Anyone who has followed my hardware track record, articles, and Tweets will surely know that when last Tuesday came and went without an update announcement along the lines of ‘The 12" PowerBook grown up, meet the 12.1" MacBook Pro’, I was sorely disappointed. In fact, not too long ago, I even went so far as to sell my 15" MacBook Pro in hopes of replacing the notebook with a 12" widescreen variant. To this day, I still consider the 12" PowerBook G4 one of the best computers manufactured by Apple. Despite that fact that current Intel-powered machines are valuable beyond belief - essentially serving as two computers in one (OS X or Windows) - the professional-grade equivalent to the classic PowerBook is still missing.
Rather than considering the idea of moving the Mac Pro setup to work, it was time to re-evaluate the hardware options. The IBM X-Series ThinkPad was suffering from an unexplainable [randomly] blinking screen, the Vaio VGN-TXN15P was gifted to my grandfather, and the 12" PowerBook just didn’t have the grunt I wanted to run multiple processor hungry applications at once. With WWDC around the corner, I opted to return to my roots and elected to re-introduce myself to the MacBook family.
Prior track record with the original MacBook Rev. A release
If you have followed 5thirtyone.com regularly since its inception, you are probably familiar with a number of issues that I experienced with the original MacBook Rev. A notebooks. For newer readers / visitors, these issues included the much discussed discoloration, my failed attempts to prevent discoloration, Apple’s censorship of a thread I created concerning the ordeal, a Genius Bar appointment to replace the shell, a damaged trackpad after repair followed by the reappearance of the discoloration, and finally an upgrade to a 15" MacBook Pro.
With so many problems experienced during ownership of the original Rev. A release, why go back? Because no matter the manufacturer, no matter the product, there will always be lemons in the batch. Thanks to a series of updates to the MacBook line and my problem-free ownership of a Mac Pro, my faith has been restored - that and I am a hopeful believer in the idea Apple will reincarnate the classic 12" notebook.
Decisions, meet the 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook
I continually told myself that I could never cave into the aesthetics of a black MacBook. Although Apple may have fixed the discoloration, I was still hesitant. The hesitation alone was enough to convince me to go black this time around. The recent [lame] MacBook hardware updates that rolled through couldn’t have had come at a better time. The new decision was not so much a "should I go white, or should I go black?", it was now a question of "should I go old, or should I go new?" The Apple Refurb store offers the older Core 2 Duo’s at decent prices (when they’re in stock), and Amazon stocks a few marked down as well.
I chose to go new and added the black 2.16GHz MacBook Core 2 Duo (W8718JL5YA4) to the hardware family. There were a few immediate Pro’s & Con’s, notably the fact that this particular MacBook offered approximately the same performance as my previous 15" MacBook Pro - all the more reason why Apple needs updates to redefine the difference between the MacBook and MacBook Pro line.
Initial thoughts - 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook
Pro’s - Learning to love the MacBook again
- Matte black finish - black through and through. No scratch-the-skin-and-find-the-white here. The matte black has really grown on me; where’s the matte white finish version? Thankfully I won’t need to see the dirty discoloration on this one.
- Fantastic HDD capacity - 160GB hardrive; still the usual 5400 rpm though.
- Booyah! 3.0GB RAM upgrade kit via Other World Computing. Check the benchmark tests for performance issues. Personally, I opted to go with the basic 2.0GB kit - the option exists though.
- Size! OK, so this isn’t the 12.1" that I was waiting for, but it is the next best thing. Thinking back to the times when I would carry the 15", the 13.3" MacBook feels much more compact.
Con’s - No reason(s) to hate it, but there are some things that bug me.
- Oily fingers leave fingerprints all over the casing like chocolate chips on mischievous little 3-yr. olds face.
- I feel like I took Darth Vader’s personal computer.
- The white Apple logo is too ‘bright’ now, I think I’ll crack the case and slip some dark velum paper behind the logo - or take a black Sharpie to the backside. Yay! Now I match my 8GB iPod & EVDO schtick.
- I’ve lost that hip feeling.
