MacBook or MacBook Pro?
Monday, June 23 2008 @ 10:55 AM ET | Article Link
Eric Schwartz's Sunday Dialogue column yesterday on Schwartztech pondered afresh the abiding conundrum for Apple notebook shoppers - "MacBook or MacBook Pro?"

The obvious advantages of the MacBook are its substantially lower price and for seriously mobile users, its smaller size and weight. Schwartz observes that unlike the corresponding question in the Power PC laptop era - iBook or PowerBook - in our current context the happy circumstance for MacBook fanciers is that the respective models are much closer in specifications and performance, with, for example the high-end MacBook and the 15" MacBook Pro both using the same 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, all models topping out at the same 4 GB RAM ceiling, and able to accommodate the same capacity hard drives.

However, there are some significant differences that may or may not justify the MacBook Pro's sharply higher price of entry.

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If you're into video or high-end graphics, or gaming in a serious way, you will probably find the kludgy Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics more of a handicap that you want to put up with, compared with the real Graphics Processor Unit with 128 MB or 256 MB of dedicated video RAM you'll get in the MacBook Pro. On the other hand, for the rest of us, the 144 MB of RAM that the MacBook's integrated graphics borrow on demand from your system RAM looms less large with the machine's ability to support up to 4 GB of RAM.

Another obvious distinction is the size and resolution of these computers' displays respectively. In personally making this consideration, I'm finding that after 2 1/2 years using an early generation 17" PowerBook as my main workstation, I'm more reluctant that I anticipated I would be to go back to using a smaller display than the 1440 x 900 pixel resolution I've become accustomed to, and wondering if I would find the MacBook's 13" 1280 x 800 res. display frustratingly cramped.

Also, the MacBook's 13" screen is only available in glossy finish, whereas with the MacBook Pro you can have your preference of glossy or traditional matte. For me, this isn't a biggie. I think I might prefer the glossy display even in a MacBook Pro, although I'll have to live with one for a while before passing judgment on which I ultimately prefer. Speaking of display issues, another one in this dichotomy is that the 15" MacBook Pro comes standard with a LED display backlight, and LED backlighting is available as a $100 BTO option with the 17" Pro 'Book, but not at all on the MacBook.

Again, I'm agnostic on this. While many have praised the LED backlit displays for their superior brightness, lower energy consumption and anticipated longer life, I've also been reading some forum accounts from owners who really don't like them, complaining of uneven illumination. Being as I've gotten along quite happily up to now with CCFL backlit screens, I don't think this one would be a deal-breaker for me. It also bears noting, that the frequency of reported problems with the MacBook Pros' 15.4" and 17" displays seems a lot greater than with the 13" MacBook screens ( for a topical anecdote, click here.). It's also worth noting that you can buy a pretty decent external display to use in desktop mode for the difference in price between a MacBook Pro and an MacBook.

Then there is the MacBook Pro's ExpressCard 34 slot, which the MacBook doesn't have. I like the idea of potential expandability, but I have to concede that in the 30 months I've been using the G4 PowerBook as my main workstation, there has not once been anything inserted in its CardBus PCMCIA slot, and I never really missed a PC Card slot in the three years I used an iBook as my main production machine. The same goes for FireWire 800 support. Nice to have in theory but rarely required in practice unless you own FireWire 800 peripherals, i which case your decision is obvious.

The MacBook Pro's backlit keyboard can be a big plus if you frequently use your 'Book in low light conditions, especially if, like me. you're not a touch typist. However, for occasional use you can get inexpensive USB powered LED keyboard lights as a workaround.

The MacBook Pro has the much-ballyhooed MacBook Air type MultiTouch trackpad, which some folks wax euphoric about and nobody seems to dislike. If this appeals to you, it could be the clincher easing you off the fence on the side of the Pro model. Not for me, however, since I mostly use my workhorse 'Book on a stand with an external keyboard and mouse.

Aesthetically, the MacBook Pro's now-classic but still attractive anodized aluminum case is more appealing, although the MacBook's polycarbonate plastic housing is arguably more rugged and gives you longer wireless range. If the rumor mills are correct, this point will become moot with the next generation MacBook, which is widely anticipated to have an aluminum case.

Then there are the keyboards. The MacBook Pro has a traditional laptop keyboard that dates back to the 17" PowerBook of January, 2003, while the MacBook has Apple's newfangled "ckiclet" type keys (also used in Apple's aluminum freestanding keyboards) that some people love and others don't.

The bottom line here is that it boils down to your individual needs, tastes, and finances. It's a nice sort of dilemma to have.

bookmystique@pbcentral.com