On the MacBook’s Confusing History

Back in May 2006, as Apple was transitioning to Intel processors, the company announced the MacBook, a 13-inch notebook to replace the 12- and 14-inch iBook G4s (and maybe the 12-inch PowerBook G4). The new machine came in white or black plastic, sported a glossy display, a built-in iSight, and a brand new “sunken” keyboard design.

The machine was a huge hit. Starting at $1099, the machines were far more powerful and feature-packed than the aging machines they replaced — and cheaper.

But the early models weren’t without issues. A problem with random shutdowns plagued early models. Apple pushed out a firmware update after months of replacing heat sinks in a vain attempt to fix the problem.

Other models were affected by a widespread hard drive failure related to a specific Seagate drive Apple shipped in many machines. And almost every single white MacBook on the planet has had chips missing from its top case.

But I can forgive these issues — in 2006, the MacBook was a brand-new, redesigned-from-the-ground up project for Apple. Sure, they should have fixed the top case thing at some point, but at least they’re replacing top cases for free now.

My biggest beef with the MacBook is the crazy revisions the unit has gone through over the last year. For years, Apple shipped two white models, with a black model as the “best” option. Then, last fall, Apple ditched the black model, kept the lower-end system as the the “MacBook White” and released a brand-new model, in an unibody aluminum enclosure with no firewire port. The “White” was basically the same machine as ever, with FireWire 400 and chip-prone top cases.

The aluminum MacBook was discontinued this summer, however, when Apple morphed the 13-inch Unibody MacBook into the 13-inch MacBook Pro, with a FireWire 800 port in tow. The “MacBook White” simply became the “MacBook” once again.

Then — just a few weeks ago — Apple revamped the MacBook yet again. This time around, they kept the white plastic, but instead of the classic top case/bottom case design, it is now a unibody as well. With — once again — no FireWire.

It’s confusing to those of us who make a living thanks to Apple, let alone the average consumer. The MacBook line has been as confusing as the Performa/Quadra line was in the mid-90s. Hopefully those days are over. The new unibody, plastic machines are well-built, and I have a feeling they’re here to stay. Hopefully.