Macbook vs Macbook pro

So Apple have launched the new Macbook and iMac ranges (well October 2009) with the usual features. Basically lighter, smaller and with a slightly bigger engine and new OS (Snow Leopard). To be blunt, the specs are laughable for the price as you can get something similar or better for roughly half the price but it would not be a Mac. There are a number of pros & cons to way up between Mac vs PC and that will be detailed in another post, for this one its a simple Macbook vs Macbook pro. So straight to business (I will be comparing the base model Pro to the Macbook, higher end Macbook Pros trounce the Macbook but are megabucks)

Macbook Macbook Pro
Processor 2.26Ghz 2.26Ghz
FSB 1066Mhz 1066Mhz
Memory 2048MB (2GB) 2048MB (2GB)
Hard Drive 250GB 160GB
DVD-RW 8 Speed 8 Speed
Screen 13.3" Widescreen 13.3" Widescreen
Battery 7 Hours 7 Hours
Chassis Polycarbonate Aluminium
Weight 2.13kg 2.49kg
Price £816.00 £918.00

 

So what do you get for the £100.00 upgrade to the Pro from the Macbook? Not a lot and less capacity (Hard Drive). You get the same processor, RAM, DVD-RW, screen size and battery. The difference is the Hard Drive which is smaller by 90GB, the screen has a glass front, the chassis is aluminium and it weights 36 grammes more. It does have a built in SD card reader, though this ability can be added to the Macbook via a £10.00 SD to USB adaptor. It also looks different ,as it has that polished metal look about it, though I personally prefer the unibody Macbook and did not really like the keyboard.

Bottom line: the Macbook is better choice over the base model Macbook Pro unless you really, really need a built in SD card reader

P.S. If you have a particular need for a laptop, just drop me a question and I can suggest suitable systems. (your question may be used as a blog post)