Tag Archives: MacBook

New Apple Macintosh Notebooks

Posted on October 12, 2008 | 2 comments

I really don’t care what my laptop physically looks like (I want my display to look nice though). I want it functional and preferably small, light and durable. I want features at a good price. If it’s sexy too, that’s a bonus.

I’m dying to see the specs on the new Apple MacBooks next Tuesday (Oct. 14, 2008) but I’m really hoping for more features at a great price (we need more converts). I’m not even in the market for a new laptop but I can’t wait to see. A twelve or eleven inch MacBook might change my mind though; the same goes for a touchscreen (but I’m not expecting that). Continue reading →

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My “D” key doesn’t work :(

Posted on August 25, 2008 | Leave a comment

So my “D” was a little crooked on my MacBook the other day so I pressed it down and it snapped back into place and has been fine. Today when I opened the lid the key just feel off and I can’t get it to snap back on.

I can type on the missing part. It’s just annoying and I’m afraid I’ll lose the key before I can get it back on.

While I love my white plastic MacBook it just hasn’t held up as well as my old plastic iBook. I used to beat that old iBook up and never had any problems. In addition to the “D” key I’ve got a few cracks around the seam that I have no idea when/where they came from.

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MacBook Rumors seem to be rising…

Posted on July 23, 2008 | 1 comment

There seem to be lots more rumors on new MacBook refreshes lately and with their free iTouch (or Nano) promo (students, teachers or staff), I really want to buy now before the promo ends on September 15. I’d prefer they’ve added GPS to the iTouch but that’s just not happening yet. I’d more excited about an iTouch with the new Apps store :)

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Getting a New MacBook / MacBook Pro Laptop

Posted on March 8, 2008 | 2 comments

So after the MacBook Air not being what I had hoped for, I had been hoping for a 13.3 inch MacBook Pro and while the Air is small, I wanted something not so stripped down. Since then, I’d been trying to decide between a 13.3 MacBook and a 15 inch MacBook Pro (size vs. power, I’m used to the tiny 12 inch PowerBook), I thought I’d let fate decide for me and get the next one that they upgraded. Unfortunately, last week they did an upgrade on them both on the same, letting fate avoid making the choice for me.

This week I was at a conference and was at the Apple Booth and was playing with the 17 inch MacBook Pro and asked if they had a 15 inch to look at and then I realized I was using the 15 inch model. It just seemed so large and bulky to me. I think I’m going to have to go with the 13.3 MacBook, I think it’s only about a half pound less in weight, but it’s a bit smaller. I’m not even sure how I’d fit the 15 inch on the back of an airplane or train seat tray.

Of course, the day after I order it, they’ll release a 13.3 inch MacBook Pro…

Later: I went with the 2.4 GHz White MacBook (I couldn’t possibly justify the Black one for $110 more, that doesn’t even make sense!), with the 250 GB HD and lots o’ RAM. The biggest downside to not getting the Pro is that the glossy screen was the only option (and the non-backlit keyboard).

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Apple MacBook Air – Mini-review

Posted on February 2, 2008 | 6 comments

So I went to the Apple Store today to take a peek at the MacBook Air. Honestly, I had pretty low expectations so I thought I’d get my socks knocked off, but it was just okay. It’s more beautiful than my 12 inch PowerBook, but just by a small margin. It’s light and thin seems pretty durable, and has the beautiful LED display (but a bit of glare). But I thought I’d leave and say “I have to have one”, but it didn’t happen. If I had the extra bucks to spend it on I’d certainly get one, but I think I’d still need a more powerful laptop.

Pluses: 3 lbs., 13.3 inch low power LED display, small, new track-pad, backlit keyboard. Please note, some of these are huge pluses.
Minuses: External DVD drive (which I could live with), special MagSafe power adaptor, slow hard drive, lacking ports, 80 GB, maximum HD, no option for a spare battery and (of course) the price. Note that while it’s a metal MacBook it has a shared memory video card like a MacBook, not a MacBook Pro.

