Aluminum MacBook Review- 5 Months Later

[AndyPFTW]

Is the mic for it good with loud noise?

[josp182]

hey man, nice review i was wondering if you could help me, or anyone for that matter lol. I want to get a mac but not sure what to get, its either a macbook pro 13 or the imac 21 inch. Im having trouble deciding. I do a lot of designing and i really want to get into video editing for my snowboarding etc etc. Would the macbook pro be enough to cope with such programes as photoshop and be powerful enough for my video editing?? also how do you find the small screen??

[bregowine]

Mine has almost 8 months of use and the only complaints I have are:

- It has lost some of the magnetism (I think)... It opens very easy... I don't know if it's normal.

-The speakers make some "crunchy" noise when the volume is high

[nabatron21]

how is yur battery latch cover doing ive seen many people on youtube complaing on the poor design meaning at first is good but later starts to loosen and pretty much turn to crap just wondering how yurs is doing and if u seen any problems with it.....ive since seen what people were talking about since my battery latch is loosening abit aswell wondering if there is somethin apple covers or not? would like to here yur opinion on this man! thanks

[love2love09]

This was very informative. Its good knowing that the new macbook still has solid reviews months after. It makes me more excited for today where I will be purchasing my first mac!

[jareddisco]

u're actually pretty geeky hot. lol. anyway, i'm dying to get one right now, and where i'm staying, they have an offer - buy a Mac and get a 365sgd rebate on an ipod touch!! i.e. to say only 23sgd for the 8gb one. hhahaa....i'm sooo getting one!!!

[DetroitBORG]

I turned on "Tap to Click" to avoid clicking the track pad. I too hate clicing track pads or track pad buttons, although I didn't find it noisy or obnoxious.

The best feature of any MacBook is the Multi-Touch trackpad, This is the feature which can sell the computer IMO.

[ej6060]

Your reading my comment 2. Now your saying/thinking thats a stupid fact. 4. You didnt notice that i skipped 3. 5. Your checking it now. 6. Your smiling. 7. Your still reading my comment. 8. You know all you have read is true. 10. You didnt notice that i skipped 9. 11. Your checking it now. 12. You didnt notice there are only 10 facts Copy and paste to 1 video, tomorrow will be your best day ever! no matter what

[jamalkemal]

haha!really?post it..i wanna know!

[watyonameisgurl]

y would a 2.4GHz version be better?

what does it mean? more hard drive or something?

[eltreb]

it means it has a better processor, basically the whole computer runs all of its processes faster than say the 2.0. If you have the cash, go with the 2.4, if not, go with the smaller one, you only really need to the 2.4 if you are going to be running very consuming software and progams, you will not actually notice a lot of the difference between the two conducting simple operations.

[pianolady1995]

i know this may sound stupid but does the 2.0 version have a dvd player preinstalled into the macbook? also, does that mean the webcam(isight?) have good resolution? like clear clear?

[eltreb]

yes it has the same DVD drive as the 2.4 so it will play DVDs. also the isight is no different from the one on the 2.4 i have the aluminium 2.4 the camera is good for a webcam, but if you want to record stuff in very high quality get a seperate camera.

[Sheppardgraphics]

Hey dude, will this spec macbook run photoshop, flash and dreamweaver? I am considering getting one but am unsure!

[callmejosiah]

yes, the 2.4GHz MacBook should be more than capable of running those apps with just a stock config (i.e. with 2GB of RAM), though you may want to eventually upgrade to a 7200rpm HDD and 4GB of RAM for optimal performance.

[socialiteappetite]

when you got your macbook, and when you go on finder did the icon with the house already say "user" or could you customize it to name it after you?

because whenever i look on finder and the house on the sidebar says "user" but i want it to title it by my name?

is that icon from yours the same name (which is the house one that says "user" for me)

[eltreb]

I think you actually set that up during the initial setup but to change it go to - System Preferences>Accounts (under the System tab) and change the user name, if this doesn't do it I'm not how to. Hope this helps.

[elektor1984]

my keyboard after 5 months shines too. I thougth my hands are dirty but i seems this is normal.

And the second thing ist that the keyboard feeling is getting worse. Not bad but cheaper. I have the alu bluethoot keyboard and i liked this one more.

So yeah i agree with all you points! Great vid!

elektro

[p14y4]

anyone know what the resolution on the isight camera is?

