- but the color didn't change back, and we imagine it would've been even worse if we'd actually taken it out of the office.
Once you open it up, the standout new feature is the large buttonless glass multitouch trackpad, the same unit found on the Pros. If you've been following Apple, you already know all about this guy -- the immense glass surface is a pleasure to track on, but the one-big-button design is definitely polarizing, and it's up to you to decide if you love it or not. On the other hand, we'll just come right out and say we're in love with the keyboard, which is about as solid as a chunk of granite -- we pounded away pretty hard writing this review, and there was absolutely zero flex anywhere. Chalk up a big win for unibody construction.
As far as the screen, it's much nicer than previous plastic MacBook screens -- it's similar to the panel in the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro in that it's LED-backlit and has a nice wide viewing angle, but the Pro has a 60 percent great color gamut. We didn't notice the difference in day-to-day usage, but we did notice that it's rather dim -- to the point where we initially assumed the max brightness setting was only halfway up. It's still a nice screen, don't get us wrong; we just wish it was a little brighter.
Round the left side you'll find a surprisingly meager port selection -- two USB, Ethernet, and mini DisplayPort, along with a combo headphone / line-in jack and a security slot. That's it -- no FireWire, no SD card slot, no HDMI. You can make a reasonable case for the lack of FireWire and HDMI (well, maybe), but the omission of an SD card slot is totally mystifying -- there's no way to argue that an SD reader is a feature that should reserved for the MacBook Pro. Let's put this another way: we'd gladly trade the fancy new trackpad for an SD slot -- that's how much more useful it would have been.
Oh, and that gloss-plastic that scratches so easily up top? Yeah, it's just as wimpy on the sides -- we've maybe plugged one or two things into this USB port and it's already dented up. In fact, the more we used the MacBook, the more disheveled it got -- the unibody build might make it stronger internally, but on the outside it's soft white plastic, and it shows right away.
On the other side, you'll find a pretty bog-standard dual-layer DVD±RW drive -- no Blu-ray here. None of Apple's machines got Blu-ray this time around, and while we've sort of given up expecting it, it's hard not to notice that lots of other thousand-dollar laptops have BD drives.
Inside, the internals have been updated to match the 13-inch MacBook Pro -- a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo and NVIDIA 9400M graphics on a 1,066MHz bus with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a 250GB drive. That means it's plenty fast for most tasks -- we didn't run any deep benchmarks, but our general feeling was that performance was right in line with the Pro, and the early numbers we've seen here and there tend to back that up.
On the power front, the obvious big change is the new sealed-in battery. Apple rates it at the same seven hours as the one in the 13-inch Pro, and we accordingly got about the same real-world four-to-five hour lifespan out of it during our general-usage sessions -- browsing, image and document editing, media playback. It's hard to quibble with a longer-lasting sealed-in battery on a consumer-oriented machine, since so few general consumers buy spares, but the battery does
look to be easily user-serviceable if you're steaming mad about it. There's also a slightly-redesigned MagSafe connector that's similar to the one from the MacBook Air -- it's a nice improvement that relieves some cable strain, and both MacBook and adapter work just fine with older MagSafe plugs and sockets.
Wrap-up
And... that's it. The MacBook is an extremely competent, utterly boring laptop that doesn't have enough ports. If you're desperate for a new Mac and you've only got a grand, it'll do you fine, and the unibody upgrade and nicer screen are certainly welcome -- plastic laptops simply don't come any more solidly built than this. If it were up to us, however, we'd stay home on Saturday nights until we'd stashed enough coin for the $1,199 13-inch MacBook Pro -- not only for the added SD card slot and FireWire port, but also for the brighter, better display and aluminum case that doesn't scratch, dent, and discolor at the slightest provocation. There's just no reason to skimp and get the MacBook if you can manage to get the Pro.
That's probably cool with Apple -- they told us that the base Pro was a fine entry-level machine back in June, after all -- but we can't help but feel that this new MacBook represents a wasted pricing opportunity. At $999 it's just too easy to say that you should simply get a Pro, as the added features and aluminum case are absolutely worth an extra $200. But if this machine were, say, $799, it'd be a whole different story, and we'd be far more positive about things -- not to mention the fact that Apple would have an answer for those
Laptop Hunters ads. Of course, there's no reason for the company to lower prices when it's already
making money hand over fist, but hey -- we can dream, right?
posted October 22nd 2009 12:30PM
Why should you be any different in Australia than here in the United States?
Apple has been gouging/over charging for their machines for years here as well.
They want to make as much $$$ as they can on each item so that they can say that they have great profits.
Thats a MILF - A Macbook I'd Like to F***
Your sexual organs must be quite small then.
the new macbook does look great and I am glad they didn't make any changes in the basic look. however for 1000 dollars it offers so little and is way over priced
I'm pretty impressed, given that it's $300 cheaper in Australia and it's got the new trackpad.
