…so that I can buy a new MacBook Pro. Not surprisingly, the answer was no. Sigh… oh well, I’ll just keep dreaming then.

I’ve been very tempted to buy a MacBook Pro lately. Not the new ones with the Santa Rosa Centrino Pro chipsets and fancy LED screens though, they’re way out of my budget. Usually MBPs aren’t even an option for me but with the release of the new MBPs, the models introduced in October last year, i.e. the ‘old’ MacBook Pros, have had a price drop and are now just within reach of my meager salary.

Some people would call them old or outdated, but check out the specs of the introductary model of the old MBPs:

2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 4MB L2 cache with 677MHz FSB 15.4-inch 1440×900 widescreen LCD 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB SDRAM 120GB SATA 5400rpm HDD (Complete specs)

That’s still a really hot system, and for only RM6,499. Plus with the clearance promotions the local resellers have at the moment, I’ll even get a free laptop bag or something.

Compare the above to a similarly configured Dell Latitude D820 (non-Santa Rosa) Windows Vista notebook with the following specs:

2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 4MB L2 cache with 677MHz FSB 15.4-inch 1680×1050 wide aspect SXGA LCD 1GB 677MHz DDR2 SDRAM NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120M with 256MB SDRAM (can’t choose a card with less RAM) 120GB SATA 5400rpm HDD

This configuration above would set me back RM7,670. If I wanted to lower the price, I need to choose a 2.0GHz processor instead, which would bring the price down to RM6,481. By all means, go try configuring one yourself. Plus, the Dell doesn’t come with iLife installed.

Alas, while the older, non-Santa Rosa MacBook Pro has crossed that line into the ‘affordable’ side of my budget, I think I need to continue dreaming as I still need to pay my apartment loan and contribute to my wedding fund (my fiance will kill me if I spent this on a MBP).

So if you are like me and not willing to splurge eight grand on a brand new MacBook Pro, but unlike me, are not planning to marry or do not have any major outstanding loans, perhaps you may want to go down to your nearest local Apple Reseller for an ‘old’ MacBook Pro.

Speaking of our Apple Resellers, they’re all running promotional prices on the old MacBook Pros as I mentioned earlier. You can pick a 2.16GHz or 2.33GHz 15.4-inch MBP at RM6,499 or RM8,299 respectively. If you’re lucky, you may be able to find the 2.33GHz 17-inch MBP at a bargain RM9,299.

I know for certain MacStudio has some old MBPs ‘coz I was there last Friday and I know that machines has some too because I saw their ad in The Star last weekend. I’m pretty sure that the other resellers will have a few too, plus whatever other freebies they’ll throw in.

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to contribute to my MacBook Pro fund, please send me an email…