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Alum is sexy & I love it; but what is with the black hinge?

C

Clancycoop

macrumors member
Original poster
As I look at my new Alum Macbook, I can't help but notice that it looks great from every angle but behind. The black (plastic?) hinge is like hubcaps on a Ferrari.

Why skimp there Apple? I realize that it was probably a calculated decision, but I know they don't like how it looks because there isn't a single image that shows the back on their site (if you can find one, posting a link is all good, I just did a quick going over).

Yes, this post is completely nit-picky. I am a obsessive compulsive whiner, but why couldn't it have been Alum too?

Anybody else not love the skid mark on the back?
 
I don't mind. There is speculation that this is where the wireless antenna is kept.. since plastic doesn't interfere with wireless signal as much as aluminum does. The macbook pro has had a similar hinge for quite some time.

Personally, I think it is a nice accent.. it matches the bezel around the display and the keys and I don't think it looks out of place at all.
 
Its kind of funny that you mention Ferrari... see any significance in this picture? 😉

Ferrari_430_Scuderia_2.jpg
 
I hate the black hinge too.

Everything about the bottom of these laptops is beautiful. Everything about the top sucks big ones.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

They went with an all plastic hinge starting with the first MBP, maybe because the aluminum ones were bending too often. The first ones were grey plastic, which got dirty, so they switched to black. Black also matches better with what's inside...black bezel and keyboard. Just my theory.
 
I actually like the black hinge. I feel it will be one of those features that seperates generations from a distance.
 
I am holding on buying the MB because of this part. I love it to be black but to see it as plastic? No way!. BTW , I always love apple products because of its design, but this time, hmmm.. I hate the hinge..
 
reybart said:
I am holding on buying the MB because of this part. I love it to be black but to see it as plastic? No way!. BTW , I always love apple products because of its design, but this time, hmmm.. I hate the hinge..
Click to expand...

In other words, you are waiting until they reverse their design decision and go back to aluminum? Good luck with your PC.
 
Somehow i like that black, a nice tweak to the case. i'm too a fan of all aluminum but it's time to see something different.

reybart said:
I am holding on buying the MB because of this part. I love it to be black but to see it as plastic? No way!. BTW , I always love apple products because of its design, but this time, hmmm.. I hate the hinge..
Click to expand...

what is wrong w/ plastic? and is on the back anyway, you cant even see when you are using it.
 
I like the alum/black look and I think it might look a bit out of place if it wasn't black.

As for it being plastic, it doesn't bother me in the least.
 
mcdj said:
In other words, you are waiting until they reverse their design decision and go back to aluminum? Good luck with your PC.
Click to expand...

I don't have a PC @all. I all have apple products. But now I am considering the MBA. But I might consider MB again if I get used to the black hinge.😉.
 
mikeyr0x said:
I like the black hinge
Good contrast, terrible thread

edit pic for last poster;
2985057725_94d3f4424e.jpg
Click to expand...

that's quite a large wireless mouse dongle you've got there. you should try the logitech vx nano. it's an awesome mouse, and the dongle only stick out about 1/4"
 
Clancycoop said:
As I look at my new Alum Macbook, I can't help but notice that it looks great from every angle but behind. The black (plastic?) hinge is like hubcaps on a Ferrari.

Why skimp there Apple? I realize that it was probably a calculated decision, but I know they don't like how it looks because there isn't a single image that shows the back on their site (if you can find one, posting a link is all good, I just did a quick going over).

Yes, this post is completely nit-picky. I am a obsessive compulsive whiner, but why couldn't it have been Alum too?

Anybody else not love the skid mark on the back?
Click to expand...
Get over it. Seriously.
 
reybart said:
I am holding on buying the MB because of this part. I love it to be black but to see it as plastic? No way!. BTW , I always love apple products because of its design, but this time, hmmm.. I hate the hinge..
Click to expand...

Maybe Apple can offer a special config that replaces the black plastic with a nice aluminum cap. The config will also include a USB WiFi dongle since wireless reception will be completely nill. Look up "faraday cage" for details.
 
duffyanneal said:
Maybe Apple can offer a special config that replaces the black plastic with a nice aluminum cap. The config will also include a USB WiFi dongle since wireless reception will be completely nill. Look up "faraday cage" for details.
Click to expand...

That's so completely unnecessary lol... Never going to happen in my opinion.
 
reybart said:
I am holding on buying the MB because of this part. I love it to be black but to see it as plastic? No way!. BTW , I always love apple products because of its design, but this time, hmmm.. I hate the hinge..
Click to expand...

Of course you are free to spend your own money how you see fit, but is this seriously the only reason why you are holding off buying the MacBook and looking at the Air instead? Both computers are pretty different in terms of features and price...it seems kinda silly to have a relatively minor aethstetic difference (compared with something like the glass screen vs. the aluminum bezel) be the sole determining factor.
 
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