Honestly, I highly doubt the .16GHz will make much of a difference for anyone. If you’re bent on picking-up a MacBook, now is the time. Just point your browser to the previously mentioned Apple Returb Store or Amazon for some rockin’ deals on the slightly older Core 2 Duo models.
48 Comments
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12 inch MacBook Pro should be interesting. Two month ago i had to choose between a Pro and a Blackbook. In the end I just couldn’t resist the matte black. After see the discoloration issues, I’m quite glad I got a black macbook, but it still has far more finger marks than any laptop I ever used (maybe the titanium finish for pro would help?). In any case, I type now like playing the piano with palm of my hands in midair but there is still a visible blotch on some keys, one side of the spacebar and trackpad. I clean it with alcohol based product for cleaning sunglasses, anything you recommend for cleaning?
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I highly considered getting a black MacBook, but in the end opted for the white. I just couldn’t justify the extra $200 for essentially the same computer.
Out of interest, why the hook on a 12.1″? I almost find the 13.3″ too small as is, especially after working with larger external monitors. And, considering anything program / design related, isn’t screen space real estate highly sought after? I know I love my screen space. I find it gets too crowded sometimes on my 13.3″.
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I’m happy for you Derek, I recently got a white 2.0ghz core 2 duo with 2gb ram, and love it. It handles anything I throw at it, well except for that glass bottle the other day…but anyways…I would’ve gone black to but I went for a “refresh version” with an employee discount (a friend works at apple) so I couldn’t beat the price.
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At the moment I really want to update my iBook to a MacBook. I’ve been wanting to use it more and more, purely because I prefer to work on my own customised workspace rather than the public ones in Uni. My iMac is great, but I can’t take it with me, sadly the funds won’t allow an update to a MacBook for a while.
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Derek, congratulations on your new Black MacBook 2.16GHZ Core 2 Duo. I’m sure you’ll write about any problems you find (if any) in the future.
My girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to find the MA701LL/A (Black MacBook 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive) for only $1099 a few days ago. After an hour or so thinking about it, we jumped onto the deal. The next day, Amazon was sold out. Now I have sell our 15″ 1.67GHz G4 PowerBook to cover for the purchase.
Any takers? It handles “Classic” Mac OS natively!
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I’m on my 12″ G4 right now and I would have loved to see a 12″ MacBook Pro, also.
I was going to upgrade my PowerBook to a 15″ MBP as my primary machine, but decided instead to let my 12″ G4 run itself into the ground and pop for a Quad Core Mac Pro instead.
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I’m jealous of your 160gb hard drive more than anything else. I have the original middle of the line Macbook, except I upgraded the RAM to 2gb. 60gb hard drive though :(.
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Hey, I hear ya. As a fellow black macbook owner, I hate greasy foods. Ceaser salad, chips, or anything else greasy leaves a spot of grease in the middle of the trackpad. Maybe it will help me eat healthier.
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Larger screens are definitely convenient for work, but I can make do without when moving around the city. One of the only reasons I look forward to a compact notebook from Apple is because I feel as though Apple left the classic 12" PowerBook out to dry. Each and every other PowerBook was reincarnated in some way into the current MacBook Pro line. The 12" was the perfect balance of computing power and size.
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Derek, I feel you brother!!! I currently own and use a 17″ G4 PowerBook as my everyday, go-with-me-everywhere machine. She’s currently at some far off Apple Repair facility getting fixed. Anyway, when I first got the 17″ I was in heaven: gorgeous design, generous screen space…I loved it!!! But after having it for just under a year now, I gotta say: that thing is killing my back, LOL!!! I don’t have the funds right now, but when I get the money together I’m definitely getting a MacBook instead of the Pro. My friends think that I’m gonna miss the raw power of the Pro, but I beg to differ… I’m gonna LOVE being able to lug the MacBook everywhere without murdering my back!!!!
