Customer Reviews

Apple MacBook MB158LL/B 13.3-inch Laptop (2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 8x Super Drive) Black

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I adore my MacBook. Despite being a longtime Mac user, I almost did not buy a Mac when it came time to buying a laptop. I figured that I could buy a cheaper Windows machine that was just as powerful. Thank goodness I came to my senses! My husband had been through three laptops in the time that I had owned my Mac desktop, so that didn't portend well for those machines. And then both my daughter (a longtime Windows user who opted to go MacBook for college) and a few of my own college students convinced me to take a serious look at this computer. Wow.

Pros:

-- AirPort connectivity. On the road, while my husband is fiddling around on his Windows computer to connect to a new network, my daughter and I are already surfing the web. The MacBook also comes with Bluetooth capability.

-- OS X (now up to Leopard). Until you've used OS X, you have no idea what you've been missing. The users interface is so seamless that even the uninitiated can figure it out. You can create a Dock with all your favorite applications at the bottom of the screen -- all the time. Windows users have to be careful not to make things more complicated than they need to be. I know people who try to set up directories and files the way they do on Windows, when everything is SO much simpler on the Mac. Forget all that "My Computer" stuff to switch drives/discs. Everything is displayed all the time in the directory windows. Because OS X has so many features, I can't go into them here. Trust me -- you'll love it.

-- Size. I can slip this computer into an oversized handbag without a problem. While it's not as lightweight as some truly high-end laptops, the weight doesn't drag on my shoulder.

-- Keyboard. Large enough to easily use, it still allows a good-size area below the keys to rest your wrist.

-- iLife. The Mac comes bundled with iLife, Apple's lifestyle package that includes iTunes, iDVD, iPhoto, iWeb, GarageBand, PhotoBooth, and iMovie. These programs are part of what makes Macs so cool. All are intuitive, although GarageBand requires the most effort to learn.

-- Speed. Even with 1 GB RAM, this machine is blazingly fast compared to others in its category. (I recommend getting another GB of RAM, although my daughter says hers is fine with only 1 GB.)

-- Screen. The display is crisp and bright. Controls allows you to dim or brighten, depending on your preferences and the current lighting. Although the screen is glossy, I never have much problem with glare unless I'm in full sun.

-- Built-in camera. Although the camera isn't as powerful as a stand-alone digital camera, you can easily take shots for PhotoBooth fun or to upload to web sites such as Facebook.

Cons:

-- You cannot insert mini-DVDs. If you use them, look at a different computer.

-- Screen size. If a larger screen size is important to you, then get a different model. Of course, you'll sacrifice some portability with a larger computer.

-- It comes with only 1 GB of RAM. Although this is enough for most users, I still recommend installing another GB.

I've had my MacBook for a year now and haven't had any problems, so I haven't tested Apple customer service. A leading consumer magazine rates Apple's service as the best among manufacturers.

Highly recommended.

Having used Macs through college and then into my career, I was forced to switch to NT when I took a job at Microsoft in the late 90s. Windows gets the job done, and I have enjoyed using it through XP Pro, but I have had nothing but trouble with Vista.

When it came time to replace my Sony laptop I shopped all the major PC brands and found them to be gimmicky. By chance I took a look at the new Macbooks and liked what I saw, so I bought one.

With 2 gigs of RAM I am running Photoshop CS3 and Nikon Capture NX without a hassle. Screen redraws are fast.

Installing programs is a breeze, you drag them into the Applications folder. That's it.

On boot up I am online in 35 seconds. Every wifi connection I have tried has been rock solid.

If you want a fast, stable, easy to use laptop, check out a Macbook, you won't be sorry.

