Apple Laptops

We overview and provide quick purchasing recommendations for
Apple Mac Laptops.

If you are in fact currently looking for Apple laptops we can honestly say that you may only be a shy step away from a potential mobile computing experience of a lifetime. 

We are going to overview the Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro, and the MacBook Air, and give some personal buying advice for these sweet machines.

In fact not too long ago every one of us here at Laptop-Computer-Comparison.com were not exactly big fans of Apple laptops if you can believe that. 

While we have always been pretty much impressed with Apple’s build quality and innovation there was honestly just something still lacking. Until now that is!


Welcome to the dawn of Intel Apple Mac Laptops!

We are happy to say that Apple made a very wise decision to pair up with the largest processor manufacturer in the world.  

Intel is currently the top dawg when it comes to performance and mobility. 

Performance wise Intel processors are phenomenal, and add to this their exceptional battery saving features and you have what we call the foundation for a laptop that is a no compromise performer at home and on the road.  

Apple laptops in our opinioin have been needing a successor to the old IBM chips for some time and we honestly have to say that Intel is the same route we would have personally taken if given the choice.

Now thanks to the switch our line of work is no longer hindered by the Apple laptops  compatibility and smaller software selection.  Let me tell you, we are happy! 

Sure this was already becoming less of an issue with each succeeding Mac generation, but there was still just too many situations where we needed our trusty old PC to run certain software applications.

Our experience with Virtualaization software on the Mac at the time was just to slow and buggy too so this major jump to Intel based processors has been a blessing.

Windows on Apple laptops!

Welcome to Boot Camp!  Boot Camp in a nutshell allows you to run a Windows operating system at full speed on your Apple Mac laptop.  

In fact, the first time we fired up our reliable Windows XP OS, ok usually reliable Windows XP OS we must admit we were very impressed with the performance. 

We ran all our PC apps through the paces and the fluid performance of Windows XP blew us away. 

In fact setup was pretty much a snap too for Apple provides everything except Windows to get you up and running in no time. 

Splitting the hard drive into two partitions was simple as click, click, and click using Apple’s Boot Camp Assistant. 

After partitioning the drive we then proceeded to install the OS and when it was all said and done we popped in the OSX Leopard disc to finish everything off with the Windows drivers that were all included. 

Finally we performed a few tweaks to our liking such as enabling the FN keys etc. and we were up and running with Windows on a Mac laptop.  Sweet!

Now we spend the majority of our time using Apple’s rock solid OSX Leopard OS and when the need arises for Bill Gates’ brainchild we simply boot right in and work away just like we’ve always done.


Innovations to boot!

As you see we are pretty ecstatic that we can now run our specialty PC apps on Apple laptops, but it’s even cooler that we can do so with Apple’s innovation and style. 

One such innovation is Apple’s MagSafe power adapter connector that is standard on all new Apple MacBook laptops. 

I can’t tell you how many times someone tripped on my laptop power cord in the past and I literally felt like damage was most definitely done to my power connector.  I’ve almost had my notebook fly off the desk more than once in my lifetime too.

Because the MagSafe power adapter connecter is magnetically connected it will literally break cleanly away without damaging the cord or the computer.  So if someone does trip on the power cord you should thank Apple designers for future proofing your investment. 

One thing worth noting was that the little magnet was actually very powerful and took a strong grip on the connector to get loose.  We never recommend grabbing anything by the cable of course but we do wonder if this will be an issue with some less cautious users. 

Another innovation in current Apple laptops is their new trackpad with 
what Apple calls Multi-Touch technology.  Basically it allows the touchpad to detect whether one or two fingers is currently resting on it. 

Use the trackpad with one finger to perform all you navigation like usual but put two on it and instantly you can scroll through a document, webpage or menu with ease. Honestly it worked pretty well, though we still prefer a trusty USB mouse nevertheless.

We also liked the lack of a physical latch when opening and closing the notebook.  Apple's use of a magnetic latch means less chance of additonal parts wearing out over time or  something even possibly snagging on it.   In our opinion it also adds a bit to the Apple laptops high-tech look and feel.  


Additional MacBook features and impressions!

To be honest with you we really like Apple’s overall package and feel Apple laptops are pretty darn sweet no matter how you view them!  We are impressed with not only the MacBook, but the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air build quality and feature set.

Like usual new Apple laptops have very vivid screens. And in fact the MacBook Air even uses LED backlights which are more power efficient among other things. 

While LED backlights are not completely new in the world of screens it is nevertheless newer tech and respectively a welcoming addition.

Their built-in iSight webcam is also a standard feature on Apple laptops.  Even today most PC laptops do not include a built-in webcam.  Of course you still must remember there is and always has been a price premium with Mac laptops so you’d hope to have one standard, right?  We think so too.

Price wise however Apple laptops seem to be coming down also but even so they are still more expensive than the average PC laptop as we just mentioned.  

But if you happen to have a Windows disc lying around Boot Camp will literally allow your Apple laptop to transform into two with the click of a mouse.  How is that for a bargain?  Pretty cool we agree.

In our opinion the price premium for many of you is in fact going to be worth it over the typical Windows PC laptop, even if you don’t use Boot Camp.  But add Boot Camp to the mix and you have a notebook that is more compatible and capable than ever.

We also like the fact that Apple laptops have full featured software packages on top of the awesome Leopard operating system and everything else we just mentioned. 

You are going to get their Safari web browser, a mail app to mange your emails, address book and iCal, Time Machine for file backups, iChat for video messaging with friends and family, and Boot Camp as we mentioned earlier among other things.  Not bad, not bad at all!  


Final thoughts and advice!

After extensive tinkering with the new Apple laptops we once again came to the conclusion that Apple is a force to be reckoned with in the mobile computing universe. 

As we said earlier we found every Apple laptop from the MacBook to the MacBook Air  pretty much flawless.  We had a few minor gripes of course but nothing that would discourage us from recommending an Apple Mac laptop.

One minor annoyance with the MacBook Air that we can’t honestly knock too much because of its petite frame is the fact that it requires an external CD/DVD drive. 

Ok, so what’s the big deal then if we can’t knock it?  The fact that it doesn’t come standard and will cost you one hundred bucks is the deal.  

A base Apple laptop MacBook Air already runs upwards of 1500 bucks on its own so we feel Apple honestly should have included it standad with every MacBook Air purchase.  I mean come on Apple!

Putting that aside we feel Apple laptops are simply going to be great computing machines nevertheless for many of you no matter how we or anyone else critique them.  Unless of course you can't afford one that is.

If you are on a tight budget your only option honestly is to go the PC laptop route for even most new base Mac configurations run upwards of one thousand dollars.  While we have seen some, especially used ones for just under a grand this unfortunately is still far more expensive than your typical budget PC.

Those of you however that are looking for a notebook just over the thousand dollar range will most likely find Apples standard MacBook laptops to be pretty aggressively priced and in our opinion a bargain especially if you are going to take advantage of Boot Camp.

So in the end after some exhaustive testing we have to recommend Apple laptops to just about everyone except those on an extreme budget. It’s that simple!  

If you can afford one and aren’t the anti-Apple type we honestly feel you just may be heading for a fabulous computing experience.

Happy Purchasing! 

• Pink Apple Mac Laptops

• Pink Laptop Guide - Includes Apple Laptops

• Comprehensive Laptop Buying Guide

• Laptop Comparisons