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I got a black MacBook. I love it. Some issues make me want to go back to Windows though. I miss the ease of use I once had with how I interacted with windows (min/close buttons on the top right corner, double click to maximize window, much more easier sorting of folders with lined up information at a glance…). The real step up about interacting with windows on a Mac would be the Expose feature. That’s about it though, everything else is just glamor and more form than function IMO. Another downside was the stability of the damn Finder. I just can’t rely on it! It crashes without a moment’s notice. It seems as though it can’t store enough memory while I’m browsing through some video clips through the preview in Finder to keep it stable. I got 2GB of ram so I’m assuming you’d need a massive load of ram to infinity and beyond to keep it stable. Several functions I miss from my Windows laptop (a Sony VAIO) would be the super sexy Xbrite screen and lovely anti-discoloration and anti-fingerprint magnet material. There’s no doubt I love my Mac although I felt that the stability issue is still a real downer…. Ohh and just in case you want to protect your MacBook from scratches and give it that nice glossy shine and break some necks I suggest you get Apple Peelz @ http://www.applepeelz.com. The one for the trackpad kind of makes it a little more difficult to use but I saw my friend’s trackpad after a couple months of unprotected use and boy is it fugged up, it went from that matte look to glossy.
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Ohh and after owning three different types of laptops I’ve concluded a couple tips on purchasing laptops:
+ If you plan to use it at school, go for the smallest size, I had a 13 pound Alienware tank that almost gave me scoliosis, along with it’s 5 pound power brick….
+ The smaller it is the longer the battery life which is a must when you go to class and you need the extra juice before the next recharge
+ Make sure it’s powerful enough to replace your desktop (which I did) because I live, work, and play on only one computer now which is my laptop. (If you have a Mac utilize iCal along with Schoolhouse 2 if you go to school; if you have Windows utilize Outlook’s calendar otherwise Entourage if you got Office 2007. This stuff will boost your productivity 100 fold, I used both to keep track of my life in time blocks and reminders, learning to organize stuff on the laptop would allow for easy access to homework assignments and entertainment).
+ 2.0ghz processor and 2.0gb of ram will do juuuuuuuuuuust fine (only invest in a better graphics card if you’re into the more play aspect of your computing life, otherwise you could use the cash for something more productive).
Those were my two cents…thanks for allowing me to kill my boredom here.
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I just can’t believe you can stand the screen on the MacBook. It is by far the worst screen I have ever seen on a laptop, even the 12″ pbook screen, although not bright at all, was so much better.
I think if they updated the screen and made the keyboard a bit more pleasant, the MacBook would essentially be a smaller MacBook Pro.
Congrats on the purchase though!
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I too sold my MacBook today, I’m going to upgrade to the newer Core 2 Duo one
(White). Though I’ll be selling the new MacBook I purchase when Apple release the 12″ MacBook Pro.
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Can you explain a little more about how you’re browsing video clips? I’ve never experienced any slowdown while browsing through clips. Concerning the screen, I honestly don’t see much difference between the glossy screen on this and my previous VGN-TXN15P. What "anti-discoloration and anti-fingerprint magnet material" are you referring to?
I don’t see the screen being the worst. Then again, I’ve made it a habit of using a Huey color controller to calibrate.
I thought you planned on going the desktop route?
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I am, Mac Pro & a 30″ display. Just waiting on display updates a little more cash. I thought this was a good opportunity to update my portable machine for a small cost due to the fall in new MacBook prices on the update.
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I’m still using my 12″ iBook and I love it. It does everything I need it to do and it can support pretty good external resolutions too
I’ve been looking for another little laptop to upgrade to, but I can’t find anything for a decent price. Hopefully apple will bring out another 12″ laptop soon.
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Okay like I have a folder for all my movies and whenever I move the files, rename them, or open them too much the Finder will just blow out like it couldn’t handle what I was doing. It happens quite regularly and not exclusively to my movies folder but to music and other folders as well. It doesn’t necessarily slow down, it just totally busts without any warning.
Ohh and boy do I see the difference between my MacBook and VAIO screens. The VAIO is at least twice as bright and can be viewed at virtually any angle without fading out. I only can see what’s on my MacBook if I directly stare at it, if I try to view it at an angle it darkens out. I guess that can be viewed as a positive by some who love the privacy it provides. Don’t get me wrong, I too love the glossy screens, matte just wont cut it, I’ll never sacrifice quality for less glare.
