Well, part of the somehow is that the default $450 configuration uses a Celeron processor and comes with Ubuntu. You don't play in Windows land 'til you hit $600, and don't reach ULV Core 2 Duo brains—which ain't exactly heavy duty—until you drop $650.

The V13 is a collision of high end—the design, angled and thin, heavily echoing the original Adamo's silhouette, and build quality, as sturdy as any non-unibody laptop we've tried to bend—and low rent—the keyboard is straight off Dell's budget Inspiron line and well, I already told you what's inside (there's other spec sparseness as well, like 2GB RAM, VGA out and 2 USB ports, one of which is a combo eSATA number). The 13.3-inch, LED-backlit, anti-glare display is nice enough though, at a resolution of 1366x768. The 6-cell sealed battery is rated for 4 hours and 42 minutes, according to Dell, but expect less actually using it, obviously.

Still, at $650, let alone $450—netbook level—you expect some compromise, and if it wasn't at the expense of the design and materials, it had to cut somewhere. (Conversely, you can buy raging monsters from Asus, filled with blistering silicon, but it's powering machines that are ugly, bloated plastic.) Un-compromise is expensive, but the V13 straddles the line fairly skillfully, erring on the side that most don't, and that's something that's commendable. If the Adamo was Batman's laptop, this more human and vulnerable rendition for suits is Bruce Wayne's.

[Dell]

According to a new report by Jeff Orr, an analyst at ABI, Linux preinstalls represent 32% of the 35 million netbooks shipping this year (a number consistent with Dell's own reports). And it makes sense. Pretty much any variation of Linux is lighter weight than Windows (even the improved performance of 7 over Vista is paid for in battery life). And in the lowest end of the hardware market, I'd bet consumers are a lot more cognizant of the impact an OS has on the final price of a computer. [Computer World via Slashdot and Awesome Image]

In brief, the Envy is indeed light system with plenty of power, but it never feels premium, nor does the battery life reach adequate levels.

Sure, it comes in a nice black box labeled "ENVY" with properly monolithic upscalism. And the computer itself is wrapped in a very, very soft black cloth.

But once removed, I can't distinguish this $1,800 laptop from any random PC on a table at Best Buy. HP's premium laptop, one that's been oooh'd and ahhh'd ad nauseam, could have been a $600 budget system.
The aluminum magnesium body, which works well enough in the 13-inch Envy, scales to become a big, synthetic-feeling disappointment. Yes, it's just an inch thick and 5.2lbs (about a pound lighter than peers), but the footprint is so large that, upon opening the packaging, I at first believed HP had sent me a 17-inch system (keep in mind, there's still no room for an internal optical drive).

It was a surprising thought, but at that moment, I realized something: HP is the new Dell. Disregarding their impressive TouchSmart desktops, HP has built the quintessential drab PC laptop and labeled it as "designer." Meanwhile, Dell, with their fashion-forward Adamo line, has left rivals like HP somewhere back in 1995.

Kudos, Dell.

I almost hate to continue describing the system, lest I beat a dead horse. The keyboard is adequate, but every impact reverberates through your finger, making the laptop feel more fragile than it probably is. The trackpad, despite multitouch promises, is dreadful to use. Two-finger scrolling is met with a perpetual half-second (or greater) delay, and clicking the buttonless pad (engineered much like a MacBook Pro pad) screams unfinished prototype.
There's simply nothing elegant about the mechanics, even though the 1920x1080 screen is indeed sharp, HDMI and eSATA connections are convenient and the Beats-branded speakers are very balanced and rich...for laptop speakers.

Performance

But my hate-fest for the Envy ends there. If you don't mind the aesthetics and feel—and at this price, you really should—the system won't disappoint. The 1.6GHz Core i7, coupled with 6GB of RAM, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, and ATI Mobility Radeon 4830 (with 1GB RAM) has gotten performance nods from around the web.

While the system can't best 20fps in the higher tiers of Crysis, it can reach 32fps if you scale the graphics down to 1024x768, according to Notebookcheck. Older and less insane titles perform even better.

