The white Macbook was updated on May 18 2010. There are minor differences between the 2009 model and the 2010 model, detailed below. The UPGRADES are
1) Geforce Nvidia 320M integrated graphics processor with 48 processing cores. This is better than the Geforce 9400M in last years model. Useful for content creation.
2)Longer lasting battery - up to 9 / 10 hours as advertised by apple. Real world usability will be closer to 6 hours depending on what tasks you use your computer for.
3)Mini display port now supports video AND audio with a compatible Mini-DP to HDMI adapter. (Last years model only supported video)
Thats it.
STANDARD FEATURES - from last years model (minor changes noted in brackets)
Polycarbonate unibody
Core 2 Duo processor (2.4ghz - up from 2.26 ghz)
1280 x 800 resolution Glossy LED backlit screen,
iSight camera,
250gb hard drive
8x slot-loading SuperDrive dvd burner
Large multi-touch trackpad ( Intertial scrolling is now enabled ),
2 USB 2.0 ports ,
Wi-Fi - 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible, Bluetooth 2.1 and Gigabit Ethernet -10/100/1000.
Software included is OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and the iLife 09 suite of content creation tools. A 1 year warranty on parts and 90 day telephone technical support is standard.
The Macbook as it is - is good for basic computing activities - such as browsing the web, typing articles or watching movies. However, if you're planning to buy a Macbook for multimedia work, such as editing high resolution photos or HD videos and plan to use multiple applications at the same time, please ensure that you upgrade the ram from 2gb to 4gb.
Why?
Because using a macbook with 2 gb of ram (such as this one) to multitask is a GREAT way to drive yourself crazy as the computer struggles to keep up. Try editing 10 megapixel RAW images while playing music in iTunes with Safari open. 2gb of ram is not at all adequate for multitasking / using processor intensive applications on a Macbook. I understand that Apple has to differentiate between the Macbook and MBPro to justify the price differences but skimping on the ram and putting 2gb inside a $999 product and thus, affecting the user experience is not the way to do it.
Upgrading the ram yourself from 2gb to 4gb is a great idea - EXCEPT - the the prices of DDR3 1066 mhz ram (compatible with Macbook and MB Pro) is still high. Currently, Crucial CT2KIT25664BC1067 4GB 204-PIN PC3-8500 SODIMM DDR3 Memory KIT (2GBx2) costs $111. So that brings your total to $1080 ($969 MB + $111 Ram) if you upgrade your Macbook's ram
So for only $80 more than your Macbook, (if you take into account the cost of the ram upgrade) a viable alternative is The standard Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop which costs $1160 on Amazon. The MBP 13 comes with the added benefits of a more durable aluminum unibody, a backlit keyboard, an SD card slot, a firewire 800 port and most importantly, 4gb of ram. Which allows you to multitask effortlessly.
If you're going to use the Macbook for any computationally demanding activities such as content creation, editing large RAW images or HD videos you should upgrade the ram to 4gb or just buy the standard MBPro 13 inch. The processor and hard drive are the same in both the MB and MBPro 13 ( 2.4 ghz Core 2 duo and 250gb hard drives ) But the 4gb ram will make a big difference in the daily usage experience.
However, if you only want to use the Macbook for general tasks like writing articles, browsing websites or watching movies, it will handle those duties effectively and easily. And the strong battery life ensures that you can be mobile for 3 to 6 hours.
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