As for that anti-discoloration and anti-fingerprint magnet material I am referring to the material that my VAIO is made of. Unlike the white MacBook and grey Alienware the paint doesn’t rub off after prolonged sweat and oil contact of the palms while typing on the keyboard. I didn’t experience this on the VAIO’s (or black MacBook’s) surface material where I’ve laid my oily palms for quite some time. The VAIO’s trackpad is also made of the type of plastic that refuses fade unlike my black MacBook’s which I already see some wearing out after only a month or two of usage. Like I said, my friend’s trackpad looks like they filmed Tokyo Drift on it…. I can say the same for the keyboard too, VAIO’s quality material is unparalleled to all the laptops I’ve owned so far.
This incessant crashing of the Finder is my only serious gripe though. I dealt with the crappy material by purchasing the Apple Peelz protection. I’m sorry to say I think the next laptop I purchase wont be an Apple though. I just don’t see the benefits that outweigh a PC’s. I rather have function over form, although Apple’s form is sooo god dam secksi. A great example of this is their iPod, it’s a piece of crap to deal with uploading songs to it as opposed to my brother’s Samsung where it’s literally plug and play. All this crap with ejecting disks and iPods or anything for that matter also sucks balls, why can’t it handle like a PC and just let go without a hitch? If someone just unplugs the iPod by accident, BAM! No more songs in some instances…sad. Even though it’s a bit larger than my iPod Nano I’d prefer it any day to this. Some people maybe a little surprised to hear this from someone who actually owns these Apple products for quite some time. I guess it’s because I grew up using PC’s way too long.
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I set up my iPod so that I can unplug it whenever, as long as it isn’t syncing while I do it. And that can happen with any device, not just iPods. However, in this big industry it is all a matter of personal choice, so go with what you like the most!
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I recently purchased a Black Macbook and I’m thuroughly loving it, and the operating system that comes with it. Don’t envision myself really buying a “PC” again…
Congrats Derek!
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Yeah true that. How did you set your iPod to behave like that? Thanks!
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Not sure about the Vaio material quality being unparallel. I know some Vaio’s are built using different plastics so I guess it depends from model to model. I owned my VGN-TXN15P for about 3 months and the metallic looking paint in areas were my palms / wrists would make contact worn down a a dull matte look. Now that you mention the viewing angle, I do agree that Vaio XBrite screen is a winner.
I’m curious to know what size your video files are. I have about 270 feature length movies in a directory and can’t say the system staggered at all while scrolling. Have you done the usual preferences cleaning, permissions, and update?
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For me it was a matter of *not* enabling disk use.
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I have never had any issue with the Finder like you appear to have Chris. It might be worth an archive & install just to see if it solves the issue. As far as the iPod goes, how is it not plug and play? You plug it in, iTunes sorts the songs, you click eject, simple. Windows you still have to eject a device, but it takes more clicks! I can’t just drag the item to the trash and have it let go, I have to right click on an icon in the task bar, click, click on the item and click stop. That takes longer in my experience.
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You have too much money. -_-;
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I don’t have too much money, I’m simply smart with financial choices. I choose to skip other purchases so I can purchase something worthwhile.
The money which comes my way goes in two directions, long term savings, and setup fund. No-where else.
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Very good idea to get what you want
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I haven’t read many of the comments so forgive me if this has already been addressed but the rumored 12inch MacBook was never thought of to be released so early as May. If it comes it won’t be for at least 2-3 months or alongside Leopard in October. Also, it won’t be 12-inches. Apple purchased a bulk order of slim LED-backlit 13-inch LCDs last week or so for this rumored MacBook Thin/Slim/whatever. I’m still waiting and have ~2G’s set aside for it.
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I can’t even begin to understand if and how Apple can justify a 13-inch notebook as a replacement for the aged 12" PowerBook. LED backlighting is definitely something I look forward to, but Apple needs to kick out something to compete with the ThinkPad X-series / Vaio TXN series.