PCMag's cross-laptop testing found that the Envy isn't the fastest laptop out there, but it keeps pace with other Core i7 systems to the point that such a distinction doesn't really matter. And it'll shame Core2Duo systems, like the aging MacBook Pro.

In real world use, the speed is a pleasure, and a welcome level of overkill for mediacentric web browsing in an era when Atoms are chugging to just get the job done.

Battery Life

But all this performance comes at a heavy, heavy price. You should only expect the Envy to get a measly 1 hour, 20 minutes of battery life*. Given this system's sizable footprint, it needs to last more than 2 hours under moderate use. Stick a bigger battery in there, HP. Something. Please.

(*nonstop web browsing, Wi-Fi on, screen at 3/4 brightness.)

Misguided Envy

Some of you will be fooled by the light body covered in laser-etched paisley—probably the same among you who can drink instant coffee, listen in 92kbps MP3s and think that SD broadcasts look identical to Blu-ray movies.
And that's fine. I can understand why someone might like the Envy, especially given the processing power and modest 5.2lb weight. It's just a shame that anyone would pay so much for it.

HP, Acer, Toshiba, etc, you think I like giving Apple all my money? There's a staggering amount of design talent in the world. Find it. Fund it. And give it a chance to wipe the smug grin off Cupertino. Offer us all something that we should really be envying.


Light

Fast

Respectable I/O

Feels cheap

Wretched battery life

Besides all of those "firsts" (which will be exclusive only temporarily, undoubtedly, since Intel and Nvidia gots to play with everybody else too) it's got a 17-inch, 1920x1080 LED-backlit display that pops 100 percent of the Adobe color gamut. Plus, it now has user-selectable color profiles, so it's easy to switch 'em around.

The 8.4-pound monster is for "creative professionals" in animation, CAD work, oil & gas stuff, and federal/defense, so you know it's ungodly expensive for that much gear goodness, before you even ask how much.

Processors
Intel® CoreTMi7 Extreme Edition Quad Core, CoreTMi7Quad Core Processors
Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate 32-Bit Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate 64-Bit Genuine Windows Vista® Business 32-Bit Genuine Windows Vista® Business 64-Bit Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Professional 32-bit Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Genuine Windows® XP Professional available via downgrade rights Genuine Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition available via downgrade rights Red Hat® Linux 5.3 64-Bit
Displays
17" WXGA+ UltraSharp LED Display (1440x900) Resolution 17" WUXGA UltraSharp LED Display (1920x1200) Resolution 17" WUXGA RGB LED Back-Lit Display (1920x1200) Resolution 17" WUXGA RGB LED Edge To Edge Back-Lit Display (1920x1200) Resolution (Covet only)
Memory
Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Available DIMM Slots: Four Memory slots offering up to 16GB4 Memory Bandwidth: 1066MHz, 1333MHz and 1600MHz
Primary Storage
Support for one, two, or 3 storages devices with optional RAID0, RAID1, or RAID5 Configuration 7200RPM Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive up to 500GB 5 7200RPM Encrypted FFS Hard Drive up to 160GB 5 Solid State Hard Drive up to 256GB 5
Optical Drives
DVD-ROM, DVD+/-RW slot load, Blu Ray
Graphics Cards
ATI® FirePro® M7740 Graphics with 1GB2 dedicated memory NVIDIA® Quadro FX 2800M Graphics with 1GB2 dedicated memory NVIDIA® Quadro FX 3800M Graphics with 1GB2 dedicated memory
Connectivity
WLAN
Wireless LAN, Bluetooth® 2.1 and Ultra-Wideband (UWB - selected countries only)
Next Generation Mobile Broadband6, GPS
Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Mini-Card
Dell Wireless 1510 802.11 a/g/n 2x3 Mini-Card Intel Wireless 5300 802.11a/g/n 3x3 Mini-Card WWAN Dell Wireless 5620 HSPA - EVDO Rev A (selected countries only)
Security
Physical Security: Steel-reinforced Cable Lock Slots, Media Module and Hard Drive Locks. User & System Security: Smart Card Reader and optional Contactless Smart Card Reader Fingerprint Reader (optional) FIPS Fingerprint Reader (optional) TPM 1.2 (where available) Wave Embassy Trust Suite Network Security: 802.11 WiFi® Protected Access (WPA), 802.11i (WPA2), Virtual Private Networks (VPN) 802.1x with EAP modes and compatible with CCX 4.0
Multimedia
2 speakers, optional dual array microphones Optional 2MP camera, 3MP camera option coming soon
Expandability
Slots: 8-in-1 card reader; ExpressCard 54; PC Card Docking: Advanced E-Port, E-Port, Legacy Port Replicator, Ergo Flat Panel Stand, Basic Monitor Stand, E-View Notebook Stand Modular Options: E-Family modular media dock: DVD-ROM, DVD+/-RW, Second Hard Drive
Chassis
Aluminum LCD back and base Dell PrecisionTM industrial design Weight & Dimensions: Preliminary weight starting at: 8.42lbs/3.xxkg7 with WXGA+ panel, DVD-ROM, 9-cell battery. Width: 15.4"/393mm Depth: 11.0"/280.5mm Height: 1.35"/34.5mm(F), 1.5"/38.5mm(B) Ports: 1394 Powered 6-pin, USB 2.0 (x4), VGA, Display Port, RJ-45, Audio, eSATA

