Apple Macbook (Core 2 Duo)

Notebook specifications

Notebook: Apple Macbook (Core 2 Duo)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2350 MHz)
Graphics adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (64 MB)
Display: 13.3 inch 16:10 (1200 x 800 pixels)
Weight: 2.4 kg
Average score: 82.9% - good
Average of 20 scores (from 28 reviews)

Reviews in English

80%Apple Macbook 13-inch (Core 2 Duo T7200)
Source: PC Mag
Bottom line: Even with more processor speed, hard drive capacity, and RAM size, the base-model MacBook is still one of the most affordable and best-looking laptops in the market. Pros: Best software bundle in the industry. Price is not affected by a component refresh. Supports both Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows XP. Unique keyboard. Stunning design. Cons: DVD burner should be standard. RAM upgrade is a little pricey.
Date: 06/15/2007
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 90%

82%Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, SuperDrive, black)
Source: CNet
The good: Upgraded CPU for the same price; same great design; built-in Webcam and remote control; adds 802.11n support. The bad: Cutting-edge features are absent, including Intel's new Santa Rosa platform and LED-backlit displays. The bottom line: Apple's rightfully popular 13-inch MacBook gets a decent incremental upgrade, but we're still looking forward to the next version.
Date: 06/14/2007
Rating: Total score: 82% price: 80% performance: 80% features: 90% mobility: 70%

80%Apple MacBook
Source: Laptop Mag
When the sleek and sexy MacBook launched last year, many hailed it as the perfect balance of productivity and artful design. But can one of the top notebooks of 2006 get any better? The answer is a resounding yes. While the new MacBook isn't a complete overhaul of the previous version, Apple's upgrade features a faster processor, better 802.11n Wi-Fi performance, and longer battery life. An excellent bang-for-your buck machine that's easy to carry, the latest MacBook offers more power and battery life in the same sexy design.
Date: 06/13/2007
Rating: Total score: 80% display: 80% mobility: 80%

80%Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo notebook PCs
Source: PC Advisor
With more cache and system memory as well as a larger hard drive, the £699 MacBook is noticeably snappier than its predecessor, and not significantly slower than its higher-priced siblings. Still, if you can afford an additional £130, our recommendation is the midrange model. Its SuperDrive and roomier hard drive are sure to come in handy sooner or later - sooner if you're into digital music, photos, and video. As for the £949 black MacBook, it sure looks classy, but handprints can mar its elegance. You'll have to decide if the cachet of owning a black Mac laptop - and the larger hard drive - is worth the extra expense.
Date: 06/01/2007
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% features: 80% workmanship: 90%

Apple MacBook Review
Source: OurNotebookReviews
Ok I’ll be brutally honest when I first thought of a Mac i thought of the nasty old things we had in elementary school, you know that had the original Oregon trail loaded on them. But after having a desktop replacement laptop for a good 3 years I was ready for a change. I needed something I could take to college classes for the day and not die on me half way through the day.
Date: 03/13/2007
Rating: price: 50% performance: 100% display: 100% workmanship: 100%

Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo Review
Source: Notebookreview
This is Apple's second try with an Intel processor in their flagship notebook and the results are much better. I am not sure what exactly went wrong with the Core Duo MacBook Pro's quality control, but there were widespread reports of issues, not to mention my own trials and tribulations with four different units. So far in the few months that the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro has been available, there have been no widespread reports of serious issues. I think Apple seriously upped the ante with this revision. Not only did they solve their quality control issues, but they also addressed several of the other gripes I had with the previous version by adding more RAM, dual-layer burner, and larger hard drive as standard equipment. Now if they would only add a couple more USB ports the machine would be near perfect.
Date: 03/12/2007
Rating: display: 80% mobility: 80%