The solid-state 64 GB drive is a plus, but the $1000 price tag is certainly a minus…

If I had a 17 inch PowerBook, the MacBook Air would make a great addition as a “day” computer, when I don’t need the power or DVD drive and didn’t want the 6.8 pounds to lug around. If I could only have one machine I’d probably take a loaded MacBook 13.3 inch (5 pounds). If I could “create” an ultimate machine it would be a 12 (or 13.3) inch MacBook Pro; I could even live with an external DVD drive it it could lower the size and weight…

This kind of fits with my initial thoughts when I first saw the announcement of the MacBook Air, it’s not what I was hoping for. If you haven’t seen it, this is the MacBook Air ad.

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Introducing the Apple MacBook Air

Posted on January 15, 2008 | 2 comments

Apple MacBook Air MC233LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop Apple ComputerSo I like the new MacBook Air. But while it’s smaller and lighter than all the current MacBooks, and it’s one-third lighter than the 12 inch PowerBook, you give up a bit. You can’t have a spare battery, as a matter of fact you can’t even change the battery yourself. The hard drive space is limited, an (iPod?) 80GB hard drive that runs at 4200 RPM, or a pricey 64GB flash drive. It does have the cool new multi-touch-pad and the built-in camera. No internal DVD drive, mono-speaker, only one USB port and a few other things I’m sure I’m not thinking of. If you haven’t seen it, go watch the ad….

It’s got these minuses (but it’s been a looonnnggg time since they refreshed a 12 inch PowerBook and and I’m definitely having “Air Envy”) I think if they take apart, slap it in a regular (or slightly smaller than regular) case with a changeable battery and a real hard drive (and maybe DVD drive) they’ve got what everyone has been waiting for.

I really thought I was going to want to snatch one up but it’s just not what I was expecting (and I’ve seen others say the same. Maybe if I actually see one, but I think until they do my (fictional) upgrades, I might just wait until the next refresh. I’m guessing the MacBook 13 inch will have the new multi-touch pad and LED screen. I can get an awful lot of power for the same price (if I buy my memory somewhere else).

Here’s an idea for something even smaller (no DVD though). Make ma a MacBook but chop the screen in half to the size of the keyboard and somehow have the trackpad slide out! It’s really be a “wide-screen” but it’d be tall enough for normal use.

I really miss my old Apple Duo (or was it a PowerBook Duo?)….

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Mom at the Apple Store

Posted on September 12, 2007 | Leave a comment

So my Mom went to get me a Gift Card from the Apple Store and she was talking about her experience there. I’ll paraphrase –

I had never been to an Apple Store, it’s kind of a strange store. It was 10:30 am on a weekday and they were packed, there weren’t any cash registers and it was just kind of odd. The store was very small but there were a lot of staff and they were all busy. It was a different shopping experience.

It was just an interesting experience listening to her talk about it, trying to comprehend the Mac fascination of the Mac users.

I kinda wished I had talked her into getting a MacBook, I just wasn’t sure if she’d use it and wasn’t sure if it was worth the extra expense (in case she didn’t use it). Now I know that it would have been…

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MacBook 13 inch model – Is this better than my 12 inch powerbook?

Posted on May 18, 2006 | Leave a comment

So Apple finally released a new smaller Intel Core Duo laptop. It’s just called the MacBook (no “pro”) and as far as I can tell be biggest difference is the fact that it doesn’t have separate graphics hardware. My big question is why? Why not just put in the better graphics for $50 more and be done with it? I want a small and powerful machine! I don’t think I’ve heard any rumors of a small pro model yet. Has anyone?

So let’s compare this to my favorite laptop, the 12 inch powerbook. It’s a all around, but a little thinner (10.9“ wide, 8.6” deep and 1.18“ thin for the PB and 12.78” wide, 8.92“ deep and 1.08” thin) but it’s 5.2 pounds which is 0.6 pounds heavier, which is huge when you consider the 15 inch model is only 5.6 pounds.

Bonuses on the MacBook: built-in iSight camera, up to 2 GB of memory (compared to 1.25 GB), optical audio in and out, a slightly larger screen, Front Row (with remote) and I’m assuming it’s a lot faster for the native applications (has anyone seen any speed tests comparing it to a 12 inch PowerBook?). But the best part? I like the plastic case better than the metal ones! The metal ones are too slippery…

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