[Dell]

The notebooks—part of a campaign created by Ogilvy Frankfurt—were installed in buses and tram shuttles that lead prospective buyers to Lenovo Roadshows all over Germany. The buses were waiting by train stations and airports to get visitors to the events, offering them the possibility to either surf the web or rest their buttocks while having a key massage. I would like to do both at the same time. [Direct Daily]

...should we consider $500 a good deal?

Yes and no. The formfactor is thin and quite small—1.3 inches thick and just 3.2 pounds. That's great. It's a bigscreen netbook...which I guess is a small laptop.

I mean, I'm not arguing this is probably the most promising netbook of all time.

But remember when we were getting countless Core 2 Duo computers from Dell/HP/Etc for like this same price? Yeah, they were chunky machines. But what happened to those computers? Where did they go?

I know I'm not hallucinating here.

Yes, the 1201N looks like a very cool little laptop, and I'm pumped to use an Eee that can handle HD video on a beautiful screen and through tempting HDMI-out. I'm not really upset about the Eee itself. I'm upset that the budget, jack-of-all trades laptop has virtually died as we've seen this artificial performance cap put on the budget laptop market whiled netbooks ballooned to $500-$600. Then again, maybe Ions have enough power that none of us will mourn the loss of cheaper, fatter Core 2 Duos. When reviews hit and the dust settles, we'll know for sure.

Until then, read Laptop's impressions: [Laptop via Netbook Choice via Engadget]

The Asus G51J 3D is the first laptop to feature NVIDIA's new 3D vision technology, and it takes advantage of a high performance, 15.6-inch 120Hz LCD that, when coupled with shutter glasses (yup, you still need glasses) garnered these praises from Laptop:

...unlike the TriDef technology that powers Acer's 3D laptop, titles optimized for 3D vision give you a great sense of depth without negatively affecting gameplay. On first person shooters, for example, we found it difficult to aim when using the Acer 5738DG. On the Asus G51J 3D, you don't make any compromises in terms of control or accuracy.

For the 3D tech, you'll take a resolution hit (there's no 3D 1080P display option) and pay a $200 premium, making the full gaming $1,700.

Keep in mind that Acer's system, while utilizing only rudimentary polarized glasses 3D, costs under $800. [Laptop Mag]

The key feature about Arrandale, versus current Core i5/i7 processors, is that it's manufactured using a 32nm process, meaning it'll be less power hungry. Remember the jump to the Penryn Core 2 chips a couple years ago? Same speeds, better efficiency? Like that. The three coming out in the first half of 2010 are the Core i7-640UM (1.2GHz), Core i7-620UM (1.06GHz) and Core i5-520UM, all for "ultra thin" laptops.

