Tue, 28 Oct 2008 MacBook 2.4GHz review
Sitting between the old MacBook and MacBook Pro is this high-spec aluminium MacBook from Apple.
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Pros: Sleek new design; greatly improved graphics power; Multi-Touch glass trackpad; bright LED display, backlit keyboard
- Cons: Entry price higher than before and perilously close to MacBook Pro; no FireWire port; battery life shorter than previous MacBook model; no video adapters or Apple Remote in the box. Glossy display may not appeal to everybody
- Min specs: Height: 2.41cm, width 32.5cm, depth 22.7cm; weight 2.04kg; 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with 3MB of L2 cache; NVIDIA GeForce 9400m; 2GB DDR3 SDRAM; 13.3in LED backlit glossy display; MagSafe power port; Gigabit ethernet; two USB 2.0 ports; Mini Display Port; Audio line in; Audio line out; Kensington lock slot; built in iSight camera; Airport Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (802.11n specification); multi-touch trackpad; backlit keyboard
- Price: £1,149
- Star rating:
With their faster graphics cards, higher performance cache and new DDR3 memory, the new MacBooks are closer than ever to the MacBook Pros (which have also seen a refresh). In many ways this is a good thing (as we'll see in this review), but there is always the price issue. At £1,149 this model of MacBook is only £250 cheaper than the MacBook Pro. As with the cheaper MacBook 2.0GHz there is the issue of the price in general, but with this model it is compounded by its relative closeness to the MacBook Pro. Should you pay the extra £250 and go the whole way up to the Pro model, that's the question?
In the two and half years since the first MacBook model, Apple has tweaked and improved its consumer-level laptop line three times. But the latest (fourth) version is a giant leap for the MacBook, compared to the baby steps of the earlier updates. With the latest design (both inside and out), the MacBook has become a lot more like a MacBook Pro mini.
There are some differences though, As with the MacBook 2.0GHz, Apple has removed the FireWire option.

The new MacBook has a very different look and feel to the model it replaces
Next: The new MacBook's unibody design
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