Jan Zdarsa So I was already among the lucky ones who had the chance to see and test the new Macbook. For the curious in Prague, it is enough to visit, for example, the iStylu store on Anděl.
Love at first sight?
Although I already liked the black frame of the display on the iMacs and on the pictures of the new Macbooks, I was a little embarrassed by the overall impression. Maybe the look of the Macbook Air suited me better. But everything changed when I got to see the new Macbook for myself. It looks beautiful and overall it certainly doesn't come across as some kind of clod. When I tried to weigh it down, it felt much lighter than the two blankets. The weight is probably better distributed, so it feels really light.
Quality of processing
The new unibody is simply sexy, there's no doubt about that, and any PC geek will envy you. It seems much stronger and I have no doubts about its durability. The display is certainly a bit better than the old Macbook, but it is nowhere near the quality of the Macbook Pro or Macbook Air. It's still just a cheaper panel. But don't worry, it looks really cool, I'm just used to something different from Macbook Pro and Macbook Air. As for the keyboard, the feel of it is similar to that of old Macbooks - that soft "feeling". I find the Macbook Pro keyboard more comfortable to type on, but it will still be good to type on. Speaking of the keyboard, I found out about them and although the new Macbook and Macbook Pro look absolutely identical, typing on them is different. The Pročka keyboard really has more of a keyboard from an old Macbook Pro, such a more "clicky" feeling when typing on it. Hinges are also very important to me in a laptop. I have to say that in the new model they seemed perfectly solid to me and in that it fulfilled what I wished for. As far as temperatures and noise are concerned, the Macbook is a really quiet and relatively cool laptop. The heat has now moved more towards the trackpad area, but it's really not a big deal and using the Macbook on your lap is now much more pleasant.
A glass trackpad? Yes indeed..
There is indeed a glass trackpad in the new model, although it doesn't look like that to the naked eye. Everyone described it as iPhone glass, but that doesn't fit me. It feels very smooth, "gliding" and very pleasant. It just felt weird when I used it. Those who don't try won't understand. In short, it was something completely different from what I'm used to. Although it doesn't have buttons, I found it pleasant to work with right from the start, thanks to its size.
Equipment - what is missing here?
I hope I don't have to go into detail that some users will probably miss firewire. I would use it a few times a year when transferring video from the camera, but I only need a USB stick for that, so I definitely don't miss it. As for the monitor connector, a new "standard" appears here, the so-called Display port in Mini design. Although many users do not like the constant transformation of this port, I welcome the display port on the Macbook. I have no doubt that it is the format of the future, just look at the companies behind it. And since my investment in the laptop will be longer-term, the display port is definitely in place. But what made Apple rudely disappoint me is that it no longer supplies a reducer for Macbooks! In short, I was used to it, that I always found a reducer for what I needed in the package, but now they make me spend a lot of money for their cables. I really don't like that.
Known problems from abroad?
- users often complain that there is a gap between the bottom battery cover and the hard drive after first removing the cover and the chassis
- the trackpad sometimes misses for a few seconds and cannot be clicked (Apple is already solving it and a software fix is expected in the near future)
- sometimes the battery fails, but most users write that they can surf the net for 4-5 hours without any problems
- different types of screens that differ in quality
- weaker wi-fi reception than on the old model
Although it looks like I already own a new Macbook, I really don't. So far, I've only had a chance to test it thoroughly. But I'm already flying tomorrow for my own - ju hůůů :)
Discussion of the article
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And where do you go for that macbook? Everywhere they told me that in 14 days at the earliest.
@M: I'm going to iStyle.. Macbooks arrived this afternoon, they definitely had them in stock, for example, at Applecentrum.cz in Brno (they still had 2.0 pieces available for the 2Ghz)..
They told me already in the afternoon that they should arrive within the next week.. an hour later I had a phone call that I had it in stock :)
Today I went to look at iStyle - Revolucni and I also fell in love ;-)
I have to say that the overall design and especially the trackpad appealed to me the most. It's a pleasure to touch it...!
@Giger: Exactly.. that trackpad is hard to write about, you have to try it. The first few touches took place in the style that I tried to wiggle the pointer and immediately winced and looked at what it was :)
So, how do you feel about him after a long time (well, a long time, as it were)?
I'm waiting for a nice review, okay? :-)
I'm going to charge myself, sicak one! :)
@stn001: You have to give it time. Of course I could write down some impressions, but that would be what one hears from all sides. I'll play with it for a week and then write something!
But I have to say that speakers can be really loud, they sound perfect! And otherwise it is very quiet!
What do you mean - different types of screens that differ in quality?
