Guide to the New MacBooks and MacBook Pros

Apple updated its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines with faster Intel processors and higher capacity hard drives. The MacBook Pros now feature a Multi-Touch trackpad and NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with up to 512MB of video memory. The 17-inch MacBook Pro can be ordered with a LED display for the first time.

Apple will continue to offer three MacBook, two 15.4-inch MacBook Pros and one 17-inch MacBook Pro retail configurations. All three notebooks can be customized at Apple’s online store.

If you’re considering switching from a Windows-based notebook to a MacBook for the first time remember that Apple’s a luxury brand and there is no budget MacBook. You may also miss some features which are standard on many PC notebooks that cost much less. None of the new MacBooks or MacBook Pros come with built-in card readers, docking ports, extended battery options or a remote control for example.

New MacBooks

The price of the entry-level white MacBook remains $1,099, but users will now get an improved 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a 120GB hard drive. The previous model had a 80GB hard drive. Unfortunately, this is the only Apple notebook that comes with a combo drive incapable of burning a DVD and just 1GB of RAM. I highly recommend at least 2GB of RAM for running OSX Leopard comfortably, but it makes little sense to customize this model. You’ll get much more value by setting your sights on the mid-tier MacBook.

The mid-tier MacBook costs $1,299 and comes with a 2.4 GHz processor, a 160GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM and a multi-format SuperDrive, which can burn DVDs. I recommend customizing this notebook with the 250GB hard drive if you’re ordering online. The extra 90GB of storage will come in handy for all of your digital photos, music and movies, or if you plan on installing Parallels or VMWare’s Fusion to run Windows applications.

At $1,499, the black MacBook is the most expensive of the three. There are only two differences between the Black MacBook and the $1,299 white MacbBook- a standard 250GB hard drive and a black case. If you prefer black vs. white you’ll be paying a $100 premium over the white MacBook with a 250GB drive.

In under no circumstances should you order a MacBook with 4GB of RAM directly from Apple. The $400 upgrade option is a rip off since you can buy a 4GB memory upgrade for about $100 and install it yourself in about 2 minutes flat.

New MacBook Pros

The MacBook Pros are much more powerful than their smaller MacBook counterparts. If you’re an audio, web, video or graphics professional (or aspire to be one), then this is the line of notebooks you should strongly consider. One nice addition to the latest crop of MacBook Pros is the Multi-touch trackpad, which was first introduced with the MacBook Air. All of the MacBook Pros come with 2GB of RAM standard.

Both configurations are available with either a glossy or matte display. Choosing a matte/glossy display is personal preference, but I recommend the matte display for people who spend long hours in front of their notebooks or use them in varied lighting conditions. Glossy displays can create an annoying ‘mirror effect,’ but videos look amazing on them, especially in low-light conditions.

The 15.4-inch MacBook Pro is available in two standard configurations, but can be built to order at Apple’s online store. The base 15.4-inch MacBook Pro has more power than most users need and is a better value for most people. Only the most power hungry users should consider the $2,499 MacBook Pro.

The $1,999 15.4-inch MacBook Pro comes with a 2.4GHz processor, 200GB hard drive and a NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT GPU with 256MB of memory. The new GPU has twice as much video memory as the one found in the previous base MacBook Pro. If you order online, you should consider the 200GB 7200RPM hard drive option for $100.

If you plan on doing serious multimedia work or gaming on a MacBook Pro, then the $500 upgrade to the top-grade 15.4inch MacBook Pro is probably worth the price. It features a higher performacne 2.5GHz processor and 512MB of video memory rather than the standard 256MB found in the cheaper model. The faster 2.5GHz processor has double the L2 cache (6MB) than the 2.4GHz processor, which means the real-world performance bump is much more than the .1GHz difference advertised on Apple’s web site and in-store.

Apple offers a $250 upgrade to a 2.6GHz processor, but I don’t recommend this upgrade if money’s an issue. You’ll feel very little difference between the 2.5GHz and 2.6GHz processor. If you have a need for speed you’ll get much more bang for your buck by getting the 200GB 7200 RPM drive and installing 4GB of RAM (buy it for about $100 from a third party and install it yourself to avoid paying Apple’s ridiculous $400 asking price).

The 17-inch model is the most expensive MacBook Pro available. It comes with the same processor, hard drive and GPU (graphics processing unit) as the $2,499 MacBook Pro. There is a 300GB 4200 RPM hard drive available as a $75 upgrade, but it’s much slower than the standard 250GB 5400 RPM drive or the optional 200GB 7200RPM drive. If you have a clear need for a 17-inch notebook, or plan on keeping it on your desk the majority of the time, then you should consider this model. Otherwise, be warned that regularly carrying a 17-inch notebook is a serious pain in your back

For the first time, Apple’s offering an optional LED display on the 17-inch MacBook Pro. It has a higher resolution than the standard 17-inch display and consumes less energy, which means improved battery performance. The 1920×1200 display provides 30% more pixels than the standard 17-inch display.

Detailed MacBook Specs

The 2.1 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,099 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch black MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

MacBook Pro Specs

The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 LCD display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 200GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.5 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 LCD display;
* 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.5 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:

* 17-inch widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCD display;
* 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.