Macbook 2.1Ghz

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Computers & Electronics
Product Type:	Computers
Manufacturer:	Apple

I recently took the plunge and purchased a Macbook, which I've been wanting to buy for no small time now. As I'm a person very easily attracted to visual stimuli, what initially drew me to the Macbook is its simple and sleek all-white design. Back in 2006, when I first came across it, I had no inkling on the big difference between Apple-manufactured computers (henceforth to be referred to as "Macs" for brevity) and the rest of the computer world. I have, however, since become aware of the risks associated with Macs in this particular country. The risk-reward dynamic will be discussed in the course of this review.

Preliminary tests:

In its advertisements, Apple prides its Macs to be fully functional once "out of the box". I found this to be true on a number of points. First, there is no requirement to charge the battery for a specified number of hours before using. The battery has some stored power that will not be adversely affected if the user decides to use the Mac right away. The initial setup also is not a very complicated process. It simply documents the user information which the user can send via the internet at a later time. On this point, one noticeable thing about the Mac is that it immediately asks its user to connect to the internet upon the initiation of the setup. This, for me, underlines the fact that the Macs (or the Macbook at least) is primarily oriented towards internet connectivity more than any other function. This brings me to the next section.

Internet test:

I tested the Macbook's internet capabilities in two settings: (1) at home with my DSL connection; and (2) at an outside location that had a Wi-Fi zone (more particularly, Taco Bell in Gateway Mall, Cubao). In both trials, I found it very easy to connect to the internet. In both cases, it took me less than 30 seconds to connect upon pressing the power button of the Macbook. The Macbook's pre-installed Safari browser also has no marked difference with Internet Explorer nor with Firefox, so there's not much adjustment needed for those who are used to the two latter browsers. Downloading files though might pose a bit of a difficulty with those who are not familiar with the Mac OS X.

The Mac OS X (a.k.a. "Leopard")

For those who, like me, have worked with Microsoft's Windows operating system since first being educated on computers, the shift to Apple's own operating system (currently, the Mac OS X or "Leopard") can be downright disorienting. First, there is the absence of a "right-clicking" feature in the Macbook's trackpad, which in fact corresponds to the fact that right-clicking ("secondary clicking", in Mac terms) isn't really all that necessary in the Leopard. In addition, even double-clicking is not much used. The arrangement of the icons and menus are also very different from Windows, and it's unavoidable for one to first try to look for the "Windows equivalent " of a particular Mac function in order to gain a working understanding of Leopard. This, fortunately is just an adjustment phase that doesn't last long. After 48 hours of working with Leopard, I got the feeling that it is a lot less simpler to operate than Windows - an observation that other Mac users would agree to.

File transfers:

Aside from Leopard adjustment issues, a more serious difficulty would be the practice of downloading large files over the internet. As over 90% of the computer industry uses the ubiquitous Windows, most programs that facilitate the transfer of huge files are uniquely available only to Windows users...and most of these don't have a working equivalent for Mac users. A good example of this is the widely-used WinRAR file compression program. Although I was able to download a .rar file without difficulty, to my chagrin, I found that my Macbook did not have a program that can open it... and neither could I download a version of WinRAR that can be used in a Mac. However, being a very new Mac user, it might be that I simply haven't looked hard enough for these programs.

Conclusion:

Overall, I'd rate the Macbook 4 out of 5 stars. Although the download issues I've discussed in the previous section isn't strictly in the realm of Macbooks, it does have an effect on the experience of using a Macbook for the first time. But everything else is excellent. I like the look and feel of the Macbook. I find Leopard to be very user-friendly on a lot of levels - even something as simple as startup and shutdown, when done very quickly, adds to the user experience. I'd surely recommend the Mac to anyone I know. Of course, at P55,000.00 - although already "cheap" by Mac standards - this is already enough for one to buy a cheaper laptop under a lesser but respectable brand, AND still have enough money for another gadget - say, a digital camera. This is a big deal for most people - including myself. For the most part, the decision to purchase a Mac book is, as I already said in my very first sentence of this review, like taking a plunge. I only went by the advertisements released, some internet research, and the fact that I really liked the Macbook's appearance. But aside from that I didn't have anything else. I didn't know anyone who is a Mac user, and I haven't even touched one before purchasing one. It is perhaps with great relief that the Macbook that I purchased fulfilled most of my expectations.