This review won't focus on the Mac OS and explain why it is so awesome. Like Louis Armstrong said (about jazz), "if you need to ask, you won't understand." The Intel chips are really fast, rest assured. The glossy screen is glossy, but the colors are rich. What really bothers me is how the quality control of the manufacturing is going downhill. My Macbook (from Amazon, Black Friday sale) had several "build" defects. There were some slight gaps along the left and right edge seams of the laptop. The hard drive kept making "chirping" sounds-- it seemed like the heads were trying to park themselves sporadically... every 10-30 secs or so. The plastic frame (or housing) around the LCD did not sit flush on the LCD Panel. When seen from the sides, you can see gaps between the frame and the LCD panel.

This is probably my 10th Mac I've purchased in the past 12 years or so (in addition to countless Apple accessories). I've also convinced friends and family members to buy at least another dozen. No joke. I am a die hard Mac fan. And for good reason. Design and build quality used to be a non-issue for anything Macintosh. That was why you happily paid a premium (and for the OS)-- because everything (even the Newton) looked polished and well built and intelligently designed. Titanium G4 Powerbook! Remember when that came out?! Made with real titanium! Sigh, those where the days-- Apple didn't mess around.

Well, all I can say is that this latest Macbook quality is disappointing. Aesthetically, it's a fine looking piece of hardware. But like the drunk guy/girl across the room, when you get up close and personal, the warts begin to show. Maybe it's because it's made in China, where the QC standards are harder to keep track of-- I'm not being racist. I'm Asian, first of all. Also, I'm a big fan of their food. I'm just stating a fact. None of my rock solid other Macs were made in China. Plus I've seen pics of these huge Chinese mega-factory complexes. They make Detroit assembly lines look like haute couture. Bottom line: I think Apple is cutting corners... sad to say. It was inevitable... they've grown exponentially in the past few years.

Anyway, the good news is that Apple usually stands behind their product... although recently it only happens after enough people get angry and make a fuss, heh heh. To be fair, in the past I've only had one very minor problem and it was resolved without issue. Like I said, Apple usually stands behind their stuff.

So, what's my conclusion? It's a good laptop. Would I buy it again? Sure, but not as eagerly and only after I checked out one of those sub-$500 Windows notebooks that seem to be in every big box store in America. Don't get me wrong, I would never buy said Windows notebook, but I'd check them out just to know that other options were out there... it's good to be informed.

Anyway, I hope Apple will take care of these defects for me. I'm with them for the long haul. Still, there's one thing that really bummed me out about this latest Macbook purchase: I missed out on the excitement of my "new Mac computer" high. After all, that's the best part about buying a Mac. Otherwise, we may as well run the Mac OS on an ugly generic Intel box.

I am a PC user of many many years. I have been using PCs since the DOS days, and have owned a PC with every windows OS. I thought I was pretty much happy, until I made the switch. I won't talk much about OS X, except saying that "all of my wildest dreams came true" (I must've voted for Pedro). It is truly amazing.

So on to the unit itself. It is white. And beautiful. The exterior is fantastically glossy, the inside is matte and smooth. The keys are light and responsive, and well separated so I can type quickly without mistakes. The lid snaps shut with an unbelievably satisfying "clap" and all the look is one that is clean, complete, and well-finished. No QC issues here. The infamously glossy screen has proved to be more beneficial than detrimental and produces a crisp vibrant image that is noticeably reflective only in extreme conditions. The speakers are unusually located on the rear of the notebook and use the display bezel to reflect the sound. They're typical laptop speakers-don't expect much from them.

The computer is quick.... not just quick.... supersonic. Encoding video is a snap. Opening some programs (such as Safari) is instantaneous. I have not tried playing any games on it yet, and with the integrated video, I'm sure its able to but likely not as easily as it can with other tasks.

The iLife suite, is, sweet. GarageBand is a blast that is quite easy to use after getting used to it. iMovie is almost industry standard (just below Final Cut). iDVD is truly one of the most underrated program in iLife. You can actually make incredibly professional-looking animated DVD menus and pop in your videos from iMovie and make a great looking DVD. Keep in mind, though, that this configuration does not have a DVD burner, so you will have to buy an external DVD burner (about $70-$150) to take advantage of this software. iWeb is pretty good too. It's nice for blogs, but not so much for web pages, and requires a .mac account. iPhoto is a great organizational tool, but its editing capabilities are limited, and many of the auto-fixes often don't work well or actually make the photo worse. I prefer Picasa's editing features.

