The new Apple Aluminum Macbooks come loaded with style, performance, and the simplicity only a company like Apple can offer. From the glass trackpad to the backlit keyboard, every aspect of the Macbook has more of a Pro system feel to it, not to forget the rock solid aluminum case it is all wrapped up in. Unlike past Macbooks, I have been able to put this one through its paces while keeping it on my lap without the fear of it getting very hot. The new Macbooks are smaller and lighter than past models have been with a by far more robust feel to every part of the system.
Now for the wonderful green aspect of the new Macbook line. They are BFR free, mercury free, PVC free, ROHS compliant, with an EPEAT Gold rating, they exceed the Energy Star strict standards, and 90% of the computer is reusable or recyclable. The screen is backlit by LED, using 30% less energy, and the packing has become 47% smaller, no longer uses styrofoam, and is also made from a minimum of 25% post consumer cardboard. Apple states that the system’s total Green House Gas Emissions through its entire life span will be 460 kg CO22e. As a comparison, burning a gallon of gasoline in your car produces about 11 kg CO22e.
As for usability, the sharp plastic edges of the past Macbooks are gone in favor of smoother edges. Overall, the largest improvement in this area is the new trackpad - it's larger, made up of glass, and uses finger gestures, much like iPhone does. Also gone is the click button, as now the entire trackpad is a click button in its self. The bottom right corner of the trackpad can also be configured as a right click button. One of the other nice improvements comes from the nVidia 9400M chip pushing the graphics power up to 5x greater than past generation Macbooks. The new Macbook uses the faster DDR3 over the DDR2 of the past, and benefits form a faster system bus as well.
On the downside, the new glass screen shows a lot of glare. Although the LCD back lighting can overpower any glare, at the edges, where it does not reach, glare still occurs and this can be distracting. Another thing on the downside is the loss of FireWire. For me, this is a small loss - in fact, it is not much of a loss at all as my DV camera can do both FireWire and USB and USB 2.0 is faster than FireWire 400 of the Macbook of old.
In conclusion, this is one of the best Macbooks made to date, and it has managed to become by far greener.
November 11th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Ecologically sound product developments should be highlighted to a greater extent by the general media in an effort to raise consumer awareness, which will shift buying patterns, in turn causing more companies to redesign their products with the environment in mind.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:15 am
I've always wanted to get a mac, maybe next year.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:31 am
I just bought one of these and I absolutely LOVE it. It is pretty exciting to live in an age where we can see such brilliant technology being distributed. I am totally excited about Apples move to make their products more green. In our world its essential that companies become more conscience of how their products will affect the earth. I hope they continue this trend in the future.
November 12th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Best got even better
. Apple proves ones again that they know what are they doing, and they are doing pro things only. Too bad i bought old MacBook Pro one month ago, just before this new release. So i will have to wait for a while once i get new one.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:19 am
It's great that computer companies start to be implement environmental aspects into their products and hey if apple didn't do so, whoe esle can?
November 12th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I think this is the best Macbook yet, still expensive but I'm sure it's worth it. Sometimes you have to pay up for things you really want.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:22 am
I'm glad Apple did the first step in producing environmentally friendly products. I'm sure all other manufacturers will do the same after Apple.
November 17th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I agree with you 100%, Apple is the leader and when they do something, other people follow. This hopefully will be a good eco-friendly move.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Global, I agree. It surprises me when companies don't highlight the eco aspect of their products more, actually. With so many companies taking advantage and greenwashing, I would expect products that actually have eco aspects to be marketed in such a manner more often.
Miss Dré, I hope you get a chance to get one, they are great!
Kelly, I also recently bought a Macbook Pro (in June) before the new release , but that's ok, I still love it
Hicham, Apple does seem to be ahead of the curve when it comes to technology quite often...
Stock, it's definitely worth it. My experience has been that, in the end, I end up saving money purchasing a Mac over a Windows PC, due to all the maintenance that goes into Windows PCs every time I've had one.
Acne, let's hope more manufacturer's follow in their footsteps!
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:49 am
I always prefer a Mac than a Windows computer. The graphics are excellent. I am happy, this computer will help in reducing the greenhouse emissions. The downside is it doesn't have a Firewire as it is mentioned in the post.
April 10th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Auction, you can still get the white Macbook, which does have Firewire, but the specs aren't as good.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:25 am
I purchased 3 of the new MacBook Pro's for the office and couldn't be happier! Such a sweet computer; plus they're eco-friendly.