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
Now they better up the specs on the MBP 13 soon
...or do what they did with the original iPhone and drop the price (in this case, on the plastic MacBook) after a couple of months. Unfortunately they'll miss the holiday spending sprees if they wait much longer.
@John Sullivan: Apple has been following the same release schedule for the last few years, I doubt we'll see anything new before the Holidays
Just make sure to buy Apple Care for your new machine I just found out logicboards last beween 1 and 3 years tops. and they can be replaced for the price of $499 + service. No wonder they were telling me "Are you sure you DON'T WANT Apple Care??"
They just bumped the specs on the MBP 13 in june so it might be a while.
Wow, now we've seen everything. Apple fanbois are actually AGAINST them lowering prices. Are you kidding me?
I'm glad you guys said this, because I was thinking there's no use for the macbook since the 13-incher came out. I still can't believe they didn't put firewire back on here, I'd never recommend a macbook to a friend after the old white ones again.
Or release a black model.
This thing is going to have a short product life. Apple always seems to over-forecast the low end of their product line. People who buy Macs want a premium machine, and this has too many compromises. Also, Mac buyers certainly don't want their toys looking worse for wear after normal use. I knew Apple sometimes made poor decisions because of the "style police", but don't they do any scratch testing? This will be history by July.
Why does Apple insist on making their products even more glossy than they've been? I gotta say Apple has made some strange decisions over the past year. Why did they have to make this white macbook entirely glossy and even more glossy than before? It looks cheaper now and more like a toy. Why oh why can't they just bring back that black Macbook, that thing was great and actually looked like a quality Mac since it wasn't glossy cheap looking. They should have just left the inside of this Macbook not glossy like it was on the previous model. Apple really has been changing a lot the past 2 years, I miss the way Apple used to be before the iPhone 3G blew them through the roof.
Poor 'tards couldn't even put the USB connector into the port opening without gouging it all up. Must have been suffering from Parkinson's disease. Just get a jeweler's file and bevel the port's edges.
They could pull HUGE sales numbers with a sub $700 unibody 13" with decent specs and nano-like color options!
I'm not saying they didn't do well (everyone knows that's not the case). But, hey, more is better!
I agree with you on the pricing. If they had dropped the price to $799 and kept everything as is, they would be in a much stronger position. But right now they're probably sizing up Windows 7 - if that release goes well and people like it, they'll be more aggressive, but if it goes badly, people will fork over the extra cash for a Macbook.
Apple is to PC as Abercrombie is to Aeropostale. We all know that the products are similar enough and should be priced accordingly, but people will always pay more for the trendy "brand."
Apple will do just fine.
@Detox
Yes, Apple is doing very well right now. However, you'd be a total idiot to think that just because they're doing well means that they should stop pushing the envelope. Bigger sales = bigger profits, and they would push a LOT more people over to the Mac if they had a $700 laptop that looked pretty and worked well. The difference between $700 and $1000 when picking out a new computer is pretty huge for most people, and I'm sure that gap drives hundreds of people towards a new Windows machine every day. You're telling me that just because Apple is doing well, they don't want a few hundred new customers every day? That's really stupid.
Netbooks aren't the Apple way. Netbooks aren't even the Microsoft way, which I'll get to in a minute. Netbooks are killing the PC market, which is why crappy companies like Acer are now passing Dell in market share. Not that Dell isn't a crappy company too. There will be a day where the only company that can really make money in the PC market is Microsoft, but Microsoft is a lot like Apple in a lot of ways. They sell a high profit margin product. In fact, Microsoft's profit margin is actually larger than Apple's margin with Macs.
It probably costs Microsoft ten cents to press a Windows disk and even selling it for $50 to a PC OEM, they're making a killing. Even when you throw in development costs and marketing, Microsoft has the highest profit margin sales in the industry.
But good for them. That should be any corporation's goal in business.
I am just looking for an average priced laptop, and think that a Mac will never sit on my lap, desk.
