Apple MacBook MC516LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

As a student, I’ve been trying to find a well-built computer for under $1000. For me, the MacBook is a perfect fit.

Pros:
-The touchpad is incredible for web browsing. I have been using PCs notebooks for years, and I have never liked touchpads, but this has proved to be an exception. I can easily do two-button clicking, scrolling with two fingers, and going back and forth through pages with three fingers. I find I no longer do I have to lug around a USB mouse (except if I want to some gaming).
-The computer starts up in 20 seconds without having to wait for background processes to load up (unlike windows).
-The build quality of the MacBook is unmatched for its price. The unibody does not creak at all when handling it.
-Multi-tasking is surprisingly good for only 2GB RAM. The only hiccups I have had were at the first couple of seconds of playing movies on iTunes with a lot of other programs running.

Cons:
-No HDMI port
-Battery does not last 10 hours (about 4-6 for me with iTunes and Wi-Fi running). Still, it is much longer than the competitors for the price range and size.

Even though the build is solid, you may want to get one of these covers if you worry about scratching:
Speck Products See Thru Satin, Soft Touch Hard Shell Case, for 13-inch MacBook Aluminum Unibody/Black Keyboard (Black) – DOES NOT FIT WHITE MACBOOK
They snap on in seconds and look great.

If you are a student who is not looking to do any graphic design I highly recommend getting the MacBook instead of the MacBook Pro if you want to save money. Sure it only has 2 GB RAM, but you can easily upgrade it now for $100 Crucial CT2KIT25664BC1067 4GB 204-PIN PC3-8500 SODIMM DDR3 Memory KIT (2GBx2) or wait a year and do it for about $50.

As a student, I was pretty hesitant to get the MacBook, but after MONTHS of exhaustive research looking for the right laptop (I’m a networking student, and also I am working on my A+ PC Repair certification, so I know a thing or two about PC’s and Windows), I decided that I needed a change in my life. I’ve had an IBM ThinkPad T60 last me four years through school, but after 4 re-install’s of XP, I’ve had enough of the constant attacks of viruses, spyware, etc…and I decided to go with the MacBook.

PROS:

Perfect for web browsing, e-mail, and document creation.
Comes with great features right out of the box: iLife simply rocks; it comes with PhotoBooth, Garageband (where you can create your own music or learn to how play an instrument), Preview, and iMovie (it’s basically an easier version of Windows Movie Maker)
Time Machine for backing up documents and pictures, which is FAR SUPERIOR than using the Backup Feature in Windows.
Wi-Fi is SO EASY to set-up using what Apple calls “Airport”, just go to the wi-fi antenna at the top of the right-hand corner and set-up right there.
Printing: Coming from a Windows world, and living in a household with a wireless network, setting up a printer was a pain in the butt with Windows, with Mac, it’s SO EASY to set-up and begin printing.
BlueTooth: BlueTooth is common in all laptops nowadays, and again, like setting up a printer, it basically connects with the BlueTooth device automatically.
MagSafe Adapter: Apple introduced this idea called MagSafe. If someone got caught on your power cord, it would take the cord and not the computer. I can’t tell you how many times my dogs got caught on my IBM power cord and basically almost took the computer with it.
Battery Life: Wow, what a difference. I was coming from a half-hour battery life on my IBM, although Apple says that the battery can last on a 10 hours on a single charge, in the real world, it’s falls under 6 hours, but still this is pretty incredible.

CONS:

2GB of RAM. Now coming from a Windows world, Windows is a memory hogger, so the more RAM you have in a Windows system, you are good to go, but with a Mac, it’s different. Now if you are compressing 1080p video on a MacBook, the system starts to hick-up trying to catch-up. My advice? Upgrade to 4GB or get the MacBook Pro.
EXPENSIVE: Like all Apple products, it’s pretty expensive. I was pretty hesitant to buy a MacBook because it was pretty pricey and being a student i.e. poor, I needed to save up a good chunk of money to buy one of these machines.

So if you are in the market for a new laptop, only need to do some document creating, and web-browsing this Mac is for you. If you want to do some high-end video compression, go with the MacBook Pro since the Pro lines are more aimed at high-end video production. This is definitely a perfect system if all you want is just web-browsing and document creation.

