Review: MacBook 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo

Just picked up the new MacBook and it's awesome. I'm upgrading from a first-generation iBook G3 that has served me well, but has been dropped, repaired (myself, and have extra screws to prove it) a loose "J" key (my son's name is Joshua), and overall sluggish performance.

The spacious 13.3 inch screen is glorius. It is super bright and crisp. There is ample screen real estate. The glossy screen (new for Mac laptops) is great. I don't see why some people are concerned about it. I think it provides a much better image.

The keyboard is a bit funky to look at with its wide-spaced keys, but I've had no problems typing whatsoever. The keys are firmer than the previous iBook and much more responsive.

Performance is top-notch. Everything is speedy and responsive. Even programs which have not been updated for Intel run fine in every day tasks. I'm using this primarily for web surfing, word processing, light graphics work and such.

The only downside so far is that the bottom of the case runs a bit warmer than the iBook it replaces. Not hot enough to burn, but a bit uncomfortable on bare skin (which isn't recommended when using laptops anyway). Not something I'm overly concerned about though.

I also installed Windows XP via Boot Camp. Leave it to Apple to even make Windows look good. Installation took about an hour, with about 55 minutes of that coming from the Windows installer. I have no plans (or need or want) to run Windows long-term, but agreed to install it for a colleague at work who is considering a MacBook so he could see the performance of Windows on a Mac. It's a bit crazy to see Windows running on my Mac, but Windows functions fine and haven't had any issues with it. If you're a Windows/PC user who is considering a Mac - the time to switch is now.