Apple Macbook Unboxing
I decided to pick up (perhaps mortgage would be a better word) a Apple Macbook last week at Future Shop. I went for the lower aluminum model, with 2.0ghz core 2 dual and a 160gb hard drive. In some ways it was a tough choice over the more powerful 2.4ghz Macbook, which would have been an obvious replacement for my 12″ Powerbook G4. What it essentially came down to…
- Cost
- 2.4ghz wasn’t worth the extra 400 dollars I would have had to add on
- I’ve been typing QWERTY since All the Right Type, I think I can do without the backlit light
- I have my data backed up on a 500gb external hard drive so the extra space is meaningless.
With that, I went the economical (although going mac never really is economical. Asus would be economical) route and am glad of it. Some pictures of the unboxing:
The Macbook Box beside the Powerbook Box
There it is!
Not quite as thin as the Curve
Comparing the Powerbook 12″ and the Macbook 13″ side by side. Check out the glare
A video of it’s first startup
The rest of the pictures can be found on my flickr
Some initial thoughts:
- The new glass trackpad is cool, not ‘throw my mouse away’ cool though. Three Finger Swipe is nice on Adium
- The glossy glare can be annoying, but I’ve been using a NEC 17″ glossy LCD for years, so I’m used to it. What is annoying though is how noticeable fingerprints and dust are on the screen.
- Lack of firewire is a non-issue. USB 2.0 is fast.
- The keyboard has a strange give to it, with the space bar having a minor squeak and loud clicking noise.
- The brightness is unbelievable, especially in comparison to my old Powerbook.
- 1080p video produces a little lag, but 720p works perfectly.
As briefly mentioned in my previous post, this is going to be my only machine from now on. So far, it has not disappointed, with no signs of any lag anywhere except for when running video on 1080p, which shouldn’t be run on a 13″ screen anyways. Setup, with wifi, audio, video, and Chess running at full throttle took 10 minutes. Sam was pleased.
ps – I don’t usually talk in 3rd person, but I was that pleased.