Happy Shopping!

I am totally loving the MacBook I give it 5 stars but I have to be honest and give Amazon 0 stars! I got my MacBook and it didn’t work, it had scratches all over the front. Now I know Amazon sells Used and Refurbished but I paid for a NEW MacBook and they represented it as new as it says NEW right on my receipt. I drove the 60 miles to the Apple Store to have someone look at it and they told me it was clearly a refurbished computer and had been used before!!! Not right Amazon, so buyers beware when you shop for things through this website.

So your in the market for a new laptop, maybe your a student. You need something portable, no 17 inch screens here. It needs to be light, well built, and easy to slip into a bag, for say, a ten minute walk on campus. But at the same time, you don’t want a netbook. You don’t want to squint at an 11 inch screen, type on a cramped keyboard, or put up with hardware that was out of date five years ago. In other words, you need something that just works, and doesn’t complain about it. Well my friend, the Macbook might be just right for you. To me, it’s the perfect “in between” product: its not so small and underpowered that your overall computing experience is compromised, while at the same time, its not so big, hot, and heavy that its only ever at home on a desk.

So what kind of computing is the Macbook built for, exactly? Its absolutely perfect for your day to day tasks, emails, word processing, web browsing (Hats off to Apple, after you get used to the multi-touch touchpad, every other laptop you touch feels sluggish and outdated) I’m sure with a serviceable C2D and a GT320, you could get away with some light content creation (Photo/Video editing, etc), but if you plan on using more intensive applications regularly, you’d probably be better off with a MacbookPro, or any number of higher powered Windows laptops.

Also worth noting are a couple of the Macbooks other superlative features. Exceptional battery life for one, I can easily make it 6 hours on a charge, under moderate use, Wifi, max brightness, everything that drains the battery. Speaking of brightness, the 13 inch LED is spectacular, it’s bright without being washed out, colors are vivid and vibrant and despite a relatively low resolution, everything looks sharp. The overall construction and feel of the device, also, is excellent. The key’s are well spaced and easy to type on. I also mentioned the touchpad, which combines a glass cover with multitouch to make probably the easiest to use notebook navigation I’ve ever seen. The laptop itself is very well built, very light, but still very stiff and solid. It doesn’t feel fragile, in other words. The bottom can get warm after sustained use, but its also worth mentioning that there are no fan vents, and aside from the HDD spinning up, you won’t hear the guts of this machine making a single peep.

To sum up, so far I’ve loved my experience with the Macbook, its perfect for my needs. Mac OSX fits well on a light processing laptop, and despite modest hardware, for the most part you won’t feel it lagging or hanging. It’s worth mentioning that I am NOT normally a fan of Apple. I will never buy an Iphone, iMac, or a Mac Tower, and I barely use my iPod. Unlike most Mac users, I am perfectly comfortable using Windows, am a big fan of Windows 7, and i’m no stranger to the unforgiving, enthusiast side of a PC. I’ve built PC’s before, and my main computer right now is a high end, self built gaming PC (PII955/GTX 480). In other words, I’m not the normal Apple customer. But when it comes to a portable laptop that will breeze through every day tasks while providing stability and superb battery life, all wrapped up into that premium hardware/software bundle only Apple can provide, the macbook might just be the only way to go.

I will keep my review to key points aimed at perspective buyers. There is an excellent summary page for a Macbook and some really in-depth reviews with specifications and cool buzz words.

1-Selecting your vendor
Make sure you are getting the right macbook from a source you trust. The 2009 and 2010 models are quite similar visually. Ensure you are getting the right model with the specs you want.

2-Special Offer
200 dollar discount on ipod touch and 100 dollar discount on printer from apple when you buy a mac product. It usually runs from june to early september, and can compensate the high price of the macbook(you have to be a card carrying educationalist to get it).

3-Pricing
If price still hits you below the belt, consider refurbished models, last year models, open box models. All of them give apple’s one year warranty and all can be brought into apple for repairs. All will cost you a few hundred less.

