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MacBook Features and Photos

Way To Go Apple!!

I got an iBook about two months ago refurb from apple. I love my G4 but I have to say the new MacBook is awesome. All of the complaints I have heard here are really stupid.

I don't like glossy screens either but the rest of the machis well worth the sacrifice. I saw the display models at the apple store and tested it out. Apps open really fast. Browsing is faster. The fit and finish is better. In fact everything is better.

I am glad Apple came out with a great machine at a good price. In a year or two I will buy one!!

Go Apple.

R
 
I'm pleased..

Got the black at 2 pm Tuesday as a test system for employees.

Haven't seen a bit of "flaking" yet - and I've tried, hard. I remember the Ti PB's started pealing paint after 2 months. I also own a few other PB's and can say each one beyond my WS had a dead or faulty firing pixel or few. Not a single one on the MB, and I've checked. Not so happy yesterday since I opted to buy off the shelf and install RAM myself, which didn't arrive 'til today. Was kinda' slow, it now flies w. 2 Gig.... My PB's all had weak LCD's barely adequate after year two. I only have the MB at 1/2 the brightness setting and it is much brighter than my newest 12" PB. This should take me a while before I'm cranking it up to 100% since most started at 3/4+. The glossy screen I wasn't really happy with- at first, now I love it. Very bright, crisp graphics and nearly no glare as long as it's on. It is the coolest temp.-wise Apple book I've ever had. Warm at rear near power connector but otherwise very un-toasty. All of the Ti, Al PB's also started to get pitting where my sweaty wrists rested over time which won't be a problem with the MB. Haven't used a modem in 2 years so lack of doesn't bother me in the least. I really was looking for a PB 12" replacement but all things considered, this fits the bill. My PB 15" 1.67 was already starting to dim, pit (and had 4 bad pixels from day 1) plus smoked my privates if I dare used it on my lap. I truly hope the MP proves as reliable as my PB's processor-wise. I was a firm no Intel guy and now a reluctant believer. Don't want to sound too pro-Apple but this is the best book I've gotten from them since my Wallstreet - period. Graphics seem to be fine since I only run IPhoto, Safari, Word, Pages and QBpro (which runs faster than my G4 in Rosetta.) The truth be known, I purchased this for an employee who had his IBook ripped off in Houston a few months ago. Sorry Charlie, I'll get you a 1.8 white and keep blacky for myself!
 
matthewroth said:
you need to stop and think, have apple ever steered you wrong (exception of the cube)
Click to expand...

  • Flower Power iMac
  • offering but DVD-ROM optical drives with the iMac when CD-R drives were what everybody wanted
  • 1G iPod batteries
  • clamshell iBooks w/o FW port
  • iPod nano finish
  • Announcing a product and then downgrading the specs (PowerMac G4 400MHz)
  • speed bumps and price drops mere weeks after a major product release

BTW, I ordered my new MB the day it was announced.
 
I apologize if these have been covered already, I don't really have time to wade through the forum to see if they have or not...

I just noticed a couple things about the MacBook. First, there's no single-chip ram options. They're all 2x512 or 2x1 Gig or something. The MBP has these options, so why doesn't the MacBook? Does it require symmetrical memory or something?

Second, how does one hook the MacBook up to a television? I see DVI and VGA adapters, but no composite or S-Video adapter, nor is one included. Did Apple drop this ability in favor of Front Row? If so, I'm quite disappointed. I use my 12" iBook as a movie player regularly for get-togethers and not having the simple ability to hook the MacBook to a television is a big limitation.

However, I'm sure I'm just missing something as I don't think even Apple would decide TV hookup to be out of style.
 
Nauta said:
I apologize if these have been covered already, I don't really have time to wade through the forum to see if they have or not...

I just noticed a couple things about the MacBook. First, there's no single-chip ram options. They're all 2x512 or 2x1 Gig or something. The MBP has these options, so why doesn't the MacBook? Does it require symmetrical memory or something?

Second, how does one hook the MacBook up to a television? I see DVI and VGA adapters, but no composite or S-Video adapter, nor is one included. Did Apple drop this ability in favor of Front Row? If so, I'm quite disappointed. I use my 12" iBook as a movie player regularly for get-togethers and not having the simple ability to hook the MacBook to a television is a big limitation.

However, I'm sure I'm just missing something as I don't think even Apple would decide TV hookup to be out of style.
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Not sure about the RAM issue but I think I read it has something to do with the graphics card and how it shares system memory. I may be wrong though.

