Features

The odd-looking keyboard does take a little getting used to, but it feels good. We just hope the letters are a bit more permanent than with the iBook range, as you can't replace this keyboard easily.

That's in contrast to the RAM and even hard disk, both of which are very simple to fit. The hard disk simply slots out on a caddy, although you'll need a Torx screwdriver to separate it from the SATA hard disk.

As is often the case, Apple's prices for hardware upgrades aren't competitive, and since upgrading is so easy to do yourself, we recommend that you buy standard configurations and take the DIY approach.

Opting for a MacBook rather than a MacBook Pro will mean you don't get any sort of expansion card slot or a FireWire 800 port. There's no modem included across the entire portable range but this is no longer a great loss for most of us: built-in 802.11g, Bluetooth 2 and Gigabit Ethernet are entirely appropriate these days, and you can buy an external USB modem for £35.

The MacBooks all have a built-in iSight camera in the lid, which is great for iChat AV, and they come bundled with iLife '06.

The entry-level model represents exceptional value for money. The £150 step up to the white 2GHz model will for most people be less about the slight increase in performance and more about getting a SuperDrive. To get the matt black version, you have to spend another £129 again - the only other difference being 20GB more disk space. The black case does conceal the iSight and remote control receiver nicely, but shows fingerprints much more than its glossy white sibling.

The supplied 512MB of RAM is a little on the meagre side, particularly since you lose 64MB to graphics, and the hard disk is a tad

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poky, but the MacBook range is still spectacularly compelling - they've had our sister PC magazines drooling.

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro may have been the first new name for a range since the Mac mini, and the original 15in model was the first Apple laptop to sport an Intel chip, but on the outside there's little to differentiate the MacBook Pro from the PowerBooks it replaces. Look carefully, though, and you'll spot the iSight camera built into the lid above the screen, and a black dot on the front that's the receiver for the Front Row-controlling remote.

Eagle-eyed users will also note the new MagSafe power connector. Rather than inserting the connector into a socket and running the risk of it bending or your laptop being dragged off the desk should someone trip on the cable, this new connection is made magnetically, and simply breaks away when tugged. There's also the newfangled ExpressCard 34 slot in place of a PC Card slot, and the absence of a FireWire 800 port on the 15in models. And, as with the PowerBooks, none of the models feature an S-Video connection.

However, while it seems the decision to stick with ostensibly the same case design was about Apple being keen to stress that the adoption of Intel chips was evolutionary rather then revolutionary, these are still good-looking computers. True, they now look a little fussy next to the MacBook's new form factor - the Pros retain the physical latch from the PowerBook and iBook lines, for example, while the MacBook has a purely magnetic catch - but they're slimmer and the aluminium finish still looks good.

So what do you get for the extra £500 price difference between the same-speed middle-spec MacBook and entry-level MacBook Pro? A bigger screen for one thing. The 1440 x 900 pixel 15.4in widescreen display on the first two in the range is a joy to behold: it's just about the perfect balance of portability and on-screen space, and you have the option of switching the default-configuration matt screen for a MacBook-like glossy finish at no extra cost. The gloss adds depth and saturation to colours, but it does show reflections. In normal operation, this turned out not to be a problem; the screen is bright enough for use indoors without getting distracted by reflections, although we found it more of an issue outdoors.