Full Review of the New MacBook... by a former Windows PC User
My review... take it for what it is... mine. (I provide my story so that you can see why I purchased this computer. If you don't care don't read the review).
To me Mac always seemed like it would take a leap of faith. Having had very little interaction with Macs and even less knowledge about them I was set to be a Windows boy for life. However recently I found out that I will be going on a ship that is gone all of the time (I'm in the Navy). Needing to have my kids see me reading books to them and me needing to see my kids I planned on leaving my current laptop with my wife and getting a new one for me (she doesn't care about electronics). This way we could create DVDs and send them to each other for our kids and myself. I went into a store looking to spend not too much and was attracted by the HP entertainment laptops. However... when looking at a $[...] laptop I knew I would have to add an anti-virus ($[...]-$[...]) and a movie making program ($[...]-$[...]). The guy at the store told me that for what I was looking at in price I should check out the Macs.
Low and behold... there were the Macs. Each sitting there looking different and pricey. I was then told about iLife and how I would be able to use iMovie to make my movies iChat to chat with my family on webcam iPhoto to import and fix up pictures and other stuff. WoW! My previous experience with the Windows based programs of this nature was that you'd be better off buying these types of software than using what was included by the computer. However the sales guy who was not on commission swore by them. Also Macs don't need anti-virus software to boot! I was sold when he told me the difference in the customer satisfaction index when comparing Macs and all of the other computer makers.
I took the plunge.
As you can see from my stars... I'm glad I did. I will NEVER go back to a windows based PC. EVER. While this computer has a few cons which I will list later it is much better than what you can get for the same price as far as a PC. Here is what I liked:
The Exterior:
This computer is small. Its compact it feels really sturdy and its stylish. There is an apple on the back that lights up from the light of the LCD screen pretty neat. Also the keys have just the right punch for those of us that know how to type. The F keys also double for the bright level of the screen the feature expose (which is outstanding!) and movie stop go vol etc. There is an eject button next to the F12 which works well with this type of drive.
The Interior: iLife is a great program. All of the stuff that comes with it will ensure that unless you need something very very professional you won't have to buy any software. Home videos are awesome with this thing. I can't really compare Leopard to the previous operating systems... since this is my first mac... but I can tell you that it kicks vista's butt. An example; I wanted to hook up my printer which has only been used on Windows PCs before and I plugged it in. That's it. I plugged it in and it worked. No drivers no software nothing. As soon as I plugged it in and click to make it my default printer it was printing. HOLY COW! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING! Since I've started using my Mac I have had ZERO "trying to find a solution to the problem" pop ups ZERO "this program has stopped working" ZERO freezes ZERO compatibility issues with current hardware (external drive of music and wireless network) and ZERO defects found.
Now the cons:
1) 120 GB hard drive... Yes its easy to hook up the "time machine" or to keep all of your photos or movies on an external hard drive but for a company that has a 120 GB MP3 player that's just over $[...]... come on!
2) The mouse pad doesn't let you double click for actions to occur. You have to push the button. As a lifetime Windows user this took some getting used to. However... you can scroll up and down easily by using two fingers. I've enjoyed this so much that I'm going to call it a draw :)
3) No multimedia slot for media card etc. Apple! What are you doing?!?! Its a simple thing to install and it make it much easier for me so that I don't have to always remember where that stupid USB cord that hooks my camera to my computer is. I'd much rather take the card out and insert it.
That's all of my cons.
Once again... I LOVE THIS MAC. On the 2 GB of RAM that it has it works just as well as a windows PC with 4 or more GB. That's because the OS is designed better and the processes don't bog it down. The processor is fast enough to where this seems faster than my wifes 2.4 gHZ laptop (of course that is in conjunction with other aspects of the computer). The colors are great and the system is great. You WILL have the "Mac Learning Curve" as I was told... it takes about 4-5 hours to get used to and 10-15 to really get to know but its worth it. Plus Apple puts videos on each function so that when you open it it explains how to use it.
I took the leap of faith and now I'm a believer. So long windows!!! Never again! Spend the extra [...]-[...] bucks... you'll save it anyway by not having to get the anti-virus and having all the stuff you need on it. Oh and go to [...] after you get your Mac. Its a non-profit site that I've started using to help me learn the system and it's great.
FIVE STARS!
***UPDATE***
Still using this MacBook and still loving it. I've gotten really good with what it has to offer and am still amazed at how easy it is to use compared to Windows based PCs. The iLife 09 software (incl) has proven itself very useful and works well with other software. An example Photoshop works well with iPhoto. I haven't run into any wall and still recommend it with 5 stars.
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