As the owner of a couple of Macs including a pretty aged iBook G4, I’ve been waiting and hoping Apple would release a netbook so I had the option of a newer, faster and slightly less weighty Mac for use on the move.
As all the signs seem to be that Apple has no interest in the netbook market I opted for an Asus but recently the iBook has become less reliable and I found myself back in the market for a new Mac laptop.
I was never going to spend the money for a MacBook Pro, I’m sure they’re fine machines but the cost is more than I’d pay for any laptop so my choice was between the three models of MacBook.
The aluminium models sure look great but being a bit tight I wasn’t keen on paying almost £1k for something I’d sometimes use for just a few hours a week.
This meant I was steering towards the recently refreshed white MacBook, it may not be quite so sexy to look at but the specs are close enough for my needs and it has the clear advantage of a FireWire port which is missing from the its shiny siblings.
I have a number of FireWire capable accessories which I wasn’t wanting to replace so this apparently budget offering from Apple ended up having a genuine USP which lifted it way above its range mates.
As a direct replacement for the G4 the white MacBook can’t help but impress and at just £719 is a steal. It looks smart, performs well and the widescreen display is a sufficiently glossy TFT to give it an air of class and luxury. Another plus is that the keyboard closely resembles the one I use on my desktop Mac (a previous generation Mini) so I’m no longer moving between very different typing experiences.
In raw dimensions the MacBook isn’t that much larger than my Asus Eee 904HD, close enough that I’m rethinking my need for that device in most situations.
It’s nice to open a box and be delighted with the contents, I’m pleased to say that’s exactly how I feel with here.
At a bit more than twice the price of a netbook it’s unlikely too many buyers will stop and look at the white MacBook as a viable alternative which is a pity as the user experience is vastly superior.
Hopefully Apple will stop hiding this device in the backrooms of their site and give it a bit more of a push, it’s a great buy and cheap enough to potentially draw in some new-to-Mac users.