4-what’s the difference from macbook pro?
4gb ram ,aluminum case, light up keyboard, extra ports(firewire/memory sticks) is whats usually mentioned. Macbook pro also has a screen protector built in and an ambient light sensor to dim your screen automatically. The latter two are nice, especially if you plan to treat your macbook like garbage and eat while working on it.
And all this for an additional 200 dollars on top of 1000 you are already paying for a notebook.

5-software.
Apple is good about not giving you trials. You get legitimate programs, no fills.
When you get a new mac, especially if you are new, go to apple website an watch some introduction videos. They are all under 5 minutes and give excellent summaries of mac basics and fundamentals of software that you just purchased. All of them are free.

Summary.
Macbook is a cost effective way to get a mac. I hope this review will make your choice a more thorough one.

I’m horrible at reviews and easily impressed so hopefully this does good.
Its an amazing machine, what more can i say.
It does much better than the previous edition of macbook because it now has
a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 duo processor,
the Nvidia GeForce 320 M graphics processor, and a 10 hour lasting battery which means its as good or even better than the 13 inch macbook pro released last year.

Compared with the macs released this year it still does well, the only difference between this and a 13 inch macbook pro is that the macbook pro has an aluminum body, with up 2.66GHz intel processor and 4GB ram. I guess thats where the 200 dollar price difference comes from.
I also like the new unibody.

If you require a laptop for regular everyday activities this will be more than great

I have always been a PC user. When I went off to college I was given a Dell Inspiron 1500. Everything worked great on that computer for about the first 6 months. After that, things became so ridiculously sluggish I couldn’t take it. It eventually took 20 minutes to start and died after having it for only 2 years. So when I looked for a new laptop I wanted something that would last a long time as my previous laptop was supposed to get me through all four years of school.

I bought this computer in January of 2010 so I have had it for almost a year now and have had absolutely no problems with it. A major improvement over the Dell I had. It still starts up as fast as the day it came out of the box even after several documents and games I’ve added on the computer.

Pros:
-SUPER FAST. If you are a PC user you will be amazed at the speed of this small laptop. Every application runs a hundred times faster and this computer has never frozen. Unlike my previous Dell.

-Light-weight. As a college student I needed something portable. This thing is so light-weight that alot of times I even forget I have it in my backpack. Very important as a student

-Graphics. The screen is so colorful. Everything is so clear and easy to read. When I watch movies on Netflix or use iDVD there is no lag, unlike on my boyfriends Toshiba.

-Software. OS X Snow Leopard runs much faster than Windows and is still extremely user friendly. The ilife products like iphoto, iDVD, and garage band come in handy and provide creative opportunities that do not come standard on a PC. As a music major I love using garage band for projects for classes. iphoto displays photos beautifully and they’re easy to organize. You can upload them directly to facebook. What student doesn’t have a facebook?

-Built in Camera. I have spent countless hours playing with photo booth and using skype with this camera. The camera never lags and isnt blurry unlike the built in camera on my boyfriends Toshiba. You’ll be having hours of fun with photo booth.

-Battery Life. You will not find a PC that matches the battery life of this mac. My Dell battery lasted an hour maximum before needing to be plugged in. When using wi-fi the battery lasts about 4-5 hours. The more applications open the more it takes out of the battery. itunes sucks a good one to two hours off the battery life. When I’m at the library working on a paper with just i work open it has lasted about 6 and a half hours. I rarely bring my charger to campus and when I do it’s not bulky!!! I haven’t seen a decrease in the battery life since I got it. The battery on my dell gradually worked its way down. There has been no deterioration in this battery.

-Keyboard. The keyboard is light and easy to use. They keys do not get stuck and I find it a little bit easier to type. My Dell keyboard would often have keys get stuck.

-Doesn’t overheat. The ventilation design on this laptop is so much better than my Dell. It used to overheat and get really hot. The mac is able to cool itself off much better.

-Trackpad. When I had my Dell I often missed having a mouse because the trackpad on it was just not comfortable and a little hard to use. The glass one on the mac makes it easy to zoom in on documents and glide the mouse across the screen. It is still as clean as the day I got it.

