In the old days when PC laptops dominated the industry, Apple laptops were primarily held back by the processing technologies used by Apple at the time, and a vastly smaller list of 3rd party software applications for the platform.
But flashing forward to modern Apple Mac laptops, we must say Apple's adoption of PC laptop processing technology from Intel was one of the best things to happen for Apple's mobile computer market.
Besides offering better laptop performance in all areas, having an Intel processor inside helped to increase the number of software applications available for the Mac operating system.
We must say, Apple Mac laptops are now among the best in the industry, if not the best. Apple laptops are also fully capable to not only run the finely tuned Mac OSX operating system, but Microsoft's latest and greatest Windows 7 operating system, so an Apple MacBook laptop is essentially like buying two computers for the price of one.
Here's a brief look at some of the coolest innovations in Apple laptops. We overview the Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro, and the MacBook Air, and give some personal buying advice for these sweet machines.
We've also provided Apple shopping links below to some of the best online deals for used, new, and refurbished laptops.
We are very happy that Apple made a very wise decision and paired up with the largest processor manufacturer in the world.
Intel is currently the top dawg when it comes to performance and mobility, and the switch from G4 processors to Intel, has helped to drive the prices of Macintosh computers to record lows, and helped the platform other areas as well.
Performance wise Intel processors are phenomenal, and when you add exceptional battery saving features to the mix you have the foundation for a laptop that is a no compromise performer, at home and on the road.
And the current crop of Intel i5 & i7 processors inside Apple laptops are outstanding, giving the MacBook line of laptops including the MacBook and MacBook Pro plenty of horsepower to drive all the latest applications including games, productivity, and content creation applications without so much as a hiccup.
The latest Intel i7 processors including in MacBook laptops, run at blazing speeds of up to 2.66GHz, plus they are multi-cored and paired with Intel's Hyper-Threading technology. Hyper-Threading technology allows the Mac OS X operating system to see the i5 and i7 processor as four virtual processors instead of two physical processors.
What does this mean to the end-user? More performance! When you run multiple applications at once, the Core i5 and Core i7 processors distribute tasks more evenly across each core, improving system performance, as well as increasing system responsiveness when multi-tasking. And the list doesn't stop here, if we were to go more in depth, you'd also learn that Intel processors contain numerous other technological innovations including an integrated memory controller, and what Intel calls Turbo Boost technology among others.
An integrated memory controller allows the processor to communicate directly with the systems memory, improving an Apple laptops performance substantially. And Intel's Turbo Boost dynamically increases the speed of one or both of the processors internal cores, increasing for example the 2.66Ghz MacBook Pro up to a whopping 3.33Ghz when needed.
Both technologies are perfect for driving the sleek, powerful MacBook platform. The technical inovations offered by the Intel i5 and i7 processor have in our opinion pushed the Mac Apple laptop platform to new levels.
And new levels of performance would be nothing if we also didn't see an increase in battery runtime as well. After all, what good is a powerful mobile machine if you can't go out to play for extended periods?
Current Apple laptops achieve outstanding battery runtimes thanks in part to the Intel processor platform, so low battery runtime is simply a problem of the past.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro lasts up to a whopping 10 hours, and the 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro can even last from 8 to 9 hours. Pretty impressive! The standard MacBook can also reach up to an awesome 10 hours on a single battery charge, and the MacBook Air 13-inch can get up to 7 hours, where finally 11-inch MacBook Air laptops can still get up to an admirable 5 hours of runtime.
Apple laptops in our opinion were needing a successor to the old IBM chips for some time, and we honestly have to say that Intel is the same processor manufacturer that we we would have paired up with if personally given the choice.
Intel competitor Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) also make fantastic processors, but they simply don't have the muscle Intel has, and it is this muscle that Apple needed to push their portable Apple Mac laptops to great heights.
And wow, what great heights they've achieved! 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. And more recently we've installed Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system on a brand new MacBook Pro 17 inch and it ran phenomenal as well.
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 Mac OSX Leopard OS, and if the need ever arises for Bill Gates' brainchild, we can simply boot right into and work away just like we've always done.
Apple Laptops - 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 of our top favorite internal technological features included on the MacBook Pro 15 and 17-inch model is the automatic graphics switching technology.MacBook Pro models come standard with this automatic graphics switching capability and it allows the computer to seamlessly switch between the discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor and integrated Intel HD Graphics processor.
This feature is totally transparent to the user, and happens on the fly without the need to power down the laptop or change any preferences. Automatic graphics switching gives you performance when you need it and better battery efficiency when you don't. Pretty cool!
One of our favorite external technological innovations to this day is Apple's MagSafe power adapter connector, introduced to the Mac laptop line awhile back. The MagSafe has since been standard on all 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, but we always wondered if this will be an issue with the less cautious users who just yank on the cord. This didn't end up being the case.
But while the build quality of the connector appeared solid when we first saw one, there were actually problems with various MagSafe adapters sometime in 2008.But pple has since addressed any potential concerns a long time ago so theres nothing to worry about with current MacBook laptops.
Overall we are happy to have a MagSafe connector anytime over a standard connector for we much rather not have to pick our laptop pieces off the floor in the event of a misfortunate accident.
Another innovation in Apple laptops is Apple's Multi-Touch trackpad 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 additional 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 Apple laptop features and impressions!
Additional MacBook Apple laptop 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 also have very vivid screens. And in fact the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air all use LED backlights which are more power efficient, and brighter among other things. While LED backlights are not completely new in the world of screens it is nevertheless awesome technology and standard on the MacBook line as we've mentioned.
Their built-in iSight webcam is also a standard feature on Apple laptops. Even today some 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 have came down tremendously in price, but even so they are still more expensive than your average PC laptop.
But if you happen to have a Windows disc lying around Boot Camp will literally allow your Apple laptop to transform into two laptops 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 Mac OSX operating system and everything else we just mentioned.
You are going to get their Safari web browser, a mail app to manage 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 many other cool applications. Not bad, not bad at all!
Final thoughts and advice!
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 and Pro 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 about one hundred bucks is the deal. A base Apple laptop MacBook Air already can run upwards of 1500 bucks when its all said and done, so we personally feel Apple should have included it standard with every MacBook Air purchase.
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 best option may be to go the PC laptop route for most new base Mac configurations run upwards of one thousand dollars after tax and accessories. Sure you can also get models including the smallest 11.6-Inch MacBook Air for under 1000 bucks, but unfortunately this is still far more expensive than your typical budget PC, especially when you compare and contrast features across the two platforms.
Those of you however that are looking for a brand new 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 to run two operating systems.
After testing our fair share of Apple Macbook laptops, we conclude that Apple laptops are great for just about anyone, except those on an extreme budget. It's quite that simple!
Highly recommended!
Data from : laptop-computer-comparison.com
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