@Roman Solár: Apple has several suppliers of screens for these Macbooks (every ntb company, I think, does it this way) and of course they differ slightly in quality. In addition, each model itself differs in quality. So some complain about the black rendering, some talk about very bad viewing angles and so on..
I have one more question, is it possible to upgrade the ram on the new MB (pro) without going to the service center...?
@stn001: you can replace the battery or hard drive without any problems, but the frames can also be replaced.. you just have to loosen a couple of screws and access the frames.. the replacement is simple.. but I'm not sure if it somehow affects the warranty, but I assume that no..
so I've had it for about 14 days.
I have to say that after 4 years of using an iBook and a Panther, it's quite a leap into the sea :-)
Here, the price of the McBook is really a competitive price for other Win books in the same or very similar configuration.
I believe - the flashlight really lasts long enough and if a person turns down the brightness of the display (which is already too much, especially in the dark) he will also try a few parts of Dexter;)
but it bothers me that it gets hot, and I would say that quite a lot from below in the area of the processor.
I guess - at first it doesn't (only one Heatsink heats up), then the temperature starts to rise and it just won't drop (both heatsinks at 70) - and then I really need to turn on VLC to watch a movie from the HDD.
but maybe it's just a mistake on my part
So not on my knees for very long.
In comparison with the old ibook, the Wi-Fi reception is just a little bit weaker. But I still haven't verified it technically.
Trackpad - it's the bomb!!
It greatly simplifies movement in Leopard in those basic and necessary quick operations.
I'm using Safari more than Firefox for the first time, but I installed MultiClutch for foxika and swipe works too :-)
http://wcrawford.org/2008/02/28/everytime-i-think-about-you-i-touch-my-cell/
Keyboard – well, I had to get used to it, but no problem.
A great thing for me is the traffic and the variability for traveling :)
Well, on the miniDisplay port - it bothers me that there is still no HDMI output.. it's just not even from a 3rd party manufacturer.. and that bothers me a lot because of the remote control for FrontRow.
and the weight of the laptop itself? in advice due to the performance!
So who hesitates... It doesn't matter.. Who doesn't deepen the purchase :-)
Otherwise great blog and vidcast :-)
@pavelsan: you were quite surprised with that temperature.. it seems very low to me compared to a Macbook Pro or an old Macbook.. yesterday I played Left4Dead (a challenging 3D game) in Vista and I played it on my thighs.. the last generation Macbook Pro didn't hold up and the older Macbook bothered me on my thighs even when surfing the net... I don't even know that I have a new Macbook :)
but on foreign forums they also wrote about the fact that their macbook gets hot, so I don't see that it would be piece by piece again?
I agree with you, whoever buys, definitely won't deepen! And thanks a lot for the compliment :)
well, just go to skype and I would describe it like this>
temperature 78 degrees, fan rpm 2400, heatsink A -70, heatsink B-68 degrees
if you look at the "square" part with the keyboard, yes
A1 A2
A3 A4
so A1 is on the fence of eggs from below... but it is thrown away for the winter.
@pavelsan: That's special. My laptop is thrown on a blanket on my bed, so there can be no question of good ventilation... I run a lot of applications, Safari and sometimes YouTube or some small video, Word, Excel, etc.
CPU 56
Heatsink A 53
Heatsink B 50
I tried to put it on the wedge and the temperature is just around the corner of my legs, it's warm, definitely not hot and not hot at all..
A1, A2 fairly evenly distributed heat, A3, A4 relatively cold
if I were to continue, here are the last temperatures
HD 38
Enclosure bottom 33
47 Northbridge
my fan does not move from 2000 during normal work (plus minutes of 10 revolutions).. only when playing it starts to spin more..
This is very special.. but on Macrumors a couple of people complained about the temperature and I didn't understand it.. you can see that every piece is an original..
ok thanks for the comparison.
on the weekend I'll go to the local apple shop to "ask" :-)
I have already found comments in English, but basically no one describes the situation with a cat on the bed ;-)
because it's probably the same for me.
I don't have bluetooth or wifi turned on.
The worst thing is probably the exhaust in the joint. which is correct, but I almost can't even keep my fingers there..
and basically just firefox, macfreepop and Vienna for rss
thanks, I'm here at 2 in the morning, I'm going to sleep.
If you find someone in the Czech Republic with a similar problem, please let me know, I'll follow you :-))
so there's a question.
I have fan control> installed
http://www.derman.com/Download/Special/MBpFanControl.html
and it shows me that the right fan is -1>
http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cmcapture2fc7.png
-it is normal?
- can you try?
thanks a lot
@pavelsan: that will be normal, because the Macbook doesn't have a second fan.. only the Macbook Pro has that.. the fan control is not updated for new macbooks.. if there was a second fan and it wasn't spinning, iStat would show it too..
damn..
anyway thanks!