I'm sorry Nilay, but the fact that you get paid to write statements like, "we said we were "honestly left wondering" why the $999 plastic model continued to exist when the $1,199 13-inch Pro was obviously superior" is ridiculous.
The only situation that that statement would make any kind of sense would be if the 13-inch Pro was cheaper than the plastic MacBook. At $200 cheaper, I think there is assumed inferiority.
I've used the same ibook for several years but the screen broke recently. The high cost of a new mac resulted me in buying a £400 toshiba 17" laptop which im really happy with. Sure i liked the mac for video editing but i prefer picasso to iphoto. I think apple is finding it harder to justify prices, and losing customer like me can't be a good thing for any company
Actually, I think there'll be another smaller DVD-less CULV laptop eventually. But Apple's playing it by the book - first release the higher end models, then the lower end ones (they did that many times over). If they also offered a lower priced Netbook-style laptop they'd lose lots of sales to that model. Hence they'll fill the demand for a Macbook first and then move downwards. So far's my guess.
As for the specs, it actually looks like they made it heavier than necessary just to differentiate between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro 13. If you look at the rubber coated bottom plate - it's made of aluminum (same as the pro models). But the rubber coating adds another 200g. This is pretty much exactly the weight difference to the Pro model.
So, overall, I think the current Macbook is a bit of a dud but I think they'll adjust their pricing or model range soon. Now that Windows 7 is out they'll have a lot more competition.
Wow, talk about epic fail here. As others have stated, they really should have lowered their prices to $750-$850 range and could have done really well. As a owner of a white refurb MacBook, it's been terrific (a little scratch happy though...), but I think Apple really LOST their chance at making a difference here (and sales). As soon as I'm done with my MB, looks like I'll be going back to PC land, I really, really, can't find the value here. And, for what I do - I don't really need a $1,300 (before warranty purchase) to get what I need done.
Love my Apple support, but wow - talk about some easy, easy scratching?! Could they EVER, EVER use matte plastics for once (a la "BlackBooks"). Total disappointment.
What a failure of a laptop. They made it look better, gave it a better screen and trackpad, then removed features that actually mattered and called it a day.
Of course it will still sell like gangbusters since people value looks and idiotproof operation over features and value.
think this review's a bit harsh on the whitebook - for me I still prefer it to the aluminium versions which I feel are too flashy. Agree about the SD slot though... like the idea about have multi colour, nano-style versions...
Wow, those are some serious scratches!
How's the multi-card reader? The HDMI port? The firewire port? The VGA port? The extra drive bay? The RAM expansion past 4GB? The CPU upgrade experience? The Lightscribe burning? The blu-ray player? The 7200 RPM hard drive speed?
Oh... Wait, I'm thinking of an $800 laptop made by someone other than Apple. The MacBook doesn't have any of those things.
Which is why I switched to PC this year. I'm not paying $999 for an underpowered laptop with last year's tech and fewer features again. Even if it IS prettier than my PC.
ZeroCorpse you're stupid lol. The White MacBook is a basic machine for basic Computer users. Probably 90% of the people that will buy this machine don't know what a firewire cable is, don't know what a SD card is, don't need more then 4gb of ram, don't need to upgrade there machine, blu-ray on any screen lower then a 20 inch is overated, and they wont need a 7200rpm drive to access photos of their retirement party or the bar last night. This is not a gaming machine that what the iMacs and the MacBook pros are for. Grow up stop gaming in your parents basement and think before you comment.
APPLE THIS IS YOU NETBOOK
now lower the price please
Further proof that Apple is getting too complacent..
I love apple and honestly I know this isn't going to hurt them AT ALL, but jesus, I think this just proves that they are really getting smug and honestly believe that people will just buy anything. The sad thing is, people WILL. Nerds won't, but general consumers will definitely buy this thing and won't even think of returning it when it gets banged up in 2 days, because they are idiots. What upsets me is that Apple is banking on this and they are happy with it :(...
Maybe it's because Steve has been ill and absent but I feel like for the last couple of releases Apple has stopped innovating... There hasn't been a good BOOM! in a while now... Maybe it's part of a grand scheme to introduce the iPhone 4G running for $10 a month on Apple's own worldwide top secret cell network with a 2Ghz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 1TB storage launching for $99 in June, and make everybody sha-dooby their trousers.
... Maybe not.
hmm... i have desire to have a macbook ! ... and it's just perfect for me.. well .. i saw it in....
why there is no video review? engadget come on!
The new Macbook really looks like a poor deal when I consider that my 3-year old Macbook (an eternity in Apple time) has a FW port and removable battery that this one does not, and virtually the same features except for a speed boost, and I have invested only a few hundred dollars more on mine.
