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Wednesday October 15, 2008
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What, did you think PC Mag was going to come back from Cupertino empty-handed? Our lead laptop analyst Cisco Cheng was on-hand for Apple's big MacBook announcement yesterday and filed a full hands-on review of the standard Macbook last night.
His thoughts? Well, as always, there's a lot to love about the latest iteration of Apple's 13-inch laptop, not the least of which are its good looks--you can't beat that new aluminum design, and that glass screen certainly doesn't hurt, either. Cisco also liked Apple's new gesture-based glass touchpad. The notebook's performance, 3D graphics, and typing experience have all been improved, as well. The MacBook is also half a pound lighter than its predecessor.
The downside? There's still neither a card-reader nor an ExpressCard slot. The FireWire port has been omitted in the new MacBook, as well. And the battery is smaller.
(Personally, I'd add that the important thing really is experience. Still, as someone whose four-year-old PowerBook breathed its last a few weeks back, I'll still probably invest a paycheck into this newest Apple laptop.)
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October 15, 2008 3:46 PM
If you are doing video, FireWire is a must.
The old MacBook Pro shipped without FireWire 800 for a short while before it was added back.
Wait for Firewire to be added.
October 15, 2008 6:55 PM
That's a good point, wert - I don't know why Apple's forsaken Firewire - a high-speed data transfer standard that it helped engineer! FW800 is still faster than USB 2.0...maybe Apple is hedging its bets against a faster USB standard in the coming months?
October 15, 2008 7:34 PM
Firewire 400 is obsolete by todays' standards (and rare), also I don't feel card readers are an essential, I usually connect my camera via USB and I don't want to carry around an extra piece of built-in gadgetry (card reader) if I don't need it. The whole point of this design is simplicity and I think they achieved it.
October 16, 2008 12:57 AM
No offense, but you call this a review? I would call this a first impression.
How about some performance benchmarks, battery life impressions, heat dissipation?
October 16, 2008 12:58 AM
No firewire? why? My MacBook has firewire and i use it all the time. I guess in a few years when I get a new MacBook, it will have to be the Pro because it has FW 800.
October 16, 2008 4:55 AM
There is a firewire 800 port but no firewire 400 port this is because the USB 2.0 ports are faster than the firewire 400 ports but not quite as fast as firewire 800 and also USB 2.0 is backwards compatible with USB 1. I really like that they've moved the slot loaded disc drive to the side of the machine instead of the front too. These new machines look amazing... I want one! GET ME ONE! SOMEONE!?! I have an iMac and it's nice to know that the design that i bought isn't going to be lost for a while yet if they've just incorporated it in the MacBooks. :D
October 16, 2008 9:29 AM
Sorry my bad the MacBook Pro does have firewire 800 but the MacBook has no firewire at all.
October 16, 2008 10:05 AM
@macless: We link to the review in the post; it's living on PCMag.com. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2332516,00.asp
October 16, 2008 3:35 PM
This isn't a review - this is a catchy title followed by a link to a full hands-on review.
Low.
October 16, 2008 5:57 PM
As a pro photographer the glossy screen only option will keep me at my current
MBP for a long time. I know Steve replied that at the new light levels output by the LED screen are so bright that you won't see a reflection.
I do critical work on location and a hardware calibrated screen requires a
light level setting of about half the maximum brightest level and at that level the glossy screen is a reflective non-start for me.