Macbook Released

[slffl]

WoW

World of Warcraft

Does anyone with a Macbook have WoW univeral Binary and could post frame rates running at native rez?

 

[HiRez]

Check out the new keyboard...

Keys seem slightly more rounded on the edges. Plus, look at the arrow keys on the bottom right. That's all new, no?

Bleh, Chiclet keys. The Timex Sinclair lives!

 

[chasemac]

A sony my son had a glossy screen and i loved it.....hope its as nice

I would expect it to be nicer coming from Apple so I hope so too.

 

[Gfog]

Heya,
ive enjoyed reading, this post well trying to keep up with it actually! goin to get a MB goin to go with the white 2ghz and 60/80g hd, i actually prefer the gloss finish screens the colour saturation is very nice, much more vivid much like the sony x-black 2 screens!

i have had a g4 ibook for over 2 years now, i was woundering how i could transfer all my files over to the new MB tho as i have quite a collection of music, pics and college files stored on the ibook

 

[boncellis]

Somebody may have touched on this in the last ~40 pages, but wasn't there supposed to be a new iPod released alongside the MacBook? Not that I'm complaining, but it could be that the rumor mill just guessed right. Kudos to Nagromme, who pointed out that a line of updates (iLife in this case) many times immediately precedes a new product rollout. I guess I'll keep my eyes out for the iPod updater...

 

[ManchesterTrix]

True. But the reason I am whining is because I believe Apple could and should provide the same kind of choice that other manufacturers, like Lenovo and Sony provide. (i.e. you can buy a heavier battery and have 8-hours battery life, but you can leave your optical drive at home and hence get a notebook that weighs less than 4 pounds).

I agree with you about the battery. I'd really like a large, 85 WHr battery for my MacBook, but I can't see Apple go back to the removeable drive bays, it would kill the design.

 

[Zman5225]

Heya,
ive enjoyed reading, this post well trying to keep up with it actually! goin to get a MB goin to go with the white 2ghz and 60/80g hd, i actually prefer the gloss finish screens the colour saturation is very nice, much more vivid much like the sony x-black 2 screens!

i have had a g4 ibook for over 2 years now, i was woundering how i could transfer all my files over to the new MB tho as i have quite a collection of music, pics and college files stored on the ibook

Gfog, take a look at this link, its from Apple's website, and should tell you everything you might want to know about transfers.

Hope it helps

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25575

 

[ImAlex]

Heya,
ive enjoyed reading, this post well trying to keep up with it actually! goin to get a MB goin to go with the white 2ghz and 60/80g hd, i actually prefer the gloss finish screens the colour saturation is very nice, much more vivid much like the sony x-black 2 screens!

i have had a g4 ibook for over 2 years now, i was woundering how i could transfer all my files over to the new MB tho as i have quite a collection of music, pics and college files stored on the ibook

You should be able to do so, I don't know if the program is included but you can, quite surely.

 

[mongoos150]

There are a number of possible options

1. Use a standard 3G phone over bluetooth.

3G network over Bluetooth...bluetooth is a big time bottleneck.

 

[Sox]

Heya,
ive enjoyed reading, this post well trying to keep up with it actually! goin to get a MB goin to go with the white 2ghz and 60/80g hd, i actually prefer the gloss finish screens the colour saturation is very nice, much more vivid much like the sony x-black 2 screens!

i have had a g4 ibook for over 2 years now, i was woundering how i could transfer all my files over to the new MB tho as i have quite a collection of music, pics and college files stored on the ibook

During the setup when you first turn on your new MB, you'll be asked if you'd like to connect (via FW) another Mac and transfer all your files and settings. It takes awhile, but it's no sweat. You just need a FW cord.

 

[jxwolf]

Some further impressions of the black model:

The glossy screen does not bother me. While some people are making a big deal of this, I am sitting in a room with sunlight streaming in the side window, and I am not having any problems with the glare. Furthermore, it looks _great_ with DVDs.

With regards to WOW testing, I am going to wait until next week to post any numbers because I was informed that the next patch will include OSX performance tweaks. I don't want to spend time benchmarking it now, and then have my work invalidated next week.

The keyboard is fine. While it is certainly not my favorite, it is functional and I am almost up to full speed typing on it. It actually seems like it is better for my big gorilla fingers, accuracy-wise.

