Your Apple Laptop - Attn: Jack

[Jake]

Can one of you cool tech guys tell me why the new unibody macbooks are better than the previous generation and/or worth the extra expense? We just bought a new previous generation 2.4Ghz MB for 939 as opposed to the new 1600 dollar unibody MB. Seems like a faster graphics card and overkill aluminum frame is all there is to it.

Well... considering how Apple just updated the white MacBook (like a week ago), the differences are now fewer. Both have the same processor and graphics (graphics was the big difference, old = Intel GMA950 vs new = NVidia 9400) which kills most of the performance difference.

So, big differences now are the new case (which is nice to have IMO, but not a deal-killer), backlit keyboard on the upper-model, a 40 GB larger HD, and the multitouch trackpad.

Trackpad is the coolest and most "worth-it" feature for me. The white MB has a FireWire port which the new Unibody MB's do not (gotta get a Pro now!) so if you have an old-skool video cam with FW, it won't work with an AluMB.

Between the $999 white and $1299 Alu, I'd have a tough decision to make. The $1599 Alu gives you the big HD, backlit keyboard, faster processor, etc. and therefore is worth the extra cost.