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Computerworld reviews Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook: upscale look, feel and performance

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 10:14 AM EDT

"If an Apple iMac married a MacBook Air, what would their offspring look like? A lot like Apple Inc.'s new upscale MacBook," Ken Mingis reports for Computerworld.

"I use the word upscale because even though prices for the newest version of Apple's consumer laptop are largely unchanged, the look, feel and performance seem almost luxurious in comparison with the previous generation," Mingis reports.

"That's not to slam earlier MacBooks, which have been incredibly popular and a major boost to Apple's bottom line financially. It's simply to indicate how much nicer the one I'm using right now is," Mingis reports.

"Apple has devised a way to carve the main chassis for its laptops out of a solid block of aluminum. The end result is a 'unibody' laptop with no seams around the edges, no flexibility in the case and a distinctly high-end feel," Mingis reports. "I said it recently about the MacBook Pro, and I'll reiterate it here: This is the most solid-feeling laptop I've ever used, and the keyboard -- always a dicey part of the laptop equation -- feels just as rugged... Best of all, in the $1,599 model, they even light up in the dark, a decidedly luxurious touch that is yet another perk ported from the MacBook Pro and Air."

Apple's new MacBook "might even be a solid choice for enterprises reviewing the options for their next hardware-upgrade cycles. Such is the case here at Computerworld. Several of our editors have been evaluating the MacBook -- particularly the keyboard and the screen -- to see whether it would work as a replacement for older Windows-based laptops. Of the five people most seriously considering Apple's laptop, four of them are ready to make the switch, and one is still uncertain," Mingis reports.

Much more in the full review - recommended - here.