AMUG Apple MacBook Review

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June 27, 2006

The AMUG MacBook Review
An almost perfect laptop
By Robert Zusman

AMUG recently replaced its PowerBook G4 12" (1GHz) presentation machine with a MacBook Core Duo 2GHz. Over the last week, I have had a chance to compare the two machines, and to run some tests on both the MacBook and my Quad, which yielded some rather surprising results. The MacBook is the "entry-level" portable in Apple's lineup, replacing the iBook. The higher-end machines are called "MacBook Pro", and have some additional features (notably, larger screens), but the MacBook is surprisingly well equipped, and is significantly less expensive. Other than the larger LCD, the two most significant differences between the MacBook and the Pro version is the addition of a card slot, and a dedicated graphics card (the MacBook uses an integrated Graphics processor, and uses main memory for the video buffer).

Images courtesy of Apple

Tech Specs
The MacBook comes in 3 flavors, differing in processor speed, hard drive capacity, and CD/DVD burning capability. The unit that AMUG bought was the "middle" configuration, with 2GHz processors, a 60GB hard drive, and a "Superdrive" (CD and DVD burner). Out-of-the-box RAM was 512MB, but I quickly determined that this was inadequate if one were going to run several "memory hog" programs simultaneously, especially under "Rosetta". I upgraded the memory to 1.25GB, which was very easy to do. Access to the memory SODIMMs is quick - they are behind a thin metal plate in the battery compartment held in by 3 tiny screws.

It took less than 5 minutes to replace one of the 256MB cards with a 1GB card. Once I did this, the machine was very noticeably more responsive, and the "spinning beachball" has been reduced substantially. All models come with 2 USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire 400 port, Gigabit Ethernet, Optical audio in/out, Airport Extreme (802.11g), and Bluetooth 2.0. There is also an IR sensor for the Front Row remote, and a built-in iSight camera.

Software
Apple ships the MacBook with the full complement of iLife software (all native). There are a few new programs included ("Comic Life" and "PhotoBooth").

Classic applications are NOT supported by Apple. If you have ancient Hypercard stacks or something similar, do your research before buying a MacBook (or any new Mac). There are third-party solutions to running Classic Apps, including "Basilisk II", which I have had reasonable luck with. Because the hardware supports Windows (Ugh...) directly, it is possible to dual-boot into XP using "Bootcamp", or run Windows simultaneously with "Parallels". I am experimenting with Parallels, and I will present my findings at a later date.

Ergonomics
The MacBook is larger than the PowerBook 12", but not by too much. It is maybe a hair thinner. Like the iBook, it is housed in a White (or Black, for extra Bucks) plastic case. The LCD is "wide screen" format, with a resolution of 1280 x 800, which is a big step up from the 1024 x 768 of the PowerBook 12" (30% more pixels). The screen has a glossy, anti-reflection coated surface, and is significantly brighter and more contrasty than the PowerBook 12".

Some people have complained that the glossy screen causes more glare, but in my experience, it is actually less likely to reflect ambient light. When there is a strong light source reflecting off of the screen, it is easy to slightly re-orient the screen or the computer to eliminate it, while the matte screen on the PowerBook creates a much wider, more diffused glare that is hard to get rid of.

The Keyboard on the MacBook is of a different design than that used on Apple's older portables. The keys on the MacBook are raised from the surrounding surface, and don't have the beveled edges that the old keys had. Personally, I don't find this to be a problem, but I am not a touch typist. Some people have found this new keyboard design to be an issue, but my guess is that it just takes getting used to. The trackpad is quite a bit larger than the PowerBook's, and has the ability to detect two fingers, which is an amazingly useful innovation - using only the trackpad and the button, one can scroll (both vertically and horizontally), click, and control-click.

Somewhere in Apple's design department, there is a designer who must have loved magnets as a kid. The MacBook uses a magnet to keep the screen closed (I find it to be a bit too strong, because even though there is a finger notch under the screen, there is no way to hold the body of computer), and a magnet to hold the power cord in place ("Magsafe" connector), which is a pretty nice innovation, but just don't get metal filings stuck to it. There is also a magnet to hold the Front Row remote in place. The build quality is up to Apple's usual high standards, although I find the front edge of the computer to be a little "sharp" - the edge is an almost perfect 90° angle, and it's somewhat uncomfortable on the wrist. The MacBook weighs 5.2 pounds, which is less than all the other junk in my computer bag. Generally, the machine is totally silent, with none of the "chirps" and other strange noises that MacBook Pro users have reported.

Temperature
There have been numerous reports of MacBooks and Pros running extremely hot. I did not find this to be the case. I ran a number of tests and found that while the MacBook runs hotter than the PowerBook, it was never in any danger of bursting into flames. With the MacBook idling (Safari on Apple's home page, screensaver running, 4% CPU usage), the hottest part of the bottom of the machine reached 128°F, and the fan was not running. This was measured with a non-contact IR thermometer. With 200% CPU utilization, the temperature was 126°F (the fan was running at full speed, and the normally silent machine was pretty loud). Under the same test conditions the PowerBook reached 118°F. With the laptop on my (bare) thigh, I found the machine to be warm, but not excessively so. If I was going to be working with it on my lap for a very long time, I would probably re-position it occasionally to move the hot spot around.

My guess is that someone will figure out a way to re-program the fan control software, and allow the fan to run even when the CPU utilization is low, which would make the machine run much cooler (at the expense of more noise, and lower battery life).

