What Mac Are You?? Part 1: Macbook Edition
by Shaun
There are a variety of Mac computers out there and so many different things that you can add or take away from a Mac that when you go to buy your Mac, it can make your head spin sometimes. Well, that is how I got the idea for this series that I am doing. The goal of the series is to try to cover as many Mac computer combinations as possible to help you decide which Mac is right for you. To some this may seem like an arduous task, but for me, this is fun and I love helping people find the “right” computer for them. You are spending a lot of money on one, so you might as well get it right the first time. So without further adieu, part I: The Macbook.
The Macbook is a great computer, I am personally working on one right now. There are two types of Macbooks, the Macbook and the Macbook Pro. The Macbook Pro just saw an update so these are the newest computers that Apple has put out up to date. They are both great computers and really get the job done for being a laptop. So, here are your choices.
The Simple User
If you are looking for something not too sophisticated, not to expensive, and you don’t need the bells and whistles, then the Macbook is for you. This is Apple’s entry level laptop. For about a $1000, you get 250 GB hard drive and 2 GB of RAM. If you do a lot of word processing and don’t need a lot of hard drive space, but want something portable, then this is the perfect Mac for you. It gets about 7 hrs of battery life, which is pretty nice. You can upgrade the RAM for $50 and/or the hard drive for about $50-$100, depending on how high you go. But, if you are going to do this I suggest moving up to the Macbook Pro.
The Intermediate User
If you think you are going to want a little more computer for video or for storing pictures or some light gaming, then this may be where you are. The next computer in the Macbook lineup is the Macbook Pro.
This is the perfect “college student” edition of the Macbook lineup in my opinion. You get a computer that is a little faster than the Macbook, bigger hard drive, and a 10 hr battery life. The Macbook pros also have an SD card slot so you can transfer pictures or video from your camera to your computer just by inserting your SD card into your computer, which is a nice feature to have. When you do a price comparison between an entry level Macbook Pro and a beefed up Macbook, the results are pretty similar. As you can see from the price comparison below, the entry level Macbook Pro is about $100 more than the beefed up Macbook. But, basically for that extra $100, you get a faster processor, which will help with running more applications. You also get a longer battery life, from 7 to 10 hrs. The other difference is the design of the laptop. The Macbook is made out of a white polycarbonate material. The Macbook pro is made out of a unibody aluminum. It also has the black keyboard with backlighting. So these are the features it comes down to when you are looking at the $100 difference. Is it worth it? In my opinion, I believe it is worth it.
Macbook Pro
Beefed Up Macbook
The Semi Power User
This is the in between crowd. You are not quite an intermediate user, but you are also not really a power user. You want something a little better than the intermediate user, but don’t want to spend the amount of money the power user will be spending. Again, you have two options here. Option #1 is that maybe you want more hard drive space and something that runs a little faster than the intermediate user. So for about $350 more you get a 2.6 GHz processor instead of a 2.4 GHz and a 500 GB hard drive instead of a 320 GB hard drive. Option #2 is for those who want a little bigger screen, but are willing to sacrifice some speed and hard drive space. This is the 15 inch Macbook Pro with 2.4 Ghz processor and a 320 GB hard drive. With this option as compared to the previous Macbook pro in the intermediate user category, you are basically paying $550 more for 2 more inches of screen. I know this option doesn’t probably make sense, but I put it out there because once I bump up the processor and hard drive in the 15 inch Macbook pro, the price gets significantly higher.
Option #1
Option #2
The Power User
This next group is for those that are constantly using their computer for all kinds of things. You are a heavy video, music, and picture downloader. You keep a lot of stuff on your computer. You also don’t mind spending a little more than the average person would for a laptop. There are again two options for this category. Option #1 has a 15 inch screen, 8 GB of RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive. Option #2 also has a 15 inch screen and the same amount of RAM and hard drive space, the only difference is the processor is a little faster. As you can see, the price is not for the faint of heart. In my opinion, you really have to be a power user to go with this option. I also think if you want something with this much RAM and hard drive space you should go with an iMac, which I will talk about in the next post. The only reason why you would go this high is that you want something portable because you can get comparable amounts of RAM and hard drive space and a bigger screen in an iMac, the only difference is that the iMac is not portable like the Macbook is.
Option #1
Option #2
The Super Power User
To be perfectly honest, not many of you will fit into this category, but I feel it needs to at least be mentioned. This category is for a unique person. I say that because this is a person for whom money is not an issue and they are willing to spend money to get the best. You really will be able to do a lot with this Macbook. This is for someone who really wants a Macbook and something portable and is willing to sacrifice money for practicality; at least that is my opinion. In this category you are going to get the top of the line the Macbook Pro has to offer. Again, there are two options. The first option is a 15 inch Macbook Pro. It is the most beefed up one you can buy. It has a 2.66 Intel processor, 8 GB of RAM, 500 GB hard drive, and an anti glare widescreen. The 2nd option has the same specs, except that it has a 17 inch screen. So you are basically paying $200 more for two more inches of screen. Again, my opinion is that if you are going to beef up your computer this high, you might as well get an iMac.
Option #1
Option #2
So there you have it!! I hope now you can see that there are many options as to how to customize your Macbook or Macbook Pro. I tried to give you as many options as possible, but I just was not able to cover all of them. There are a few more options out there but they will not be too different than what I have shown you here. It is of my opinion that most people will fall into the Intermediate and Semi Power User categories. If you are interested in customizing your own Macbook feel free to head on over to the Apple Store. Also, if you are a student or an educator you can shop at the Educator Store or if you are a government worker you can shop in the Government Store and you can get 10% off on Macbooks.
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did writing it!! If you have any Macbook buying questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at stakenouchi@gmail.com. I love helping people find the right Mac for them. Part Two in the series will feature the iMac. Hope you stick around to read it. As always, thank you for reading and feel free to follow me on Twitter @shaun_27
Thanks so much for starting this series of posts. I am trying to figure out what combination of computers I should use for my internet media business. I’m thinking about getting an iMac for at home use and an iPad for portable use. However, I also like the Macbook Pro, so its between the iMac and the Macbook Pro. I will definitely get the iPad, though. Which do you think is better for business, iMac or Macbook Pro?
Joe,
Thanks again for the comment. Glad you like the post. Good question about the iMac or Macbook Pro. Personally, if it is for business and you are not planning on it being portable, go with the iMac. You are probably going to get more bang for your buck, especially if you wanting something on the higher end when it comes to the Macbook Pro. You get such a better deal on the iMac than the Macbook pro when you start to bump up your processor speed, RAM, and hard drive space. But at the same time you are sacrificing portability. Being that you are getting the iPad, which btw, I love mine, you may be okay to get by with the iMac. Will be putting out Part 2 which will cover the iMac next week, if everything goes to play
Let me know what you decide!!!
I think I will take your advice and get the iMac. But I will wait for the iMac post first!!!
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