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.

The latest iteration of the Macbook Pro are significantly advanced machines with Intel’s latest i5 and i7 (on customized orders) processors. Being the ultimate mobility platform, these quality machines can very well support high performance tasks such as graphics, number crunching etc. Although the Macbook Pro’s screen itself is great but then there are times where you would like to work on a bigger screen. Connecting your Macbook Pro to an external machine couldn’t be easier. You just need a Mini-DVI converter to your choice of monitor input i.e., DVI, VGA etc. There are people who are just not satisfied with 2 screen solution (1 Laptop + 1 External monitor). In those cases you need more than just one converter cable.

In this post we are going to discuss one such scenario where a wintel desktop machine connected to dual 22″ Acer displays needs to be replaced with Macbook Pro. Before we begin, there are few things you need to know about the solution you are developing.

• Macbook Pro Model & Generation:
  Each iteration of Macbook Pro has a different hardware, which in the needs to be supported by the solution. You can find out about your Macbook Pro by going to Apple > About this Mac > More Info on the Top OS Menu. In my case its the following:
  Model Name: MacBook Pro
  Model Identifier: MacBookPro 5,3

  This is a 5th Generation Macbook Pro with 1 Mini DVI port.

• Screens and desired Resolution
  Its very important to know about the hardware you have. In my case the screens are Acer X223W Q, each supporting 1680 x 1050 resolution.

  If you haven’t purchased your monitors yet, please make sure that the hardware you’ll use to connect them supports the screen’s optimal resolution. There is no point in viewing your mac in low res.

• Screen Setup
  Lastly, you also need to decide how are you going to use the extended desktop. Will your solution require you to have Macbook Pro screen active or would you use it without it? What and where you would like to things to appear? This will require some getting used to but trust me the extended real estate available, you’ll just love it.

In my research I have found the following solutions, which doesn’t mean this is it. There may be more solutions available now at the time you are reading this article. If possible check with the Apple Store / Genius Bar as newer products are released frequently.

Matrix DualHead2Go & TripleHead2Go

The Matrox uses your Macbook’s Mini -DVI port (you’ll need the Mini-DVI to DVI converter) to connect to 2 or 3 external monitors depending on your requirements. This is a good solution with minimal hardware addition you will need to get the task done. Most of the mainstream manufacturers are supported with different resolutions. The Matrox solution comes in multiple editions: Analog, Digital & DP edition, chose the right one that works for you. Please make sure to read the features of the Dualhead2go ($264) and TripleHead2Go ($300) products in detail before purchasing.

DIAMOND BVU195 USB Display Adapter (DVI and VGA with included DVI to VGA adapter)

In my case the problem with the Matrox solution was the resolution available on the screens was not supported. On searching I came across the USB solution from Diamond. It requires you to connect it to your Macbook Pro and connect the screen to to device. So for each monitor you will need one adapter. I would recommend also looking at buying a USB hub to save the USB ports on the Macbook. When connected each monitor is recognized as an independent screen and you can play with it as required. The Diamond BVU195 HD USB Display Adapter is a good choice for multiple monitor solution, which is for around $74 each. Don’t forget to download latest drivers from DisplayLink site. There is a great post on using Diamond BVU195 here.

Other viable solutions:

There are solutions available for the ExpressCard / 34 slot but Apple has decided that now only 17″ Macbook Pro’s can only have them. If your Macbook has a ExpressCard / 34 slot, then please do look at ViDock 2 from Village Tronic. There is a great post by here about using this solution. Other products from Village Tronic are also good, do give them a look.

There is a also similar solution to ViDock from Magma called ExpressBox 1, which costs around $725.

Tritton technologies have SEE2 Xtreme, USB to DVI or VGA External Video Card under $100.

Kensington also has under $100 product called Kensington K33928US UNIVERSAL MULTI DISPLAY ADAPTER

EVGA has to models available EVGA 100-U2-UV16-A1 UV Plus ($55) supporting 1600×1200 Resolution and EVGA 100-U2-UV19-TR UV Plus 2048×1152 Resolution ($84.5). Nice post here on using this hardware.

If you happen to own an iPad, Air Display ($10) turns it into an extra monitor.

… and there maybe other vendors too. If I’ve missed someone, please do mention in the comments.

Conclusion:

You know your budget and problem better than I do. The many possibilities discussed above will solve your problem. I would advise you to discuss the specifics from the store from where you are purchasing the equipment. Make sure the drivers are available for Mac. Try to buy from a store who accepts back your purchases.

Image via OS X Daily