Apple MacBook, a birthday gift to myself

Edit (November 27, 2007)- I bought a new Apple MacBook – black (Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard). View latest Macbook and their prices

Whenever I buy something expensive, I feel guilty . Never mind if I validate it by saying that it is an early birthday gift or a fixed cost for my online business. Excuses , excuses! I strolled Glorietta Mall this afternoon just to check out the BPI Express Credit Card Madness which runs from June 7 to 18. Note, I had no intention of buying anything today. *sigh* At the Power Mac Apple Center, I caught myself staring at the 1.83 GHz, 13-inch white Apple MacBook. The svelte 1.08 inches thin Macbook with the 13 inch widescreen and pretty icons caught my attention. Not to mention my face…haha..Clickety!

Even Time Magazine selected Apple’s MacBook as its “Gadget of the Week.”

The MacBook is a powerful and affordable option, especially for people who are uncertain about their Windows future. The next version, Vista, might be a success, but with a MacBook you can hedge your bet. You get a computer that runs both Mac OS X and Windows XP today, and even appears to meet the minimum requirements for Vista once it gets here. Dell and HP should be very worried indeed.

I read out the specs for the 1.83 GHz, 13-inch white [tag]Apple MacBook[/tag]:

The specs include a

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display with 250 cd/m2 brightness;
* 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
* 667 MHz front-side bus;
* 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
* 60GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire® 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling TrackPad;
* the infrared Apple Remote; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Nice. Can I afford it? I will let my business pay for it, I consoled myself. I started bargaining. The assistant branch manager showed me the list price of 74,988.00 pesos (or $1,414) and that it came with a free iPod shuffle. I didn’t want the shuffle so I bargained for other freebies. A licensed Microsoft for Mac can be substituted for the iPod shuffle. I was sold. Price differences in the Macbook models offer very slight variations in CPU, optical drive, and hard disk space. Although I got the lower-priced, entry level Macbook, I know it is remarkably powerful system.

While waiting for my daughter at Bo’s Cafe, I got online using Globequest. My dear husband was online in Google Talk. He knew I had plans to buy a laptop but not this soon. I said “it’s my birthday in 5 days and besides my business will pay for it.“. What can he say?

I like the [tag]Macbook[/tag]. It’s so pretty. Aside from the color and design , cool features, such as the wide 13.3-inch screen boasts a glossy surface, which livens up photos and movies. The MacBook contains many of the same features you would find in a MacBook Pro, including a built-in iSight camera and an Apple Remote with built-in Front Row software. Last but not least, the MacBook bundles the latest version of the iLife software, allowing creation of web pages, blogs and podcasts. Though I haven’t really played with it yet, I know I will enjoy working more than ever.

Other Macbook reviews
“The new MacBooks are a Blogger’s Best Friend.”
PinoyMac Review on Macbook
MacBook: What you need to know

PS. The suggest retail prices of the Apple Macbook in the Philippines can be found here