AppleMacBook
MacBook in aluminum, released October 2008
Developer
Apple Inc.
Type
Laptop
Release date
2006-05-16 (last updated 2008-10-14)
Base price
USD$999/$1,299/$1,599GBP£719/£949/£1,149
CPU
2.0 / 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Web site
Apple — MacBook



MacBook
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Apple computer called "MacBook". For the MacBook family as a whole, see MacBook family.

The MacBook is a line of Macintosh notebook computer by Apple Inc. Introduced in May 2006, it replaced the iBook G4 and 12" PowerBook series of notebooks as a part of the Apple Intel Transition. Part of the MacBook Family, the MacBook is aimed at the education and consumer markets. There have been two designs of the MacBook: the first uses a polycarbonate casing that was modeled after the iBook G4, while the second uses an unibody aluminum casing.

The original MacBook was released on May 16, 2006, and used the Intel Core Duo processor and 945GM chipset, with Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics on a 667 MHz front-side bus. Later revisions of the MacBook moved to the Core 2 Duo processor and the GM965 chipset, with Intel's X3100 integrated graphics on an 800 MHz system bus.
While thinner than the iBook G4 that it replaced, the MacBook was wider than the 12" model due to its widescreen display. In addition, the MacBook adopted Apple's newer MagSafe power connector and replaced the iBook's mini-VGA display port with a mini-DVI display port. The iBook's discrete graphics chip was replaced with an integrated Intel GMA solution. When the aluminum MacBook was announced, the low-end white MacBook was given an optical drive update and a lower price and was kept as the MacBook White.

Industrial Design
While the MacBook largely followed the industrial design standard set by the PowerBook G4, the MacBook was Apple's first notebook to use features now standard in its notebooks: the glossy display, the sunken keyboard design, and the non-mechanical magnetic latch. With the late 2007 revision, the keyboard received several changes to closely mirror the one that shipped with the iMac: adding the same player-function hot-keys and removing the embedded virtual numeric keypad and the Apple logo from the command keys.[1]
Offered in white and black models, the MacBook was also the first Macintosh to be offered in more than one color since the iBook G3 (Clamshell).

[edit] User serviceability
The polycarbonate MacBook is easier for users to service than its predecessor. The iBook requires substantial disassembly to access most internal components, whereas the polycarbonate MacBook only needs the outer shell removed to access almost any interior component. Apple provides do-it-yourself manuals for replacing MacBooks' hard drive and memory.[2]

[edit] Quality problems
After some early MacBook owners complained of discoloration on the palm rests of their white MacBooks,[3] Apple replaced the defective part with more smudge-resistant plastics.[4][5][6] Many customers have complained about cracks on the polycarbonate MacBook's bottom case that appear after weeks or months of careful use due to the poor quality of the plastic and over-tightening of the screws.[7] Apple has responded to these complaints by providing free repairs for cracks that appear on the keyboard plate, but not the bottom case

Polycarbonate MacBook

The standard Macbook White.
The original MacBook was released on May 16, 2006, and used the Intel Core Duo processor and 945GM chipset, with Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics on a 667 MHz front-side bus. Later revisions of the MacBook moved to the Core 2 Duo processor and the GM965 chipset, with Intel's X3100 integrated graphics on an 800 MHz system bus.
While thinner than the iBook G4 that it replaced, the MacBook was wider than the 12" model due to its widescreen display. In addition, the MacBook adopted Apple's newer MagSafe power connector and replaced the iBook's mini-VGA display port with a mini-DVI display port. The iBook's discrete graphics chip was replaced with an integrated Intel GMA solution. When the aluminum MacBook was announced, the low-end white MacBook was given an optical drive update and a lower price and was kept as the MacBook White.

Computer note book today

Today a PC may be a desktop computer, a laptop computer or a tablet computer. The most common operating systems are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, while the most common microprocessors are x86-compatible CPUs, ARM architecture CPUs and PowerPC CPUs. Software applications for personal computers include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, games, and a myriad of personal productivity and special-purpose software. Modern personal computers often have high-speed or dial-up connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources.
A PC may be a home computer, or may be found in an office, often connected to a local area network. The distinguishing characteristics are that the computer is primarily used, interactively, by one person at a time. This is in contrast to the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed large expensive systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time, or large data processing systems which required a full-time staff to operate efficiently.
While early PC owners usually had to write their own programs to do anything useful with the machines, today's users have access to a wide range of commercial and non-commercial software which is easily installed.

A laptop computer or simply laptop, also called a notebook computer or sometimes a notebook, is a small personal computer designed for mobility. Usually all of the interface hardware needed to operate the laptop, such as parallel and serial ports, graphics card, sound channel, etc., are built in to a single unit. Most laptops contain batteries to facilitate operation without a readily available electrical outlet. In the interest of saving power, weight and space, they usually share RAM with the video channel, slowing their performance compared to an equivalent desktop machine.
One main drawback of the laptop is that, due to the size and configuration of components, relatively little can be done to upgrade the overall computer from its original design. Some devices can be attached externally through ports (including via USB), however internal upgrades are not recommended or in some cases impossible, making the desktop PC more modular.
A subtype of notebooks, called subnotebooks, are computers with most of the features of a standard laptop computer but smaller. They are larger than hand-held computers, and usually run full versions of desktop/laptop operating systems. Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPC) are usually considered subnotebooks, or more specifically, subnotebook Tablet PCs (see below). Netbooks are sometimes considered in this category, though they are sometimes separated in a category of their own (see below).
Desktop replacements, meanwhile, are large laptops meant to replace a desktop computer while keeping the mobility of a laptop.