this is the personal blog of brandon quintana.

Apple has released the MacBook, a replacement to its aging iBook line. For the most part I have been waiting for this upgrade for quite some time now. I am looking to replace a Powerbook G4 and this might fit in to what I need. The Apple MacBooks features include a 13.3-inch widescreen display, Intel Core Duo processors clocked at 1.83Ghz or 2.0 GHz, iSight Camera, Front Row and Apple Remote, and MagSafe Power Adapter.

The resolution of the 13.3-inch display is 1280×800, which is a bump up from the 12-inch Powerbook resolution I would be upgrading from which is 1024×768. What I like seeing is two RAM slots in the MacBook, which is similar to the MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini. Previous generation iBooks and Mac Minis only had one slot for upgrading RAM. The unit also includes an SATA hard drive with options from 60GB to 120GB. There is also an option for a Combo or Superdrive.

What kind of disappoints me is the integrated graphics card. It’s the same one found in the Mac Mini I believe. They could have probably included a lower end card, but as with the Mac Mini I haven’t really had too many issues with the integrated graphics. Then again I don’t use the Mac Mini as my workstation either.

The unique latching system is a pretty neat feature. Like the MagSafe power adapter, it uses magnetism to keep the lid shut. While I don’t think I had any issues with the previous latches it seems like it would be one less thing to break. It should be a good feature until the magnets demagnetize.

I’m also glad to see that the MacBook is available in both black and white. This had been rumored for a long time. Even though a little disappointed that the black color is only available in the high-end model, I can live with that. It seems to make that machine more like a “special edition.”

In the end, I’m looking to pick up one of the black models. It should be a great replacement for my 12-inch Powerbook. Now I will just have to wait until Photoshop is released for the Intel Processors. Since I don’t do too much graphic work I can deal with using CS on Rosetta. Let me know if you get a chance to try this machine out. I’m interested in user feedback on the machine as well as initial impressions.