We'll also see some 32nm chips for the desktop, codenamed Clarksdale, announced in January. Mmm, chips. [Digitimes]

Price

$300 with 2-year AT&T contract, $600 à la carte

Verdict

Nokia has built a great netbook, but they've done nothing to redefine the genre. Their 10-inch Booklet 3G has your typical 1.6GHz Atom, 120GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM. Running Windows 7, that means the performance is just passable. I'd be this close to pounding my head against the wall when a program would begin installing or a video would load.

That's typical.

What's ever so less typical is the sharp, sub-3lb unibody-esque construction (complete with sweet MacBook-like under-hatch battery and a hinge that bends nearly 180-degrees), HDMI output (not that you can really playback HD videos smoothly on an Atom) and, of course, solid integrated 3G and integrated GPS (though Nokia's bundled Ovi software apparently requires a phone or PC to activate, and after 30 minutes of fiddling, I honestly gave up on mapping.)
The battery life is impressive, too. In nonstop 3G browsing and app running with the screen at 80% brightness, the machine's svelte 16-cell battery ran for a bit over 6 hours and 30 minutes. That was a strenuous test, and dimming the screen and/or browsing through Wi-Fi should truly be enough to get you through the workday sans-recharge. (For instance, CrunchGear's John Biggs reported a pretty remarkable 10 hours of movie playback.)

But alas, even for a nice netbook, the Booklet's price is a bit too opulent for what you're really getting: an ever-so gussied up version of the same machine you could buy from Acer, Asus, HP, etc, for half the price (before subsidies). Meanwhile, there are plenty of ULV systems in the $700 range with bigger screens, better performance and portable-minded design (of course, they'll mostly require 3G dongles).

Give me some rhinestones and a bit more power, and we'll talk. Or just hand me back my iPhone.

Quality build

Long battery life

Plastic monitor back makes whole thing feel cheaper

It's still a $600 netbook

I mean that in the best possible way.

It really is impossibly thin. I felt like I was holding a single sheet of aluminum that was contoured into the curved shape of a laptop. I set it down, gingerly, because I didn't want to break it, since I didn't know at the moment that it was $1800. My finger slid across the latch to disengage the heat-sensitive capacitive latch.

There was no visible sign my stroke was the lucky one, so I waited a second before prying the top half upward. It wasn't entirely seamless—I had to hold the bottom half down as with a single finger as I pulled the display open and the keyboard slid forward, like a notebook out of a Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond era. The metal keys were cold. Which I kind of liked, actually.

When it's in full bloom, the entire computer is propped up, resting on the front edge of the keyboard and outer edge of the display, so from the side it looks like an L that's had its foot broken. It's one reason I think the Adamo XPS is insane—there's just nothing else like it, and that's what I love about it, all practical issues aside. Like one I suspected initially, and confirmed when I had to balance it near the window—it's going to be tricky to actually use in your lap. Do you let the overhang reset against your kneecaps? Or do you perform a balancing act, resting the slim edges on your legs, hoping you don't lean one way or the other? The design's not simply to show off your $1800 Ginsu blade by Dell, either—it's for heat dissipation.

The 1366x768 LED display is sunken, so there's a rim around it. That's because the bottom folds up into the top, with a puffy lip, holding the webcam and mic, hanging over it. I worry slightly about the camera lens getting scratched, since it's exposed whenever the Adamo XPS is closed.

I didn't get to actually use the computer much, but it's got essentially the same ultralight guts as the original Adamo, with the important distinction that it's running Windows 7, so it should be a smoother ride in theory. The 20Whr battery, however, is only rated to deliver 2 hours and 36 minutes of battery life, so it's going to be a very short ride. There's a 40Whr battery available that doubles the life, but it murders the whole point of the Adamo XPS. It has 2 USB ports, DisplayPort video out (with an optional HDMI dongle) and a dongle for ethernet.

Really, it's more a work of art and engineering than a functional computer, but honestly? That's just fine, though, because it's a pretty fantastic one.

