Can Apple's Consumer MacBook Really Replace Two PowerBooks and a ThinkPad?

I need to learn what crow tastes like.

For months, I've worked hard to convince myself that I don't really need an Intel Mac, have upgraded my PowerPC machines to add functionality and performance, and have been in and out of the Apple Store looking longingly at the latest Intel Core Duo powerhouses.

Well, last week I bit the bullet and walked out with a black MacBook under my arm.

In use, I've come to really like many aspects of this computer - and to dislike one or two as well.

Consider this the lawyer's take on Apple's new consumer machine.

First off, (as usual) I ignored my own advice and bought the most expensive model in the range instead of the cheapest. Looking at the $1,499 black MacBook and the $1,099 white one, the difference in value for your money is staggering. The 1.83 GHz Core Duo will do everything that the 2.0 GHz model does and is close enough in speed to simply not matter. Also, since the first thing I did was install 2 GB of RAM and a 120 GB Seagate Momentus 5400 rpm hard drive, the extra 20 GB that comes with the black MacBook only matters in the price I get on the eBay market for the used drive.

In effect, all that I got for my extra $400 are the ability to (slowly) burn DVDs and the slick black case. I've got enough DVD burning computers around to not care at all about the SuperDrive, but I just had to have the black case.

Good-bye, PowerBooks

With any luck, this machine will replace both my 12" and 15" PowerBooks and become my only computer, though it's still too early to tell.

The 12" is already gone, passed on to a friend for almost what I paid for it. It was a good deal for her, as she had been wanting a Region Free PowerBook for some time, and, like me, all of her work programs are still PowerPC optimized. I was very reluctant to sell, but the desire to play with an Intel 'Book just got the better of me.

Okay, on to the MacBook itself.

The black case is simply gorgeous, and in my line of work - where image does actually count - it may be worthwhile. The white ones look nice, too, but the black definitely looks and feels more expensive. The feel is very different as the black MacBook has a matte surface that feels almost rubberized. It's actually a lot like the rubber paint that IBM used to put on ThinkPads in the late 1990s, and it really looks and feels super.

Dare I say that the black MacBook actually looks more like a professional item than the aluminum PowerBooks and MacBook Pros do?

Dare I say that the black MacBook actually looks more like a professional item than the aluminum PowerBooks and MacBook Pros do?

Fortunately, this "budget" model gives up very little under the hood to the much more expensive MacBook Pro.

Screen and Graphics

I seriously considered getting the 15" MacBook Pro on account of its video card and matte screen, but after spending enough time with the MacBook at the Apple Store in Pasadena, I realized that the glossy screen was very, very good - and so was the Intel GMA 950 graphics.

...glare is far better controlled than on any other glossy screen I've tried....

The screen was my biggest worry, but I've not yet had glare render it unusable. On the contrary, glare is far better controlled than on any other glossy screen I've tried, and better even than on some low-end matte panels. Yes, it reflects, but the screen is so bright that the glare is usually overpowered and unnoticeable.

The benefits of a glossy screen are all present and accounted for. Deep blacks, vivid, saturated color, and a certain "pop" that makes movies really impressive all come together to make this a much better laptop for DVD movies than even my 15" PowerBook, which, while larger, just doesn't have the same image quality for movies.

MacBook Gaming

The GMA 950 graphics are also far better than they should be. I haven't tried Rome: Total War yet, but Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic actually plays better on the MacBook (Windows version using Boot Camp) than the Mac version did on either of my PowerBooks with their discreet 64 MB graphics cards. Doom3 universal, with detail reduced, is about the same as on my 15" PowerBook, which is far better than I expected from "vampire video" on the MacBook.

It's no gaming powerhouse, but in every other respect this is simply the most powerful laptop that I've ever used. 2.0 GHz of Core Duo power and 2 GB of interleaved (matched pair) RAM make up a lot for the integrated video in just about any application.

The Keyboard

The last area I was a bit concerned over was the keyboard, which is a very strange-looking affair with perfectly square keys that sink into individual holes cut into the top case. It looks like the toy keyboards on those toy computers of the early 80s (anyone remember IBM's original PCjr keyboard?), but it feels like anything but.