[callmejosiah]

the iSight's recording resolution is 640x480...

[HmmYummy]

Hey, great update. Really useful to have a post 5 month review.

Just one thing though, the 9400M GPU is actually an integrated solution. It doesn't actually have it's own 256Mb of RAM it borrows it from your 2Gb, (imo nVidia are the worst at naming), hence the sub desktop card performance. Although if you're comparing the 9400M to the desktop version, laptop versions are usually slightly weaker due to size and heat issues.

Anyhow, congrats on the purchase sounds like you're enjoying it.

[ltwum001]

cool video...but about the trackpad, if the clicking noise gets on your nerves you can just go into system preferences and change it so that all you have to do is just tap the trackpad instead of clicking on it...ive had mine on that setting since like december and i love it.

[callmejosiah]

that's a good point, I actually do have tapping enabled, but for some reason I still prefer a physical click over it... thanks for the tip!

[DewGuy1999]

Josiah, great update video. I've been back and forth on the issue of getting a new iMac, MacBook or Mac mini to replace my 6+ year old G4 iMac, but couldn't make up my mind. I think it was last week or so that Apple dropped the price on refurbished 2.4GHz MacBooks to $1299 and I was pretty close to buying one, well after watching this video and sleeping on your comments I ordered one, it's scheduled to be here Thursday 4/16 and I just can't wait. Thanks for giving me that final push! :)

[callmejosiah]

thanks man, glad the video was helpful... I remember when you were initially considering buying an iMac, but I think you made the right decision going with the MacBook. trust me, you'll be glad you bought it!

[moviedragon5000]

is there a huge difference between the 2.0 and 2.4 processor? cuz im tihnking about buying macbook and upgrading hard drive and ram myself itll be cheaper

[callmejosiah]

unless you plan on using the added processing power for things like audio/video encoding or gaming, the 2.0Ghz version should suit you fine.

[ajones2009]

Does your trackpad have swirl marks like many laptops get after that amount of use? I just brought my macbook and want to know what I should expect.

Thanks

[callmejosiah]

not at all, no, the glass coating has definitely held up very well (looks and feels just like when I first started using it)... very impressed, especially since every other laptop I've owned ended up with an ugly shiny spot after just a few months.

[ElectronicsCritics]

hey i have the money to get the 17" unibody macbook pro but do you think its worth it for 2800? (plus a wireless mighty mouse and an incase sleeve)

[callmejosiah]

well, if you compare the 17" MBP to a 2.4GHz stock MB, you're getting a much higher-quality, larger/higher-resolution screen right off the bat, in addition to faster processor with double the cache, double the RAM, and a high-performance graphics card in addition to the graphics processor found in the MB... if you need all these extra features (for graphic design/movie editing, etc.), then sure, I'd say it's worth it, but it'll also cost you almost twice as much. in the end, it's your call...

[disneydorkjack]

awesome

[Flufkut]

Hey Josiah, awesome review!

I was just wondering if you've had any issues with the screen quality. Of course this screen isn't on par with the Macbook Pro's quality, but does it give you any issues? Does it have a lot of glaring? What about movies, is it, quality wise, enjoyable to watch movies? Just wondering, 'cause i've read some reports about blacks not being black, etc.

Thanks in advance! =)

[callmejosiah]

well, on a scale of 1-100 (1 being white, 100 being pure black), I'd say blacks appear somewhere in the low- to high-90's range, and the screen has a very slightly "washed out" look to it, but these things are not obvious enough that they're noticeable while watching movies/during general use... I could safely rate the screen an 8/10 overall- color depth/saturation could be slightly better, but I'm not complaining.

[Flufkut]

Thanks for the very fast answer! =)

Alright, I should be fine then. Am in doubt whether i should buy the MB or the MBP, but i think i'll be just fine with the 2,4 ghz MB. Thanks again!

[EliteSoldier112]

No, Seriously don't go with the 2.4 Ghz MB. I was also deciding whether I should go with the MB or the MBP. I'm going with the MBP because of the MUCH higher quality screen. I can't remember the site (Google It), but it compared to screen between the MB and the MBP. Now if you want to watch movies then DEFINITELY go with the MBP. There is a huge difference in terms of color saturation and especially the viewing angles. To sum it up, if you've got the money, go with the MBP for sure.

