Filed under: Cult of Mac, Reviews, MacBook
Up close and personal with the MacBook
Now that I've had a few days to play with my latest splurge here's a short photo and video review of some of the small design touches that other reviews of the MacBook may have missed. Please forgive me if this article reads like a poor student trying to justify yet another computer purchase. I've found that the new MacBook is no exception to the company's great design reputation, although, as you'll see in a second, it ain't quite perfect.
When the MacBook's screen turns itself off because of powersaving, the sleep light turns on and stays on at a consistent brightness so you don't forget the machine is off. Also, the sleep light comes on instantly when you close the MacBook's lid.
Yongwon Lee took apart his MacBook and posted his thoughts over at the Apple support forums. He found out some things that are impossible to tell without taking apart the Mac (the quality of the frame, a rubber hard drive assembly and the fact that the fan exhaust grill only spans from F5 to F7) as well as confirmed the existence of a third, central speaker. His write-up is definitely worth a read.
Finally, we'll end with another problem exhibited by mine and other people's MacBooks. The moo and the whine. Personally neither of these problems bother me, but some MacBook owners that use their computers in a completely noise and light free environment (e.g. their parent's basement) are very annoyed by these issues.
When the MacBook's screen turns itself off because of powersaving, the sleep light turns on and stays on at a consistent brightness so you don't forget the machine is off. Also, the sleep light comes on instantly when you close the MacBook's lid.
Yongwon Lee took apart his MacBook and posted his thoughts over at the Apple support forums. He found out some things that are impossible to tell without taking apart the Mac (the quality of the frame, a rubber hard drive assembly and the fact that the fan exhaust grill only spans from F5 to F7) as well as confirmed the existence of a third, central speaker. His write-up is definitely worth a read.
Finally, we'll end with another problem exhibited by mine and other people's MacBooks. The moo and the whine. Personally neither of these problems bother me, but some MacBook owners that use their computers in a completely noise and light free environment (e.g. their parent's basement) are very annoyed by these issues.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Stefan Constantinescu said 3:45PM on 5-27-2006
So you're confirming the mooing and whine et have no issue with it...
All the while every other notebook with dual core processors have zero defects.
Sure it doesn't affect YOU but that level of faulty craftsmenship is unacceptable.
Reply
Conrad Quilty-Harper said 3:52PM on 5-27-2006
The mooing only occurs when you're doing something like watching a movie, in which case I'll have the audio on high volume or I'll be sitting too far away to hear the mooing. The whine I nearly never hear: it's practically inaudible! Every laptop I've ever owned has whined slightly anyway.
The fact is, the MacBook is the quietest laptop I've ever used and that's WITH these problems. I expect Apple will fix them in the future but like I've said, I don't see them as a big an issue as a lot of the mooing and whining people make it out to be.
Reply
Chris Coleman said 3:55PM on 5-27-2006
Wow, Stefan, so no other notebook with a core duo processor has a defect? You must have done some really good research. Or is it that nobody really subjects any of others to the extreme level of scrutiny and whining that Apple's machines get.
Reply
John Muir said 4:15PM on 5-27-2006
I got my hands on a MacBook for the first time today and listened to it as best I could. I've got really picky hearing for high frequency noises (I keep my old PowerBook's hard drive off as much as possible) and I could indeed hear something from the MacBook. I compared it with a 15" MacBook Pro on display too (the shop was really quiet this afternoon) and the MBP didn't have this sound. It was constant, very high frequency, and unlike anything I've heard from older laptops.
I think I could put up with it, but I'm waiting for Rev.B with the Merom inside!
Parents' basements indeed! Yes, that or just good hearing. Seriously, noise was one of the driving reasons behind my own switch to Mac a few years ago. The PowerBooks were damned quiet.
Reply
Thayne Miller said 4:19PM on 5-27-2006
First of all, it's "craftsmanship." Secondly, I also agree that the macbook is the quietest laptop/notebook I have ever seen, used, or owned. The mooing only happens rarely, and even then, it's totally inaudible unless there is no sound in the room whatsoever. The whine is equally as inaudible. Why don't you complain about the loudness of your refrigerator, microwave, or car? Those are certainly much more annoying to me as I can hear them all quite loudly. This machine is the best notebook I've ever had and I'm thrilled with my purchase!
Reply
Michael said 4:38PM on 5-27-2006
I bought my Black MacBook last Wednesday and have not noticed any whining or mooing at all. Of course I'm using it in real world situations like my home with two kids, my office, in the plane to Iowa on Tuesday. I guess if I were to go into a soundproof room I could probably here something. I would never have thought to look at the keys in a way that I would have noticted the key with the period was at a different angle.
