The good: New aluminum construction looks good, feels solid; giant touchpad; attractive edge-to-edge glass on display; improved integrated graphics; backlit keyboard on some models; thinner than previous version.

The bad: Still no ExpressCard or SD card slot; loses FireWire port; all-clicking touchpad is a bit awkward, at least initially; S$2,088 now gets you a slower CPU than it did before; no matte screen option.

The bottom line: Apple's redesigned 13-inch MacBook is essentially a shrunken version of the more expensive 15-inch Pro line. With its new aluminum body, new trackpad, and Nvidia graphics, it's an even more attractive choice for mainstream laptop buyers than was the plastic model it replaces.

Read full review of the Apple MacBook  »

By Dan Ackerman, CNET.com
Oct 21, 2008

Design

The most obvious changes are physical. The familiar white-and-black bodies have been replaced with an aluminum chassis that looks nearly identical to the new MacBook Pro, only smaller. The actual construction for both the new MacBook and MacBook Pro now follows the MacBook Air model, with a solid block of aluminum carved down, rather than a thin outer shell that has had support struts added to it. The result is a lighter and thinner, yet stronger, chassis that feels more solid and substantial--a notable feat, as the previous MacBook models were already extremely sturdy.



Another notable new feature is a radically redesigned touchpad. This larger touchpad uses multitouch gestures similar to those found on the iPhone, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, and offers a much larger surface area than previous 13-inch MacBooks--thanks to the elimination of a separate mouse button. In fact, the entire touchpad depresses like a button, although a simple tapping (as on a PC laptop) will also work once you turn that option on in the settings menu.

The all-button touchpad concept is actually a bit difficult to get used to, and feels slightly clunky at first compared with a traditional fixed-position touchpad. On the other hand, there are some useful new gestures: You can hide all your apps by sweeping four fingers up on the pad, and you can also designate one corner of the touchpad as a "right-click" zone. Most useful, perhaps, is sweeping four fingers left or right, which brings up the application switcher. Once you get used to that, going back to a regular touchpad would be difficult.

Features

The 13.3-inch widescreen LCD display offers a 1,280 x 800 native resolution, which is standard for screens between 13 and 15 inches in size. It provides for text and icons that are highly readable, but we'd love to see Apple move into the 16:9 display universe, as in the case with new systems from Sony, Hewlett-Packard, and others.



Apple has also added LED-backlit displays (previously available on the Pro models), which means a thinner lid and some battery life benefits, plus the edge-to-edge glass we're seeing more often on multimedia systems, such as the HP HDX18. The glass, however, also grabs stray light rays with ease, making the glossy screen seem that much glossier--a problem if you prefer matte screen finishes.

With only two USB 2.0 ports and no more FireWire, the new MacBook isn't exactly brimming with connections. Our two fondest MacBook wishes--an ExpressCard slot and an SD card reader--have yet to come true, so photographers (especially those who use equipment with FireWire connections) may be disappointed--or encouraged to spring for a MacBook Pro. Apple is making a firm move to the DisplayPort camp by including a mini DisplayPort connection instead of mini-DVI or VGA, but a variety of external dongles (sold separately) will give you any video output you need.

Tags: Apple MacBook, Intel Core 2 Duo, NVidia Corp., Expresscard, Apple MacBook Pro

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