Is The Singnet 10Mbps Apple Macbook Bundle Worth It?

Hi Folks,

Singtel has started a new Singnet Broadband Notebook bundle in Nov 08 and this time its about the seductive Apple Macbooks. There is definitely no question about the sex appeal of the seductive Macbooks, if budget is no a problem, I guess everyone would want to own one. So the only question remaining is whether the bundle has irresistable value.

Let’s start with what’s on offer.

UPDATE: My previous calculations was off by a wide margin due to a mistake in currency. Apple Singapore website redirected me to US Store instead of SG Store. Hence the error in the price of MacBook quoted. It has been corrected. Special thanks to a user bobcheah from Hardwarezone who pointed it out for me.

The White 13 Inch Apple Macbook

• 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM – 2x512MB
• Intel GMA X3100 graphics
• 120GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW

A check with Apple’s Singapore website reveals that the unit is selling for SGD 999 1588. This is the white (read classic) version of the Macbook.

There is 2 important things to note … first, this is not the aluminum version that is wowing the world over. Second, this version has a much less capable graphics chipset … Intel X3100 instead of Nvidia Geforce 9400M.

So let us do our sums:

Normal 10Mbps	Macbook Bundle	Cost Of Bundle
SGD 58 Per Month	SGD 79.95 Per Month	SGD 21.95 Per Month

The contract for the bundle is 30 months which means the cost of getting the Macbook with the bundle is SGD 658.5. Or looking from another angle, it’s a savings of SGD 929.5 if you get from Singnet instead of Apple. Not bad … that’s 34% savings. That’s an incredible 58% savings of Apple’s list price!

Upgrade Option

For those who need the better spec or simply crave for the sexy aluminium or maybe just want the better graphics, you can opt for the upgrade to the new 13 Inch Aluminum Macbook.

The New 13 Inch Apple Macbook

• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x1GB
• 160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

If you notice, this version have faster memory, larger harddisk and better graphics chip. But again is it worth the upgrade.

White Macbook	Aluminium Macbook	Aluminium Macbook List Price
SGD 658.5	SGD 1157.5	SGD 1299 2088

After the SGD 499 top-up, you still have a savings of SGD 930.5 which works out to be about 44.5%. Not as attractive but still good but you will have to decide if it’s good enough to lock you up for 30 months. So it looks like Singtel is giving a subsidy of ~SGD 930 to the bundle. Awesome!!

Conclusion

UPDATE: A SGD 930 subsidy translates to around 16 months of 10Mbps subscription under normal pricing. So you can take it as buy a macbook and get 16 month 10Mbps Singnet BB FREE!

If you need a Macbook or WANT a Macbook and can sign/recontract your broadband plan, do wait any longer. The deal looks very delicious indeed!

There are definitely savings with the new Singnet-Apple bundle for new Singnet users or existing Singnet users who are currently paying SGD 58 per month or more already. But for those who are on a cheaper 10Mbps plan (those who recontracted on super super cheaper rates with no bundles whatsoever), you may be better of buying directly from Apple.

So do your sums, if it is suitable, go down and grab one. If not, just wait, SITEX 08 is just around the corner. Oh, I forgot to mention that there are other freebies in the bundle that I did not take into account because I don’t care for those freebies.

Cheers,
James