My First Mac....And I LOVE IT!

I've been using an IBM laptop or some form of a PC since I was first able to use a computer, when I was about 5 years old. I'm a junior at North Carolina State University and decided it was time for a change. I did a lot of research and was originally thinking of purchasing a Mac G4. I went to the Apple store in Durham, North Carolina and was told to wait and purchase the MacBook when it came out in several months. I did as was told and purchased my Macbook a few months later. I recieved my MacBook 3 days after ordering it even though I had selected regular shipping. My package arrived from China in 3 days. This was the 1st positive event in the purchase of my Mac. The basic factory information of the computer will be listed at the end of my review.

Upon opening the box I found my beautiful white 13.3 inch Apple MacBook. It was well boxed with proper protection and surprisingly few items other than the laptop itself. If you've seen the commercials about how the computer is ready to go right out of the box, they are telling the truth. I was up and running in less than 5 minutes. I pulled out the computer, which came in a grey non static sleeve. And then pulled out the charger, which I have an ill feeling towards that I will explain in a minute. The final item I extracted from the box was a small box containing all of the manuals, validation codes for programs and cd's for the programs.

I'll go ahead and explain the few problems I have with this computer while I have them at the top of my head. For lack of a better term the charger for this computer, atleast the wall portion, is a piece of s@#$. If you own an Ipod you know what i'm talking about, because it is the exact same charger. However, the computer end of the charger is quite cool because it is magnetic so all you have to do is place the end of the charger near its port and it connects right in. But, if the cord is tugged on at all it will pull out. The other complaint I have about this computer is that the edge of the computer, like where your wrists wrest, is kind of sharp. If your a person that rests your wrists on the end of the computer you will have indentions from the end of the computer, if you can stand the pain of having your wrists on that sharp edge for an extended period of time.

As anyone that has ever made the change from a PC to a Mac you know it is somewhat of a difficult transition. It takes a while to really get how some of the programs work and where some of the toolbars are and so on. But let me tell you...i''m not the biggest computer whiz in the world, to be honest i'm kind of "slow" but i've gotten the gist of this computer in 2 days. AND I LOVE IT. Upon starting up the computer for the first time it took a little bit of time for the computer to get situated and load all of its programs and for me to register and personalize it. This Mac is lightning fast and I only got a gig of memory. I basically bought this computer bone stock but had the memory upgraded to a gig ($98 addition) and had Iworks added ($48 addition). Included with my student discount I paid just under $1200 for this computer.

The addition of the extra memory, which was a 2nd level upgrade, there were two more upgrades ahead of that for memory, was definately worth it. It helps keep my computer moving lightning fast even with the over 5,000 songs I have on my computer. Iworks is the equivilent of "Word" on a PC. But on Iworks it is called "pages" and there is also another small program that comes with Iworks that is similar to "excel". One of the things I love about this computer is the taskbar at the bottom with all of the programs. It makes selecting and running programs easy, especially because it is so much more visual than PC's because it uses pictures of the programs. Basically like having desktop icons, but on a taskbar.

As for programs one of my favorites is the "Widgets" they are little programs that come installed in a small folder on the taskbar. They include things such as; ski report, stickies, stock bar, tile game, translation, unit converter, weather, world clock, address book, business, calendar, calculator, dictionary, ESPN, flight tracker, google, Itunes and help. Other "widgets" can also be found and applied to your computer if you so choose. Safari comes installed, it is the "Internet Explorer" or Mac's. Ichat is the "AIM" of PC users, comes preinstalled among many other programs that I will not list because you can look them up when I give the proper information after my review.

Once I had everything properly running and restarted my computer I booted her up. From pressing the power on button to the time the computer was fully loaded, it was only 20 seconds later. That is LIGHTNING fast. The computer runs just as quick with 2 programs open or with 10 programs open. There are enough preloaded options for backgrounds and pictures that one can personalize their computer and make it unique compared to anyone elses. Another option that I find outstanding is that of the Icamera. Not only does it take crystal clear photots but it records videos. The computer also comes pre-installed with software that makes video conferencing easy. My friends and I have had a ball with this. The photobooth allows you to take pictures in different modes that give the pictures different finishing effects including; sepia, black and white, glow, comic book, normal, colored pencil, thermal camera X-ray, pop art, bulge, dent, twirl, squeeze, mirror, light tunnel, fisheye and stretch.

Other noteable programs include music garage where you can produce and edit your own music/videos, address book, itunes, iphoto, iMovie HD, iWeb, Quicktime Player, among others. There is also a free 30 day trial of Microsoft Word that is installed on the computer, it lasts for 30 days. To my knowledge this is the only "trial" software on this computer. A large complain towards PC's is that they come loaded with trial software that must be deleted which takes a large amount of time, along with loading program updates and all sorts of drivers. None of this is required with the Mac.

Overall this is the best computer I have ever owned. I love everything that comes with it and the few complaints I do have are very, very minor and would not stop me from purchasing another one of these white beauties. This computer is also available in a black color but does cost abotu $300 more and comes with a few other additions. If you are in the market for a new laptop computer I would highly suggest this virus free, fast running, great looking MacBook from Apple.

There is also an offer that is currently running that offers a free Ipod Nano for students. You are required to pay for the Nano but do get a rebate when the computer arrives. I did not complete this offer because I already have an iPod mini and did not see the need for a Nano.

Here is the basic information listed from the factory brochure;

13.3-inch widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo1
512MB memory (2x256MB SODIMMs)
60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive2
Combo drive (DVD-ROM, CD-RW)

Intel Core Duo Processor
Glossy Widescreen Display
Built-In iSight Camera
Front Row and Apple Remote
MagSafe Power Adapter
Max OSX Tiger Operating System

Overall Battery life on a full charge; 6 hours.

Again, if you are in the market for a new computer take a look here, I guarantee you will not be dissapointed.