@Detox
Sorry, but where did this talk about netbooks come from? $700 is nowhere near netbook price.
@chefgon_ign: uh, no, more sales does not equal more profits unless you're selling more at the same price point. Apple have clearly made a decision a long time ago to not go after the volume market, they're positioned as a premium brand and it's clear that's working astonishingly well for them. If they dropped the macbook to $800 then they'd also have to drop the price on the Mac Mini at the very least or it ends up looking ridiculous so they'd be making less profit on two lines. They may well be able to sell more units but are they in a position to meet that demand? Their current production facilities will be geared for x number of units and if they can sell y but can't produce it they'll actually make less money in the long run.
Ultimately folks this is simple - Apple just launched a new consumer product for the run up to Christmas. It is priced at a point they KNOW will sell and they'll probably sell very well indeed. Let's not forget they shifted a ton of the old MB even though it was out of date on spec and several years old on design. It'll also cause a fair few people to reach the same conclusion Engadget did and try to save enough for the MBP which is more than likely a higher profit per unit than the MB. After Christmas, if sales drop off, they've got more than enough room to drop the price a bit if they want to or introduce a new product somewhere beneath the $1,000 mark. Like, say, a tablet for example....
lol. I think Abercrombie is only trendy for 15 year olds in the midwest. I don't think anyone else would be caught dead wearing one of those brands on their shirt
@chefgon_ign: "Bigger sales = bigger profits" is not the exact formula. More precise would be "sales * margin = profits". With Apple's margin around 30%, selling the MacBook for $700 would mean that they sell it at cost or make it even crappier, which comes at a brand cost. As it is now, Apple can buy Dell and their larger market share in cash.
More is not always better. Why do more work for the same money? Say it costs Apple $500 to make a MacBook. When they drop the price from $1000 to $800, the profit they make on each laptop is almost HALF. Why kill yourself trying to fulfill twice the orders, answer twice the tech support calls, and perform twice the warranty repairs for the same money?
Also consider the target customers: how profitable is it really to go after the people who refuse to pay a couple of extra hundred for a laptop? Those cheap bastards (myself included) will probably laugh in your face when you ask about Applecare, won't even glance twice at your $70 mouse, and don't even mention the overpriced plastic iPod accessories or they'll go into some sort of penny pinching rage. Contrast that with someone who is willing to pay more for intangibles, and is a little less concerned with their pocketbook. They think the MacBook's got that something special that the specs simply can't describe, so they're willing to pay the extra cash for it. Want an iPod with that? Sure, why not. Oh and it's *ONLY* an extra $100 for the 16 gb model you say? Well, now I *HAVE* to get the iPod dock/alarm clock too!
@parki, Steve
Nice, guys, you raised some issues even I didn't think about. We actually have some sharp commentators who don't jump into the "Apple sucks" box every time Apple is mentioned. Bravo!
I'm telling you that same thing right now; this summer, my market was exactly 700 to 750 dollars, and I ended up getting a PC. If Mac had been that price, I'd have bought one in a heartbeat.
um, parki et al. Apple has to only push 25% more units to make up the difference in prices of $1000 and $800. ex. 100,000 units sold at $1000 and 125,000 units sold at $800. is it harder to sell 25% and more at $800 vs $1000, dunno, maybe not. Correct me if my percentage is incorrect.
Josher, you are wrong, because there is a huge different between profits and revenue. While revenue is important, profits are moreso.
I would try to explain, but it might be easier to just look at wikipedia, or take an economics class.
@stealthebeatles sry forgot to account for the "$500" or w/e it costs to make the laptops... just finished work and sick so im a bit out of it.
alrighty, my attempt at revising my numbers at "$500" manufacturing costs it'll take 66.6666% increased sales.. lower manufacturing lower % etc. if im wrong again then well w.e. im a bio major n have the flu :P
@parki - So you can make them more and more people use your software and your music and video store?
