The May 2007 MacBook Value Equation

Dan Knight - 2007.05.16 - Tip Jar

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, Apple Displays, MacBooks, iMac's, MacBook Pros, Laptop and iPod accessories and more. Apple A/C Adapters for laptops starting at $25.00 Call 1-800-941-7654 or Click Here.

OWC: NewerTech miniStack FireWire/USB 2.0 HD & Hub Up to 1.0TB of Performance Storage + FW/USB2 Powered Hubs - convenient & sleek 6.5" x 6.5" x 1.5" Featured: 500GB $169.99; 750GB $209.99; 1.0TB $339.99

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

MacBook/MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO DDR2 667Mhz 4GB Kit $84, 3GB Kit $60, 2GB Kit $40 1GB $20. Click to Maximize your Macs...

Apple did it again. Like clockwork, they upgraded the MacBook six months after its last update. The new models are a bit faster, have larger hard drive, include 802.11n wireless, and the top models use a faster SuperDrive.

Prices remain the same.

The base model runs at 2.0 GHz and has a 4 MB shared cache, up from 1.83 GHz and 2 MB on last year's model. The hard drive is 80 GB vs. 60 GB in the Nov. 2006 version. It should benchmark as well as the earlier 2.0 GHz MacBooks.

The 2.16 GHz models has 120 and 160 GB hard drives, 40 GB larger than before, and use an 8x SuperDrive vs. 6x in the earlier model. Expect about 8% higher benchmark scores than last year's 2.0 GHz MacBooks.

Everything else is familiar - the same sharp, glossy display; the same odd looking but well received keyboard, the same widescreen form factor.

There's really no compelling reason to upgrade from the earlier Core2 MacBooks. An 8% speed gain is nearly imperceptible, a slightly faster SuperDrive isn't going to save much time at all, and a bigger hard drive is a lot cheaper than selling your MacBook and buying a new one. Even 802.11n WiFi isn't compelling, mostly because there's very little support for it at present. (In six months, that may be a different story.)

New vs. Discontinued

The Nov. 2006 MacBooks were dropped to $999 (1.83 GHz, 512/60/Combo), $1,199 (2.0 GHz white), and $1,399 (2.0 GHz black), as seen in our MacBook price tracker.

For $100 more at the entry level, you get twice the RAM (worth $50), 20 GB additional drive space (harder to quantify, maybe worth $25), and an almost unnoticeable 8% speed bump (8% of $1,099 is $88). Add a bit more performance due to the larger cache in the new MacBook. In terms of value, the new 2.0 GHz MacBook wins unless the 1.83 GHz Core2 model sells for at least $150 less.

The 2.16 GHz white MacBook sells for $100 more than the 2.0 GHz model it replaces. It gains 40 GB of drive space and an 8x vs. 6x SuperDrive. 8% more speed equates to $108, the extra drive space may be worth $50, and the faster SuperDrive probably isn't going to matter to most buyers. At $150 difference, we tip the hat to the new model, which also includes 802.11n WiFi.

Comparing the new 2.0 GHz MacBook to the old 2.0 GHz Core2 model, the new one is a hands down winner unless you want a SuperDrive. The same amount of RAM, the same sized cache, the same sized hard drive, and faster WiFi (but no SuperDrive) at $100 less. But if you want a SuperDrive, the older model is definitely a good buy.

MacBook At the top of the MacBook line is the black MacBook, which has the same gains as the white one. There is definitely a "black tax", but it is gorgeous. For $100 more money, you get 1/3 more drive space, a 1/3 faster SuperDrive, faster and farther reaching WiFi, and the same 8% speed bump as the others. For 6.7% more money, the new 2.16 GHz model is a hands-down winner.

New vs. Refurbished

The best value comes from refurbished units of last year's model. When we checked refurb prices on May 4, the 1.83 GHz Core2 sold for $949, the 2.0 GHz white for $1,099, and the black was unavailable. It was $1,299 the last time Apple offered it refurbished.

