So which Macbook is the one for you?
Congratulations! You are here reading this blog post shows that you are considering purchasing a new Macbook. If you are moving from the world of Windows, believe me you are making the right choice regardless of the fact Balmer & co. are doing their cheap shots in convincing people that Mac’s are not for fun. Yeah! right. Once you have settled down with your new Mac, you will think about every second you have wasted on those blue screens, virus cleaning and other necessary rituals one has to perform on a windows machine to get things working. So lets move and see what options are available for you.
In my opinion, we must thank Apple for clearing out the clutter and providing a definite set of remarkably highly crafted machines. Unlike in the world of windows where you are trying to figure out why a HP with the same specs is expansive than a Dell or trying to figure out how that new hardware is superior to the other. Trust me, it doesn’t matter at the end when your OS just doesn’t work. To get things done, you need a hardware and software combination that really works.
The Catalog
At the moment there are 3 series available in Macbooks catering to different persona’s. They are:
- Macbook
Macbook is entry level machine in the Apple notebook line up. It is very popular among college students and also professionals who are switching to the world of Apple with the cost conscious mind.
- Macbook Pro
Macbook Pro are professional level machines, which are capable of performing high performance tasks such as audio/video, photo editing etc.
- Macbook Air
The latest entrant to the Macbook line up is one the thinnest Laptops and is very famous with people who want a light weight yet powerful machine.
How to decide?
Before deciding to purchase any equipment, its important to understand your requirements and expectation from the investment. Please keep in mind Macbooks are not cheap. It is correct at the same price you can get a very hefty deal in the windows world. But the trade-offs are huge in performance, reliability, safety and workability. What is consistent on all Macbooks and the sibling desktop is the Mac OS experience. What changes is the underlying hardware and its capability.
Comparison
Apple has a beautiful and detailed comparison page. I’ll try to give you the gist of it to help you in deciding which Macbook is the one for you.
Starting at $999 Macbook Save upto $50 is the most affordable in the line up. It comes in White only (Black was so cool) with the following specs:
- 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2GB DDR3 memory
- 250GB hard drive
- 8x double-layer SuperDrive
- NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
- Built-in 10-hour battery2
- Polycarbonate unibody enclosure
Macbook Pro 13″ comes in 2 models: 2.4Ghz ($1,199) Save upto $60 and 2.66Ghz ($1,499) Save upto $70. The specs are
- 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4GB Memory
- 250GB hard drive | 320GB hard drive
- SD card slot
- Built-in battery (10 hours)
- NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
Macbook Pro 15″ comes in 3 models: 2.4Ghz ($1,799) Save Upto $80, 2.53Ghz ($1,999) Save upto $130 and 2.66Ghz ($2,199) Save upto $135. The specs are:
- Intel Core i5 | Intel Core i5 | Intel Core i7
- 4GB Memory
- 320GB hard drive | 500GB hard drive | 500GB hard drive
- SD card slot
- Built-in battery (8-9 hour)
- Intel HD Graphics
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256MB | 256MB | 512MB
Macbook Pro 17″ comes in 2.53Ghz Intel Core i5 ($2,299) Save upto $190. Though an Core i7 option is also available:
- Intel Core i5
- 4GB Memory
- 500GB hard drive
- ExpressCard/34 slot
- Built-in battery (8-9 hour)
- Intel HD Graphics
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512MB
Macbook Air comes in 2 models: 1.86GHz ($1,499) Save upto $50 and 2.13Ghz ($1,799) Save upto $90. Specs are:
- 1.86 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo | 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2GB DDR3 memory
- 120GB hard drive | 128GB Solid State Srive
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
- Built-in 5-hour battery2
- Polycarbonate unibody enclosure
The devil is in the details:
From the above specs you can summarize the following:
- Macbook is not coming out with SD Card reading option. You would need an external card reading unit
- Only Macbook Pro 17″ comes out with the ExpressCard/34 slot if you happen to need it.
- Macbook Air doesn’t come out with a superdrive. If you are DVD freak, you would need an external DVD unit
- In Macbook Pro’s you have the option to have either Hard Drive or Solid State Drives.
- In 15″ & 17″ Macbook Pro’s you have the option off Glossy or Anti-glare display
I would also recommend reading a comparison report on the Core 2 Duo and Core i5 processors.
Update timeline
Both Macbook and Macbook pro have been recently upgraded. Macbook pro are now equipped with the latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Mac’s were pretty late in getting their hand on the latest Core i5 /i7 technology.
Macbook Air is way beyond Apple’s normal product refresh rate. Its rumored that new models are right on the horizon. Lets see.
So which Macbook is the one for you?
As I said earlier, individual needs and requirements must be pivotal in your decision process. I have been using a Macbook for 3 years and it has been great so far. If I would switch it would only for 2 reasons:
- Battery life
- Better processing power
- Screen size and display
My pick would be Macbook Pro 15″ 2.4Ghz Core i5 because of the latest processor, screen and battery life. If Apple had upgraded the 13″ with Core i5, I would have picked it up.
Let me know how are you deciding.
* Images courtesy of Apple Inc.
** Pricing are taken at the time of writing this article, which may have changed.
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