Apple MacBook 13.3" Laptop - MC240LL/A (May, 2009)

As usual, Apple has produced a powerful product in a small package. This MacBook replaced an iBook G4 which served me faithfully for a long time. The iBook was faster than most of the cheap to mid-priced PC laptops on the market today. Imagine my delight when I fired up this MacBook with its Core2 Duo processor! It's a BLUR compared to my old iBook. In fact, the complaint you most often hear about Macs is, "Oh, they're so expensive!" That's because they're premium products; if you compare the performance you get for the dollar, they're actually in many cases cheaper than the comparable PC units. Anyway, this unit is loaded. It has FireWire, which almost no laptops have anymore, great for video pros; it has an on-board audio card that's high-quality, which allows you to input an audio mixer, if you want to record live music. It allows mirroring displays just like desktop computers do, and unlike most PCs, when you hook up an external monitor or projector, you don't have to fool with holding down a "Function" key until you see the image - the MacBook automatically does the hooking up/configuring for you. The display on this unit is crystal clear. I do wish it had the matte finish like my old iBook, but the gloss display isn't bad about picking up room reflections like so many others. Really nice that this MacBook has a built-in camera that functions as a still camera or as a webcam, either with Apple's applications (iChat, PhotoBooth) or with Skype. It's quite clear. You can have crazy fun with it! As is, you can record videos live with QuickTime, and make all kinds of photos using PhotoBooth, both included software.
Included with any Mac is software that lets you maintain your computer and keep it running well. Disk Utility is worth its weight in gold; it finds problems that would cause other computers to fail and fixes them quickly and efficiently. (I recommend running it periodically just for maintenance.) It allows you to fix permissions any time without any special software, which as seasoned computer people know can solve many, many problems. And there's this neat little procedure for resetting temporary RAM settings at startup that solves many puzzling problems; this procedure is part of every Mac's DNA. Hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys at startup, keep holding as you listen for three more startup "chimes," and release. Another great service feature is something called Target Mode, again something every Mac can do. At startup, hold down the T key, and keep holding until the FireWire logo appears on the display. Effectively, your laptop has now become an external FireWire drive! That means you can hook it up to another Mac and do maintenance on it, or simply transfer large files back and forth the fastest way possible.
Oh, and did I mention that you can also run WIndows on it? Since Apple began making their Macintosh computers with Intel processors back in 2006, they all have the capability to run Windows as well as PCs. In fact, one of the PC magazines a few years ago did benchmark testing that showed the fastest Windows XP performance was on - a Mac! Just download the free "Boot Camp" application from Apple's website, and follow the directions. (You have to supply your own WIndows operating system, just as if you were building your own PC.)
On top of all this, the Macintosh operating system is the easiest and most fun to use. You'll enjoy your Mac!

Apple has a long history of great computers. This one is no different. Dependable and powerful. With the addition of the Intel processors and the ability to boot to multiple OS, the Macbook has become the laptop of choice. I do projects in both Mac OS and Windows, and this laptop makes it easy to do both with out any hassle whatsoever. I love how light weight this laptop is. As for upgrading the hard drive or memory, it's a snap with easy access and quick replacement. I would highly recommend this laptop to anyone.

my macbook purchase is a replacement for a older macbook. This macbook is nice and high speed ram plus the seller was nice enough to leave it loaded with software. The mac book was already for me with my name inside and a simple passcode. The seller gave me advice about backing up everything on a external hard drive and I did:-). This was an awesome purchase. I recommend the seller to anyone who will be getting a computer. Mac is the best they get no viruses.
Paraneice Nalls

My old laptop was getting so slow and was so cumbersome...I needed a new one. My daughter bought a MacBook a few years ago and has loved it, so I looked for some refurbished Macs to see if my tax return would cover it. Hurrah! The refurbished Mac is simply awesome! It took me a couple of days to get used to new key strokes, etc., but that was easy. The only (slight) problem I have faced is that the University I attend does not have a Mac application for something I used regularly--they say they're working on it. The MacBook is so amazing compared to other brands. I only wish I had tried sooner to buy one. I would definitely do so again!

Major problem: the battery, which after a relatively short time began to swell, causing all kinds of difficulties until it was removed (it took a lot of searching to find out what was going on!). Since I cannot afford to buy another battery (they're pricey) the laptop is no longer very portable. If you want to move it somewhere, it requires shutting everything down first. I've also lost work because any power interruption (like bumping the nifty cord I once loved that detaches so easily) dumps whatever you did since the last deliberate save.

My needs from a laptop range from music to heavy internet usage and media, no problems with it freezing up or slowing down when I have several windows open with garageband and other programs. I haven't used it for gaming but I imagine any game would run well on it. My only problem is the battery life, which don't get wrong, it's quite lengthy for a used laptop, I'm just a cordless person. Even in it's used condition it performs wonderfully and if your on budget than a 2009 mac is totally worth it.