Last week, Apple announced their new MacBook configurations and pricing. The changes are summarized here:

1. Changed processor from Intel Core Duo to Intel Core 2 Duo on all versions.
2. The basic version, White, 512MB memory, 60GB Hard Drive, CD drive, 1.83GHz processor is otherwise unchanged at $1099.
3. The next version, White, 1GB memory, 80GB hard drive, SuperDrive, 2.00 GHz processor, ups the memory (from 512MB) and the Hard Drive (from 60GB) for the same price as before, $1299. These two upgrades would have added $150 to the price under the old pricing.
4. The last version, Black, 1GB memory, 120GB hard drive, SuperDrive, 2.00 GHz processor, ups the memory (from 512MB) and the Hard Drive (from 80GB) for the same price as before, $1499. These two upgrades would have added $250 to the price under the old pricing.
5. A 100GB hard drive is no longer available.

Processor aside, the biggest change was in the configuration of the black MacBook. Before the new pricing, the cost of black was $150. This is the difference between a white and black MacBook with the same size hard drive (80GB). Now, if you want the 120 GB drive, black only costs you $50 since you can special order a white MacBook with a 120 GB drive for $1449.

Intel now sells the Core 2 Duo for the same price as it did for the Core Duo. The chips are pin for pin compatible and so require no changes in manufacturing for someone like Apple.

The question is now what is the Core 2 Duo worth. Anandtech.com has completed a detailed review of the performance differences between these chip sets using Windows software (search for the "Mobile CPU Wars: Core 2 Duo vs. Core Duo" article). Their results may be summarized as follows:

1. You might get a 5% to 15% improvement but in most cases the processor is bottlenecked by the video processor and you would see nearly no improvement.
2. The battery life is the same.

So, when shopping for a MacBook on eBay, pay close attention to the memory and hard drive sizes being offered for sale because that's where all the real differences occur. Don't necessarily hold out for a Core 2 Duo MacBook, you'll gain little.

A word about memory.

If you plan to run Windows on your MacBook, you will probably want to have 1GB of memory. This is especially true if you plan to use Parallels. So, if you need 1GB of memory, buy a MacBook that has it installed. Avoid buying one with 512MB thinking you can upgrade to 1GB. Upgrading will require buying 1GB of memory (about $75-$100) and replacing the 512MB (2 256MB chips) with the 1GB memory. There is little market for the 256MB chips since they will only work in laptop computers and, since most laptops come with these already installed, few people will need to buy them. A quick check of completed listings shows they sell for about $10 each. So, try to buy the MacBook you want or need; avoid the temptation to plan to upgrade.

Happy bidding!