New member, looking to get a MacBook

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Hello all, I'm looking to buy a macbook. I'm looking to get the white one that costs 1299, with the 2.4Ghz processor. I got a question though. My cousin bought the 2.1Ghz one in 06, and it's been 2 years. It's still the same price! Did they just keep the exact same laptop for 2 years, without changing anything, and it's still the same price? Wouldn't this be considered a rip off? That's the main reason I'm apprehensive before buying a mac, are they planning on coming out with a new model anytime soon?

Thanks!
 
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Black Macbook C2D 2GHz 3GB RAM 250GB HD iPhone 4 iPad 3G
You just said that your cousin has a 2.1GHz model whereas the one you're looking at has a 2.4GHz processor. Can you not see the change?

The Macbooks have gotten several speed bumps since the time your cousin bought his/hers. So while the prices remain the same, the computer certainly does not.

However, there is speculation that Apple will be completely overhauling two of its notebook lines this June.
 
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You just said that your cousin has a 2.1GHz model whereas the one you're looking at has a 2.4GHz processor. Can you not see the change?

The Macbooks have gotten several speed bumps since the time your cousin bought his/hers. So while the prices remain the same, the computer certainly does not.

However, there is speculation that Apple will be completely overhauling two of its notebook lines this June.

Right, but that's a 200 dollars change, if he bought the 2.4Ghz, there wouldn't be any change. Also, what do you mean by speed bumps? Hardware wise? Or software? One more thing, how do I get a better hard drive? 5400rpm wont cut it, I need at least 7200.

By the way, I don't know if he bought the 2.1GHz one in 06, I know he bought the simplest one, so I assume it's the same cpu speed.
 
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Also, what do you mean by speed bumps? Hardware wise? Or software? One more thing, how do I get a better hard drive? 5400rpm wont cut it, I need at least 7200.

Actually, both hardware and software. The 06 version was likely a Core Duo. They are presently shipping with Core 2 Duo's, reputed to be almost 10% faster, clock for clock, than the Core Duo. So that is the hardware element. From a raw speed perspective, the clock rate has also gone up, to a max now of 2.4.

In addition, I fairly sure that amount of memory has increased (now 2 GB, I don't think it was that high in 06) AND the size of the hard drive has increased.

SO, while a similar price point, a much more powerful machine in many ways.

Update your hard drive? No problem. See this tutorial on how to do it. If you don't like this one, there are dozens more out there with similar information. Just Google "upgrade hard disk macbook" and you will get lots of them.
 
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Right, but that's a 200 dollars change, if he bought the 2.4Ghz, there wouldn't be any change. Also, what do you mean by speed bumps? Hardware wise? Or software? One more thing, how do I get a better hard drive? 5400rpm wont cut it, I need at least 7200.

By the way, I don't know if he bought the 2.1GHz one in 06, I know he bought the simplest one, so I assume it's the same cpu speed.

Where are you getting a $200 difference when you said your cousin bought a Macbook for the same price as the one you're looking for? You're getting a comparably faster machine with newer software for the same price he paid. That's how computers work, you get newer stuff every couple of months for the same price.

Now if you were to go and buy a machine identical to your cousin's right now and had to pay the same amount, then yes, I could understand why you'd be miffed at having to pay that much. But you're not paying for the same machine, you're paying for a better one.
 
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Mid 2009 MacBook Pro  Mid 2007 iMac  4G iPod Touch  iPhone 4S  iPad
If you wait to buy just because Apple may or may not be updating a piece of hardware, you're never going to buy one. It seem they are always updating something.
 
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Well, but a whole new line is a big deal. If that is true, what that guy above said, about them coming out with a new line in June, then I'll gladly wait. Or, I could just buy one from bestbuy and return it.
 
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There are plenty of updates since 2006. On the bottom of the range macbook

2006

1.83ghz Core Duo
512MB RAM (2 gigs Max)
60 GB HDD
GMA950 Video
Tiger

2007

2.1ghz Core2Duo (in real terms probably 25 - 35% faster)
1 gig RAM (4 Gigs Max)
120GB HDD
X3100 Video
Leopard

Your 2.4ghz will have 2 gigs of RAM, a DVD super-drive and a 250GB HDD, all better specs than my, then, top end MacBook Black which came with a 2ghz processor (Core Duo), 512MB RAM by default (I upgraded to 2 gigs myself) and a 100GB HDD (back then considered pretty good).
 
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Well, but a whole new line is a big deal. If that is true, what that guy above said, about them coming out with a new line in June, then I'll gladly wait. Or, I could just buy one from bestbuy and return it.
I just poked around a little and read a rumor that the new MacBooks are going to be aluminum like the MBP! IF that is true, I recant. I would love an aluminum version of my MB! However, after dealing with Windows as long as I did and with all the trouble Vista was giving me, I still don't know if I could wait. But this sure is gonna be interesting! Now I need to develop a solid excuse for next year when I pitch the idea of purchasing a new aluminum MB to my wife...
 
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Lol, good luck with that.
Yeah, I doubt I'll be able to pull it off. My big pitch this year to replace our Windows machines with Macs was partly because they generally last longer. But that's OK. What I said earlier applies to me as well: If I wait to buy a Mac because they may update them, I'll never buy one.
 

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