New Aluminum Macbook notes
2008-10-21 11:23:18
I got one of the new aluminum Macbooks. I was perfectly happy with my relatively new black Macbook, until I saw and held the new one at the Apple store.
In terms of weight, performance, aesthetics, size and screen, this is by far the best notebook computer I've ever had. I have to say I am very glad I did not buy a Macbook Air when they came out, because this computer is very nearly as portable, but does not sacrifice CD drive, ethernet connection or CPU speed. And it's way the hell cheaper.
Unlike other Macbooks I've had, this one doesn't seem to get really hot. Maybe the solid aluminum case is that much better at dissipating heat uniformly?
My memory upgrade I ordered should be arriving today, which I need to run Windows in a virtual machine. These are the instructions for adding memory; Apple made it more of a pain to install memory, and less difficult to install/replace the hard drive. That trade-off makes sense.
Handy upgrading tip: you must remove the back plate of the macbook to do the memory upgrade. To do this, you must remove 8 tiny screws. There are three different sizes of screw, so keep them separate. Pretty obvious. But what might not be obvious is this: do no put these tiny screws anywhere near the right side of the macbook as you work on it. Because the magsafe adapter will suck the tiny little things right in, without you noticing. Then you'll start to freak out because you can't find the screws, and you'll crawl under your desk looking for them, saying "oh shit oh shit, WTF?"