The late 2008 version of the MacBook offers impressive new graphics capabilities that will run circles around earlier versions of the MacBook. But in addition to adding capabilities, Apple also took one away. The new MacBook lacks a FireWire port, and Apple didn’t offer a replacement, such as an eSATA port, to ease the loss of this important connection.
While we’ll miss the FireWire port, the MacBook is still a great choice for students, teachers, telecommuters, and other individuals who need a sturdy, inexpensive Mac they can use day in and day out in a mobile environment.
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
- Glass multi-touch trackpad
- 13-inch LED backlit widescreen display
- Unibody case
- Mini DisplayPort
- Adapters for Mini DisplayPort sold separately
- No FireWire port
- No ExpressCard slot
- Unibody aluminum construction
- Glass multi-touch trackpad
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor
- 13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
- 2.0 GHz or 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
- 1066 frontside bus
- 2 GB memory, expandable to 4 GB
- 160 GB, 250 GB, or 320 GB hard drive
- Built-in iSight camera and microphone
- Airport Extreme 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
The MacBook received quite a makeover. Gone are the plastic case and the limited graphics performance of the Intel integrated graphics chipset. The new MacBook sports a strong aluminum case and a blazingly fast NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor.
The GeForce 9400M uses 16 parallel graphics cores to produce 54 Gflops of performance. Perhaps a better way to express what the 9400M can do is to look at real world performance. According to Apple, the 9400M should be able to offer graphics speed that is five times faster than the graphics chipset it replaces.
The GeForce 9400M drives a new seamless glass 13-inch LED backlit display that provides ‘instant on’ capabilities. As soon as you turn the MacBook on, it reaches maximum brightness, letting you get to work faster than ever before.
If you need to connect to a larger monitor, the MacBook provides a Mini DisplayPort connector. A DisplayPort can drive monitors with resolutions of up to 2560x1600 pixels, although you’ll need an adapter for VGA, DVI, or HDMI-based monitors. Apple currently sells these adapters separately, making them an additional expense for MacBook users.
To help you navigate, the MacBook uses a new glass multi-touch trackpad. The new trackpad replaces mechanical mouse buttons with multi-touch buttons. You can tap anywhere on the trackpad to produce a left or right mouse click. The trackpad also supports multi-finger gestures, allowing you to use two, three, or four fingers to control your Mac.
While there are improvements, the new MacBook takes a step back by not offering a FireWire port. FireWire is primarily used for external hard drives and digital video devices, such as video cameras. Current MacBook users who have been using FireWire to feed video data for editing may need to consider the MacBook Pro, the only remaining Mac notebook with a FireWire connection.
