New MacBook - Hands-on review

Just got back from the local Apple store at Kingston have had a play with Apple's new notebooks. As I reported yesterday I had, up until now, only been able to look at a new MacBook held like a new-born baby by the store manager. Today, however, the entire notebook display had changed, with a whole desk for each new model in various configurations and the white MacBook and Airs have been moved to a side-bench.

I spent most of my time with the 2.4GHz MacBook and only briefly tried the Pro but they are very similar in regards to appearance and the available Pro didn't have anything too meaty to test the improved graphics. Although it is worth noting that the switch from the standard 9400 to the 9600 chip means logging out and back in again...rather annoying.

So after being able to actually hold the new MacBook (MB) I can say that it feels incredible sturdy and strong thanks to the snappily named 'precision unibond aluminium enclosure'. If you pick up a plastic MB with one hand grabbing the palm-rest you can expect the plastic to bend under pressure fairly easily. But this is absolutely not the case with the aluminium model, there is no give at all and even when pressing very firmly on the case, there is no movement to report. The screen is also as stiff as that found on the Air with regards to it not warping when moved from one corner. The new manufacturing technique has also given the MB case a seamless look which I'm a huge fan of.

Like I said yesterday I was not a fan of the black screen bezel when it was first shown but after using the notebook for a few minutes I had got used to it, although the reflections on the black surround were sometimes very bad indeed; granted I was in a bright shop with lit signs behind me, in a home or office it wouldn't be as bad. The screen itself is LED back-lit and as sharp and bright as that found on the Air, a big improvement over the old MB screen - however the 'budget' plastic model still uses the old screen.

One factor that I am personally very interested in is the weight and thickness of the notebook as a more powerful machine with multiple ports would have been a nice replacement for my Air. Unfortunatly the weight does not feel to have gone down from the old MB - it has, by half a pound if Apple is to be believed but in the real world that really isn't much at all and I'm sure I would feel the extra weight of the MB over the Air in a bag after a days work. The machine does feel more compact and while the tapered edges don't quite perform the slimming magic trick as seen on the Air, they do make the laptop nice to hold.

The performance of the 2.4GHz model was good but all I really had chance to do was open many applications at once and see if there was any delay' I'm pleased to report there wasn't but 4GB of memory would be an obvious improvement over the standard option of 2GB.

The trackpad is worth a mention. I had actually half forgotten about the lack of a button and went to open Safari without really thinking and instinctively clicked where the button normally is. It wasn't until after I had clicked that I remembered there is no button and was rather surprised as the click felt identical to that of a proper button. While it is the trackpad itself that does the clicking, it's only the bottom half that actually moves, clicking half way up the 'pad is possible but fairly difficult as the travel is very short, although there would be no reason to be clicking up there anyway. As only the lower half moves it is easy to hold it down with the thumb and drag with the index finger as one would with any other trackpad. It is very easy to forget that the button is not there, which is guess is a good thing although the omission doesn't seem to yield any improvement in usability; it's just plain different. The trackpad does know which half you are clicking, just like the Mighty Mouse, so the bottom-right (or left) corner can be set to perform a right click if you so choose.

I would never have guessed that the 'pad is glass; the texture is different to that of a conventional trackpad as it is, to quote Steve Jobs: "super silky". A good side-effect I can think of is that the middle will be become smooth after a year or so of use - as if often the case when purchasing an older notebook - as the glass will not wear.

As has been well-documented, there is no Firewire support on the MB (FW800 and thus 400 available on the MBP) which does seem strange as there is clearly plenty of room for the extra port. This will annoy the hell out of some potential customers - and I can understand why - but personally I wouldn't find it a problem.

One feature (or lack thereof ) is the back-lit keyboard which is not available on the 2GHz aluminium MB, not even as a built-to-order option. I love the back-light on the Air and this seems a very strange thing to do, presumably as a way of encouraging punters to go for the 2.4GHz model.

While using the new MB I did glance over at the Air many times - I would have compared side by side but this wasn't possible - and although a very large part of me wanted to eBay the Air and go for the MB (which is £988 for the 2.4GHz model after my university discount) I simply can't ignore the super-thin profile and low weight of the Air; and that black screen surround, while attractive, is basically a mirror in certain lighting.

As the (1.6GHz) Air is my only machine and, admittedly, it does sometimes struggle when I'm having a video call on Skype, watching TV and using MS Word; but it is great to carry it around everywhere I go. The MB would cope far better performance-wise but I'm not sure about the extra size and weight. Ideal solution would be to get an iMac (£700 with discount) and keep the Air...maybe something to look into after new-year...

So anyway, to conclude; the MB and MBP are now very, very similar - in fact one guy was on a MB thinking it was the Pro - and I love the flush aluminium look. The trackpad is great, although not entirely necessary, the black screen looks good in the right light but a bit dodgy otherwise and the specs of the 2.4 model are decent. For an Air owner the extra power and ports, while keeping the design, is tempting; and for an old MB owner the new design is a vast improvement.

Alistair