Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple MacBook MC207LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

I had intended to purchase my mother a Macbook for some time now. I wobbled between the several models I considered. However, Apple's late October 2009 update to the white polycarbonate MacBook made the decision much easier.

Reasons for my Decision - With this update to the 13-inch white MacBook, Apple gave its entry-notebook impressive numbers. The processor a 2.26 GHZ Core 2 Duo is the same processor found in the 13-inch MacBook Pro. 2GB of memory? Same as the Pro. Nvidia 9400 Graphics, Same as the Pro. Hard drive? 250 GB, bigger than the MacBook Pro (it has 160GB only).

Yes, considering the larger hard drive, 250 versus 160, this white MacBook actually gives you a higher specification computer in some regards than the $200 more expensive MacBook Pro 13-inch. Remember this updated white MacBook also now incorporates the unibody under its polycarbonate shell. The unibody provides strength, and I must say this notebook is very solid. Furthermore, Apple has incorporated a long-life battery! The only downside is Apple must replace it, though it has a longer life cycle. In terms of performance, my mother reported to me simple usage of nearly six hours on a charge. Impressive. Blows away my older Mac notebook's battery.

Yes, this white MacBook does lack the remote control sensor, Firewire Port, and backlit keyboard that the MacBook Pro would offer, but my mother would likely not use those features and she had an affinity towards the white polycarbonate. The white does look nice, but handle and place it on surfaces very carefully as it will show light scratches easily.

The bottom of the MacBook is a bit strange. It is a rubber seal so to speak like what is found on the bottom of Airport Extreme and Apple TV. I'm not certain I like that choice by Apple. The material does pick up dirt easily. I would recommend wiping off whatever surface you are going to sit the computer on, to remove light dust, if you worry about the computer's appearance.

Overall, I was looking to find a quality Mac, for my mother. I didn't want to compromise performance, and I feel I didn't despite choosing this entry-level MacBook. Truly, with its stats, it can hardly be called entry level. My daily Mac is only slightly faster. These computers are getting faster and faster, and they impress me. Snow Leopard is great, and my mother is enjoying iPhoto and iMovie, all included with the computer.

The price to value of this MacBook is remarkable. At two hundred less than the MacBook Pro you get the same speed and memory, plus a larger hard drive. You can't argue with that. I didn't, and the MacBook has impressed.

Since Windows 95 I have been a PC user, I have been through 95, 98, 98se, millennium, xp and vista and I have had enough. I've been through 3 PC laptops in 4 years and only one of those didn't have fatal hardware failures or viruses. I used Mac's briefly in 99' and didn't understand them at all and have shunned them ever since. Finally after my last laptops motherboard started failing I decided it was time to take the leap to a Mac. The main reason I did this was because I've heard so many good things about them and I have had two iPhones and wanted to continue with Apple products. I waited for the new models to come out first before I got one because I have a habit of always wanting to get the new gizmos. Price is a little higher than what I'm used to but you get what you pay for. It was a little tough getting used to the OS right off the back, as a Windows user this is like going to a foreign country and trying to talk to someone there. I've had it for almost a 2 1/2 weeks now and so far I couldn't be happier. There are very few flaws that I have found, the edge of the laptop is too "sharp" and I get lines on my wrists but my typing teacher would yell at me anyway for that. Performance wise this thing flies! I thought about getting the Macbook pro but could not justify spending more money and getting the same/lower specs (i.e. 160gb hard-drive in the pro, 250gb in the macbook, same processor, same graphics, same RAM, same battery). I can live without the SD slot, simple USB adaptor can fix that, no need for firewire and I don't type in the dark so I can do without the backlight keyboard. At this rate I don't see myself going back to PC anytime soon!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1UZDPX5TFLZ8G
I made this video to hopefully add a little more life to the product.

Snow Leopard adds a lot more than I thought.

This is a great computer if you want to play with pics, surf the web, mess with your music collection.
This is not the Mac if you want serious processing power of lots of inputs to create a home network.
Look to a MacBook Pro or iMac for that.

I would have given it 5 stars if it had more inputs.
This is a pricy computer already, now I have to spend more to get adaptors.
I wish it was still available in black or you could opt for the non-glaze display.

I hope you enjoy the video, I had fun making it.

Pros:

- Unibody enclosure
- Same battery as the MacBook Pro
- Same graphics and processor (low end) of 13" MBP
- Glass multi-touch trackpad
- 250GB Hard Drive (bigger than entry level MBP)
- DDR3 RAM
- LED Backlit Display
- SuperDrive
- New AC Adapter (I just like it better. Basically the same as a MB Air's)
- Snow Leopard
- Price

Cons:

- No backlit keyboard
- Bezel around the display isn't as "refined" and the edge to edge glass on the MBP
- No Firewire. Isn't that big for current products as most things are going USB, but legacy items and high transfer rates of Firewire 800 or sustained throughput of 400 would have been nice.
- Battery is non-removable. Again, could be a big deal for some.
- "Non-slip" bottom is rather slippery and tends to gather crud easily, but then again, it's easy to wipe clean
- While I would surely say that the new case is more pro than con (looks better, doesn't get dirty as easily, fingerprints rub right off) that high gloss is rather easy to scratch.
- Finally, this is more neutral than con, I would have liked to have seen a $50 price drop, putting this machine for students and educators, who make up a sizable chunk of Apple's target demographic, at $899. With everything that has changed on this machine, I can see why it didn't happen.

Overall, I would say that this is an very solid machine. For those looking for the "best overall value" in the notebook line, I say that it would be a toss up for me between this guy and the 2.53 MBP. For most users, this is more than enough machine and would be my pick for them. With the overall features, value, and redesigned exterior (and interior), this is really a great machine.

I have been an Apple computer user exclusively since the early 1990's when I first purchased an LCII for use at home and then a Powerbook for use at work. For some reason I never got around to buying another laptop until this new model of the MacBook was announced, although I had used several other Apple desktops over the years.

After reviewing the specs and comparing the price and features to the lowest priced MacPro, there didn't seem to be any reason not to go with the MacBook over the MacPro, at least for my own purposes. I was initially worried about the lack of a Firewire connectivity since I have always used a separate Firewire drive with my desktops for Time Machine backups and/or extra storage space. It was not necessary to utilize a Firewire connection to load everything onto my laptop from my desktop since this was done wirelessly through the SetUp Assistant. Since I am not using my laptop as my primary computer, I do not feel that the lack of Firewire connectivity is going to present me with any problem going forward.

Thus far I have been very pleased with my MacBook. I believe that my high-school age son feels the same about the one that I purchased for him but to find out for certain would require me to get him off of his long enough to actually hold a conversation!