Leopard, sad to say, is a lot like Vista-only in the fact that it provided few upgrades and had several reported installation woes. I love it. The quick-look feature, while a little over-hyped, is very useful. It allows you to preview most files, like a document right in the finder (large enough to read the contents). Spotlight is a fantastic search tool, and thoroughly and quickly finds things on your computer. UI is clean, interactive, and speedy, as expected.

Anyway, there are too many more features to list. I will say that the iChat/iSight setup is pretty amazing. The camera is sharp and I was able to videochat with several of my friends. There is also a screen-sharing feature that allows you to comandeer another persons computer (if they have Leopard) and control what's on their screen or vis-versa. Its quite useful. For example, my friend is somewhat inexperienced with computers, and I was able to get on her computer remotely and transfer her music from her iPod to her new computer.

Also, battery life is very good. I was able to watch 2 1/2 movies, write about 10 emails, burn a cd, and rip a cd all on one charge. Incredibly impressed. The MagSafe adapter is really innovative and handy too, and has already prevented my MacBook from taking a couple of tumbles.

So, the negitave (that I haven't already mentioned):

OS X and iLife take up a lot more space on the hard disk than I expected. With the hard drive formatting, the OS, and iLife, you are left with only about 50 gigs of space. Then after I put on all of my photos, videos, and music, I was left with a measly 13.5 gigs, and with the rule of thumb to leave about 10 gigs available for system tasks, I imagine I will be upgrading my hard drive in the near future.

The optical drive is pretty slow for a CD-R/RW only drive. It took me about 15 minutes to rip a CD. My PC with a combo drive and do it in about 9, and my other PC laptop with a DVD/CD-R/RW drive can do it in about 10-12. Not a big deal, just a bit of a disappointment.

Leopard eliminated the feature that allowed you to send/receive SMS messages from your phone via Bluetooth. This was a feature I was looking forward to.

The mini-DVI display interface is proprietary meaning you will have to buy a $20 adapter to attach an external display.

Integrated video: Although the X3100 is a pretty top-of-the line integrated setup, it still doesn't compare to dedicated video cards, and has many compatibility issues with games (such as Sims 2). But then again, this isn't a gaming machine. It just seems ridiculous to pay $1,000 more for a MacBook Pro, just (pretty much) for dedicated video.

Mismatched colors: One thing I first noticed (I'm pretty sure it's by design) is the display bezel, trackpad, and the wrist areas are light grey. This looks weird compared to the keyboard and rest of the case. I imagine this is to prevent dirt/grime from showing up but it still looks weird.

Sharp wrist edges: the edges around the top part of the lower case are cut very, err, straight. They cause red streaks on your wrist, and a friend of mine thought I was "cutting". Yeah, kind of a problem.

Well that's it in a nutshell. The Mac experience is INCREDIBLE, and this is a surprisingly capable and fast machine. Easily the best notebook for around $1000-1500.

If you are a student in school or college and on a budget, then DEFINITELY go for it. I am a PhD student in VirginiaTech and I was planning to get an HP notebook to replace my older HP. My advisor was a loyal Mac user and I decided to follow. I got this Mac and what the hell I was living with Windows. Microsoft mind programmed us to use Windows, Office and wait "stupidly" for the new "worse" Windows.

Mac is a really new, wonderful world. Mine was bought last September 2007 so it came with Tiger OS not the latest Leopard.

+ The OS boots in seconds. Yes, this is not a typo, I mean seconds.

+There is "NO" errors, hang ups, system faults, crashes or any other Microsoft crap.

