Thursday, 12 February 2009

Zexun asks...

Zexun: Ronald! Hit me up on msn/facebook or post on your blog! I might wanna get the new 13" Aluminium Macbook non-pro!

Ok, Zexun asked, so here's my response.

Firstly, knowing what Zexun wants, I'll widen his options to the entire MacBook Plain line-up. 
The Poly-Carbonate White MacBook, The non-backlit-keyboard Aluminium MacBook, and the backlit-keyboard Aluminium MacBook.

Secondly, cross-compare for stuff you get standard across all 3 models. I checked out Apple's website, and there's only 2 common features: 
The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 
2GB RAM*. 

[*- Note the extra specs: 
DDR2 on the white, DDR3 on the Aluminium. 
Max of 4GB on the white, 6GB on the Aluminium.]

Let's first see what you get with the cheapest of the 3 - the Poly-Carb.

2.0GHz C2D,
120GB HDD,
standard keyboard,
Polycarbonate Shell.
$1588

As for the cheaper aluminium,

+40GB HDD = 160GB
+Aluminium shell
+$500

and for the more expensive unibody MacBook,

2.4GHz C2D,
+90GB = 250GB HDD,
+Illuminated keyboard,
+$500

Ok, If I were Zexun, I would cross out the cheaper Aluminium MacBook all together. Why? Well, I don't think the Aluminium Unibody enclosure makes much of a long-term benefit, other than the Mac being more resistant to beating up. I also don't 40GB of extra HDD space is worth the cost of a few 2.5" internal SATA HDD. Not worth it. You can essentially make the White MacBook perform the same, maybe even better, than the cheaper Aluminium MacBook by getting 2x2GB RAM and a new 2.5" HDD for under $500 in total.

You can't, however, swap the keyboard out for one with backlighting as easily, nor can you upgrade the processor without mutilating you laptop. As such, I placed the more expensive UniBody MacBook in the options as well, in spite of costing $1000 more. Well, what do you know. I love myself a good backlit keyboard.

But Zexun, a word of caution: you should read online about the screen of the MacBooks. Some reviews reveal that they use a lower-quality material for the MacBooks as compared to the MacBook Air / Pro, in spite of the Air & MacBook being the same in screen size. 

Also, consider getting AppleCare. It's extra warranty so that you'll be covered for 3 years, rather than 1. I regretted not getting it on my MBP, but I'm definitely getting AppleCare on my next Mac. Trust me. They may be quite virus-safe, but their designs make them vulnerable to flaws

In addition, I recommend checking out EpiCentre. They often have nice deals, like discounts of AppleCare or rebates.

One really last note. If it's not a must to get a new laptop now, I suggest waiting for Snow Leopard, expected around ±June '09. It's supposedly a cleaned-up version of Leopard, like Windows 7 is to Vista. Not worth $269 (the amount you'll be paying if you want to upgrade later), IMO, but totally worth upgrading to for free.

Oh yeah. Check to make sure you have iLife '09. It's awesome.


Summary:

-White MacBook vs More Expensive UniBody MacBook. Cost? Keyboard? Material? Weight (Aluminium ones are 0.5kg lighter)? Processor?
-Is Screen a big issue?
-AppleCare Recommended.
-EpiCentre also recommended
-Can Wait for Snow Leopard?
-When buying check for iLife '09.

Hope that helps!

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