We'll have to see how things settle down, but Apple briefly listed the refurbished 2.0 GHz white MacBook to $999. Spec for spec, it's a good comparison with the new $1,099 2.0 GHz entry-level MacBook. The old model has a SuperDrive (nice) and 802.11g WiFi, while the new one has a Combo drive and 802.11n wireless. Personally, I'd lean toward the discontinued refurb MacBook for its SuperDrive and give up the slightly improved speed and the greater range of 802.11n.

I'm guessing 1.83 GHz refurbs will sell for $849, which would make them a better value than the new 2.0 GHz entry-level MacBook. And the black MacBook will probably go for $1,199 refurbished, making it a steal compared to the new model. Of course, these are only guesses as to how Apple will price them, but based on past experience, they should be in the ballpark.

Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986, sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.

Recent Mac Musings

More air: Expectations for future MacBook and MacBook Pro models, 07.08. Next generation 'Books are expected to include Intel's next generation Montevino processor, but wireless power and wireless USB could give Apple a leg up on the competition.
PowerPC's last chance: The Mac's history with the G5 CPU, 06.24. The introduction of the G5 Power Mac in June 2003 promised a bright 3 GHz future, and failure to achieve that paved the way to today's Intel Macs.
16:9 computer displays: Let's not go there, 06.17. "...there's no reason our computer displays should match the proportions of our television displays."
More in the Mac Musings index.

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Time Machine can now backup to a shard hard drive, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 07.08. Earlier versions of Leopard didn't seem to allow backup to a shared drive on another Mac, but the 10.5.4 update allows it.
Safari 3.1 Is the best browser for Macs and for Windows, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 07.08. Apple's Safari browser is fast, lightweight, and compatible with pretty much any website that doesn't require users to run Windows and Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
Best iBook G3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used clamshell, $100; 500 MHz CD, $169; 700, $279; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $299; 14" 700, $300; 900, $449.
Best Power Mac G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used 450 MHz ACP, $79; 533 DA, $100; 867 QS, $200; 1.25 GHz MDD Combo, $375; 867 dual, $325; 1 GHz, $395; 1.25, $529; 1.42, $619.
Best classic iPod deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used 20 GB, $100; 30, $120; 40, $150; 60 color, $175; 30 video, $160; 80, $200; refurb 80 classic, $209; new, $229; refurb 160, $299; new, $319.
Mac of the Day: 'Lombard' PowerBook G3, June 1999 - 'bronze keyboard' model is first PowerBook with USB, reaches 400 MHz, trims almost 2 lb.
List of the Day: PowerList for those using Power Computing Mac clones.
July 9 in LEM history: 01: Anti-spam measures marginalize low-end Macs - Color Classics on eBay - DSL diary - The 25th Anniversary Mac - 02: eMac test drive - Women in IT - 03: A week with an eMac - Are Apple's applications helping or hurting? - 04: Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache - Radeon Enabler unlocks video features
Macintosh reliability improving since the shift to Intel, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 07.07. For a while in the G3 and G4 era, Apple was plagued with logic board failures and analog board problems, but they seem to be a thing of the past.
1.8 GHz, SSD MacBook Air price cuts; Samsung vs. Hitachi notebook drives; Centrino 2 preorders; and more, The 'Book Review, 07.07. Also MacBook shipments up 61% over Q1 2007, Apple notebook redesign rumored, Santa Rosa MacBook Pro video failure, Mopar in-vehicle wireless Internet, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,749, and m
iPhone 3G service more costly in States, outrageous in Canada, and more, iNews Review, 07.07. Also long fingernails and the iPhone, future iPhone may include keyboard and Intel Atom CPU, voice control for iPods, Ringtons Studio for the iPhone, and more.
Best MacBook deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Used 1.83 GHz Combo, $819; 2.0 SD, $975; refurb 2.1 GHz Combo, $949; 2.4 SD, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1 Combo, $1,005 a/r; 2.2 SD, $1,205 a/r; more.
Best eMac deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Used 700 MHz CD, $140; CD-RW, $150; Combo, $170; 1 GHz, $200; 1.25 GHz SD, $230; 1.42 GHz Combo, $300; SuperDrive, $439.
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $40; 10.1, $49; 10.2, $60; 10.3 DVD, $80; CD, $160; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $80; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $130.
More links in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.