Battery Life
I made an attempt to measure how long the MacBook would run on battery power. This is always a very subjective test, because "typical" usage varies from person to person. What I did was fully charge the battery, and then play the DVD "Brazil" (Director's cut). This version is 2 hours and 23 minutes long, and I played it in full screen. When the movie was finished, the battery indicator said that 58 minutes of battery life remained, which means that you can't watch "Lawrence of Arabia" on battery power. At the end of the movie, I launched Safari, and browsed the web until the MacBook went into forced sleep. This took another 1 hour and 19 minutes, for a total battery powered run time of 3 hours 42 minutes. I think that this is actually quite good, and with some moderate energy conservation techniques, the machine is probably capable of over 5 hours of light work. Interestingly, I found that the screen saver (photos with zoom in/out) actually shortens battery life (probably because it uses the graphics chip).

Performance
The MacBook uses the Intel Core Duo microprocessor, which has two complete processors on one die. Because Apple has decided to switch from the IBM / Motorola PowerPC microprocessor to Intel, older software is forced to run in an emulator called "Rosetta". Of course, this is old hat to long-time Mac users, who have already been through such a change. When Apple switched from the Motorola 68000 to the PowerPC, legacy software had to run under a 68040 emulator. Since non-native software is going to take a performance hit, all of the software that Apple ships with the machine is native, and many commercial packages are already native, or have native versions in development. I made some measurements of both native and non-native software to see how well the MacBook performs. The first test was to run a very processor-intensive, multi-threaded application, "Handbrake".

Handbrake is a great tool that will convert DVD files to H.264 or MP4 files. This is a VERY processor-intensive task, and is so slow that I only timed how long it took to get to 10%. On the Quad (2.5GHz, 4 processors) it took 840 seconds, on the MacBook (2GHz, 2 processors) it took 974 seconds, and on the PowerBook (1GHz, 1 processor) it took 5,895 seconds (!). For this test, the MacBook was only marginally slower than the Quad, and 6 times faster than the PowerBook. Note that in this case the Quad CPU utilization was only 240%, while the MacBook was 187%, and the PowerBook was 93%.

The next test was to compress a DVD, using DVD2OneX, which is also native. The Quad took 6 minutes, 48 seconds, and the MacBook took 13 minutes 47 seconds. The PowerBook was not tested.

The last test was to see how well Rosetta performed. I ran a PhotoShop CS2 script on all three machines. Since there is no native version of CS2 yet, it was forced to run under Rosetta on the MacBook. The Quad finished in 2 minutes 30 seconds, the MacBook in 7 minutes 58 seconds, and the PowerBook in 12 minutes 4 seconds. I found that this test was very sensitive to memory allocation, so the results presented are with PhotoShop's default settings. The Quad has 4.5GB of RAM, the MacBook has 1.25GB, and the PowerBook has 768M. What this shows is that even under Rosetta, the MacBook is fully capable of out-performing a 2-year-old PowerBook, and with native software, there is no contest.

With Native software the MacBook did almost as well as the Quad, which is 10x the weight, 10x the power consumption, and 3x the price. I think that this is the first laptop that could easily be used as a replacement for a desktop computer. Traditionally, there was a pretty huge performance penalty for using a laptop, but it seems that this is no longer the case. I suspect that replacing the hard drive with a 7200 RPM drive would increase the overall performance of the machine, at the expense of some battery life. The overall feel of the computer is very "snappy". Even with the 5,400RPM drive, programs seem to launch as fast, or faster than on my Quad.

Web pages load extremely fast, even using Airport - some rough timing showed CNNs home page loading on the MacBook in 4.1 seconds, with the Quad taking 4.5 seconds (The Quad has a much bigger screen). Airport performance is extremely good. My router is below ground level in my house, and I was able to take the MacBook outside and into the back yard maybe 100' before the signal became unusable. The PowerBook failed at around half the distance.

CD and DVD burning speed is only so-so. I used Toast (under Rosetta) to burn and verify a full DVD and a full 700MB CD. The DVD took 32 minutes, 40 seconds, which is about 4x, and the CD took 11 minutes 20 seconds, which is about 12x.

Discussion
The MacBook may be one of the finest laptops shipping today. It is thin, light, and just the right size. the screen is clear and bright. It comes with a nice complement of features, with former additional cost options like Airport and Bluetooth built-in. The Intel Core Duo microprocessor makes it a little powerhouse. When using native software the MacBook will give any currently shipping Mac desktop a run for its money. The MacBook offers quite a lot of "bang for the buck" - at ~$1,200 you get a portable computer with the power of a desktop. I highly recommend it.

Pros
Good Value.
Great CPU performance.
Small size.
Nice LCD quality.
Extended Airport Range.
Good battery life.

Cons
No Classic support.
Mediocre CD/DVD burn speeds.
512MB is not enough memory these days.
Runs too hot for some people.
Based on heat Apple does not classify the MacBook as a laptop.
Intel GMA950 integrated GPU may seem slow for some uses.
No ExpressCard 34 slot.
No FW800 or SATA ports.

MacBook gets 4.5 AMUGs out of 5!
If you buy a MacBook expect it to be hot if placed on your lap for an extended period of time. That is really the only noticable issue with the MacBook. Some users have decided not to use it on their laps, others use a book or a small aluminum baking sheet to shield their legs. The performance of the MacBook is the best I have seen from a low end Apple portable. If you are looking for a low cost powerful Apple notebook, the MacBook is certainly worth considering. You can obtain a $100 rebate and FREE shipping with the purchase of a MacBook from Amazon.

Contact Information:
Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, California 95014
Phone: 408.996.1010
http://www.apple.com/contact/

Copyright 2006
Arizona Macintosh Users Group, Inc. (AMUG). Visit AMUG at www.amug.org for news, discounts and friends. JOIN AMUG!