[callmejosiah]

I'd rather go with my own experience than someone else's review any day... true, either MBP model will have a much higher quality screen, but unless you're comparing them side-by-side, the color really isn't a big issue, and I still stand behind saying that the MacBook's screen is plenty good enough for most users.

[tsbabbar]

great buddy,,,

keep posting,,, i guess u r very busy with school nowadays

[callmejosiah]

ya, I just needed to take some time off from making videos over this past month and focus on nailing my studies, but now that I'm finally getting back on top of my schooling I'm going to try to make time for at least one or two videos a week... so we'll see how that works out. thanks for the support!

[dpxmidisplaylol]

GREAT REVIEW

But, my question is concerning the battery cycles. How do you know how many you´ve been through? Is it ok if i always have it pluged in to the wall socket? Does it make my battery lifespam shorter? Suggestions? :) THANKS in advance

[callmejosiah]

you can view that info by going to "About This Mac" and clicking the "More Info" button at the bottom... along the left-hand side will be a list of your computer's hardware, and the one labeled "Power" will give you detailed information about your power settings/battery. I'm not sure about other notebooks, but leaving your MacBook plugged in will not harm battery lifespan as the power adapter automatically bypasses the battery when it is fully charged... hope this helped, thanks for the comment!

[dpxmidisplaylol]

THANKS SO MUCH you are the Man Josiah

[tathagatchakra]

great review! :)

[demyrik]

Very good Review

[GazahSCD]

Great review, very descriptive and covers everything.

[callmejosiah]

thanks man, good to hear from you!

[tsbabbar]

no prob,,

good luck with studies

[Shwanp]

Very detailed and awesome review, Josiah. Keep it up!

[paperdoll978]

Great Review :)

[vaio1634]

great review.

[JMDylan]

Great review.

[merlucco]

great machine. great.

[xaznfatboi]

great review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[iLukeMAC]

Hey callmejosiah, When i get my macbook in like June-ish, Do you think APPLE INC. will come out with a new laptop anytime soon? Or like a update. Because i dont want to get my mac, and the next day a new one comes out? Help me out :)

Thanks.

[callmejosiah]

I haven't heard anything yet that'd indicate an update to the MacBook line around that time... if I do hear anything legit, there's a good chance I'll make a video about it.

[iLukeMAC]

Ok, sweeet. I will be llooking forward to watching that video, either on my new mack or my pc haha (pc's suck!)

[majood95]

There might be an update with the OS. the new leopard

[iLukeMAC]

Yeah the Leopard Snow.

i wonder what its gunna be like.

[callmejosiah]

from what I've read, it's mainly supposed to improve performance and serve as more of an "upgrade" from the features already offered in Leopard... and most sources I've read have given a date somewhere in early June for its release, so if you'd rather work with the latest OS, you may want to wait at least until then (though I wouldn't expect an actual hardware revision until Q3 of this year).

[iLukeMAC]

yah, thats what i have heard too. Will you have to buy the upgrade? Or will it audiomaticaly upgrade your computer? Yah, that is about when i will getting my macbook as i hope.Well, theirs nothing wrong with leopard. Yah ok, thanks for the info!

[Jerylemata]

thank you for the informative video, i will be making my purchase this week on the Macbook 2.4 ghz hopefully. this was very helpful

[callmejosiah]

sounds good, you won't be disappointed!

(thanks for the comment, btw)

[COD4fanboi]

i got my macbook pro a few days ago and i love it!!!!!

[macgeek24]

great review. I'm about to do my review on my macbook also. I have had my macbook for 5 months also

[callmejosiah]

nice, I'll keep my eye out for it... thanks for the comment!

[TFDgohan]

i hope to be getting the 2.0 macbook 2moz i hope and it will be my first mac :) good review as well dude

[callmejosiah]

congrats, hope it works out!

[TFDgohan]

thanks i am sure it will work out the thing i hate is that the college i go 2 use windows xp :( but o well lol i will b happy when i go mac

[callmejosiah]

well, just a reminder- you can install Windows on any Mac running Leopard via BootCamp, and based on what little experience I've had with using XP on a Mac, it runs exactly the same as on a standard PC (on top of giving you full access to your iSight and all the hardware available while booted into OS X).

[TFDgohan]

i am not putting windows on a mac i am trying 2 get a way from windows as much as i can lol :D and plus i would not take it to my college anyways lol

[Drifter2080]

Great Review!!!!