90%Apple MacBook Review
Source: Notebookforums.com
Ok I'll be brutally honest when I first thought of a Mac i thought of the nasty old things we had in elementary school, you know that had the original Oregon trail loaded on them. But after having a desktop replacement laptop for a good 3 years I was ready for a change. I needed something I could take to college classes for the day and not die on me half way through the day. A few friends had switched over and raved about their Macs so I figured what the heck it fit almost all the specs i needed it to and was pretty cheap to boot. So I went to the local apple store and walked about with the mid range MacBook, a extra battery, and the Apple care protection thing all in all about $US 1,500.
Date: 03/01/2007
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 50% performance: 100% display: 100% workmanship: 100%

80%An update for Apple’s Intel-powered consumer laptop
Source: vnunet.com
Apple’s computer range runs from basic desktops through to high-end Macbook Pro notebooks, but it’s the relatively cheap MacBook that steals the show. The latest breed of Macbook, now with Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors providing the oomph, is an update of 2006's dual-core version introduced last year.
Date: 01/19/2007
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 50% performance: 80% workmanship: 95%

80%Apple MacBook 13-inch White (Core 2 Duo)
Source: PC Mag
Until now, I was convinced that a new Core 2 Duo-equipped Apple MacBook couldn't possibly come out this year. After all, the Apple MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo) had already been announced, in what I believed was an effort to create more separation from the MacBooks. So much for that theory. One week after the MacBook Pro announcement, Apple launched the MacBook 13-inch (Core 2 Duo) ($1,174 direct as tested), thereby eliminating any differentiation between the two models. Sometimes you just have to scratch your head and move on, I guess. Despite back-to-back announcements, the move is considered perfectly timed for the holiday shopping season, and with Apple's best-selling laptop by its side, a strong fourth quarter is sure to come.
Date: 12/08/2006
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 95%

Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo Review
Source: Notebookreview
As some of you might have noticed from earlier paragraphs, this is my first Mac. Therefore, having been a hardcore PC user for the past 13 years, I think I have the right to conclude that at this time of writing, Mac OS totally sweeps the floor with Windows, or any other desktop Operating System for that matter. I have never before experienced such a simple to use, efficient, bug free and secure user interface. The most frustrating part during this review was when I had to Boot Camp into Windows and run the few benchmark tests. The driver installations, restarts and overall slowness of XP compared to OS 10.4 were utterly unbearable. The longing for OS X during that time was even more painful than these sharp uncut edges digging their way slowly into my wrists.
Date: 11/29/2006
Rating: performance: 60% workmanship: 80%

84%Apple MacBook laptop review (Intel Core 2 Duo)
Source: Strikemobile
The Apple MacBook looks just like the more affordable version of the MacBook Pro. It inherits both the pluses and the minuses. A nicer design, a more capable processor are the hot new attractions of the new Apple MacBook. On the other hand, the lack of the ports and connections and the limited toll free phone support can make some of its potential buyers stand back. As a conclusion, the new Apple MacBook is a well designed and concieved laptop that delievers a great performance and it's worth every penny.
Date: 11/24/2006
Rating: Total score: 84% performance: 100% features: 80%

81%Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz)
Source: CNet
Now that the high-end MacBook Pro has Intel's Core 2 Duo CPU, it's high time the latest processor technology filtered down to Apple's more consumer-friendly MacBook line. There are three MacBook models, one with a 1.83GHz CPU and two with 2.0GHz CPUs. The MacBook starts at a mere $1,099, but our review unit is the most tricked-out of the three, offering the faster CPU and a larger hard drive for a still palatable $1,499. These 13.3-inch notebooks, available in the standard Apple colors of black and white, are nearly as powerful as their 15- and 17-inch Pro cousins, and they include a lot of the same features, such as the built-in iSight camera and Front Row remote. The new MacBook, updated to Intel's Core 2 Duo CPU, compares very favorably with Apple's high-end MacBook Pro line, offering premium performance at a reasonable price.
Date: 11/15/2006
Rating: Total score: 81% price: 70% performance: 70% features: 90%

