The MacBooks, Apple's notebooks, don't pack a lot of surprises. That's not a bad thing -- unless you're trying to come up with something smart to say in a buyer's guide. They're Macs. They're portable.

Apple has two lines of notebooks, the MacBook and the more powerful MacBook Pro.

First, be aware that these are not lightweight machines. The MacBook weighs 5.1 pounds, the 17-inch MacBook Pro weighs 6.8 pounds.

	(click image for larger view) The MacBook is a solid notebook that has some multimedia capabilities. view the image gallery

The MacBook and the MacBook Pro are both designed for multimedia. Like the iMac, they include a built-in iSight camera, the Apple Remote, and Front Row software, so you can use your MacBook as a home theater. (Well, a small home theater.)

After that, though, the two lines diverge.

There are two MacBook models, a "lower-end" and "higher-end" model, both with 13-inch screens. The low-end model has a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 Gbyte of memory, an 80-Gbyte hard drive, and a combo read-only DVD/read-write CD drive. It's priced at $1,099, and comes in a jaunty white case. If that's not quite enough for you, you can get the same model with a slightly faster 2.16 GHz processor, 120 Gbytes of storage, and a double-layer SuperDrive that reads and writes both DVDs and CDs, priced at $1,299 (with the same jaunty white case).

The second model, the higher-end MacBook, adds 160 Gbytes of storage and a black case, priced at $1,699.

Of the three, the midrange MacBook looks like the best deal. For an extra $200 over the entry level, you get a slightly faster processor, 50% more storage, and a drive that lets you burn DVDs rather than just play them. The high-end MacBook is priced $200 more than the midrange, which is a lot to pay for 40 Gbytes more storage and a matte black case.

And the white case is actually more attractive than the more popular (and more expensive) black case. It's more playful -- and therefore, some might argue, less professional looking -- but it's a symbol that Macs are actually fun to use, while also being useful tools. Let the PC users sneer.

The graphics card on all the MacBooks is an Intel GMA 950, which shares 64 Mbytes of memory with the system main memory. That means you won't be able to enjoy the best results with the most graphics-intensive games and other programs.

If you need more power, you want the MacBook Pro, with bigger displays, more memory, more powerful graphics, and a spiffy backlit keyboard.

	(click image for larger view) The MacBook Pro offers a version with a 17-inch screen for those who are serious about their multimedia. view the image gallery

The Pro starts with a 15-inch display, 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Due processor, 2 Gbytes of memory, a 120-Gbyte hard drive, and an Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card with 128 Mbytes of VRAM, priced at $1,999. That's $900 more than the low-end MacBook.

The midrange model has a 2.4 GHz processor, 160 Gbytes of storage, and 256 Mbytes of VRAM, priced at $2,499. The high-end model has a bigger 17-inch display and is priced at $2,799.

My thoughts: The low-end MacBook Pro is a solid machine, but I recommend you steer away from it anyway. It doesn't pay to economize on memory and storage; you save money in the short term but it just means your machine will be obsolete, and need replacing, a few months sooner.

Whether you choose the midrange or high-end MacBook Pro depends on how badly you need that big display. A 15-inch laptop is perfectly adequate for most uses (and weighs 1.4-pounds less); if you need more screen space, you can hook it up to an external monitor while you're at your desk. On the other hand, if you're planning to travel a lot, and use the machine without an external monitor, you may find you really want those two extra inches. (Be aware, though, when you're rushing from one end of Chicago O'Hare Airport to another, you may wish for the lighter load.)