If you like the new Apple MacBook Pro but the price tag is a little too hefty for your budget, you may want to check out the new Apple MacBook. It contains some of the benefits and features of the MacBook Pro minus a few features to bring the price tag down around $1200.

Although the new Apple MacBook is pricier than the previous model, it is still similar to the MacBook Pro but is lacking in some of the high-end features that the aluminum model contains.

Apple MacBook Design

Like the MacBook Pro, the Apple MacBook is designed with an aluminum unibody instead of the plastic casing that was present in previous models still available at a lower cost of $999. The unibody on the new MacBook is designed with a single piece of aluminum to provide for durability with a refined appearance without adding weight and bulk.

The 13.3-inch widescreen has undergone a makeover and is completely protected in glass. The screen contains the original 1280 x 800 screen resolution from the previous model. The MacBook measures up at 12.8 x 8.94 x 0.95 and weighs in at 4.5 pounds and contains an LED backlit panel.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard is almost identical to the MacBook Air with slightly raised keys and a responsive typing experience.

• Full-Sized Keyboard: The MacBook offers a great full-sized keyboard with efficient tactile feedback, which is backlit to make it user-friendly in less then favorable lighting conditions. The keyboard also offers a nifty built-in ambient light sensor that is capable of adjusting the keyboard illumination and display brightness to lighting conditions.

• Multi-Touch Trackpad:The Multi-Touch trackpad offers an enlarged design to make it finger-friendly and allows for surfing the Web effortlessly with a swipe of your fingers across the surface.

  The entire trackpad also functions as the button and allows you to click anywhere on the smooth glass surface. Use two fingers for scrolling, pinch it to zoom in and out, rotate an image with your fingers, and swipe your fingers to accomplish a variety of movements including switching applications. You can even configure a section of the trackpad specifically for right clicking.

Ports and Connectivity

• Two USB Ports: The MacBook provides two USB ports instead of three like the MacBook Pro model for connecting the peripherals. The MacBook also provides for any peripherals making it iPod and iPhone ready, as well as capable of connecting a digital camera or external hard drive.

• Mini DisplayPort: There is also a Mini DisplayPort for the new Apple LED Cinema Display and a new MagSafe power port which helps to keep your system and valuable data safe. The Kensington lock slot protects your MacBook, battery, and hard drive.

• Built-In Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet: The MacBook has built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR5 for connecting all of your clever little peripheral devices. The MacBook also offers 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet and iSight camera.

Performance

The MacBook operates on a 2.0 GHz or 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with 3 MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed. Like the MacBook Pro the MacBook also contains a 1066MHz frontside bus and 2GB of 1066MHz DDR 3 SDRAM with two SO-DIMM slots which provide for up to 4GB.

The MacBook contains an adequate 160GB hard drive to store all of your computing applications and files with the optional 250GB or 320GB 5400-rpm hard drive, 128 GB or 256GB solid state drive.

Like the MacBook Pro model, the MacBook contains the powerful NVIDIA Ge Force 9200M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM that is shared with the main memory. Additionally, there is a clever extended desktop and video mirroring feature for added display support.

The MacBook offers incredible design with an adequate performance if you do not mind the lower specs in comparison with MacBook Pro.