Show me a company that has lowered its prices while its quarterly results were consistently smashing estimates and I'll show you a CEO that needs to be fitted for a hockey helmet.
$999 is as far south as an Apple laptop will go. All you MBA Jrs. should seriously do some brand-preservation research.
So you think they'd make MORE profit by slashing prices by 30%. Brilliant.
To you I say, take a look at Dell's financials.
Dell? You remember them? Dell? The company Apple could buy in cold hard cash, if they wanted to. Which of course, they don't. Because its a crappy commodity PC box assembler. With no margins.
Great Idea though, PC User.
*sigh......................
To follow on from Steve's comment:
"Apple have clearly made a decision a long time ago to not go after the volume market, they're positioned as a premium brand"
Absolutely.
It's just a shame this isn't a premium product.
Dents? = cheap and nasty.
Scratches? = cheap and nasty.
Discolouration? = cheap and nasty.
That's ignoring the lack of ports, which to be fair don't bother me so much as I can live with 2 usb's.
But there's precious little about this machine that's premium, apart from the very nice trackpad.
It's interesting you are all on about price.
In Australia the new models combined with the slight exchange difference last week mean this is the cheapest macbook yet. It's only $1299AUD, which upon a trip to the local Best Buy equivalent turned out to be the cheapest 13" available with similar specs, such as C2D, the closest other was a C2D Sony for $1999AUD.
There are cheaper netbooks, tiny ones, but in the category Apple is now the cheapest of the branded laptops in the shop.
The cheapening of ports though is a bit rough, mind you a client is buying one, they just need a consumer machine so FW, dual audio and SD doesn't mean so much. Personally aside from the easy scratch case it's either this or the 15" MBP with dedicated GPU for price/value
MaBooks are awesome :)
So are PaBooks.
GrandPaBooks? Or would it be GrandPaPro?
I question why anyone would buy this, the backlit keyboard on the pro is worth the extra $200 alone
I can't remember the last time I had to look down to type. Maybe to hit one of the F1- F12 keys but that's about it.
Maybe on a cell phone you're trying to type or dial on in the dark it's a nice feature to have, but you really should know how keyboards are laid out if you use computers. If you're still looking down at the keyboard just to type you just need to learn to type, and it's not even that hard although I suppose it's really easiest if you don't learn it the wrong way to begin with.
Then again I guess the kind of person who would buy this underwhelming excuse for a thousand dollar laptop might actually need a lit keyboard because they're probably the kind of person who wouldn't ever bother to learn how to type correctly.
P.S. This entire post was typed up in the dark on an unlit keyboard without ever looking at the keyboard-gasp.
aww man. An SD card would have been awesome. Still a nice looking laptop.
The day that Engadget gave Apple a sorta bad review...I think I've died. LOL
No, j/k everyone.
But I don't see why they keep this MacBook around either. I agree they should've at least lowered the price by 100...even 50.
I don't really see why anyone would pick this over a MacBook Pro 13" for just a 200 difference.
They had to give it a bad review.. so they can keep everyone off their backs about hoarding all the equipment, building suspense, saying 'oooh look the Apple store is down!' and then having full hands on with all the equipment a half hour later.
You can buy this new MacBook today for $899 if the price is what's bothering you. Who pays MSRP for anything, anyway?
Yes, that's it -- Apple paid us to build suspense, and the dramatic conclusion to the conspiracy was this review.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go bathe in money before we interview Steve Ballmer live on our show.
Nilay knows how to live it up. Don't forget to scrub behind those ears!
Ooooh. I feel special that one of the writers actually responded on MY comment. =]
But I was only being sarcastic for those who take it the wrong way.
And where can you get an Apple product for less than what Apple sells it?
I don't do back alley purchases. LOL.
Ooh...and Nilay, can I trouble you for a bar of $100. I ran out. =]
Froogle.com
Nilay, you mean bathe in Apple gift cards, right?