I finally bought a macbook after weighing all the pros and cons, after waiting for almost a year for Vista, and finally abandoning a Vista PC, after numerous poor opinions about several issues, including drivers, interface and stability. The MAIN reason why I opted for a macbook, was the purported stability of the OS, the lack of viruses and the speed, but I also would not have bought a mac, if it didn't run Windows.
You see, the main problem with the mac OS is that there is much less software wrttten for the mac, and what software vesions are there for the mac, have different and(to me) more difficult to use interfaces. for example, I detest Yahoo for mac, though the smiley is larger and more bouncy, there is no dialing facility and if a window opens, I can't access it as I can from Window. Thats one example. another is my HP printer, which has a Mac OS X version that sucks, compared to the clean, easy windows designed interface.I prefer the Windows Palm Desktop interface to the Mac interface
So I use windows on the same laptop
What I like about the macbook:*
- Value for money: "Value for money!" In a macbook? Well, yes, I was waiting for an Intel Core 2 Duo 7200 seriesprocessor with 4 MB cache, it still is not available on most laptops, except Sonys and Dell as an option, but if I were to buy it on a Dell, it would raise the cost to >70, 000, and on a Sony >90, 000. I got it for 54, 000 and added 1 more GB of RAm for 4500.(Transend 667 MHz RAM, not 553, which is cheaper)
Update: Sep 2007:Now 7 series Intel C2 D processors are available for Dell. the M1330 is especially enticing at 60k. The 7200 has been discontinued and is replaced by the 7300 Santa Rosa(Centrino) C2 D that runs at 2.0 Ghz, but with 800 Mhz FSB, vs the 667 for the 7200, both have 4MB L2 cache, though, as the RAM is not yet 800 Mhz, I really don't know if the 800 Mhz FSB will make any diiference. The Dell M1330 is available with the 7100 processor which has only 2 MB L2 cache or the 7250, which has the same cache, but a better clock speed, 7300 is also available at extra price. Mac still wins for price, battery, OS and design, though Dell is a good option too now with the lovely M1330.
Finish:In one word, Beautiful. The Minimalistic, White polycarbonate.chiclet like design. no jutting out parts, latches or cameras. Apple beats everyone else hands down on design, though I was partial to the HP TX 1000 and some Sony Vaios
Magsafe: The powercord fits in magnetically, no fiddling around. And if your 1 year old should rush past the cord, the cord just snaps off, leaving the laptop on your lap or on the table, not smashed on the floor. it is a very intelligent idea. More over, they have integrated a tiny LED light on the small magsafe connector, it glows amber while charging and when it is green you know you have a full charge. great idea
Speaking of LEDs, have you ever wondered how much charge is remaining in your laptop, put have to boot it up to find out? Well in the macbook, you just press a recessed(no bulging parts here) button under it and 5 LED light light up to show you a full charge, 4 for 80% and 1 for 20% charge. if the last LED is blinking, you know your almost out of juice, all without switching it on.
And it even tells you how far it has charged, for example, if it has charged more than 80% all 4 LED will be lit and the last blinks, if 60% three are lit and the 4th blinks, very intelligent!
Keyboard: Very nice to use, responsive keys kept just enough apart. I like it
Slot in DVD: NO moving parts again.easy to load and unload, just be careful not to use DVDs with labels, they might get stuck
Battery life: pretty good: Around 3-4 hours average, though upto 6 hours is possible and that beats everyone else hollow
8. iSight Webcam: Small, discreete and recessed. If laptops were butlers, this one would be Jeeves. and works better than any webcam I have ever seen, clear pictures
- Sleek ipod shuffle sized remoteworks great with frontrow to show your photos and songs
And that was just the hardware!
So, you see, just the hardware is reason enough to buy the macbook
But it gets better, we haven't touched the OS. OS X Tiger now, Leopard is just 4 months away and it blows Vista out of the water. Even Tiger beats Vista hands down, check out the CNet prizefight of Mac OS X Tiger vs Vista, but I still use Vista, the same old program problem, so with the mac, I have the best of both worlds, when I want a stable email session, or keynote, I use mac, when I use my printer or palm, I use windows
The windows XP on the same laptop has hung 5 times in 2 months(ALT+CTRL+DEL) OS X: Not even once
OS X Boots in 20 sec, XP in 50sec
OS X lets you see all open windows in one stroke
OS X needs no antivirus
OS X comes with great bundled software(iLife, photbooth etc)
Keynote is far better than powerpoint, watch the demo at apple.com. 3 D transitions, beauttiful graphics, there is NO comparison
God is in the details, and apple really goes in detail, for example:
1, The macbook doesn't come in that generic manila hued cardboard box, that even Sony Vaois come in, no, it comes in a beautiful white/black carry box, with perfect foam packing(firm foam), neatly reccesed areas, neat, beautiful, chic and even with a plastic handle to carry the box) oooh. the nitty gritty, the small stuff, all taken care of by apple
- The power cords, white/grey solid stiff with a nice glaze. everything speaks quality, though the macbook is actually entry level
Now, what I don't like:
No card reader. I had to buy one for 200, its Ok
Only 2 USB ports
No DVD Writer at the lower price point
OS X Software is sometimes less attractive than the windows counterpart
No separate graphics card(you get it in Pro, for a price)
The main headache I have is that there is no VGA port. yes, you read right, you cannot connect an LCD projector for presentations! There is a "mini- DVI" port for which you can buy a "mini DVI- VGA adaptor" at 1k, but is unfortunately unavailable in most places, This has resulted in my beautiful, sleek and powerful mac working as a nice paperweight whenever I need to present a slideshow or a powerpoint/keynote. very bad idea not to include a VGA port on apples's side. I stil have been unable to buy this adaptor and feel like murder when I think about it!
So, in a nutshell, since the macbook runs windows too, there is no real contest, it is the best laptop you can buy for this amount of money, right now-wait for October for Leopard, though unless you have to have it right now, as the software upgrade is 129$ and most likely the CPU with be ugraded then to a Intel C2D 7300 800MHz FSB Santa Rosa chipset too. I will cost you around >8-10 K more than it costs in the US and 50K in Singapore, but that can be lived with
Buy in October after Leopard debuts, maybe even with better hardware, they have adopted Santa Rosa in the Pro line and maybe macbooks will get a processor upgrade too.
Best Value, great components and smooth OS, have to write a review about OS X, will do it after Leopard debuts!