+The processor runs smoothly, the RAM is really sufficient, unlike the ever-hungry Windows.

+ The hard disk has no sound, vibration or any evidence of internal physical movements.

+ The ComboDrive does not have a tray that pops out with the lens, motors and everything, Instead the media is pulled in smoothly through the slot.

+ The BATTERY is REALLY INCREDIBLE. Four hours, again yes 4 hours is the least time to run with iTunes running, Safari browsing, iPhoto loading and typing in iWork. In light conditions you can go fr 6 Hours straight. Never happened with Windows. I say windows not a PC because I have noticed that Windows is the guilty one. On your PC you will always see the hard disk running, lighting up and down. Mac OS does not do any of these silly non-logic load.

The cons of MacBook are:

-You don't have VGA output and the converter doesn't come with the notebook and you should then buy a miniDVI to VGA converter for $20.

- You should only buy hardware like external drives or printers that says "Mac Compatible".

- The white casing gets dirty "SO" quickly so make sure that your palms, wrists and fingers are clean.

Conclusion::

Go and get a Mac right now, you are mind programmed by Microsoft.

I took out a star for the White casing and for the built-in shared memory graphics card. If you are a Pro-gamer then you should pay extra money and get MacBook Pro

This is my first Mac, after many years of using Windows PC at home, work, and school. The main reason I went with the MacBook (over the Pro) was because I already have a powerful gaming laptop and desktop, but wanted something basic for homework and was always interested in trying out a Mac. I'm very impressed with both MacBook and OS X. I like how Apple hardware and software works.

I have found no problems at all, works beautifully as advertised. Upgraded the memory to 4GB (which I recommend, but not through Apple. You can get memory MUCH cheaper online from places like NewEgg and Amazon).

If you want a good laptop for basic productivity/programming, internet usage, email, and enjoy using Mac OS X this is a great purchase. If you want it in black or the bigger HDD, I would recommend this model (the main reason I got this particular one was because I liked the black over the white). If you're looking to do more (gaming, advanced video/photo editing, working w/ powerful 3D apps, etc.), check out the MacBook Pro.

***This is an update to my original review***

I cannot believe it has been 2 years since I bought this laptop. It is still as good as the day I bought it. My household has purchased 5 notebooks during this time: 2 PC netbooks and 3 PC notebooks. They all SUCK compared to this computer. They even SUCK compared to this computer when it is running Windows! We returned both netbooks because they couldn't even run full-size (1024x768) programs. I cannot believe how shoddy PC computers are made! From the terrible keyboards, and even worse trackpads (horrible on all of them), the flimsy ejecting CD drives, the lame stickers all over, the incompatabilities with hardware and software and driver issues, erratic slowdowns, viruses, spyware, UGH!! I don't need that crap!

Apple and their Macintosh computers are not perfect, but they are clearly superior. Maybe not spec-for-spec on paper, but in usability and as a whole, most definately. Isn't that what matters anyways? It is to me.

***End Update***

It's so nice to be back on a Macintosh computer. My last 2 computer purchases were a Sony desktop and an HP notebook.

I love Leopard. Lots of productivity boosters (Dashboard, Expose, etc). I'm still re-learning but it's coming back fast.

The computer itself is a real looker. The MagSafe power adapter is awesome. The computer *feels* good. It almost feels like rubber. It just feels good to touch. However, smudges show up very prominently on the black surface (like anything black).

I feel sorta cheated for spending $200 more for the black model. The 160GB hard drive is almost full allready. I'm scoping out a 250GB for $150ish, but would like even more. I also plan to add 4GB of RAM for about $100.

The Core2duo chip is nice. The last Mac I bought was a 600mhz iBook G3, and it felt slow right out of the box. Granted, it was running the 1st edition of Mac OS X, but it felt slow. This computer seems very fast, very little waiting for apps to open, and I can multitask to my heart's content and it won't bog down (ie: iTunes won't skip a beat while I'm surfing the web, copying files to multiple locations, and have about 10 other programs open at the same time).