I'm still a mac fan in other respects, but I also just got a new Viao laptop with blu-ray, HDMI, 4GB ram and 15" screen for $700. With Win 7 now, I'm really starting to turn back to PC in the laptop world.
I remember Apple going on record as stating something to the effect of "we can't figure out how to make a sub $1000 computer that isn't garbage." Well, here is a $999 Apple computer which pretty much proves they were right all along.
I'm so mad they took out the firewire ughhhhh... first on the first gen 13 inch aluminum macbook then they turned that into a "pro" Thank god they put it back in in the 2nd revision of the 13 inch aluminum macbook. But seriously...this really saddens me especially for all the upcoming rookie artists who wanna use logic but who wanna get a cheap machine and who now cant take advantage of the apogee duet or video editors at a novice level who will buy a nice firewire cam and try to plug it in and be like WTF? seriously what the fuck was apple thinking? I seriously getting so annoyed with apple lately and I'm a harddcore fanboy...Like that stupid shit with the iPhone first gen "Sorry no mms because the radio inside doesnt support it" WHAT A BUNCH OF HORSESHIT the programmers are just effing lazy. I'm just glad I got my macbook when I did back in early 08 but seriously apple they needs to get their shit together because 1,000 dollars for a laptop without firewire, sd card slot or a blu ray drive is just theft
I just bought one of this.
I am a singer, songwriter... and use laptos mostly with pro recording software.
The thing is, considering most people who needs a laptop for pro use buy new computers every 3 to 4 years, U$ 200 makes a difference every new purchase.
So, in my case, I prefer to buy the least expensive, if the features it lacks don't compromise the work I'll do with it. Even if it dents or scratches... you could always keep the old one to your self for like, a media center, a backup machine, etc...
What I did, instead of buying the entry Pro, I bought the white one, a 1TB external HD, minidisplay to DVI adapter, and have some money to buy maybe the new Magic Mouse.
The one advantage to the plastic case is the Wifi range is much better...
I think many people are exaggerating here with the lack of SD card reader and Firewire port.
Do not be a statistical genius to realize that the average reader of Engadget is more tech savy than the average. But this is a mainstream machine. Most people have one card in your camera and rarely takes it out, using the USB connection. And the firewire drives are not very common in the home makret. being more associated with the world of video editing. This is a home and student computer, I find it hilarious to see how some people demand for professional features (what about the Core i7, apple? shame on you!) when Apple has very clearly defined what the pro range.
And maybe it hasn't IR port, but I would find more logical that apple released a bluetooth Apple Remote.
I just got the new MacBook a couple of weeks ago, but I only paid $799 after a $200 rebate at Microcenter. That brings the price down to Earth, so to speak. This is my first Mac.
Pros
- plays well with everything (wifi router, printer, file sharing, etc...)
- glass trackpad is FANTASTIC. No longer need a mouse. This is better than any mouse (i.e. the 2-, 3-, and 4-finger swiping).
- specs are quite comparable to any other off-the-shelf full-laptop currently sold.
- SnowLeopard is stable and quick.
- weight is very reasonable for a 13.3" laptop.
- battery life is acceptable, but not stellar (like, say, the Asus UL series').
- the magsafe charging cable is very cool, and very compact.
Cons
- Edge is SHARP!
- Keys have a "cheap" feel to them. I don't know why everyone raves about Apple's keyboard. It's mediocre to type on. Sony's is better. I think my msi WIND's keyboard is also better!
- no SD card is sheer stupidity
For $799, the MacBook Pro was not even a consideration, and I'm happy with my decision, but I'd probably have been just as happy with the ASUS UL30A that I was planning to get. I have no use for an optical drive at this point.
So, not blown away, but not disappointed either.
you can always protect your laptop with Gmask transparent skin wrap. In which it protect against scratches, even at the bottom of the laptop
Find out more here: http://www.gmask.com
I think its nice, a lower price would of been much more smarter and made more sense.
I am am thrifty, and realized that it's a good idea to save the $200 bucks or so in exchange for the fancy aluminum case which will dent, I did spring for 4gb ram -so while some people are boasting about how much prettier their mac PRO is mine with extra ram in it makes a bigger difference to me.
On the other hand if you did spring for it, GREAT, you got value for your satisfaction, and a better screen(this mac display ALREADY looks better than my pc display had so I'm happy).
Since I do wash my hands before I sit down to work, and I'm not one of those guys who talks on the cellphone in the john who leaves without washing. I think my white (though not my first practical choice) mac will do fine.
I am posting this from a Macbook which was down to €900 (I live in Ireland) and I got another €100 off with a coupon what I was wondering was did I get a good deal?
P-P-P-Powerbook!