Cons

-Pricey! I was skeptical that this computer would be worth the 950( with student discount) that it was plus all the protection plans and apple care for it. But it has absolutely been worth it. You get what you pay for. If i could do it all over again I would have gotten the macbook pro. For about a hundred dollars more you get twice the memory.

-Memory specs. For the price compared to PC’s I was a little disappointed about the only 2GB of memory. However 2GB on a PC is very different than 2GB on a mac. I use my computer for several documents, garageband projects, iphoto pictures, itunes/ipod, word processing, and to play the Sims. After all of these uses I still have 196.49 GB free according to the info in the finder. It will definitely do what you need and then some but I would’ve liked 4GB from apple.

This is the perfect laptop for college students. I am so glad I picked this laptop. My friends that have PC’s have had countless problems with viruses, spyware, etc. My own mother’s compaq is no longer functional after having it for only 6 months due to a virus, even with anti-virus protection. You will be so happy with this laptop, especially if you switch from a PC. Apple even has helpful tutorial videos that I benefitted greatly from on the apple website.

If you want something long lasting, durable, light-weight, and fast this is the laptop to choose. It has countless benefits over PC’s and after having this laptop I will never go back to one.

For my entire life, I have been a PC user, up until 2 months ago when my 17 inch Toshiba lap top overheated and started to smoke fumes through its ventilation. The hardware just gave up despite the fact that thing was only about 2 1/2 years old. It was a cheap investment, I paid roughly $600 and expected it to only last me a few years for that price.

Shopping and researching for a new computer, I finally caved in and made the switch to a Mac. And let me say, it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Sure, you’ll spend upwards of $1000 and more for this, but the quality is a return on this investment. I have no more frozen screens, no more crashing, and no more viruses. Simply put, everything just works and allows me, the user to have an experience that I never would have been able to have on a PC.

It literally took me only 10 minutes maximum to set my Macbook up. I powered it on and automnatically, it recognized my high speed internet connection. I didn’t I even have to manually enter an encryption code unlike what I always had to do with a PC. Granted, it took me awhile to get accustomed to the touchpad on the Macbook. The motioning of fingering is quite different from a PC. But with a bit of practice, it becomes second nature.

Safari and Mac Snow Leopard O/S are far superior to Windows Explorer and Windows 7 O/S. I spend less time worrying about configuring the software and troubleshooting problems and spend more time on actually using the applications themselves. My music was transferred effortlessly via it all saved on iTunes.

The battery life and working without an AC plug is acceptable, but not excellent. With my Toshiba lap top, I got barely 1 1/2 hours of battery life whereas with the Macbook, I can get a good 6-8 hours of working just on the battery.

I have no qualms about switching over to a Mac nor I would not hesitate to recommend others about buying a Mac over a junky and cheap PC. Yes, Mac’s are expensive for most people, but the user experience is second to none.

I have been a PC/Windows person for a long time so every time I needed to purchase a new desktop or laptop I would always end up buying a PC because even when I had the money to get a Mac I never wanted to hand it all over. It’s much easier to make a 500-600 dollar purchase than a 1,000 dollar purchase. The final straw for me was when my last laptop contracted a virus that was extremely difficult to remove. I did manage to get it off but the computer hasn’t been the same since. It still locks up and crashes on a almost daily basis. That lead me to finally make the switch to Mac. I could not be more pleased. I booted up my MacBook as soon as I got it and the first thing I was happy to see was that there was absolutely no bloatware! Amazing! In the past, when I would get a new computer, I would have to spend at least 30 minutes removing a bunch of programs that were completely pointless. That is not the case with Mac though. I was worried that the transition from Windows to OS X would be hard, but so far it hasn’t been. There are some minor things that will take time to get use to, but for the most part it is a very smooth transition. I love that it is a light-weight and very portable machine and yet its packing some awesome specs. That is exactly what I needed it for. I am in my last year of undergrad and planning to go to grad school so I really needed something that I could tote easily and trust to work at a decent speed. It accomplishes both. Over all, I would definitely recommend a Mac to anyone who has the money to get it. Don’t hesitate. It is worth it!