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The key might be thin rather than small screen size. If they came out with a 13″ notebook that was 1/2 an inch thin, I think it’d be a huge hit among the 12″ pbook lovers.
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I completely agree. I actually bought my MacBook instead of a MacBook Pro because 15″ is too big to carry around everywhere.
Now I am stuck with a MacBook that doesn’t really give me the power I need, so I might be upgrading to a MacPro w/ a 30″ Dell, in which case I’d turn the MacBook into just a portable machine. Of course, if this “super slim” MacBook comes out then I’ll be ordering it a few minutes after it’s announced and selling the MacBook…being an Apple fan is rough.
Anyone in the market for a 23″ ACD?
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I also loved the 12″ Powerbooks, and I would sell my 15″ Macbook Pro in a second if a 13.3″ or 12.2″ Macbook Pro came out. As of now, with that last Macbook update, the Macbooks are just now hitting what my original Macbook Pro has. Looking forward to the next tuesday (tomorrow)….
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Hey Derek.
So comparing your older MacBook Core Duo 2GHz White to the MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz Black, was there much of a speed increase? I am seriously considering selling my MacBook Core Duo 2GHz with 2GB RAM to get a Black MacBook just like your’s. I have had almost all the issues you had, minus the track pad problem. Thoughts/suggestions? Should I wait a little longer?
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My honest suggestion is to wait. Although you would have to deal with a Rev. A release of whatever is announced, I think the speed difference is not that noticeable unless you’re constantly running processor intensive tasks.
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Yeah, that’s what I figured. I’m just quite frustrated with my Rev. A MacBook now. I’m sure whatever I wait for will be worth the wait though.
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My daughter starts college in the fall an we want to give her a laptop for graduation. Looked at the 13″ MacBooks and a Sony VAIO with the Core 2 Duo 7100 and the 15.4″ XBRITE screen (beautiful!). What are your thoughts about the 2 laptops in terms of screen size, battery life, reliability, etc.
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I got the Black MacBook just after the release of the Core 2 Duo, and just before the holidays. I’ve found it to be a great machine, small enough to haul around and write with where I need. I still do all the heavy lifting with my aging G5 (1.8 GHz) which still is my main computer, even though the MacBook is more powerful.
I’ll admit that I like the MacBook, but I find I have not completely warmed up to it –– I don’t like it nearly as much as I liked my 500 MHz G3 PowerBook which died a little over a year ago, despite the fact that the MacBook is infinitely more powerful and I have had absolutely no problems with it. I would swap this one for a 12″ Pro in a heartbeat as the MacBook seems just a little large and a little too wide, and it has a lot of bezel.
I would like to see the magnetic latch on a potential 12″ MacBook, though.
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Hi guys. I am a proud new owner of a Macbook 2.0 Ghz white. I love it but I have one problem. When I alt click (right click in windows) one in three times everything freezes for a second and then all the icons on the desktop disappears for an instant to show up again. I have not done anything to the original install (os x 10.4.9). Any suggestions what the problem could be?
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I totally agree Derek. I am an incredibly faithful 12″ G4 PowerBook user. Although fairly new to the Mac-world, it was my first laptop and I convinced many friends to go Apple, and even some of them to the PowerBook world.
I wrote An Open Letter to Steve Jobs awhile back, and really want to see a smaller MacBook Pro. It seems like they’re *totally* forgetting about the crowd of 12″ PB users…
Anyone think we’ll get a fun surprise of a 12″ or even a 13.3″ MacBook Pro….?
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I would love to see a 12-inch intel based macbook pro. I love the screen real estate on the 17-inch but the thing is a beast! I would need to spend an extra hour at the gym to be able to carry that thing around. hahaha… I’ve been thinking about getting a 13-inch black macbook, but I’d miss little things that my old 15-inch powerbook had like the illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor and that light on the latch button that would glow when it was closed/sleeping. Who wouldn’t mind thinking they were under alien invasion while in a dark room?
