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The rise in Apple's popularity in recent years, due to sales of its iPod, iPhone and iPad, continues to generate new interest in Apple's line of computers, including its line of notebooks, the MacBook. There are three varieties of MacBooks available: MacBook; MacBook Pro; and the ultralight MacBook Air. Although MacBooks cost substantially more than Windows-based notebooks (the cheapest MacBook in 2011 is $999), their ease of use, and the number of programs that come pre-installed, make the MacBook worth the higher price for many loyal users.
Preinstalled Software
In 2011, Macbooks ship with with the Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system. Other software comes preinstalled with the computer before being shipped to computers. Time Machine automatically saves copies of data and computer settings so in the event of an error users can restore their computer back to a previous date. Photo Booth activates the built-in camera on MacBooks for recording photos and videos. Other preinstalled programs include Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, Safari, Apple DVD Player, Front Row and Xcode Developer Tools.
iLife '11
As of February 2011, Macbooks can come with iLife '11 software installed before shipping, a suite of five multimedia programs. iPhoto is a photo editing software. iMovie allows users to make and edit digital movies. Garageband allows users to record, edit, mix and record music using simulated instruments in the software, using the MacBook's built-in microphone or plugging an instrument into the computer. iWeb is point-and-click web design software. iDVD allows users to customize and burn movie or multimedia DVDs.
Windows Compatibility
Microsoft's Office:mac 2011 is the Apple version of Microsoft's popular office suite. It includes Powerpoint, Word, Excel and Outlook, which use compatible file formats as their Windows counterparts. For users who wish to use other Windows software programs on their MacBook, Bootcamp lets users run Windows on a MacBook either on its own or simultaneously with the Mac OS X operating system. Windows must be purchased separately; only Windows 7 is supported on the MacBook.
Other Programs
There are thousands of programs available for MacBooks, many of which are comparable to programs found in Windows. Popular games in 2011 include Age of Empires, Civilization V, The Sims 3 and LEGO Star Wars II. Design programs like Adobe Creative Suite (which include Photoshop and Flash) are also available for MacBooks. There are also many educational programs available for MacBooks, including The Complete National Geographic, Math Blaster, Go Diego Go! and 2011 World Book Mutlimedia.
Resources
Photo Credits
- Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