It's been on my lap for almost 2 hours now, charging. It is a little warm, but it is not loud at all. I can hear my PowerBook's fan whirring across the room, and so far, my MacBook is silent. The heat is nowhere as intense as my Superdrive G4 PowerBooks, but it's definately a little toasty under the mag-safe connector.

The built in iSight camera doesn't seem very high resolution (based on some experimental snaps taken with PhotoBooth). This isn't a concern, because I don't plan on using the video feature.

If people are really dying to see WOW numbers I can fire it up later this evening and do some informal (subjective) testing. I'll make a new thread if I do this.

Yar! Double post.

Overall, I really like this machine. It seems to be a worthy replacement for the iBook.

Also, those bitching about potential WOW performance should talk to my friend, Nik. He plays on a G3 iBook. (3-8fps!)

 

[Gfog]

cheers Zman5225 thats a gr8 help! now is anyone from ireland and do you know if the MB's are in shops over here yet?

 

[iShane]

Ahh! These things are so amazing. I like the white because it looks more like Apple and the black looks like Dell, but if I got a white one people might confuse it with my iPod. I think I'll get black.

Hopefully going to Walden Galleria this weekend.

 

[jabooth]

Firstly - I like the white and I like the black.

However, whats more important to me is the scratch resistance of them. With the black being matte, will it resist scratching well?

I'm not asking anyone to rub sandpaper over there new BlackBook, just a general concensus from those who already have it in their hands... (lucky peeps!)

And fan noise - just how loud??

I think everyone wants that answering!!

Cheers

EDIT: Wowsa! jxwolf - that was fast - answered half my q's before I asked them!

Any more first hand experiences?

 

[milo]

I am not buying a black macbook until they release a black Front Row remote (sarcasim) I am sure some one will say this

It is a little funny that they don't make a black remote. Why not? (note: I'M NOT COMPLAINING)

Exactly. And those are the reasons why Apple won't get ahead even after the possible beneficial dual boot coup. They will have to keep marketing towards kids and pseudo creative types...

Hate to break it to you, but Apple IS getting ahead, their market share has been going up for a while. You seriously think that widescreen will *hurt* sales overall? As well as not having the ability to do wireless other than BT and wifi (and what would those be? couldn't any other formats be handled by FW, usb or bluetooth)? Yeah, that's a *huge* market there.

If you truly have such obscure niche needs, apple isn't going to miss your business. You will be better off with a peecee, best of luck.

Why the hell can't I get the top model in white?

You can. You just need to read apple's website better. Dumbass.

I, like so many, need to plug in my GSM modem that works worldwide. Or how about G3? Nothing.

So what's wrong with using usb GSM or 3G modems? Problem solved. How exactly do you expect apple to support those?

 

[ready2switch]

....If people are really dying to see WOW numbers I can fire it up later this evening and do some informal (subjective) testing. I'll make a new thread if I do this.

I would love some informal test results. Either "I'd play it but expect it to be choppy in some places" or "I want to tear my hair out it's so bad" type of answers. Anything would be great.

 

[dubnluvn]

Have to say, I'm dissapointed. I was waiting for a PowerBook 12" replacement, but these macbooks dont seem to (quite) fit the bill... Especially the integrated graphics and plastic case (no Aluminium?! liked that)

ho hum. guess I'll have to lug a 15" MBP on my travels instead... or get a viao...

enjoy the viao...lol

 

[kugino]

True. But the reason I am whining is because I believe Apple could and should provide the same kind of choice that other manufacturers, like Lenovo and Sony provide. (i.e. you can buy a heavier battery and have 8-hours battery life, but you can leave your optical drive at home and hence get a notebook that weighs less than 4 pounds).

why should apple do this? they certainly could, but they shouldn't have to. they produce a certain product and people buy it for various reasons...if it doesn't meet up to the needs/wants of a certain buyer, they don't buy it. if you don't like the options apple provides, don't buy it. but to say that apple should do what you want them to do...ridiculous.

 

[jxwolf]

Firstly - I like the white and I like the black.

However, whats more important to me is the scratch resistance of them. With the black being matte, will it resist scratching well?