DELL ANNOUNCES ADAMO XPS, A DAZZLING GIFT IDEA FOR STYLE-MINDED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
· World's Thinnest Laptop is 0.4-inch thin

· Adamo XPS Reinforces Dell's Commitment to Craftsmanship and Design

· Advanced Head-Turning Design Offers Full Feature Set for On-The-Go Computing

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Nov 5, 2009 … Last spring Dell set the computing industry abuzz with the introduction of its Adamo brand, and along with it the world's thinnest laptop PC. Today, the world meets a new champion of thin: The Dell™ Adamo XPS™, measuring 9.99mm or just four-tenths of an inch. Both laptops set new standards for craftsmanship, design and engineering excellence.

Adamo XPS is a stunning laptop whose design provides a unique experience. With the swipe of a finger, the keyboard appears from under the display as the system is open. The feature set challenged engineers to build the latest technology into a compact space, including:

· 4GB* DDR3 800 memory;

· Intel Core 2 Duo (1.4Ghz) ultra-low voltage processor;

· Thin 128GB SSD for faster, cooler, quieter and more durable storage than traditional hard drives;

· A 13.4-inch high-definition display.

The attention to detail is apparent in the black, jewelry box-like packaging that is as striking as the laptop itself. A tug on a cloth loop reveals the Adamo XPS and assorted accessories that accompany the system. The Adamo XPS was recently recognized as the hottest Windows 7 product by leading technology analyst Rob Enderle with Digital Trends.

Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning "to fall in love," is a flagship in a line of products created to disrupt the personal computing space with the combination of new design aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies.

The Adamo by Dell brand was launched last March with the first Adamo laptop, which combined high-performance technologies in a finely-machined aluminum case only .65-inch thick.

The pencil-thin Adamo XPS weighs just over 3 pounds** and measures 13.39 x 10.71 inches. Dell expects to begin taking orders and shipping the Adamo XPS with Microsoft® Windows® 7 pre-installed in time for the holidays. The Adamo XPS is priced starting at $1799. More information is available at www.adamobydell.com

[Dell]

We've already seen an Intel motherboard hit the market with USB 3.0, but it's technically manufactured by Asus, and it's running a third-party USB (3.0) controller. So we'll see USB 3.0, especially in the custom PC market, before 2011 (because we already are). But like we said, in terms of the standard arriving in mass anytime soon, things are looking grim. [TGDaily via Engadget]

But I did say "interesting," not "buyable."

The Litl Webbook is a 12-inch netbook that can flip from laptop to easel, making it ever so more aesthetically pleasing while watching movies or displaying photos. Extra design touches like a nob and optional remote smooth the transition from laptop to artsy laptop, but the Litl Webbook is not a tablet—it lacks those last few degrees of flexibility, plus there's no touchscreen.

As for the hardware specs, it's a typical 1.6GHz Atom, 1GB RAM and...wait...just 2GB of flash storage? Yes. The Webbook wants to be a cloud computing machine that runs widgets (on top of Linux, we assume) instead of a full OS. So you're supposed to store all of your precious files somewhere else and rely on the service's automatic software updates.

The idea is alright, but not for $700. At that price, you're in full-out capacitive multitouch laptop territory.

And you know what? Double-checking my spelling on "Litl Webbook" has gotten super annoying by this point, too. Drop the price by $300, hook a guy up with some extra vowels, and then we'll talk.
[Litl via Slashgear via Netbook Choice]

At 1.5 inches thick, it's the thinnest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet—um, even with that massive qualifier in there, that's as thin as hardcore machinery gets. It's designed for law enforcement and other emergency services life-or-death people.

Of course, it uses a SSD for impact tolerance, in addition to running Core 2 Duos and up to 5GB of DDR3 RAM. It's also got hot-swappable modules for gear like GPS and webcams, and will see some appropriately hardass mounts and docks soon. It starts at $3600 for the base package for small businesses, 'cause the ability to stop a tankshell ain't cheap. And hey, multitouch!