Overall I'm estatic with my new purchase. It replaced my G4 iBook 933 Mhz (which got passed down to my duaghter).
Reply
justin said 5:32PM on 5-27-2006
Sorry to say, but while your article may read like a "justification" article, parts of it read more like an Apple newbie...
"the iBook is quite a chunky laptop by Apple's standards."
When the iBook came out, compared to previous Apple laptops, it was _tiny._ The Pismo had made way for the Titanium, and the Clamshell iBooks were on the out, so in comparison the new iBook was a svelte little bastard. I'll never forget opening my first one and being so surprised at its compactness.
"the sleep light turns on and stays on at a consistent brightness so you don't forget the machine is off."
Then yours is broken. For the past new years, Apple's sleep lights have _always pulsed_. I'm looking at my MacBook pulsing right now.
Where does TUAW get their writers? Nothing personal, but this whole thing smells of newb. Give the job to someone who's used Apple equipment since before, say, the iPod came out. Gah!
Reply
Conrad Quilty-Harper said 5:39PM on 5-27-2006
Justin, before you judge, get your facts straight.
"the iBook is quite a chunky laptop by Apple's standards."
Compared to Apple's current laptops (MacBook Pro) and even the Aluminium PowerBook line, the iBook was always quite chunky. I was referring primarily to the iBook's thickness anyway, not the overall compactness of the machine.
As for your second quote, read what I wrote again:
"When the MacBook's screen turns itself off because of powersaving, the sleep light turns on and stays on at a consistent brightness so you don't forget the machine is off"
I wasn't talking about when the machine was asleep, I was talking about when the screen turns off due to your power saving settings. That's a new feature as far as I can tell. The sleep light still pulsates when the machine is in sleep mode.
Reply
Conrad Quilty-Harper said 5:44PM on 5-27-2006
PS: I've been a Mac user for over 18 years.
Reply
michel said 7:09PM on 5-27-2006
I never known a perfectly silence portable computer (dell, nec, acer , whatever) I see many because I work for an university with students computer to control
the mac are not perfect. my old powerbook is fine, sometimes there are a slight whistling sound.
about the "core duo" ones, I read numerous reports about some noises with dell and others new laptops. you have to accept the technology of 2006
there are sometimes some analogic problems with alimentation, or some processors, chipsets induced noises. sometimes not.
in 2180 computers will be "in the air' and totally silent.
Reply
Sir Not Appearing in this Blog said 7:34PM on 5-27-2006
Conrad, I wouldn't worry about what Justin wrote. He's just jealous you're writing for TUAW and he isn't. :)
Reply
Twist said 8:29PM on 5-27-2006
I have a request for a few extra pictures: I would like to see the various models stacked on top of each other.
Reply
Gomer said 9:31PM on 5-27-2006
I agree with Twist, if we could have the computers stacked on top of each other, lined up on the left side, we could get a great look at width and thickness of the MacBook. I'm extremely excited about the MacBook, and I'm strongly considering replacing my 12" Powerbook with it as soon as funding allows it. My one complaing is that they still didn't include a USB port on the right side. It's such a PITA to not have one there. Oh well, that's an extremely small nitpick for such a great machine.
Reply
Michael said 11:30PM on 5-27-2006
damn guys, you whine more then the macbook; stop bitching and look at the bright side - the macbook is pretty much the quietest laptop out there - especially compared to those dell/hp/alienware/ibm vacuums...
Reply
starwxrwx said 12:38AM on 5-28-2006
what bout the Kensington lock? I'd saddened its no longer out of the way at the back of the book :/
Reply
Don Omar said 1:30AM on 5-28-2006
Thats will suck if i buy the Macbook and monthslater is comes out with the new chip Meron.
Reply
Matthew Waters said 7:00AM on 5-28-2006
The third speaker is most likely a subwoofer, FYI.
Reply
Conrad Quilty-Harper said 8:48AM on 5-28-2006
Wanna see the iBook's on top/underneath the MacBook?
Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77701729@N00/154731159/
Reply
stet said 9:49AM on 5-28-2006
My biggest problem with the MacBook is the low quality screen. The colours are way off: Gmail's yellow highlight looks orange!
Thin lines and text disappear on scrolling too - try shaking a Flickr window around, and you'll see the wee control panels disappear, and the Flickr logo turns turquoise.
It's almost as bad as the old passive-matrix displays.
Reply
Wry Cooter said 11:42AM on 5-28-2006
If I hadn't bought a last of breed g4 powerbook a year ago after tigers release, I'd definitely have gotten one of the new macbooks. As it is, I don't think I will consider ANY sort of new mac until Leopard is released, which will probably allow us to see what the towers have in store.
Reply