Mac Again: Picking the Right MacBook

In my last column I wrote about Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac and how its newfound Exchange support allowed me once again to use a Mac as my primary computer after almost two years in Windows.

Now that the software allows me to use a Mac, the question moved from whether or not I can use a Mac as my primary computer to which Mac to use.

I'm a laptop junky. Even if I didn't travel frequently, I still wouldn't even consider a desktop, but I do travel, a lot, and as a result have used laptops as my primary computers since the mid 1990s. I've had many laptops over the years and usually own two at a time. Perhaps my favorite laptop ever was Apple's 12" PowerBook. I currently own a used one, the 1.0 GHz Rev B. model that I bought on eBay for $550. This is a terrific computer, but a 5-year-old G4 really doesn't have what it takes to be my primary computer these days.

MacBook Air Temptation

I'd been eyeing the MacBook Air since it was announced and have made numerous trips to my local Apple Store to admire it. My first thought was that I would wait a few more months, and once reliability data (initially quite promising) started coming in, I would buy the base hard drive model. I was at the Apple Store to buy my copy of Office 2008 (I need the pricey full version for Exchange support) and, as usual, I played with the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air

I came so close to just buying it.

The Air is gorgeous, small, light, slim, and downright beautiful. It has only one design issue that really bothers me, and that is the inability to change batteries on the go. I could keep my PowerBook and get an extra battery for longer flights, I reasoned. The old PowerBook wasn't fast enough for a primary computer, but it was more than up to travel-duty.

Another Temptress

So what stopped me from getting the Air? Quite simply, it was the MacBook. Actually, it was the original MacBook and last October's MacBook that both stopped my Air purchase. The original MacBook was a machine that caused me no small amount of lost productivity and hassle, with Apple having to replace mine three times following a botched repair, resulting in a computer that I owned for 6 weeks but only had working in my possession for two. I lost confidence on replacement number three (a seemingly good machine) and switched to a Windows machine (I was using Windows Outlook on the MacBook too). I was very leery of playing early adopter again.

The new (before February 26) MacBook was the other reason I didn't buy the Air. The Air that I was playing with was straddled by a 15" MacBook Pro and a black MacBook, while two white MacBooks and a 17" MacBook Pro were across the table from it. I didn't even look at the Pro models, as the smallest is far too large for me, but my eyes did keep moving to the black MacBook as I played with the Air.

I know the MacBook design rather well. As mentioned before, I owned one of the very first black ones, my daughter has the second generation white entry-level model, and my wife has the 2007 entry-level white MacBook. I shifted my attention to the black one, played with it, opened applications, typed on the keyboard, watched a video file. The price difference between the Air and the black MacBook is only $200, but of course I would buy the SuperDrive for the MacBook Air (another $100).

Back in Black

In the end, I bought that black MacBook, not because of the price differential, but because it had twice the hard disk space (needed for Boot Camp), was noticeably faster in use, and finally because I could change batteries on the go (I bought a spare). Of course, that the MacBook, then in its third generation, was a mature and proven product with a solid reliability record in all (save the first generation models) was a very strong motivator as well.

My only regret is that I missed my return window to get the new model by 10 days, which would have given me a slightly faster processor, double the RAM, and 90 GB more hard drive capacity. Since I upgraded my MacBook to 4 GB RAM anyway (not through Apple), it makes very little difference.

I Still Love It

So how do I like being back on a MacBook as my primary computer? Well, honestly I loved the design the first time and still do. It's a bit heavy for running around all day, but these days my local travel is far less, though my long-haul travel is more. The MacBook is small enough to take with me on overnight trips, lasts long enough on its battery to be useful, and I can pack the spare for longer trips. It is comfortable to use, convenient with everything built in, and very fast and stable.

It's not as small and light as the 12" PowerBook, but it's a lot nicer for watching movies in flight and actually lasts a full hour longer on battery than the PowerBook ever did. On the 12" PowerBook I almost always had to carry a second battery when I flew, now I only need it when flying round-trip on the same day without time to recharge in between or for transpacific flights.

Maybe I'll get the Air next year and move the MacBook to another user, but I'm in no rush. Despite being sold as a consumer model, there is nothing cheap about the current MacBooks.