DELL DELIVERS SMALLEST 12.1-INCH RUGGED CONVERTIBLE TABLET PC, FIRST WITH MULTI-TOUCH TECHNOLOGY

· Latitude XT2 XFR is Purpose-Built to Meet Unique Requirements of Field Service Workers, Military, Law Enforcement and First Responders

· Thinnest 12.1-Inch Rugged, Convertible Tablet PC

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Oct. 27, 2009 – Dell today unveiled the industry's smallest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet PC that is the first with a multi-touch display, the Latitude XT2 XFR. The system is designed to meet the unique and demanding needs of customers in the military, police, border patrol, field service organizations, factory fulfillment and first responders.

The Latitude XT2 XFR adds to Dell's Rugged Mobility Solution offering that includes the fully rugged Latitude E6400 XFR and the semi-rugged Latitude E6400 ATG laptops. It also joins purpose-engineered products like the Latitude Z, Latitude 2100 netbook for education and Dell Precision™ M6400 mobile workstation as another step in Dell's strategy to develop differentiated form factors and solutions that meet specific customer usage needs.

The News:

· Inspired by discussions with the defense, law enforcement, homeland security communities, field service departments and utility companies, Dell developed a convertible tablet that can adapt to changing mission requirements and withstand harsh environments. Features of the Latitude XT2 XFR include:

o At 1.5 inches (38.1 millimeters) it is the thinnest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet and starts at 5.4 pounds (2.45 kilograms) with four-cell battery and solid state drive[i], it is engineered and independently tested to meet MIL-810G standards for operation in harsh environments.

o Compression-sealed and rugged I/O doors, LCD, and keyboard, provide an IP54 level of Ingress Protection, or resistance to moisture and dust.

· The Latitude XT2 XFR can be installed in police or first-responder vehicles where critical information can be accessed with one hand. The Latitude XT2 XFR is also ideal for field-service and industrial manufacturing workforces who need an easy to carry, rugged system that can stand up to drops, spills and temperature extremes

· The Latitude XT2 XFR is available with Dell's optional remote management capabilities and next business day service and support.[ii]

· The rugged tablet shares common images and components with the Dell Latitude XT2 tablet for easy integration into existing environments. The Latitude XT2 XFR also includes:

o Intel Core 2 Duo processors with up to 5GB[iii] of DDR3 1066 MHz memory.[iv]

o QuadCool Thermal Management System enables excellent performance, even in extreme temperatures from minus 10 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

o Four-, six- and nine-cell battery options.

o Standard data security features that include Dell ControlVault and Dell ControlPoint, as well as optional solid state and spinning disk drives with full disk encryption.

o Impact resistant, sunlight viewable, 12.1-inch wide LED display with capacitive multi-touch gestures-enabled or optional resistive touch screen.

o Optional hot-swappable modules including GPS (in the coming weeks) and webcam.

o Optional expansion sliver provides camera/light, serial, and RJ11 inputs.

o An extensive range of optional accessories and services that include mobile rugged docking and mounting solutions in the coming weeks.

o A full complement of wireless connectivity options including wireless LAN 802.11 a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and mobile broadband.

· The XT2 XFR will be available in the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy online and via Dell's PartnerDirect program. It starts at £2271 and more information is available here.

[Dell]

Did your mouth drop? Because mine did. All I know is that rubbing that strip illuminates it and unlocks the aluminum lid. I also got to hold the system for a bit and it is really really sturdy. I thought it would be more flimsy, but it has strength.

I can't tell you much more, other than it will be officially annouced in November and production is scheduled to ramp up soon. As for what is inside, I can sleep soundly now that I know that there isn't an Intel Atom processor (like the Sony Vaio X), but rather will use an Intel ULV chip of some sort. Now back to your regularly scheduled Windows 7 programming. [Dell Adamo XPS]

It's Basically a White Macbook Pro

To illustrate just how good the internals are on the MacBook, just compare them to the current base 13-inch MacBook Pro. Both have a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo with a 3MB L2 cache, a 1066 MHz frontside bus and a 2GB default RAM. They also have a really similar LED backlit display, which eliminates the problem of narrowed viewing angles that we docked the first generation unibody MacBooks for, and both now have the same contrast ratio. The only difference is that the Pro has a 60% greater color gamut.

