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Yesterday's introduction of new consumer Macs included some expected
developments and some surprises: iMacs got bigger, the MacBook got a
bit lighter, and the Mac mini got a bit faster.
Of the three, I'd have to say that the iMac got the biggest change,
physically larger, higher resolution displays topping the list. The
polycarbonate MacBook got its first redesign since the line was
introduced in May 2006, and the mini's changes are all under the
hood.
The New MacBook
At first, it sounded like the Late 2009 MacBook used a
polycarbonate unibody lower case, but now that the new notebook has
been dissected by iFixit, we know that it's aluminum that's covered
with a white rubbery material. The rest of the enclosure seems to be
made using the same white polycarbonate we're used to.
The new enclosure makes the MacBook a bit larger in its footprint,
but at the same time 0.3 lb. lighter than the fully polycarbonate
design. In addition to unibody design, the MacBook finally gains the
buttonless glass trackpad found in all current Apple notebooks,
except for the MacBook Air.
There are plenty of changes under the hood: a 2.26 GHz CPU adds 6%
more horsepower, the 13.3" display is now LED backlit, and the FireWire
port - a feature present on every polycarbonate MacBook but missing
from last year's aluminum MacBook - is gone. The MacBook now has a
built-in 7 hour battery, but there is no SD Card slot (a feature
present in every MacBook Pro, along with FireWire 800).
Base RAM is 2 GB, and this should be expandable to 6 GB, as was true
of other MacBooks with Nvidia graphics. That stock hard drive is an
impressive 250 GB, and the Late 2009 MacBook has the same price tag as
the model it replaces: US$999.
There are a few other changes: Upgrading memory and replacing the
hard drive is no longer the simple process it was with polycarbonate
MacBooks; you now have to open up the computer to reach RAM and
everything else. This probably won't be a big deal for most, and for
schools and other organizations where having notebook drives disappear
could be a concern, this will be viewed as a step forward.
Drawbacks
There is no FireWire, which means no FireWire Target Disk Mode, a
diagnostic tool that Mac users have loved for years. Using Target Disk
Mode, you can connect a FireWire-equipped Mac to the FireWire port on
another Mac and run diagnostics, copy data, etc. There really is no
workaround, although it would be nice to see Apple figure out how to
have a USB Target Disk Mode.
For those who take long trips and usually have one or two spare
batteries, the built-in 7 hour battery is going to be a drawback. For
the rest of us, it's an advantage.
I'm a fan of trackpads with a mouse button, but Apple is moving away
from buttons (witness the new Magic Mouse, which has none). I'm sure
it's not that difficult to get used to a buttonless trackpad.
Late 2009 vs. Early 2009 MacBook Value
It looks like dealers are clearing out the previous MacBook, only
6% slower at 2.13 GHz, at US$899. Like the new model, it has 2 GB
of RAM, but it also has a smaller hard drive (160 GB). It has less
battery life, but you can carry a spare. It has a trackpad button. It
has FireWire, probably the most significant thing missing from the Late
2009 MacBook.
It's a tough call, because while saving $100 is nice, the
polycarbonate MacBooks have been plagued with cracking plastic -
something we all hope the new design eliminates. For long-term use, I'd
lean toward the new unibody design because it finally dispenses with
the troublesome design introduced in 2006.
But then there are refurbs. The Apple Store is
selling refurbished 2.13 GHz MacBooks for US$749, which I'd say is
enough of a difference to make it an excellent choice. Apple also has
2.4 GHz white and
2.0 GHz Unibody
MacBooks at $899, as well as the 2.4 GHz black MacBook at
$999.
Frankly, the newer CPU and the use of GeForce 9400M graphics put the
2.26 GHz MacBook ahead of the discontinued 2.4 GHz MacBooks. The only
reason to choose one would be if you just have to have that beautiful
black finish.
Comparing the year-old 2.0 GHz Unibody MacBook with the Late 2009
design, you gain processing power and hard drive space, which I'd
consider a fair trade for the Unibody's aluminum design. The Unibody
will let you carry a spare battery, but that's it's only real advantage
- and neither of these models has FireWire.
Take care of it, and the $749 refurbished MacBook is an excellent
value. The new MacBook is a good value at $999, and I'm sure we'll soon
see online vendors discounting it by $50 to $75, making it an even
better value.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Links for the Day
Mac of the Day: Radius System 100, introduced 1995.03.27. An all-out system designed for graphics professionals.