However, on the DVI->TV issue what you need is a mini DVI to video cable. Apple makes and sells one for $19.00 and it has S-video or RCA as the output option. Also, Front Row can be used with the lid shut so your can just hook it up closed and still access your movies, music and pictures.

The link to the cable is:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...fShs0239zcBh4pMRdooc/1.0.19.1.0.8.25.7.11.3.3
 
2GB RAM $144 From Omni via Ramseeker.com

Nauta said:
I apologize if these have been covered already, I don't really have time to wade through the forum to see if they have or not...

I just noticed a couple things about the MacBook. First, there's no single-chip ram options. They're all 2x512 or 2x1 Gig or something. The MBP has these options, so why doesn't the MacBook? Does it require symmetrical memory or something?
Click to expand...
You want to order minimum ram from Apple (2x256) then order two 1GB ram sticks from Omni via Ramseeker.com for only $144 because there is a huge improvement in performance when you max the ram. Choose MacBook Pro ram at top, then click on the $71.99 price opposite Omni OPTIVAL in the chart which will take you to Omni for that price. Any other path to Omni will cost a lot more.

If you can't afford that last $72 stick, you can put a 1GB sitck in one of the slots leaving the 256 stick in for a total of 1.25 GB. The semetrical ram thing is optional and only yields a 4% AT BEST performance improvement as reported in recent Barefeats.com tests. :)
 
NC MacGuy said:
[...]
Haven't seen a bit of "flaking" yet - and I've tried, hard. I remember the Ti PB's started pealing paint after 2 months. [...]
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Quote from https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/202117/
I was trying out the keyboard of a black Macbook in a retai store today when I found a sticky thing on my finger. Kinda like these screen protection foils but black with a white A on it. I looked at the A-key and it was (yes) silver! Showed it to the employee and he couldn't believe it. He totally freaked out when he scratched and rubbed the next key and the black sticker went off. Turns out the whole black Macbook has this vinyl style stuff on it. Peel it off and you get Aluminum goodness! It seemed like hours to me when we removed this black stuff and there were lots of people around freaking out.

So the 150$ more ARE making a difference: an aluminum enclosure beneath a protective black layer. :eek: Totally worth 150 bucks if you ask me. It just looks like a redesigned powerbook actually. OMG, I'm so getting a black/aluminum one! How strange no one noted this yet. I mean, them peeling off the black stuff from the NY Store cube was definetely a sign. :rolleyes: Just kidding. After all, it's MacRmumors :)
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Multimedia said:
No I don't. How do you know? The story appears to be an authentic account of his experience in the store. It isn't? You mean I am gullible? You mean he made it up out of whole cloth? Oh no, really? :eek: :confused:
Click to expand...

Because at the bottom, in white text, he says he's kidding.

btw, free candy in the big black van parked outside your house tonight.
 
Confirmed: Seagate SATA 160GB 2.5" 9.5mm MacBook Compatible Thick Ships In July

PaulinMaryland said:
Yep: From ViperLair.com's review: "A SATA version will be forthcoming, but the ETA is unknown at this point."

(added from silentpcreview.com:) "A SATA version of the drive will be available 'later this year'."
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Ships In July
PaulinMaryland said:
According to Seagate's specsheet (PDF), the Momentus 160 is no thicker than the 120. Am I missing something?
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You are correct that the Seagate Momentus 160GB is only 9.5mm thick. So I'm getting very excited. 160GB inside a MacBook will be AWESOME. SATA version ships in JULY.

On phone with Seagate Corporate Communications now. Have confirmation from them that the SATA Version of the Momentus 160GB 9.5mm thick HD ships in JULY. So if you can hold off two months or so the Seagate Momentus 5400 160 SATA should be out by end of July at the latest. :)
 
pianojoe said:
offering but DVD-ROM optical drives with the iMac when CD-R drives were what everybody wanted
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CD-R drives weren't available in any Mac when they switched to DVD drives. CDRW drives started appearing a few months later.
1G iPod batteries
Click to expand...
Which they fixed and replaced (and did not design or manufacture).
clamshell iBooks w/o FW port
Click to expand...
Again, something remedied with the next revision. Firewire wasn't standard in all Macs in 1999-2000, and it's still not standard in PCs. It's not like they took something away by not including it.
iPod nano finish
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Which has never been demonstrably different from any other iPod.
Announcing a product and then downgrading the specs (PowerMac G4 400MHz)
Click to expand...
What was downgraded?
speed bumps and price drops mere weeks after a major product release
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That's a GOOD thing.

