Review: MacBook Core 2 Duo

When the Macbook was released last year it became an instant hit with customers. It’s been selling like hot cakes, as the expression goes. That seems to have been reinforced after Apple upgraded the Macbook to the Core 2 Duo processor.

by Magnus Nystedt

Not that much is new
There’s really not much to write about in this review. The things that Apple changed in the upgrade is obviously the processor, they put in an 802.11n-ready wifi, bigger hard drives, and you can now get Dual Layer supporting SuperDrives in Macbooks. The improvements seem to have helped the Core 2 Duo Macbooks to be around 20% faster than their predecessors, according to reports, and they sure feels snappier in most applications.

What stayed the same
Well, everything else, really. The new Macbooks have the same gorgeous, 13.3-inch glossy wide screen with 1280×800 pixels, that is sharp and produces brilliant colors. There’s still Airport Extreme, Bluetooth, Firewire 400, built-in iSight camera, and Gigabit Ethernet for communications, the trackpad with which you can scroll with two fingers, and optical as well as digital analog audio in and out. What has also stayed are the MagSafe power adaptor and a mini-DVI port for hooking the Macbook up to external projectors or monitors. The Macbook supports monitors up to the 23-inch Cinema Display. Also the differences to the Macbook Pro line of notebooks stay the same. The main one is the graphics card which is still Intel’s integrated graphics in the Macbook and a dedicated card in the Pro line. For most users this probably matters little but it’s something to be aware of. Also, the Macbooks lack an Expresscard slot, and they only have Firewire 400 (there’s Firewire 800 in the Macbook Pros).

Wifi problems
The 802.11n-ready wifi has apparently led to some problems with wifi connections. One really annoying problem we ran into repeatedly was that the Macbook would refuse to connect to several wifi base stations. We had problems with Linksys as well as 3Com and whenever any security was added the Macbook would not connect. We understand many other owners of Core 2 Duo Macbooks also experience problems so this is apparently not uncommon.

Summing up
What can I say? The Core 2 Duo Macbook is a cracking notebook. If you want the smallest notebook that Apple currently makes you don’t have much choice: it’s the Macbook. But being almost as fast as the Macbook Pros in a smaller package, it’s going to appeal to many, and it’s great value for money. If you already have a Core Duo Macbook there is little incentive to upgrade. But if you’re moving from an older Mac you’ll be impressed with the new, speedier Macbook.

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