The built-in iSight camera is a no-brainer. All computers should have this built-in now-a-days. I'm still getting used to the keyboard. The keys are very low profile and it'll probably take some getting used to, like everything new does.

The wireless works great. My HP laptop constantly had a problem with dropping the wireless connection momentairly and then re-gaining it. Annoying. That hasn't happened once on my MacBook.

One weird quirk is the slot-loading optical drive. This is my first slot-loading computer, and I figured it would "suck" the disc in earlier than it does (similar to a car stereo). I have to put it in most of the way and then it pulls it in the last inch and then makes some strange mechanical noises. The discs run fine tho. Maybe it's supposed to be like that.

I went with the MacBook because I don't play alot of games, so didn't need the $1000 price difference that a MacBook Pro would cost. A dedicated video card and illuminated keys are about the only benefits to getting a MacBook Pro.

----

It's been 3 months since I got my MacBook and I'm happier than ever! There is so much QUALITY freeware/shareware available. Quality, as in, it doesn't screw-up your machine or install spyware/adware, like almost every Windows app does.

I've upgraded to 4GB of RAM, and think this is the PERFECT amount. I check my RAM use with the awesome Widget iStat Pro.

Right now I am:

Ripping a DVD

Converting a ripped DVD to H.264

Watching a Quicktime H.264 video of a previously ripped DVD

Installing the Amazon MP3 downloader app

Have iPhoto open

iTunes is copying a bunch of ripped DVDs to my AppleTV through WiFi 802.11n

I'm backing up my Pictures folder to my iDisk

Mail is checking for new messages

I have like 10 tabs open in Safari

...and the system does not studder. Apps do not slow down. Nothing crashes. It's quite amazing. The combination of OSX and the Intel Core 2 Duo chip is FANTASTIC.

Never before have I been as pleased with a computer 3 months after buying it as I am with this computer. Including previous Macintosh computers.

Yesterday I purchased the Time Capsule 1TB WiFi hard drive and it's awesome. It's like I have a 1TB HDD in my MacBook! I threw all my scratch-prone backup DVDs away (after I copied them to my Time Capsule!). Now I have everything I've ever created or downloaded at my fingertips, and my internal HDD is only half full!

The only gripes I have with this computer is the sharp edges sometimes bug my wrists when I type. Also, the keyboard is not that great, but the low-profile keys are very easy to clean and keep clean. I do alot of work in the dark so an illuminated keyboard (like on the MacBook Pros) would be awesome. Also, a dedicated video card would be nice for some of the power-hungry games out there. These are features of the MacBook Pro, but I like the size, feel, and price of the MacBook better.

This review is for the white macbook (2.2Ghz intel core 2 duo, 120gb hard drive, 1gb ram, superdrive). I have been using the laptop for about a month now. My background is with Windows and mainly Dells (have owned three dell laptops and one dell desktop over the past 5 years). Thus, I am/was an Apple newbie. Overall, my experience has been nothing short of amazing with this little workhorse. I am continuously impressed on a daily basis when I encounter new features and idiosyncrasies with the macbook.

Pros:

glossy bright screen (the gloss helps make the images sharper than with matte screens), great vibrant colors of the display, quiet operation (unless you are taxing the machine, then it can get a little loud and hot), the airport (picks up all kinds of wireless signals, and had no problem with my wpa protected network at home, or wireless at work through a vpn), the large trackpad (sensitive and great two-touch scrolling), long battery life (I'm still at 70% when my wife's dell goes out), mac os (leopard is simple, elegant, and quick), everything works when you plug it in (no installing drivers and cursing at your computer when it doesn't recognize your device), iLife and iWork suites (worth the price of admission here, I can't tell you how easy and simple it is to make amazing webpages, movies, slideshows, presentations, posters, flyers, cards, etc, etc). I'm working on some great movie projects for the family right now and haven't had to use the help function yet!

