New MacBook vs. 13" MacBook Pro: College Edition

As the school year comes to a end, many of the graduating class of 2010 going off to college will need a new notebook.  In the United States, giving a laptop as a graduation gift is very normal; and the open house season is right around the corner. Today Apple unveiled the brand new MacBook, which was more of a specifications boost than a design change. 

New Specifications of MacBook ($950.00 with College Discount):                 

-2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

-2GB DDR3 memory

-8x double-layer SuperDrive

-250GB hard drive

-NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics

-Built-in 10-hour battery

-Polycarbonate unibody enclosure

Compare that to the 2.4Ghz 13" MacBook Pro ($1099.00 with College Discount):

-2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 

-4GB DD3 memory

-8x double-layer SuperDrive

-250GB hard rive

-NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics

-Built-in 10-hour battery

-Aluminium unibody enclosure

Looking at these specs, you will only notice a) $149.00 price difference b)MacBook Pro stock has 4GB of RAM instead of the MacBook's 2GB of RAM c) Material used for unibody enclosure. 

To upgrade the MacBook specs to the MacBook Pro's, it would be $90 (college discount) for 4GB of RAM, so your total (before tax) is $1039, a $60.00 price difference. Now add AppleCare ($183) to both (at college discount), MacBooks, $1222 and $1282, still a $60.00 price difference. 

With only a $60.00 upgrade price, I would go with the 13" 2.4Ghz MacBook Pro over the MacBook. The MacBook Pro has a much brighter display than the MacBook. The aluminum enclosure just feels more stable than the MacBook's polycarbonate enclosure. You will get your $60.00 back over the life of the machine. While the MacBook Pro has the name 'Pro' in its name, it really is a good consumer machine; and the most popular laptop on any college campus. With the 10 hour battery on the 13" MacBook Pro, you will truly enjoy your brand new Mac and will be able to function all day. The aluminum unibody makes it look "sexy" compared to the MacBook. With all those reasons, it truly is worth the $60 upgrade.

However if you're thinking that a MacBook or MacBook Pro is too expensive for right now, consider looking at the new HP Pavilion line on May 19th. It has the MacBook Pro look, all with Core i5 and i7 processors for less the price of a MacBook Pro. But if you can afford a MacBook Pro, head over to a Best Buy or an Apple Store.

Comments

[suodingwangzhi49]

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[Ashutsoh Ranjan]

Thanks for sharing new specifications for MacBook. Really that's a nice and informational article. I am interested to purchase hp notebook for my professional use.