Apple Macbook

While Apple’s laptop range is often criticised for its high prices, there’s no denying that it provides the kind of style and usability that few laptops can match. The Apple Macbook (£770 inc. VAT) is the entry-level model and is an impressively portable machine with plenty to offer the home user.

Weighing just 2.2kg, the Apple Macbook is a small and light machine in this group test. Slipping easily into hand luggage, its mobility is enhanced by its fantastic 304-minute battery life – a fantastic result that lets you comfortably work for more than five hours away from mains power. The white plastic chassis is well made, but its glossy finish is a magnet for smudges and scratches, so adequate protection is a must.

Although the Apple Macbook's 13.3-inch screen is quite small, it is arguably one of the best we've seen. Images are sharp and colour reproduction is excellent, bringing photos and movies to life. Deep black levels add an impressive level of contrast, helping colours and images to clearly stand out.
Apple’s iLife multimedia software suite is preinstalled on the Apple Macbook and helps you make the most of the screen. Powerful and intuitive tools for movie editing, photo management and web design are included, helping the whole family manage their multimedia files.
Since the potential for disaster is high if you catch your foot on a laptop’s power cable - as the force could drag the machine from your desk and send it crashing on to the floor - Apple eliminates this risk through the use of a magnetic power connector on the Apple Macbook. It attaches firmly but immediately pulls free of the chassis if any excessive force is applied to it, providing a neat safety feature. It's suprising more manufacturers haven't followed suit.

The isolated-style keyboard of the Apple Macbook provides comfortable usability. All keys move firmly and respond well, but clack slightly when typing at speed. The row of function keys – F1, F2, etc – at the top double as multimedia keys for easy control of music, movies and system features.
Since Apple pioneered gesture-control functionality, the Apple Macbook's glass touchpad makes it easy to scroll through documents, zoom and spin images and move between multiple windows just by using basic swipes of your fingers.
Where the Apple Macbook is flawed is in its somewhat limited specification. The 250GB hard drive is not as capacious as many Windows-based rivals and just 2048MB of memory and a paltry two USB ports are included. Many other laptops better this specification at this price, so bear this in mind.
That’s not to say that Apple Macbook's performance is poor, however. The dual-core Intel processor ensures that Apple’s OS X operating system starts and responds quickly, and we found no issue with running multiple applications simultaneously, as well as editing our home photos and videos.
Although on paper you will get more for your money from a Windows-based laptop, it is the fine touches – such as the great software and usability – that make the Apple Macbook truly stand out. Unless you need the most bang for your buck, you are sure to like what’s on offer.
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For more information on the Apple Macbook visit Apple
Review sample provided by Laptops Direct
E-code    MC207B/A
Processor    Intel 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P7550
Memory    2048MB DDR3 SDRAM
Hard drive    250GB (5400rpm)
Optical drive    Dual-Format DVD DL
Screen size and type    13.3-inch Super-TFT
Display Resolution    1280 x 800 (WXGA)
Graphics Card    nVidia GeForce 9400M
Dimensions    331 x 220 x 25mm
Weight    2.2kg
Wireless LAN    802.11n
Ethernet    Gigabit
USB Ports    2
FireWire    No
Operating System    Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Standard Warranty    1 yr C&R P&L