Originally Posted by: maggiorSomething like this might be better (and is cheaper!):
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Starcaster-Electric-Guitar-Starter/dp/B00403NKA0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1362066555&sr=8-7&keywords=fender+squire

Something else I noticed is that the apple strat has a humbucker in the bridge pickup. A "true strat" configuraiton is for single coil pickups in all 3 spots.

The sunburst on the apple strat is gorgeous. My strat is that color and it is something to behold. You can probably find a "strat pack" that has that color is you shop around.