Reviews in German

80%Apple Macbook
Source: PC Welt 9/07
Date: 08/15/2007
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 91% features: 64% mobility: 84% ergonomy: 92%

83%Messengers of spring
Source: Macup 7/07
Date: 06/20/2007
Rating: Total score: 83%

Fresh Apple
Source: SFT 7/07
Date: 06/20/2007
Rating: performance: 80% mobility: 80% workmanship: 90%

90%New Macbooks
Source: MacWelt 7/07
Date: 06/20/2007
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 70% performance: 60% features: 80%

Apple-Notebook with Core-Duo Power
Source: Notebookjournal
Date: 05/22/2007
Rating: performance: 80%

60%Apple Macbook (13 Zoll)
Source: Chip 4/07
Date: 03/05/2007
Rating: Total score: 60% price: 60% performance: 50% features: 50% emissions: 40%

80%Luxury-laptops
Source: PC Professionell 4/07
Date: 03/05/2007
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 83% features: 92% ergonomy: 69%

Schnelles, schickes und funktionelles Subnotebook im alten Gewand mit neuer Hardware
Source: Minitechnet
Date: 03/02/2007
Rating: performance: 80% mobility: 80% workmanship: 90%

97%Noble-apple with two cores
Source: PC Praxis 2/07
Date: 02/20/2007
Rating: Total score: 97% price: 80% performance: 80% workmanship: 80%

91%Entertainment
Source: SFT 2/07
Date: 02/20/2007
Rating: Total score: 91% performance: 60%

83%Apple Macbook Core 2 Duo
Source: ZDNet
Date: 01/26/2007
Rating: Total score: 83% performance: 90% features: 90%

83%Pacemaker
Source: Mac Up 1/07
Date: 01/05/2007
Rating: Total score: 83% performance: 70%

87%Ready for the winter - Macbook
Source: Macwelt 1/07
Date: 01/05/2007
Rating: Total score: 87% price: 80% performance: 70%

Apple Macbook with Core-2-Duo-prozessor
Source: c't 25/06
Date: 01/05/2007
Rating: price: 80% features: 80% workmanship: 80%

Apple MacBook – the favorable mobile Apple
Source: Chip Online
Date: 12/17/2006
Rating: price: 80% performance: 70%

87%Test Apple MacBook 13" Core 2 Duo Notebook
Source: Notebookcheck
Date: 12/11/2006
Rating: Total score: 87% performance: 73% mobility: 93% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 92% emissions: 72%

Comment

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 is an onboard integrated video chip and can be called a faster clocked GMA 900 (on Mobile Intel 945GM Express chipset, which is available only starting with Core Duo/Solo). 2006 it is the most often used graphics solution and is classified in the weakest third of mobile graphics solutions. So it can only be used for elder games. For office applications and surfing it is without any doubt sufficient.
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

Intel Core 2 Duo: The Core 2 Duo is a successor of Core Duo and Core Solo with a longer pipeline and up to 20% speed increase without to spend more current. 64-Bit EM64T command upgrade and 2 or 4 MB L2 cache characterize this processor with its 291 millions transistors, which are finished in 65 nm.

T7200: The "T" variants of the Core 2 Duo are the standard versions in notebooks. They need less current than the "E", but more current than the "L" (low voltage) and "U" (ultra low voltage) variants.
T7200 is a T-variant with medium speed.

>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

13.3": This is a frequent and the biggest display format for sub-notebooks.
The advantage is, that the subnotebook can be small dimensioned and can be carried easily. Further the tiny display has the advantage, that it needs few current, which improves the battery runtime and in consequence the mobility. The disadvantage is that the reading of texts is very exhausting vor the eyes. High resolutions can hardly be used.
>> To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

2.4 kg: This notebook is lighter than the average of all notebooks. It is too heavy for sub-notebooks. 14 inch displays are normal for this class of weight.

>> Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.