by Jim J Jones

Created on: April 22, 2010

Unlike Windows computers, Macintosh laptops come in a relatively simple set of design groups. There is the MacBook (the one with the white plastic shell), the MacBook Pro (same shape as the white one, with an aluminum casing), and the MacBook Air (the ultra-thin and ultra-delicate twin of the MacBook Pro).

The simple, plain old MacBook is the cheapest of the bunch, coming in at $999 - though that figure will almost certainly be a good bit larger once you add in sales tax. For purchasers on a budget, the wisest choice would probably be to go with the bare bones version, which features a 2.26 GHz CPU, 2 GB of memory, and 250 GB of hard drive space. Of course, a bare bones Macintosh is as good as most "pimped out" Windows computers, so you will still be getting your money's worth.

There are two basic ways to buy something on a budget, and they are saving and borrowing. The saving approach is quite simple. Determine how much money you can cut out of your monthly budget, and save it up until you have enough to buy the MacBook. While this option will work for those who want the computer soon.

Apple offers borrowers a number of options. For those willing to get a brand new Barclays Visa Card from Apple, the description is quoted below: Get 12 months deferred interest on your first Apple purchase of more than $900 but less than $2500. If balances are not paid in full within 12 months, interest will be charged from the purchase date at a 22.99% variable APR.

Before you do anything else, look at that number again. 22.99%, effectively a 23% interest rate - and it will be applied retroactively going all the way back to the purchase date. This means that after 12 months, any money you have not paid off will be increased by 23%, plus any applicable fees, and then you will not only have to pay off that amount, but deal with a continuous interest rate of 23% until you have paid it off entirely.

In effect, borrowers and savers have to do the same thing: you have to budget in such a way that you can pay off the entire price of the computer by the 12-month time limit, and you have to be absolutely sure that you will actually be able to pay it off if you borrow.

This writer's advice is that you not borrow. These are not the economic times to be borrowing $1,000 in, because anyone can lose their job, and not having a computer (or having a cheaper computer than a MacBook) is certainly preferable to bankruptcy.

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