As pure as a Christmas Snowflake: The New 13-Inch LED Macbook

MANILA, Philippines - As someone who always finds himself scrambling around computer stores every Christmas season looking for stuff to blow the holiday bonus over, I’ve made it a point to take a quick look at what new Macbook or iPhone model is out. It seems that every year, a new model (or three) appears on the shelf looking remarkably the same as the last one. This time, though, it appears that Apple is going in an exciting new direction.

When it comes to form and functionality, Apple is one company that doesn’t have any noticeable bells and whistles to their devices – until you start using them. It’s that intuitive nature that has won them praise from many who are frustrated with the complexities of PC-based machines and the issues that many a non-tech inclined person has to deal with. With that in mind, the house of “i” has finally addressed some of the issues of their Macbook line as well as added a few tweaks to the trackpad interface that many have been clamoring for.

Taking a cue from its big brother, the Macbook Pro, Apple’s brand new Macbook boasts a 13-inch LED backlit screen, improved glass multi-touch trackpad, unibody enclosure, a slimmer Magsafe connector for the power port and an upgrade to the Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system. What’s even more welcome is the long-lasting battery which Apple claims can last seven hours of operation on just one charge. As an aside, it also has the standard iSight camera for video chats or simple picture taking.

The shiny review unit we got came courtesy of the Power Mac Center. Unboxing the Macbook was a straightforward affair. In the box is the Magsafe power adapter, an AC power cord (which may also act as an extension cord), manuals, install discs and the Macbook itself.

In its closed form, the new Macbook’s glossy-white surface looks just like any of the models that preceded it. The edges and corners of the rugged polycarbonate material are smooth and rounded which made it easy to slip into my backpack’s laptop pocket without it catching on anything. At roughly 4 ½ lbs., it was also easy to carry around. Flip it over and you’ll see the bottom case made up of non-slip material. This bottom cover affords easy access to some customizable components that we’ll discover later.

The Macbook uses a magnetic latch to lock it in its closed position. With no moving parts, it is just a basic notch at the bottom edge which you can easily pry open. Once you do that, you’ll be able to see the unibody enclosure everyone has been talking about. The entire top half of the unit is made of one part; no tiny screws on the side to lock it in. The smooth curves level off to a sharp edge onto a flat surface, and it’s just one solid piece. Not only is it pretty to look at, but it avoids the ugly sight of small gaps between surface parts from normal wear that appeared on the edges of past Macbook models. The full-size QWERTY keyboard is responsive, adhering to a low profile following the contours of the unibody design.

The next feature is much easier to appreciate with the Macbook turned on. An easy press at the power button on the upper right corner followed by the familiar Macintosh tone introduces you to the 13-inch LED backlit screen. Within seconds, you are at the desktop and ready to go. At first, it’s fair to say that the image quality is not exactly a question of apples and oranges (excuse the pun) since it really isn’t that noticeable to the average user – but the color range on the 1280x800 pixel resolution monitor is as vibrant as ever, if the default Mac desktop wallpaper is anything to go by. An added plus is the ability to go on full brightness once you wake up the Macbook from sleep mode.

The real advantage of the LED backlight technology, though, is in the power. Apparently, it takes less energy to feed this kind of screen without sacrificing image quality. This translates to more efficient and longer lasting power consumption.

Speaking of which, the Macbook batteries really do live up to the hype – somewhat. On normal testing with 100 percent screen brightness, the Macbook lasted roughly 5½ hours straight while I played music on iTunes using the built in speakers and wrote a full two-page article. Of course, this will vary depending on how you use the machine. Expect different results with a DVD spinning in the Superdrive or having an active Bluetooth and WiFi connection. Charging it up was fairly quick as well, about 2 ½ to three hours for a full charge when off.

Then, there’s the multi-touch trackpad. Anyone who’s had experience with an iPod Touch or iPhone will enjoy the new Macbook’s nifty little interface. The highly customizable surface of the trackpad may respond to not one, not two, but up to four of your digits at a time issuing specific commands. The single click button at the bottom has been replaced by a U-shaped interface hidden below the glass surface which you can still left or right click in the traditional way. Then it gets better.

Depending on your custom preferences, you can pinch with your thumb and forefinger to zoom in or out of an image, swipe to navigate programs, clear windows from the desktop or engage the Exposé function. You can use two fingers to scroll through a document, zoom the screen or function as a right click when you tap. The surface is responsive and satisfying to the touch. It’s not haptic feedback, but there’s just enough surface friction to make you feel that you’re doing something right.

A quick update to Mac OS X ver. 10.6 lets you have the Snow Leopard operating system, Apple’s latest and reportedly, greatest OS yet. I will have to agree, for now. The included applications open in a snap and include Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row and the iLife app suite (includes iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb and iDVD).

Hardware-wise, the new Macbook uses 2 gigabytes of DDR3 memory and a 250 gigabyte 2.5-inch SATA hard drive. The memory can be upgraded up to 4GBs with the hard drive going up to 500GB. These options can be easily done by unscrewing the bottom case cover and manually replacing the parts. Replacement of the battery, however, involves an Apple-certified technician.

The new 13-inch LED-backlit Macbook retails for P54,990 at Powermac Center. The next model, the Macbook Pro, comes in at P68,990 and has the same features plus higher specs than the regular model. With a P14,000 difference between them, those that can afford the Pro (and who really need a high-end machine) would be best served to do so. Still, the basic Macbook can hold its own and is perfect for just about everyone’s needs.

For more, go to www.apple.com/ph/ and www.powermaccenter.com.