Apple MacBook 13.3" Laptop - MA254LL/A (May, 2006)

When Apple discontinued the iBook line, they replaced it with the Macbooks, which feature Intel processors, a polycarbonate case, new built-in iSight camera, and a new glossy wide screen.

Now in 2010, Apple's 2006 line of laptops still continue to stay competitive in the consumer laptop market. The 1.83 GHz Core Duo Intel processor speeds through media-rich webpages, word processing, and minor photo editing, while still having plenty of power left.

1GB of ram is plenty to have multiple Safari windows, iTunes, and that homework you're working on open and switching through them seamlessly.

60GB of harddrive space maybe be a little on the small side nowadays with movies, music albums, and hundreds of pictures. A harddrive upgrade may be a wise choice if you plan on holding a lot of media.

A new 1GB stick of RAM and a hard drive upgrade will definitely breathe new life into the trendy, white Macbook and will still have plenty to offer in the foreseeable future.

This machine is just like the reviews describe and what you'd expect from apple - elegant. OS 10.6 snow leopard is quick and small; perfect for the intel machine. If yours doesn't have it I'd recommend upgrading. You will notice a performance difference particularly over 10.4.
The palmrest is a bit small for my hands and the edges are crisp and uncomfortable. The display is nice for many things but will not display 2 full pages but if you need that why not a 17" pro.
Graphics are great and video output can be stunning on a large display/lcd tv. Streaming an HD movie is eye popping. I find it interesting that you can buy a macbook for less than a mini on ebay. KEEP LIQUIDS AWAY FROM THIS BABY!!!
When will Apple embrace blu-ray?

macbook is not as cheap as pc laptop and plastic cases are not that durable as pc equivalents, but the ability to run osx with xcode and iphone sdk are making cheap older intel macbooks a great buy if you are a developer on a tight budget.
Some macbooks have the option to upgrade the cpu, some do not, but you still can stick 4gb (2x2gb ) ddr2 667 of memory and upgrade the drive to a faster and/or bigger one pretty easy.
macbooks battery life is great as well and oem batteries are cheap enough to consider while getting a macbook.

Models capable of running snow leopard can be upgraded with ~$30 upgrade license, some Chinese sellers offer replacement parts cheap enough to maintain macbooks through their very long life cycle.

I bought my MacBook used and broken. Luckily Apple made this one very simple to repair, well most parts. I replaced the hard drive, the ram, the battery, and the glass front. Everything but the glass front was easy. Apparently Apple decided that if the glass front (which is separate from the LCD) broke, then the entire LCD unit would have to be replaced (a $500 + repair). I was able to replace the glass front for $120, and there are shops that will do it, but buyers should be aware that glass does break very easily and it could end up costing you a new computer if you don't have the time or skill to replace it yourself. With that said, everything else is amazing. The LCd is bright and movies look amazing on it. It is fast, it can be upgraded to a 500GB hard drive, the ram can be upgraded to 4GB, and the overall look of the laptop is clean. The aluminum unibody is a very sleek design. The only issue is that it will scratch, and dings and dents will show very easily, but with anything that costs $1000 and up, there should always be precautions made to protect the investment. I still see iBook G3 laptops from 1999 in circulation that work 100%, with the newer technologies, and easy access to parts, the newer macbook should last even longer if taken care of.

i just got my macbook not long ago and i must say im in love ill never buy a pc im a mac i got it at great price under 200 it runs like a dream long battery life its the only computer i need it has a cool web cam awesome bright screen they do have a kind of week plastic case but not that bad has a remote i got mine chap because of a problem i guess the seller could not or would not fix or really under stand i got the tools to open mine for $2 and after a little thinking time i discovered the problem to be the ram card slot just one witch caused the laptop to shutdown from picking the system up or moving it or pressing down near the ram card if tyou are a pc you gotta try a mac low end or just a little out of date they are a dream