Apple MacBook (Black)

Posted by T3 Online on Tue 30 Oct 2007

Is this black MacBook Apple's best laptop yet?

It's back, it's black and it's baaaaad! Apple's best-value laptop ever shoehorns Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a Webcam video conferencing software and a dual-core Intel processor into a no-flab package.

OK, that this costs £130 more than the next model down - a white 'Book with an identical spec apart from a 20GB smaller hard drive - is ridiculous. But when has buying an Apple ever been about logic?

The 2GHz processor means all day-to-day tasks run well, although you'll need 1GB memory for the smoothest experience. Feats like the brilliant one-touch photo optimiser in iPhoto and the funky effects you can add to your camcorder footage in iMovie are handled with the intuitiveness of Miss Marple and the brisk efficiency of a La Gavroche waiter.

The bright, gloss-finished 13.3-inch screen seems the optimum combination of portability and viewing comfort. The keyboard looks odd, but those gaps between keys mean that dust and crumbs can easily be swept away. Even the touchpad is smart. Big enough for easy screen-navigation, it has neat features like two-fingered window manipulation - grab a window with your index finger, then scroll around it with your middle digit.

Most non-high-end users will find this does everything the MacBook Pro range does for far less. Adobe's software (Photoshop et al) may run a bit clunkily (until Adobe optimises it for Intel's processors), and Macs are never much cop for TV-viewing (no built-in tuner) or gaming (er, no games), but who cares? There's nothing better than a Mac for organising your digital life, and there's never been a better time to buy a Mac.