The new body

The rounded edges and a reduced number of seams make the new MacBook appear to be a flattened marshmallow. A glossy, rubber-bottomed marshmallow. It's an immediately more appealing shape than the previous generation of white MacBooks, marking the end of the transition of Apple laptops to unibody construction. That rubber bottom is also pretty satisfying, both in the fact that it grips surfaces better to not slide around, and because it's a more thigh-friendly material when the machine heats up. The whole body is more solid, thanks to an aluminum sheet and some more structural supports found in the teardown.
Otherwise, there are many other small design changes you'll appreciate. The trackpad is now the standard glass multitouch type found on the Pros, the screen has a more prominent bezel and the iSight is circular instead of square. Keyboard layout is the same, but on-key shortcuts have been updated to the latest standards. It also comes with Apple's new 60W power adapter, which has a tip that looks more like the MacBook Air than any of the previous chargers.
In general, the build quality is more solid and more "Pro" than ever before, despite the material being polycarbonate instead of aluminum. It's like trading up from a Toyota Yaris to a Camry—not luxury, but it's a noticeable difference.

Benchmarks and Battery Life

Comparing the 13-inch aluminum unibody MacBook of 2008 to the 13-inch aluminum unibody MacBook Pro to the 13-inch MacBook now shows that there really isn't a big difference between the three models. The small discrepancies fall inside the margin of error, and some change can probably be attributed to the fact that the first two machines were running Leopard, whereas the machine we have now is running Snow Leopard.

Point is, this MacBook isn't really that much faster or slower than the one last year.
Just as the transition to non-replaceable batteries increased MacBook Pro runtime, so too has the transition benefited the Macbook. Except for the fact that there's no external battery display on this unit for some reason, and that there's no infrared port for Apple Remotes.

The new MacBook ran 4 hours and 12 minutes, longer than the two most recent MacBook Pros, using the same metrics as we did before: Wi-Fi on, keyboard backlight on low, non-stop H.264 movie playback. In real-world circumstances, that battery life can only get better. Our testing is processor-intensive.

What's also interesting, according to the teardown, is that the battery is only 60 watt-hours vs. 55 on the old one, yet it gets a lot more battery life. This is probably due to internal optimizations that Apple made, not just because there's a fatter battery.

Some new problems

• A consequence of having an improved, unibody construction is that you can no longer replace the battery yourself. It also means that native battery life will be longer, as demonstrated in the testing above. In fact, unlike Pro machines where people really do want to swap batteries for extended field use, an improved internal battery will serve regular users much better.

• For some reason, Apple decided to make the entire area surrounding the keyboard as glossy as the outer shell, meaning that your wrists have a more sticky feel when you're typing. It's not a huge deal, but it is less usable when compared to previous generations or the MacBook Pro line.

• Again, like the Magic Mouse, the white polycarbonate (plastic) will get scratched easily, and will show scratches if you look at it from a certain angle. It doesn't diminish performance, but it is annoying if you're anal about your stuff.

Where does that leave us?

Right now is the brief window in time when MacBooks just got bumped up in specs to match the low-end MacBook Pros, in order for the MacBook Pros to have room to grow without leaving the entry-level machines too far behind. If you're in the market for a MacBook, this could be the best time for you to buy and feel good about your purchase, knowing that you'll get the same performance as a machine that costs $200 more.

But keep in mind, this development basically implies that the MacBook Pros will be getting the Core i5 and i7 processors some time in the next year.

The unibody construction was an inevitable upgrade to the MacBook line, and one that brings many more benefits than it does faults. There shouldn't be a drastic change in the MacBook design any time soon, so now is probably the furthest away from the next generation as you're going to get. [Apple]

Polycarbonate unibody construction looks, feels great

Has just about the same specs as the 13-inch MacBook Pro, so you're getting a good deal

Finally get Pro stuff like the multitouch glass trackpad

Glossy wrist area is slightly too sticky

Can't swap out batteries, but you do get longer life in return

Firewire port is gone