Apple MacBook MA255 Reviews: Mac OS X Tiger 13.3" Screen Laptop computer

How we collect reviews »

Also known as: Apple MacBook

Laptop Buyers' Guide  

What do you get when you put up to 2GHz of pure Intel Core Duo power, an iSight camera, Front Row, iLife ’06 and a 13-inch glossy widescreen display into a sleek case? More than you thought possible for less than you thought possible.

Better bang-to-buck ratio

Now the Intel Core Duo is as affordable as it is powerful. With MacBook, you get the world’s fastest mobile architecture in a beautifully designed notebook that costs less than slower, clunkier models. That’s like getting a sports car for the price of a scooter. Of course, MacBook holds more than your average two-seater: up to 80GB hard drive, an optional DVD-burning SuperDrive, built-in Bluetooth, wireless-ready (802.11g) AirPort and up to 2GB of RAM. And for the first time ever, choose bright white or sleek black.

Friends for iLife

Every MacBook comes with iLife ’06 — an amazing suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who’s got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie HD and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in one click with iWeb (2). Just turn on your MacBook and you’re halfway there.

Take it on tour

MacBook features Front Row, so you can navigate your movies, music, photos and more at the touch of the included Apple Remote — no matter where you roam. Give an impromptu slideshow of your holiday photos in your favourite café. Screen your latest iMovie on the train. Watch a DVD in bed. MacBook and Front Row give you the best seat in the house (or out of it).

All smiles

Look closely. See that little lens in the display bezel? That’s the MacBook’s built-in iSight camera. Use it to video chat simply by opening iChat AV and clicking on a buddy icon (or three). Or fire up Photo Booth and take a few snapshots with the iSight, play around with sixteen fun effects, then admire your handiwork. That little camera lets you create Web-ready videos, too. Just open up iMovie and start the action. From there, iWeb makes it one-click easy to get your talking head on the Web (2). Looks like fun.

Positively brilliant

Thanks to a 13.3-inch glossy widescreen display that’s 79% brighter with 30% more viewing area than the iBook before it, MacBook provides the perfect combination of pixels and portability. Photos feel crisper. Movies play vividly. Even daily tasks like surfing the Web and checking email take on a whole new sheen.

Hit the hotspots

The built-in wireless capability of MacBook puts the “world” back in “World Wide Web”. If there’s a wireless hot spot nearby, you can get online. No need to burn valuable surfing time configuring your computer. Just open it up. MacBook automatically detects wireless networks within range and asks nicely if you’d like to join any of them. That’s it. Catch up on your blog, share this weekend’s trip as a photocast, or just chat with your friends. Anytime, anywhere.

MacBook: the most advanced affordable Mac notebook ever.

1. Testing conducted by Apple in May 2006 using pre-production 2GHz MacBook units and shipping 1.42GHz PowerPC G4-based iBook G4 units. SPEC® is a registered trademark of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see www.spec.org for more information. Benchmarks were compiled using the IBM compiler and a beta version of the Intel compiler for Mac OS. 2. Some features require .Mac. The .Mac service is available to persons age 13 and older. Annual membership fee and Internet access required. Terms and conditions apply. 3. Some options must be installed by Apple at the factory; the rest can be added in-store at an Apple Authorised Reseller.

• More info at Apple's website
• User manual