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I’ve been thinking about buying a Mac for a while. Not making ‘the switch’ as many call it, just an interest purchase because I wanted to know if what I heard about them was legit – and because I need a Mac for a course I’m doing in September. I bought the cheapest Macbook that Futureshop had and began my journey into the world of a floating doc and closing buttons on the other side….. but enough with my crap. Time for the review.

The Apple Macbook starts at $999 in the US and $1149 in Canada. I got mine for $1099 through a back to school package with my local Futureshop.

2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor

2GB DDR2 Memory

160GB hard drive

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

Standard keyboard

White polycarbonate shell

So in general comparison to the rest of the laptop world right now, this laptop, like other Apple computers, is overpriced for its specs, but that’s something you expect when you buy Apple. Other than the price, its about an average laptop for any student that’s just going to be IM’ing, using Facebook, or email.

I’m a big Ubuntu fan, and I really enjoy Windows 7 but when I began using OSX I began to rethink how I felt about how a friendly operating system should look and feel. The application dock at the bottom of the screen is something that I have emulated on other machines, but always caused things to slow down – the dock in OSX was created with the operating system so it doesn’t have the same effect – it runs smoothly and has little effect on system resources. So is OSX all that its cracked up to be… well sort of. There are a few things that your average Windows user will become confused by, but nothing that would totally hinder their ability to use the computer. It’s very pretty and functional, so it gets the ‘thumbs up’ in this area.

The keyboard that comes built into this laptop has a very nice feel to it. The button travel is just the right distance and the spaced layout between the keys is pleasing both to the eyes as well as to the touch. But one thing that I have to comment on is the fact that everything is different!! As a Windows/Linux user I’m used to having a function (Fn) key for secondary key options, a Ctrl and Alt keys, as well as a Backspace and Delete keys. The functions performed by those keys are handy and I use them all the time when writing or developing software. The ‘Delete’ key on the laptop is actually a backspace, I find not having a delete key that does a forward delete very frustrating. I later found out that ‘Fn + Delete’ does a forward delete, but I shouldn’t have to go looking for key combinations to find out where standard functions lie. Many other functions are mapped to different keys and different key combinations, but they go against normal use of a computer and subsiquently get thumbs down here.

The white polycarbonate shell mentioned above, has a very nice look to it and is very much a contributer to the Apple sex appeal that so many people have lusted for, and I love it. There are unfortunately a few negatives about it. As a ‘shell’ it feels flimsy wherever two pieces meet – on the edges along the top sides of the computer. The edge of the plastic where your wrists rest as you type is very much a right angle, making it pointed and uncomfortable.

There are many other things I could say about this machine but I’ll answer the question many of you are reading this article to find out: is buying an Apple computer really worth it?

Yes.

I really enjoy OSX as an operating system and the newest revision of it, ‘Snow Leopard’, is launching very soon. I enjoy the keyboard, despite it scratching my wrists and enjoy how much care Apple has taken to make all of its i-Applicaitons compatible with eachother.

If your curious about Apple computers and don’t know if you want to take the plunge to pay $2000, this laptop is a great starting point.

One thing I feel obligated to mention is that I am extremly new to OSX and I am told that after 2GB of RAM it really opens up. I bought the model with 2GB of RAM, so perhaps if your buying one and can afford the upgrade, go for the 4GB of RAM and send me an email to tell me about it!