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 - Mac laptopAs always, Apple products dazzle and do not disappoint. With the addition of a wireless router, the freedom to take the laptop anywhere in the house and backyard is awesome! Rating: - ExcellentAs a first time user switching from Windoze to OSX, have to admit it's very easy. The Macbook is excellent (although I must admit I've upgraded the RAM to 4GB). Very light and super quick. Only irritating part is that I have to ensure that my hands are clean, else there would be smudges all over the thing. The downside with white I guess. Rating: - Great way to use that stimulus checkSign up for the Amazon Prime thing and you can get this macbook delivered next day for less than the list price. My cost is only $482 plus change after deducting the stimulus check. Well, I wanted to help the economy out some. As for the macbook, this machine does just as much work as my iMac; only the screen is smaller. The display is excellent, sound quality good but not on par with larger systems. Keyboard will take getting used to as it is not the old IBM electric feel. The track pad will remind long time mac users of the old one button mouse and the control/click function.OS X has been a rock steady operating system for me since February, 2003, each new release making routine chores easier, along with more and better eye candy if you are into that.Software included is easy to use, you get real DVD backups, and no crapware. Documentation is better than most, but still "lacking". Get one of the Missing Manual books (Amazon.com has them)as it makes things much easier. All in all, 5 stars for the macbook and 6 stars for Amazon.com for the great savings. My next iMac will come from Amazon.com. Rating: - A Long Review on a Great ComputerAs a student, I tend to find myself in a situation where I must make a PowerPoint presentation, video, or a CD. When performing these tasks on a Windows system, the quality of the outcome is either average or poor. Not to mention the it will quickly eat up your RAM. In case you don't know what RAM is, the easiest way I can describe it is like this; Your Hard Drive's memory stores the PROGRAMS, RAM stores the DOCUMENTS. So, without a doubt, spending the extra money on more RAM will defiantly be a good investment, getting the most Hard Drive space is a very good idea also. Another issue with a PC is that it is not able to burn your video projects to a DVD. The MacBook, which starts at $1,099 is the ideal notebook for a person who is up-to-date with the information age that we live in today. My first task, creating a PowerPoint presentation, is easy with the Macintosh version of PowerPoint, called Keynote. If you have been using a PC all your life, and running PowerPoint for most of it, making the switch to Keynote may be a little bit hard. But, after you adjust to the change, Keynote has the ability to make amazing, eye-opening presentations. My second task, creating a video, is on of the actions that Macs are famous for. iMovie '08 is the successor of iMovie HD '06. iMovie HD '06 had the ability to do many things, like changing the film to make it black and white, septa (the type of coloring The Wizard of Oz had when Dorothy was still in Kansas), and it could also add some basic special visual effects, such as lightning, flashes or color distortion. iMovie HD '06 could also add subtitles, music from your iTunes Library and sound effects from it's own library. iMovie '08 does seem to be smaller version of iMovie HD '06. The '08 version may not be able to do as much as its predecessor, but what it does do, it does fantastically well. I haven't found visual effects in iMovie '08 yet, so they might not be included in this year's version. I don't know why apple would make the decision to drop visual effects, it tends to be a fun add to any film. Also, iMovie '06 had the ability to insert words that spin or flash, but iMovie '08's title frames only have the ability to create still words, either in the middle frame or at the bottom. The color quality of films made via iMovie is simply amazing. This part is very important, if you plan to burn your video projects to a DVD, you MUST GET THE DOUBLE-LAYER SUPERDRIVE!!!!! The combo drive does not have the ability to burn a DVD. My third and final task of burning a CD is the easiest of all. Even if you have a PC, odds are you have had some form of contact with the iPod and iTunes. You simply drag songs you want to add to the CD to a playlist, and once you have compiled your playlist, click the button on the bottom right-hand side of the screen that reads "Burn CD", it's as simple as that. Leopard, the system that the new MacBooks run on is nothing less than amazing. The stacks, lists of currently used items, such as downloads and documents, make everything so much easier. The graphics are great, and it is the fastest computer system I have ever come in contact with. If you want to buy the black MacBook, which is more expensive, you should keep in mind that you are mostly spending the extra money because the computer is black. Yes, there is more RAM and Hard Drive space, but simply upgrading the white macbook is cheaper. Upgrading is available only on the apple website store, not on amazon.com. Perhaps the most important things to do when you get a MacBook is: 1. Make sure that the notebook you are purchasing has the double-layer superdrive, or else you won't be able to burn a DVD. 2. Get the AppleCare Protection Plan, if you want technical support from someone in California who knows what their talking about, and if your MacBook has a sudden breakdown and need a repair, you can get both for three years. 3. Make sure you have a wi-fi connection for the internet. Shop around, you may find a good deal. Once you have a wi-fi station set up, click on the button on the top taskbar with curved lines. Once you choose this, in fainted gray, there will be words that say "Airport: Scanning...." and underneath it, there will be a list of available wi-fi networks. Select yours, and you will be connected to the internet. 4. If you plan on writing documents, purchase iWork, Apple's version of Microsoft Office, it is an amazing program. 5. If you don't plan to make hard-core movies, music, or photos, don't purchase Aperture, Final Cut or Logic. Aperture is a beefed up version of iPhoto, Final Cut is the beefed-up version of iMovie, and Logic is a beefed-up GarageBand. I hope my review of the MacBook has been helpful. The MacBook is an amazing piece of technology, and it stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the personal computer industry. Rating: - Simply Sweet...Your Little Black Number that Goes With Everything...With so many reviews posted, I am sure that all the major pro and cons have been covered, perhaps even over covered! So, let me just speak to my best personal observations and leave all the tech speak to others. I've been a life long Apple / Mac user. The first computer I ever touched was an Apple / Mac, but I can't tell you the model number. All I remember is that large, rainbow colored Apple logo! LOL Anyway, I always preferred Macs to PC's--even though I was often required to use PC's at work. At home, the computer was alway Mac! Just recently, I was shopping for a new laptop; I wanted a small, flexible, but powerful system that was easy to take and easy to use. I was actually tempted--the shame of it--by a good deal on a fine looking Sony Vaio. I compared it to the MacBook and MacBook Pro. I mulled over the decision for a week, and I had the opportunity to look at a new laptop with Vista, the flowered-faced monster operating system that everyone at work seems to be complaining about as everyone receives their upgrades in turn. To make a long story short, good "Mac" sense finally kicked in, and I eliminated the Viao from my potential purchase list. [I might have to work with Vista at the office, but I don't have to live with it, even if it comes in a pretty package! LOL] I then had to decide between the MacBook and MacBook Pro. AND at the end of the day, the deal breaker came down to choice: MacBook gave a choice between Black and White. [The MacBook Pro looks rather silver.] Well, I've had beige Macs and white Macs and Graphite colored Macs. I never had a Black one. So, the black one with its generous keyboard and large trackpad appealed to me. With hand on my heart, I can say that this is the best Mac I've ever had the opportunity to operate; it is the best Mac that I have ever personally owned. The software that I chose to get for this new computer was IWork 08 because I read good things about it--if you don't want or need all of Microsoft Office's bulk and sulk. I also purchased Internet Security Barrier Back-up Edition and StoryMill. Oh --if you love Widgets, you can download extra ones from Apple's official website. As with any big purchase, though, do research before you make decisions. Decide what you want the computer for and how you will mostly use it. The best computer for you is the one that you will use with contentment and productivity.
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