Even though this is off the subject of 12-inch powerbook worship… I was wondering why apple didn’t make the 17-inch macbook pro as stong as it’s predecessor (i.e. 17-inch powerbook g4)? I mean in speed tests the macbook pro wins in just about everything. Especially now that a lot of software is become intel native (e.g. Adobe CS3). This was more behind the balls of the 17-inch powerbook being able to handle two 30-inch HD Cinema Screens. Even though I don’t have have two 30-inch screens laying around… the thought of having a 17 + two 30’s shining on me would be like the gates of heaven opening up and letting me in.
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Sorry I haven’t got the chance to respond. I recently got to play with my friend’s VAIO SZ series and boy is that thing sexy! I would trade that sucker for my MacBook without a second thought. It weighs almost nothing with that sweet thin carbon fiber Xbrite screen. Oh boy, it even has the banging graphics card switch where you could use the on board graphics card when doing less graphic intense work then switch to the geForce when in the need to cap some head shots in CS. The heat is maybe 2/3’s of the MacBook’s as well. With the Finder constantly crashing on me still I’m really considering my next laptop to be another Sony after having a taste of the three different choices (Alienware, Apple, Sony). I also consulted with my friend who owns a MacBook Pro and when she saw my Finder crash randomly she told me she experienced the same problem! I hate to say it but I believe after using Windows for the majority my life compared to the Apple with less than a year experience, I’d have to say Windows is more stable! What a shocker!
Also as a side note: The content you write here is worthy of discussion on a forum such as Invision Board or vBulletin. I noticed you are running bbPress but I don’t believe that board has the capabilities of sustaining such a great article with feedback of this caliber. Please consider running Invision or vBulletin. I’d love to help start this up for you if you wish. I have had prior experience of running both forums before.
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I appreciate the offer and will keep it in mind if I ever consider using one of the mainstream forum board software distributions. The only reason I installed bbPress was because I planned on focusing on public themes for bbPress users. A niche that I have yet to see supported yet.
I would knock Vaio’s, but there is no denying that Sony knows how to manufacture some attractive compact notebooks.
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I see. I just thought it’d be a better way to offer support by making some issues public. If cost is an issue I’d understand unless you can obtain it by other means, if you know what I mean. bbPress is really limited in all aspects of supporting discussions and to create such bad ass skins for such a product would be waste of talent in my eyes. I’d love to see that talent applied to skins for those mainstream forum board software. There would even be those who would pay for such work as opposed to the free WordPress templates you provide. (I’m not suggesting you start charging for these. Yet I might not even have to worry for I can’t imagine people buying themes for WordPress. It’s like buying book covers for your books when you can get them for free.)
And yes. Sony knows how to rock their VAIOs.
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Bah, I was also kinda waiting for a 12″ MB Pro… I’m a .net/XP guy and have never used Mac before… I must say that I don’t want to carry around anything havier than (max) 1.6kg. (I was probably the first one who bought a Tosh R100 here in Sweden and I’m still using it). But with Visual Studio and SQL Server and Photoshop up and running it felt very slow for a year or so, and I couldn’t find anything good/sexy enough to replace it. So I use a desktop in my office and carry my Tosh around..
Then I heard a roumor about 12″ MB Pro and was pretty sure that I’ll have one of those.It’s just all that waining…
But few days ago, the waitning was over. Enter Vaio TZ series. I want, no, I’ll have one of those. And I’ll go with the SSD model. Just let me buy one today please.
If you haven’t seen them, check out the review at TrustedReviews. Damn, I can’t wait…
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I also previously owned a 12″ AlBook and found that size to be perfect. When I was looking to go Intel, the MacBook just didn’t cut it for me - integrated video was the biggest killer (that and at the time they were still 32-bit, CoreDuo’s…hardly future-proof).
The newer C2D MB’s look promising, though. Hope it’s been working out well for you.
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hey guys i ordered a white macbook with 2.16ghz - 1gb ram about 1 week ago and i was wondering if i would get discoloring problems? its a 2007 model so i don’t know if there’d been any compliants after Apple’s claim that its fixed?
please help me! it will be my first time with mac so i’m new to it and i don’t wanna deal with anything other than figuring out how mac works differently to pc…thanx!
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