Cons:

sharp edges (not a huge issue when I'm at a desk, but seems to bug me more when it's on my lap and digs into my wrists more), smaller maximum open angle (screen opens about 100-115 degrees from base, and sometimes I want it to open up a little more), the keys are flat (I miss the concave keys of my dell, but I'm getting used to these), the keyboard is recessed (also a plus in that the keys don't scratch the screen, but gunk gets down in the recess), it's a little heavy for it's size (not a deal breaker though), the case scratches easy (however you have to look at it at the right angle to see the scratches), the installed web browser is sub-optimal (I dumped safari and moved to firefox for now), apple mail is not so hot (I have been using Entourage (MS Office) with good success), the power cord plastic is very stiff (feels like it could break, and I don't feel confident continuously wrapping it up for transport to work and back), and the magsafe power connector is neat, but has a very strong magnetic pull and would not release before my laptop started sliding on a smooth surface.

Overall, I have listed more cons than pros, but I believe that the cons are pretty nitt-picky, and the meat of the laptop rests on the pro side. I have really enjoyed learning the Mac OS, and find it to be MUCH more intuitive, simple, clean, and enjoyable than any Windows version I have ever used. I love using expose to move between open windows, and spaces comes in handy at work when I need to quickly move from internet surfing to real work stuff if the boss comes by unexpected. Plain and simple, it just works. For the few old windows programs that I can't give up I've been running Windows XP on my macbook through Parallels very smoothly, with no rebooting necessary like with Boot Camp. Other items to ponder: I recommend upping the RAM to 2-4GB (I have 2GB now) by installing it yourself, very very easy to do so. Get the mini-DVI to VGA adapter if you plan to give presentations through any typical projector.

I hope this helps you make an important decision, I made the switch and haven't looked back!

I bought a beautiful HP TX1000 Laptop last year (Sep. '07) and in just over a month, I experienced overheating and crashing. Having owned HP-only notebooks since 2001, I've had excellent service w/ them and their computers.

HP replaced the notebook w/ another TX1000 and in two days, it wouldn't boot. Hmmmppphh!

Third time is a charm: HP replaces it with a fully-loaded Santa Rosa 15.4" DV6500t w/ Intel 2.4Ghz T7700 Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, HDMI, Nvidia 128MB 8400M GS Graphics Card, HD DVD, etc. The works. One month of ownership later, Vista starts the "Mystery Blue Screen". I call HP and they suggest a Reformat/Re-install...been there, done that. One of the discs end up being bad, so I am waiting for the disc to come. In the meantime, I need to get work done.

My g/f has owned Macs since her first Powerbook Duo in the 90's. She's an avid Mac fan and has been "pushing" me to get a Mac for some time, but I'm a "PC Guy" and I use Windows. Vista has been an abysmal failure for me and to HP's credit, they've had nothing short of excellent customer service and always followed through on any promises of service. I felt as though I was "defecting" to Apple, but in the end it seemed like the right thing to do.

One Saturday afternoon, we stopped by our local Apple Store here in Southern California (South Coast Plaza) and picked up a White Macbook 2.2Ghz w/ an 8x SuperDrive. On our way home, we had to stop by Fry's Electronics to return something and lucky for me, RAM was on sale ($80 for 4GB!). Got home, popped in the 4GB of RAM (2 - 2GB sticks) and BOOM, I'm flying through Leopard and back to work in under an hour.

One week later, I'm running vmWare w/ Windows XP Professional & Office 2007 Ultimate, Microsoft Office 2008 (Educator Copy), and iWork '08. In other words, I'm on overload for tools to get my work done; I originally bought Office '07 Ultimate to go w/ my PC but my g/f is an educator and gets Office '08 at a huge discount, so we went w/ that.

