Even though Apple only introduced the vgp-bps8 last Fall, we weren’t surprised that the company’s consumer vgp-bps8a saw a refresh shortly after the MacBook Pro line saw its upgrades. Like the Pros, the MacBook’s updates are mostly limited to internal specs, with the same excellent outer design and $999 price remaining the same. Also true to the last generation, this new MacBook’s specs are very similar to the vgp-bpl8, which costs $200 more. Apple draws the line between consumer and professional at aluminum vs. plastic, plus the number and type of ports on offer. Considering its excellent battery life, design, operating system and customer support, the MacBook remains a strong buy. But for the lower price you’ll sacrifice some features.
Design
If you were to take a 13-inch MacBook Pro and replace the metal exterior with plastic, you’d pretty much have the MacBook. Its gleaming white glossy plastic interior and exterior—including the keyboard—continues the clean aesthetic of previous Macs, and hides fingerprints well, too. Like the MacBook Pros, this thin and light system also features a sturdy unibody construction. The result is a design that feels like it will stand the test of time. vgp-bps9,vgp-bps9/s,vgp-bps9/b,vgp-bps9a/b
While the aluminum-clad MacBook Pros with their black keyboards are definitely sleek, the all-white MacBook seems somewhat friendlier. The bottom panel, held in place by 8 screws, is coated in a soft light gray rubber, which keeps it from slipping around on a desk, and feels comfortable on your lap.
At 13.0 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches and weighing 4.8 pounds, the MacBook slightly larger and heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Pro (12.8 x 8.9 x 1.0 inches, 4.4 pounds), but isn’t too great a difference that we couldn’t carry it comfortably in our messenger bag. vgp-bps13, vgp-bps13a/b
Heat
After playing a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, Toshiba Notebook Battery we measured the temperature of the MacBook in several places:Sony battery the touchpad only got as hot as 81 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H key reached 92 degrees, and the underside of the notebook reached just 94 degrees. The hottest area of the notebook was nearest the hinge on the bottom, which measured a whopping 120 degrees. This was noticeable when on our lap and much hotter than the previous generation, which only reached 97 degrees during the same test.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Unlike the MacBook Pros, the MacBook’s keyboard is not backlit; some concessions have to be made for the price. However, PA3399U-1BAS Battery seems to be the only concession. Not only is the island-style keyboard well-spaced, but the keys themselves were comfortable to the touch, and were snappy in response.
Apple has also brought the same touchpad as on its other notebooks: it doubles PA3399U-2BAS Battery the touchpad and the touch button. At 4.0 x 3.0 inches, not only is this trackpad the largest we’ve ever tested, but is very low friction, too. Like the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple’s honed the design: we were able to effortlessly press down on the button without thinking about the fact that there’s no dedicated touch button (nevermind two).
The multitouch gestures work smoothly, too. By pushing four fingers toward the top of the touchpad, we were able to fling windows up toward the top of the screen, exposing a clean PA3435U-1BRS Battery. When we used two fingers to zoom in and out of pages in Safari 4, the onscreen response was very quick. More importantly, it wasn’t jerky and finicky, like the touchpad/button combo on the PA3451U-1BRS Battery. We were able to rest our left thumb on the pad and still move the cursor around without the notebook misinterpreting our movements.
Just as with the new MacBook Pros and the iPhone and iPad, Apple added inertial scrolling to the MacBook’s touchpad. It makes getting around long webpages and Google Reader feed lists much easier, but users who find it annoying can disable it in the system settings.PA3534U-1BRS Battery
Display and Audio
The 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy display on the MacBook has a resolution of 1280 x 800, and images were bright and crisp. However, PA3450U-1BRS Battery this system doesn’t have the same 60 percent greater color gamut as the MacBook Pro line, so photo editors will want to think twice. Viewing angles were excellent from side to side, and unlike the previous generation MacBook, vertical viewing angles are just as good. We did note pixilation and blocky colors when watching both standard and high definition video streamed from Hulu and YouTube. Video played from the hard drive or DVD was smoother,PA3465U-1BRS Battery but pixels were still noticeable.
While the speakers on the MacBook were loud, PA3475U-1BRS Battery producing enough sound to fill a room, they were lacking in bass. Higher sounds, such as the drums and guitar riffs in Guns n Roses’ “November Rain” tended to be somewhat harsh.
Ports and Webcam
The one area where we’d like to see Apple splurge a bit more is with its port and slot selection. The MacBook has two USB, a mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, and a headphone jack on the left side; on the right is the slot for the SuperDrive DVD burner. Considering their ubiquity (you can find them on $300 netbooks), we’d like to see an SD Card slot, as well as at least one more USB port. The PA3478U-1BRS Battery, for example, has all of the above, as well as FireWire and HDMI.
When conversing with a friend over Google PA3479U-1BRS Battery, she said that our image was clear, and the embedded mic picked up our sound well, but the camera on the MacBook had a hard time adjusting to lower-light conditions.