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What’s the difference between the Apple laptops: Macbook, Macbook Pro, and Macbook Air?

Here at DeGeeked, we are fans of Apple. Not only are their products almost universally easy to use and beautifully designed, Apple keep it simple with their product names. Unlike most other computer manufacturers, Apple doesn't offer a dizzying number of different types of computers identified by confusing letter and number combinations.

You want an Apple laptop? You have three from which to choose: Macbook, Macbook Pro, and Macbook Air. (Dell, for example, has at least four different lines of laptops each with at least four different models in each product line. All with cryptic names like "XPS M1530.")

Despite the small differences in names, there really are a lot of differences between the three types of Apple laptops. The thing is, most of the differences are under the hood and a bit too techy to suit us. So, we've stripped away all the too-techy-to-matter-to-most-people stuff and boiled it down to the most important and most major differences.

	Macbook	Macbook Pro	Macbook Air
Screen Size	13.3"	15.4" or 17"	13.3"
Weight	4.5 pounds	5.5 pounds	3 pounds
CD/DVD Drive	Yes	Yes	No
Processor Speed	2.0 - 2.4 Ghz	2.4 - 2.8 Ghz	1.6 - 1.86 Ghz
Firewire Port	No	Yes	No
Base Price	$1269	$1869	$1794

Still not sure which one is right for you? We can break it down even more: If you travel a lot and portability (small size and low weight) is key, go with the Macbook Air. If your priority is power and/or you have a video camera that uses a Firewire connection, go with the Macbook Pro. Everyone else, stick with the Macbook.

Any other questions? Let us know in the comments below.