The action is shallower than on any laptop keyboard of recent memory - I'm guessing about 2mm of travel instead of the usual 3mm - but the feel in those 2mm is incredible. The action is firm, which I prefer, with a definite point of engagement that gives this touch-typist perfect feedback and almost zero untyped characters.

The feel is still odd, but my typing speed and accuracy have never been better. I would guess that with more familiarity this will become one of my favorite laptop keyboards, as good as the aluminum PowerBooks and IBM ThinkPads that are my benchmarks for laptop keyboards.

Dislikes

I mentioned there being things I don't like. Here goes.

The case is very easily smudged with the oils from hands and fingers. Normally this doesn't really show on most laptops, but on the black MacBook it's very obvious. Wash those hands often if you plan to use one of these.

Also, this thing really cooks, and I'm not only talking about the speed. I use a temperature monitoring program and have seen the internal sensors for the processor cores as high as 85° Celsius. That's seriously hot folks, though well within Intel's rated 100° Celsius for this processor.

Apple is not kidding when they say this machine isn't for "lap-top" use. Most of the time it hovers around 77° Celsius, which is hotter than either of my PowerBooks have ever reached (I've seen 68° C on the 12"). The polycarbonate case makes the heat about the same as on the cooler-running PowerBooks from the outside, but I've got to wonder how all that heat affects the long-term reliability of these machines.

Build Quality

Heat aside, this MacBook has what appears to be the best build-quality of any Apple laptop since the Lombard and Pismo PowerBooks of 1999-2000. It feels solid; there is no flex in the case, and the hinges feel firm. The trackpad button is solid, and touching the back of the display does not produce any visible artifacts.

I'm hoping that means these MacBooks will go the distance, but only time will tell on that one. For the price and performance, however, there is no better bargain.

Performance

Now for what really matters to my use, performance under Rosetta and battery life.

MS Office and QuickBooks Pro run just fine under Rosetta, about the same as they do on the 15" PowerBook actually. That wasn't the case before the RAM upgrade. When I tried MS Office at the Apple Store with the stock 512 MB of RAM, I was extremely disappointed, but everything I'd read suggested that more RAM really makes Rosetta bearable.

It's true - after the 2 GB RAM upgrade I have no complaints whatsoever about performance under Rosetta. Sure, Photoshop is slower than on the 15" PowerBook, for which the program is well optimized, but QuickBooks and Office, which are relatively low-demand as far as processing is concerned, are both more than tolerable.

Battery life is also better than I expected at about 5 hours real world with the screen dim. I've installed the CHUD tools, and am anxious to test battery life in Core Solo mode. With the screen dim and one core I'm hoping to reach Apple's claim of 6 hours, though only further testing will give that answer. As it is, the MacBook lasts longer than either the 12" PowerBook or 15" PowerBook, so I'm pleased with its unplugged performance.

Heavy for Travel

What I am not pleased about is its weight. I've said this before: Apple needs a lighter laptop.

I just sold my Ultralight ThinkPad X32, so I now find myself without a lightweight travel machine. I'm not sure if I'll travel with the MacBook when I go to Korea in December or buy something smaller. I can probably get a used Rev. B 12" PowerBook for under $700 now that the G4s are history, or an older X-series ThinkPad for even less.

The MacBook would work well on an airplane (hopefully it won't melt the tray table), but at 5.2 lb. it's almost as heavy as the 15" PowerBook. Of course, it does add Windows gaming to my in-flight entertainment, thanks to Boot Camp. Windows XP is fast, though a bit awkward to use. It runs at full speed, just like on a regular PC, but there is no "delete" key or right mouse button function in Windows, and that came make for some difficulty.

Well, there it is. So far I'm impressed and happy with the MacBook overall. Its screen is large and bright enough to replace the 15" PowerBook, while its size is handy enough to replace the 12" PowerBook for the typical workday. While the 12" PowerBook is far more portable overall, the 1024 x 768 screen was far too limiting for it to be my only computer, and the inconvenience of using two computers somewhat overcomes many of the benefits of a smaller and a larger machine.

I'll check in after a few months to keep everyone posted. Will the 13.3" MacBook really replace the smaller and larger pair of PowerBooks? Time will tell.