I don't see anything that suggests a decision that was bad for customers.
 
black accessories

I haven't seen this mentioned, but it appears that the black MacBook comes with a white remote, power adapter, etc. Is this true? It seems that black would be better and you are paying for it.
 
wantamac said:
I haven't seen this mentioned, but it appears that the black MacBook comes with a white remote, power adapter, etc. Is this true? It seems that black would be better and you are paying for it.
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its true just like the black nano.it comes with white ear buds
 

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matticus008 said:
What was downgraded?
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The computer MHz on all the original G4's was dropped by 50 Mhz, about 10% of the total clock speed.

Lifted from Wikipedia:

The original Power Mac G4 was introduced at the Seybold conference in San Francisco on August 31, 1999, with 400 MHz, 450 MHz and 500 MHz configurations available. In October, Apple was forced to postpone the 500 MHz indefinitely due to poor yield of the 500 MHz chips, and “speed dumped” the processor speed in each configuration by 50 MHz, controversially without a corresponding decrease in price.
 
GeoffRuth said:
The computer MHz on all the original G4's was dropped by 50 Mhz, about 10% of the total clock speed.

Lifted from Wikipedia:

The original Power Mac G4 was introduced at the Seybold conference in San Francisco on August 31, 1999, with 400 MHz, 450 MHz and 500 MHz configurations available. In October, Apple was forced to postpone the 500 MHz indefinitely due to poor yield of the 500 MHz chips, and “speed dumped” the processor speed in each configuration by 50 MHz, controversially without a corresponding decrease in price.
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I see. I hadn't realized that they announced at higher clock speeds. Still, that's a supplier issue--Motorola couldn't deliver them. Apple didn't necessarily screw up on that, though maybe they were premature in announcing the specs. It would have been far worse not to own up to the problem and to postpone the whole launch or to lie about speed and stability.
 
Evan_11 said:
And somehow constant complaining, anxiety and buyers remorse is healthy?

I think Mac users tend to complain more because they lack certain emotional skills that allow them to cope with reality.
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You really mean they have enough self esteem to assume that the product can be improved, and enough design sense to recognise a good product.

... as opposed to users of other gear who buy like sheep and think that they might be just stupid when they have trouble with their gear because it is not easily usable ..... : )
 
dvd burner

does anyone know if i will be able to use my external hp dvd740 dvd burner on my macbook that will arrive in a few days?
 
thogs_cave said:
Save even more by getting the white 2.0GHz one and tricking it out. You'll need RAM, and a bigger disk is nice. For the $1800, you could get the dual 2.0GHz with 1G RAM, a 100G hard drive and (most importantly) AppleCare. I really, really recommend the last item on *all* laptops....
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If you wait until july for the 160Gb disk that will come out from Seagate you will get less than 1800 2 Gb of memory and the huge disk

MB white 2.0 $1299 + $144 the memory (2Gb) and $300 the disk (160 in july otherwise $177 now for a 120)

of course you can buy the mac and the memory now :D
 
Well, I can elaborate...

offering but DVD-ROM optical drives with the iMac when CD-R drives were what everybody wanted
CD-R drives weren't available in any Mac when they switched to DVD drives. CDRW drives started appearing a few months later.
Click to expand...
However, CDR drives were available, and Apple should have used them instead of DVD drives. They lost a lot of sales during that time.
1G iPod batteries
Which they fixed and replaced (and did not design or manufacture).
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Well, they didn't fix mine because I don't live in the U.S. And, of course, they're responsible for the components they use. You see, strictly speaking, Apple doesn't "make" MacBooks. The Chinese do.
clamshell iBooks w/o FW port
Again, something remedied with the next revision. Firewire wasn't standard in all Macs in 1999-2000, and it's still not standard in PCs. It's not like they took something away by not including it.
Click to expand...
Previous Apple laptops had SCSI. If the fastest connection type for an external drive (read: CDR) is USB 1, you know that you're lost. And it didn't help me a bit that the next model had a FW port. Mine hadn't.
iPod nano finish
Which has never been demonstrably different from any other iPod.
Click to expand...
Well I've owned several, and I have a black nano, and believe me, they goofed on that one.
Announcing a product and then downgrading the specs (PowerMac G4 400MHz)
What was downgraded?
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The first G4 was announced with a clock speed of 400 MHz, pre-orders were accepted. The spec was then downgraded to 350 MHz and sold at the same price. Customers could either accept the downgrade, or cancel their order.

Don't get me wrong — Apple are still the finest computer makers in the world, but I wouldn't say they've never let me down.
 
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