Product Reviews

Black is back. At least in terms of Apple laptops. And this new black is so chic, so desirable, that Apple expects you will happily shell out an additional £90 just for the privilege of the new matte finish. It may well be right.

Despite our initial scepticism, after a few days with this black beauty, we couldn't help wondering if we might be prepared to pay the premium after all. Whether we'd be able to get our hands on one is a different matter. On the first day the MacBook was available for order, the black model already had a lead time longer than its siblings. If demand is stronger than Apple anticipates, paying an extra £90 might be the least of the problems for anyone set on what Apple calls the 'conceptual replacement' of the 12in PowerBook.

The comparison with the late, lamented PowerBook is warranted not just due to the price tag. Many of the design features on the MacBook have their roots in Apple's smallest PowerBook. For example, the speakers share the same position - on the rear of the case, so that the sound is bounced off the screen bezel towards you.

There are two very big changes to this MacBook range when compared with both the iBook and PowerBook; the screen has a glossy finish and the keyboard keys have lost their bevelled edges, and now sit bolt upright, making the keyboard look like it was ripped out of a Sinclair QL. Thankfully, it's way better than any Sinclair keyboard, and to our fingers feels like an improvement on both the iBook and PowerBook keyboards.

The glossy screen, which is now also a no-cost build-to-order option on the MacBook Pro, has been designed to provide greater contrast and richer colours. It certainly does that, and looks great when watching movies or viewing photographs. The penalty is increased reflection, though. Apple says the screen has an anti-reflective coating, but if you work in an environment where there is strong overhead lighting, the distraction caused by the reflection of the lights in the screen could be a problem. That said, we like the screen, which Apple says is 73% brighter than the iBook's.

And so to the specifications. This top-of-the range MacBook has a 2GHz Core Duo processor,

Like the Mac mini, Ram is installed in pairs, whichever configuration you choose. There are performance benefits from doing it this way, as the Ram is dual-channel. However, it means there are no free slots for retrospective upgrading, so it would be wise to upgrade to either 1GB or 2GB when you buy the MacBook. As usual, pricing from third parties is more competitive - around £225 to max out the MacBook to 2GB, versus Apple's £350.

Connection to the outside world is provided for by built-in Airport Extreme, Bluetooth 2, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2 ports, a FireWire 400 port and a single audio jack socket that can be used for analogue or digital audio. There's no ExpressCard slot, and if you want a v.92 56K modem, you'll have to buy a USB version as an extra.

The MacBook incorporates some of Apple's recent innovations such as Sudden Motion Sensor, which parks the hard drive heads if you drop it, the MagSafe power adaptor, the Apple Remote and Front Row. There's also the now-ubiquitous built-in iSight camera and a latchless lid, which is magnetically held in place when shut.

In our tests, the MacBook performed as we had expected. That is to say, it was on a par with the other 2GHz Core Duo machines in Apple's range. The MacBook Pro performed slightly better in the encoding and iMovie tests but in both cases, the differences were negligible, and within the error tolerance ranges of the tests. That means, for Apple, differentiating between pro and consumer MacBooks will be difficult. But for us, it means the only reason to choose a MacBook Pro is for the larger screen and for the few tasks, such as, ironically, playing games where the Pro's dedicated graphics will make a perceptible difference in performance.

The MacBook, particularly this black one, is yet another Mac that has to be seen and used to be fully appreciated. It's not just a black laptop. It's black like only Apple could do black. It's not perfect, though: the matte finish marks easily and the screen seems to pick-up fingerprints with alarming ease.

To see these and other pictures of the MacBook online, visit macuser.co.uk.