‘ ‘ ‘ This article is being written on an old-style MacBook. ‘ ‘ ‘ My MacBook comes complete… ‘ ‘ ‘ This article is being written on an old-style MacBook. ‘ ‘ ‘ My MacBook comes complete with a mercury-laced LCD display, a body constructed of materials that will bio-degrade at an astoundingly slow rate ‘- if at all ‘- and glass that contains a healthy amount of arsenic. ‘ ‘ ‘ Strangely, I’m OK with all of these things. I do not, after all, usually lick my MacBook. ‘ ‘ ‘ Apple didn’t think this was satisfactory, however. A few months after I bought my laptop ‘- for about $400 off its normal price, thanks to Apple cuts and Pitt’s discount generosity ‘- Apple turned out a new MacBook. ‘ ‘ ‘ The new MacBook is somehow environmentally friendly. For those who commonly throw out their old computers, the new MacBook provides excellent peace of mind. ‘ ‘ ‘ The new MacBook is, as its primary selling point, constructed almost entirely out of aluminum, perhaps out of old beer cans to keep up Apple’s popularity with college students. ‘ ‘ ‘ Its display contains no mercury, so it will not pollute water tables, and the glass used in its construction is arsenic-free. ‘ ‘ ‘ Best of all, the new MacBook is officially Energy Star compliant, meaning that it efficiently uses the power it derives from its power cord. This is in contrast to Apple’s old-style MacBook that is constantly in danger of breaking the energy grid every time you press the power button. ‘ ‘ ‘ You might think I am a fan of the new MacBook’s changes. I am, after all, a Mac user, an engineer and a liberal. ‘ ‘ ‘ Strangely, though, I am very glad I did not wait for the new generation. ‘ ‘ ‘ For the same price that I paid for my MacBook ‘- Earth-destroying materials and evil plastics in all ‘- the new MacBook forces a slight processor downgrade. ‘ ‘ ‘ The new MacBook does provide a slight increase in graphics capabilities, but as an engineer, I mostly just crunch numbers. A slight increase in processor capabilities is far more important for the money. ‘ ‘ ‘ If I were a gadget-type person, I might prefer the new MacBook. It comes complete with a touch pad that appears not to be a touch pad. It is fully integrated into the case of the machine ‘mdash; none of this delineated area to put your fingers for control nonsense. ‘ ‘ ‘ The touch pad has gestures, allowing for better flexibility in computer control. Although this is a good addition to the machine, I prefer clicking. I’ll save the gestures for when the machine locks up. ‘ ‘ ‘ It seems to be a norm for Apple. Apple comes out with a machine that contains excellent ideas and forward thinking. It just makes it initially too expensive. ‘ ‘ ‘ The new MacBook can be configured with a solid-state drive ‘- up to 120 gigabytes. ‘ ‘ ‘ A similar hard drive is available for the MacBook Air, and solid-state drives are arguably the wave of the future.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The very fact that the new MacBooks are made out of recyclable materials shows a good deal of foresight. ‘ ‘ ‘ Eventually, the fickle attentions of the American public will turn to everything being fully eco-friendly. Apple will be fully ready with its MacBooks. ‘ ‘ ‘ So what should you do if you want a MacBook but believe computers should be made out of plastic? ‘ ‘ ‘ Apple knew about you and decided to still sell the original white MacBook. It’s cheaper – $999 for a 2.1 Gigahertz laptop with 1 gigabyte of RAM ‘- and comes complete with that genuine Apple minimalism. ‘ ‘ ‘ If you are an interested in a new Apple, you shouldn’t be disappointed by its looks. It’s difficult to make aluminum ugly, and the addition of a black plastic screen border gives the laptop a nice look as it sits on your desk.