Apple MacBook (MB466LL/A)

Price: $1049 - $1099

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Best Laptop I owned!11/09/08

Pros:

Design, Apple's Innovation, Battery Life, LED Backlit Screen, Graphics, Operating System

Cons:

Ports, Backlit Keyboard only on High End Model

I would like to start with saying that this is the best laptop I ever owned! Now, I will talk about what makes this computer my favorite and why it would be a perfect choice for you.
The design is absolutely great. They really did a good job on this, because it's simple yet eye catchy. I was in the library a few days ago and everybody was just looking at my laptop. The screen is also a nice thing. It's LED backlit, so it offers a brighter screen and has some nice colors. The screen is covered with edge to edge glass, so some people might have some difficulty with looking at it in bright lit areas where glare is an issue. I don't have any problems with it. I find it a good touch.
Apple's Innovation is always going. They always come up with new ideas. One thing that's the biggest would be the new manufacturing process. The entire computer is made out of one brick of aluminum. It feels solid and they managed to make it lighter and thinner. The aluminum shell is more durable than polycarbonate, so you won't find any cracks like the previous MacBook. Apple is still selling the white MacBook for $999. Another thing that's pretty big too is the Glass Trackpad. The trackpad is covered by glass and the whole trackpad is the button. Unfortunately, the whole trackpad doesn't click. I tried clicking on the top, but even if you put all your strength into pushing it, it won't click, but the middle, side and bottom works. I have no problem with the button not clicking on the top though. Apple also added Multi-Touch gestures to the trackpad, which I find very useful.
Some people say that the battery life isn't as good as the previous MacBook, but I find it an improvement. I guess every battery shipped is different. In my tests, it lasted a little over 5 hours with the brightness all the way up.
One of the main reasons why you would to buy an Apple computer would be the Operating System. Every Apple computer is shipped with OS X Leopard which, in my opinion, is better than Windows. It's stable, fast and simple! It's even bundled with iLife when you purchase a new computer. OS X has many applications that I find useful.
In the past, Apple used Intel graphics on the consumer computers. Now, Apple teamed up with Nvidia. Together, they created a desktop class graphics into a notebook graphics chip. It's integrated, but is up to 5x faster than the X3100. The previous MacBook which is up for sale for 999 is still with the X3100. If you are up to playing games or graphic intensive apps, the new graphics card works!
Since Apple has been making the motherboard smaller and smaller and adding the battery indicator on the left of the computer, they didn't have space to add a Firewire Port. Some people may find it disappointing, but I find it something I could live without with. For a $1299 notebook, Apple could have added more USB ports. They only give you 2, but of course you can get one of those Belkin Swivel USB hubs if you want to go portable with USB.
Unfortunately, the backlit keyboard is only on the high end model. Although I can live without it, I don't see why a $1300 notebook can't have one.
The new MacBooks come in with two standard configurations, $1299 and $1599. The entry model is configured with a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2GB DDR3 Memory and a 160GB Hard Drive. The next step up sports a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 250GB Hard Drive and a backlit keyboard. For an extra 300 bucks, I don't find it a good deal for a high end model. You can upgrade the hard drive by yourself for less and with the other two upgrades, it's not worth it. Of course, Apple has to make some profit and they are known for their high profit margins.
Although $1299 seems quite a lot for a notebook computer, I think it's worth it. If you can find $1299, I think this laptop is really worth the price with all of the features. Apple's innovation is always at work, so there will always be new things. If you find it hard to spend 1300 or 1600 dollars and want a consumer notebook from Apple. Apple's 2.1GHz MacBook for $999 does a great job on day to day tasks.