Review: Apple Macbook 2.4GHz notebook computer

When Apple was planning its latest press conference many expected it to launch a new, low-cost notebook computer to compete with mini-notebooks such as the Asus Eee.

Instead it announced three Macbook models: a white plastic one at £719, and two aluminium models at £949 and £1,149. The one we're looking at is the most expensive version, which has a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of memory.

The two new aluminium models may be expensive, but at least they look the part. The main body of the case is created from one chunk of metal, with a neatly designed hatch concealing the battery and hard disk – it's just a shame that the hinge is made from a distracting black plastic.

Both models have a 13in widescreen display with a glossy coating that looks great but is also prone to annoying reflections.

Under the screen is the black keyboard and a huge touchpad. The £1,149 Macbook has a snazzy illuminated keyboard, but this is missing from the £949 model. The keys are large but very shallow, so like many recent Apple keyboards they're not so comfortable for typing long documents. It's also annoying that, despite plenty of room, the enter key is so narrow.

There are no obvious buttons at the bottom of the enormous, smooth touchpad – instead the pad itself clicks pleasantly when pushed. The ports on the case are disappointing, though. Mac fans will wonder why there's no Firewire socket, while most users will want more than two USB ports. You'll need a £20 adapter to connect most displays.

The Macbook comes, unsurprisingly, with Apple's own Mac OSX operating system rather than Windows. It's easy to use, and includes a whole package of software for managing photos, making DVDs and so on. Both aluminium Macbooks have a more powerful graphics chip than previous models, so 3D games run better.

Overall, it's impossible not to be impressed by the Macbook. The design is great, and Mac OSX is as easy to use as ever. On the other hand, it's also impossible to ignore the poor choice of sockets, shallow keyboard and slightly high price.

For many people the plastic £719 model will be a better bet, but this is still a classy, if flawed, alternative to a powerful Windows notebook.