I've had ZERO issues adapting to the Mac OS. I've used Mac in the past (on her Mac Mini) but now I feel as though I'm more productive and spending less time "fitzing" w/ my machine. Vista would nag me w/ the UAC (User Account Control) that required me to click "Continue" to do just about anything; Leopard asks me for my password when I install things, or need to unlock a preference. Nice.

If you are using Windows (esp. Vista) or are having "Windows Angst", then I can tell you as a longtime Windows user (since Windows 3.1 & DOS 5.0) that the Mac is truly the best computer for simply getting work done and a more efficient workflow.

For example; I am usually typing in Word '08, designing the coversheet in Pages, listening to music in iTunes, uploading photos to Flickr, updating my iDisk, and printing a photo in iPhoto. I can do all of this AT THE SAME TIME! Plus, if there is something I need to do in Windows, I just open up vmWare (optional software purchase...about $80) and have XP running my PC-only software.

Mac is the best computer for those who are individuals (like me) who need a reliable computer that can handle just about everything you throw at it.

The only downside I can see is that there is only two USB ports, but that's it.

I'm a longtime Mac user, and have owned Apple laptops going back to the Powerbook 170. Ever since the Powerbook G4 12" they have been used as desktop replacements (with large external monitors).

When Apple went Intel, I sat out the 1st generation of the Macbook Pro, then bought a 2nd gen 15" as a desktop replacement. A powerful machine, for sure, but I never was quite happy with it: subpar wireless reception, too large to use comfortably on an airplane, serious overheating (which I eventually "solved" by downclocking the CPU using www.coolbook.se), and poor battery autonomy (the machine would go through brand-new, fully charged batteries in under 2h each with normal use).

Then I had a minor accident (slipping on the ice in subzero Fahrenheit weather) and the laptop crash-landed. Despite being in a neoprene rubber protective case, it was damaged so badly that repairing would cost the same as a new Macbook.

So after some nagging, the insurance ponied up for a new Macbook rather than repairing the Pro.

I bought the White 2.2GHz model but with custom RAM (2 GB) and hard drive (250 GB), plus AppleCare, via the Apple Educational store.

First impressions:

- battery life is astonishing. I have been running on the wireless network, with a dozen programs open (including a couple dozen tabs in Firefox) and after about 3h20' worth of this the machine claims it has about another half hour left. If true, that's about twice the battery autonomy of my Pro

- not having a "real" graphics card is no impediment to any "normal" use, only for gaming (and perhaps video editing)

- screen and keyboard are much more comfortable than I thought. The glossy screen is actually much clearer for text, although graphics professionals will surely prefer a matte screen because of color fidelity issues.

- wireless reception is fabulous. I've been at conferences where a colleague using a Macbook could easily connect to a wireless network in another building that my Pro wouldn't even see

- the only difference between equivalent white and black machines is the $125 or so premium one pays for black. I ended up getting the white machine.

- AppleCare comes with a free copy of TechTool Deluxe, and is good value for money, especially at the educational price

- Machine heated up seriously during initial Spotlight indexing (for Mac OS X newbies: that's the Apple equivalent of Google Desktop), but is at worst lukewarm during normal use. I run the fans at minimum 3000rpm using smcFanControl, just to be sure.

- Leopard takes some getting used to if you loved Tiger, but feels much more solid and snappy. I absolutely love "Spaces", which is an excellent way to make the most of the fairly limited screen real estate.

- the machine is not the lightest, but not unduly heavy

- if you have some basic screwdriver skills, memory and hard disk are easily user-upgradeable (forget doing that with the Pro unless you're very handy)

Things I would have liked (if ifs and buts were candied nuts...):

- "real" DVI and VGA ports rather than adapter dongles (probably too hard to do in this form factor)

- LED-backlit display

- option to replace optical drive by 2nd battery. However, batterygeek.net sell relatively inexpensive external battery packs with 2-3 times the capacity of the internal battery. Those ought to last you through VERY long flights

All in all, I consider this to be a superior machine to the much more expensive Macbook Pro it replaced.