I'm not asking anyone to rub sandpaper over there new BlackBook, just a general concensus from those who already have it in their hands... (lucky peeps!)

And fan noise - just how loud??

I think everyone wants that answering!!

Cheers

The finish seems pretty durable (much more so than the black iPod). The best basis for comparison I have (based on texture and appearence) is my black RAZR. The finish seems very similar. For comparison's sake, my RAZR is about 6mo. old and relatively scratch free.

The fan noise is almost inaudable. I can hear my G4 Powerbook across the room more distinctly than I can hear the new MacBook.

Also, see my posts above for other impressions.

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

Hard drive upgrade is easy

In case some of you missed my post several pages back:

Upgrading the hard drive in the MacBook is as easy as installing the RAM.

You don't have to take the MacBook apart like you do previous iBook/Powerbook/MBP models.

When you remove the battery and the cover over the memory/HD, you simply pull the white tab attached to the drive caddy and the hard drive slides right out through the battery compartment (since it is SATA, no cables or nothing). Then you just remove the four T-8 screws of the drive caddy, put the drive caddy on your new HD, and then slide your new drive right in. Easy as pie...

A sony my son had a glossy screen and i loved it.....hope its as nice

I'm willing to bet every single person here knocking the glossy screen has never used one. Yes, the things will produce more glare when viewing from an angle and/or when the computer is off, but when you are using it, so far it appears to produce an excellent image. According to what I have read, the glossy screen makes images brighter and better looking. I don't see any problem with mine so far. So ... don't knock it until you have tried it!!!

And for everyone whining about integrated graphics, sure, a Radeon X1600 would have been nice, but know that you are getting longer battery life AND less heat with the integrated graphics. (and lower price) Just be sure to put 2GB in your computer and integrated graphics shouldn't be an issue (not from Apple, I got 2GB for $140 -- Apple wants $500 plus they keep your 2 x 256MB!)

 

[gedto]

Whine?

Anyone noticed any whine or strange sound? Any screen problem? Any bug of any kind?

 

[Lewisham]

If people are really dying to see WOW numbers I can fire it up later this evening and do some informal (subjective) testing. I'll make a new thread if I do this.

Consider me dying

I only meant informal testing. I'm not looking for some tedious figures, just some real world impressions at the native resolution and your own belief on the best bang-for-frame rate details.

 

[tonyl]

That's great news! The price is $100 less than what I expected!

 

[VIREBEL661]

Intel GMA...LET THE WHINING BEGIN!!

Anyway, the GMA 950 with Core Duo is MUCH BETTER than the Radeon 9200 with G4...there is no comparison in terms of performance...I would've preferred dedicated GPU, but this is MacBook...the only similar offering from Sony is much more expensive, with a hybrid GPU system...

I'm sure it's been said already, but BTO discreet graphics would be cool.... LOVE the BLACK... I'll bet that they have a graphics upgrade in the future for those of us who need the power but extra portability as well....

 

[slffl]

Some further impressions of the black model:

The glossy screen does not bother me. While some people are making a big deal of this, I am sitting in a room with sunlight streaming in the side window, and I am not having any problems with the glare. Furthermore, it looks _great_ with DVDs.

With regards to WOW testing, I am going to wait until next week to post any numbers because I was informed that the next patch will include OSX performance tweaks. I don't want to spend time benchmarking it now, and then have my work invalidated next week.

The keyboard is fine. While it is certainly not my favorite, it is functional and I am almost up to full speed typing on it. It actually seems like it is better for my big gorilla fingers, accuracy-wise.

It's been on my lap for almost 2 hours now, charging. It is a little warm, but it is not loud at all. I can hear my PowerBook's fan whirring across the room, and so far, my MacBook is silent. The heat is nowhere as intense as my Superdrive G4 PowerBooks, but it's definately a little toasty under the mag-safe connector.

The built in iSight camera doesn't seem very high resolution (based on some experimental snaps taken with PhotoBooth). This isn't a concern, because I don't plan on using the video feature.

If people are really dying to see WOW numbers I can fire it up later this evening and do some informal (subjective) testing. I'll make a new thread if I do this.

I have one question for you. How far back does the screen tilt? 125 or 135 degress? You can print out a protractor to find out if you dont have one.