13" Unibody Macbook vs 13" Macbook Pro


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Hey guys, I'm taking the plunge to get myself a macbook but I'm tossing up between the two.

Basically it has come down to the two closest ever macbooks but I've managed to squeeze out some differences.

13" unibody macbook

Pros:

slightly bigger battery

bigger hard disk

A$200 cheaper (with student discount)

Cons:

scratches

rubber base dirties easily

no apple remote function (i have one for my ipod/base)

sticky keypad (after oil sticks on it)

13" macbook pro

Pros:

backlit keyboard

lighter & smaller

aluminium (doesn't scratch much)

better color gamut screen

firewire+sd card slot

Cons:

A$200 more

smaller hard disk

slightly smaller battery

So which would you guys recommend/choose? I'm starting to lean to the Pro now but I fear an update will come soon.

Also, if I have a brand new hard disk I want to stick in, will the apple guys do it for me? Will they charge in that case?

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I would recommend the MacBook Pro. I have the 13" model, and think its worth the extra $200 for the aluminum and the extra features you get.

You can buy a new hard drive for it, but I'm not sure if Apple would do it or charge you. I'd recommend ringing your local Apple retail store and see what they say.

Its not hard to replace the HDD yourself though. Apple have guide up on their website which you can find at:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/MBPRO_...d_Drive_DIY.pdf

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Yeah, I was gonna check with them when I buy it at the store tomorrow. Has anyone stuck in a 7200rpm drive? Hows the overall performance, battery life and vibration from it? It looks simple enough for me but I'm just paranoid that I'll mess up my brand new macbook.

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What Unibody are you talking about? because a lot of that stuff in your list is wrong if you mean the Aluminum unibody MacBook.

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+1 for pro...and i think they have longer battery than macbooks...8 hours vs 7 hours...plus ram upgradability of up to 8 gb (i think macbook is only 4 gb)...i don't know what you use your computer for but if it's for casual purposes, the pro will keep up in its performance...

i had one for a week (when i thought my computer died) and it's pretty easy to fall in love with them.

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thanks guys i think i'll go pro. now i'm concerned with the vibration from the 7200rpm drive i plan to use with it. its really annoying on my current laptop. when do you guys think the new versions will be coming out? i'm only able to wait at most a month because i'll need it by end of november.

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ah i give up i spent a little extra for the top end 13" pro. no need to upgrade anything and probably a little bit faster in speed as well for day to day usage. thanks for all the suggestions guys!

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What Unibody are you talking about? because a lot of that stuff in your list is wrong if you mean the Aluminum unibody MacBook.

I would guess the new Unibody Polycarbonate models, I guess the Aluminum ones are just Aluminum Macbooks now.

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The unibody Macbooks are garbage from what I've heard. Stick with the 13" pro

yeah thats what put me off them. even though they are such great value, the review i saw had scratches and worn out rubber in just 1 day of usage.

yeah i meant unibody macbook vs unibody macbook pro (both 13"). the battery is very slightly different (60wh vs 58wh)

anyway thanks again for all the info guys! i'm loving the new macbook pro (and typing on it right now). it feels much more premium than the macbook and definitely better than anything i've ever laid my hands on.

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