I’ve had my black MacBook for a few days now, and I am really loving it. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts, briefly, on my move from my 12″ PowerBook to the MacBook.
I like…
- The Speed: It is fast. And I mean, really, really fast. I love it. Photoshop (CS3) opens right up. Adobe Acrobat Professional opens up very quickly, and the general feel of the computer is that it is just very fast.
- The Screen: I didn’t think I was going to like the glossy screen. But I do. It’s hot. The screen size is perfect too – 13″ doesn’t sound like a lot more than 12″ but it does feel much bigger. And the colors really do “pop” on this glossy screen. I haven’t had any problems with glare yet, which was my main concern. Anyway – it’s a great display.
- The Color: I think the black is hot. Sure you’re paying for…well, for just the color, but since I can’t have my small MacBook Pro, the black MacBook helps my “need-to-be-different-for-some-reason” complex. And it’s just a very sexy looking color.
- The Size: The size is really perfect. I feel like I have a ton more real-estate with the 13-inch screen, yet it’s not a lot heavier than my PowerBook. I like the keyboard and just the overall design and size of the computer.
I don’t like…
- The Speakers: The speakers were definitely better on the G4 PowerBook. They’re not “horrible” but they were much crisper and louder on my PowerBook.
- The Smudges: I love the colors on the glossy screen, but I am not a fan of the smudges. I had a very small little dot that I tried to wipe clean with the edge of my shirt and it made the smudge about 10x bigger. I did buy some iKlear to help with the problem, so we’ll see if that works.
- The Fingerprints: And yes, it does show fingerprints a lot more. I tend to be very anal about my computer, and I don’t work on it or pick it up if my fingers are greasy at all – but it really does show a lot more. I’m hoping the iKlear will help with that as well.
I say it’s bittersweet because even though I have an awesome new MacBook right now, I am still sad to have to sell my PowerBook. It’s been very good to me and I’m not all that excited about parting with it. I am still holding out hope for a smaller MacBook Pro – but we’ll see. Anyway – if you’re in the market for a new computer, I do highly recommend the MacBook. It is sleek, fast and has everything you could want. Plus if you buy soon, you get the free printer, and free iPod.
you should have them fist fight.
Adam,
Welcome to the black Macbook club. You are definitely going to love your new purchase and I wholeheartedly agree with the things you have already said are great. As for the scratches, pick up the iklear product from the apple store. In just a few seconds, your screen, keyboard, and casing will be good as new!
Do you use RAW photos in photoshop or just .jpg?
How is the heat on the underside of the computer?
Do you run an external screen at all for any reason? If so, what is the result?
Drew, the heat on the underside seems to ME to be less than with my PowerBook.
At this point in my life, I only use .jpgs – but we might be getting into RAW later…but for now, it opens up very high-res .jpgs very quickly.
I have hooked up an external monitor to it – and it responds much quicker than he PowerBook did…hope that helps!
I’ve never heard a Windows laptop owner talk nostalgically about their previous portable, but I hear it all the time from Mac users. Why is that? (rhetorical)
i use my black macbook with an external monitor for house church. it runs really well. also, the heat does get a little bad when doing photoshop or final cut for long periods of time. there are laptop cooling pads available for that if it gets unbearable. download “remote buddy” and you can use your remote for more than just front row…i use it on VLC player and powerpoint…
J.P. – I had a 13″ widescreen Dell laptop that I mourn a lot. It was only a year old when it was stolen, and Dell no longer makes anything that small (and affordable) so I couldn’t replace it directly.
So now you have heard a Windows owner wax nostalgic…
Couldn’t agree more with you regarding the Mac Book and what it has to offer. I finally made the switch from a PC to a Mac and couldn’t be happier. Please let me know how that iKlear stuff works as I am going nuts looking at all these smudges.
Looks like that 12″ Macbook Pro might be coming after all. :D
Someone I know has an iBook 12″ (white) that doesn’t have a built-in iSight camera, and the letters are rubbed off (from over use?) on half of the keyboard keys. Is there anything I can do to fix the lettering on the keys, so it’d be sell-able, or is it sell-able as it is? What’d be the going market value these days?
I’d sure like for this someone I know to have a nicer black MacBook… :)