Which is easier to maintain, black or white?

[BobbyNumber9]

Are the finger prints and oil marks really that bad?

Are the scratches on the white models horrible?

From what I've been reading I don't know which one is worse to have, the price isn't really an issue. I really just want to know which would require less cleaning or anything like that.

[GimmeSlack12]

Black is so much cooler looking. And dude, in time, the machine will get scuffed up. It's inevitable.

[macdoobie]

I have both.

The black is much easier imo.

Does not scrath easy compared to white. EASILY cleaned with iclear for the grease smudges, and then i only have to do that 2-3 times a week

the white looks like a toy anyway and its junky

go black

[BobbyNumber9]

Originally Posted by GimmeSlack12

Black is so much cooler looking. And dude, in time, the machine will get scuffed up. It's inevitable.

Oh I know that, I just want to know which one will look better (Not in terms of style) longer without having to do anything.

[heatmiser]

Originally Posted by BobbyNumber9

Oh I know that, I just want to know which one will look better (Not in terms of style) longer without having to do anything.

The white, in my opinion. The black keyboard is an oil field. The only time I clean the keyboard/palmrests of my white is when I spill something on it.

[Domofloge]

IMO I like the look of the Blackbook over the white one. The white Macbook gets dirty and unless you wash your hands b4 using the laptop the keyboard and palm rest will become discolored. This can be solved by wiping it down with the black cloth, but it wont keep it looking really white. Just my 2 cents..

[Hello.there]

I just don't think the black one looks like a Mac....jeez, it could be a Dell.

[KompleX]

Originally Posted by macdoobie

the white looks like a toy anyway and its junky

how dare you insult my beautiful white macbook!! at least mine looks like an apple and not a lesser thinkpad!

and to answer the OP's question, both macbooks will scratch and become dirty over time, but the extent of which they do will depend on how well you take care of them... both white and black models. my two week old whitebook is still looking sharp! it has no conspicuous scratches and is tarnish free. i love my macbook!! *huuugs macbook*

[youradhere4222]

Originally Posted by KompleX

at least mine looks like an apple and not a lesser thinkpad!

Aside from the blatantly obvious white Apple logo on the front of it.

[Dynamyk]

I have both but have only had my white for a couple of weeks. My black one smudges with oil easily and have to clean it constantly. White has been a gem thus far. I love my black one though

[youradhere4222]

I own neither, but from common sense and testimonials from owners of both models I feel that I can make a fair assessment.

White; being just that -- White, shows everything, just as a White car or White shirt would. People often make their way around this problem by buying a case, but in my opinion they look ugly, and the case is going to show anything your MacBook would have on it without it's case protecting it. I guess you could go ahead and remove it anytime you feel like impressing someone, but that's too much hassle for lazy ol' me.

Another irrelavent concern is that Black isn't a "true" Apple color. While I agree that the color White is more associated with Macs than the color Black, the Apple logo or the fact that you're not running Windows on your computer should tip off the average passer by that you're using a Mac, and if not, you should really try hanging out at more educated establishments.

Black looks more sleek, and makes people second-guess they're preconceived notions of what a Mac is.

"Hey, is that a Black computer with an Apple logo on the front? Totally sleek!"

I think the only downside of having a Black MacBook up until recently is the fact that it showed fingerprints, but many have said that they're now made of new material which shows very little fingerprints if any.

[bov]

if price isnt an issue, just get a MBP. best looking notebook and no visible scratches/oil marks (unless you try to key it or pour oil on it )

[KompleX]

Originally Posted by youradhere4222

Aside from the blatantly obvious white Apple logo on the front of it.

it's an apple sticker on a thinkpad. can't fool me

[BobbyNumber9]

Originally Posted by bov

if price isnt an issue, just get a MBP. best looking notebook and no visible scratches/oil marks (unless you try to key it or pour oil on it )

I meant the MacBook price...

And I'm not a pretentious person who wants to make sure the world knows "LOOK AT ME IM USING A MAC" Plus, what's wrong with it looking like a ThinkPad?

What do these oil marks look like anyway? Could someone show me?

[1madapple]

I never liked the white Macbook (maybe my decision had something to do with using a white ibook in school) I remember the hand rest looked a little dirty on white and those were week old laptops.
My keys feel a little dirty right now (or are those my hands? lol), but I don't see any dirt buildup up close.
For the easier to maintain, I would definitely say black. Or white, but if you don't mind cleaning it much often.

[SFStateStudent]

I've been able to keep both looking immaculate. Sure it's a bit time consuming, but I always felt that I was taking care of an investment and a dependable friend. I would carry a large bottle of iKlear, the terry cloth and the large polishing cloth in my backpack. For some odd reason, I became obsessed with "cleaning" at the drop of a hat; I guess I'm the same way with my iPhone, my 40" Sony Bravia, and 32" Sony Bravia. Why would you not want to take care of something that cost $1,100.00 or more?

I was looking at my friend's White MB the other day, remembering that we went to the Apple Store together and walked out with matching MacBooks, and her MB looked like she dumped a TV dinner on it and closed the lid! My White MB got the scrub down on a regular basis; then I went through a TSA security checkpoint at the airport and they smeared that pinkish/reddish cloth on my immaculate White MB and I was scrubbing it out of my MB for weeks.

Though I don't have my White MB, my wife has hers and I am constantly cleaning it for her. It looks brand new, except for some wear & tear on those little rubber pads underneath the MB.

My BlackBook 2.4 Penryn is easier to clean, but the oily smudges and glossy smears on the keys and touchpad are irritating to view. The outer case is extremely easy to clean, with just a spray of iKlear and the terry cloth, followed by the polishing cloth. I also scrub and polish each of the keys, spacebar and touchpad at least once a day.

I'm extremely happy with White & Black, and the only difference I see between the two, is the "$200 sign" on the Apple Logo on my BlackBook! (Oh, it's THERE!). LOL

[diamond3]

There is always the "invisible shield" you can put on it. shieldzone.com i believe. I've yet to put it on a laptop, but have used it on my ipod and its truly amazing. It looks brand new, years later. I've seen them on cell phones and it keeps them from getting scratched even if you drop it on the ground. I personally like the feel of it on the ipod, but its all personal preference. I've yet to be disappointed.

I guess what I'm sayin is that if you put this on you really could get whichever color you like best and not worry about the laptop (except for the keys of course).

[khunxhor]

White, hands down. I've had mine for 4 months now and it looks relatively new after constantly being taken to school, home, library, coffee shop, lab, and here and there and here and there. Slight scratches if you were to examine it under bright lighting, but cmon its a laptop! Oh, and I don't have one of those shell things on it, it spoils the mac in my opinion.

[BobbyNumber9]

Originally Posted by SFStateStudent

the oily smudges and glossy smears on the keys and touchpad are irritating to view.

See, that makes me think they look horrible.

[asmallchild]

Originally Posted by bov

if price isnt an issue, just get a MBP. best looking notebook and no visible scratches/oil marks (unless you try to key it or pour oil on it )

Hmm...can anyone comment on the durability/looks of the Macbook Pro?

I too was recommended to either choose a lowend MBP or a highend Macbook. The color choices (and threats of discoloration/grease smearing) are enough to deter me from the Macbook.

And I don't mind spending a tad more (~$200 from what I've priced so far) to make the leap to the MBP. Does it suffer from any aesthetic issues? Chipping/scratching/grease smearing/discoloration?

[Ra226]

go with the black one.

i have seen countless white macbooks, with the palm-rest discolored.

its not a pretty sight.

[gtimark]

Originally Posted by Hello.there

I just don't think the black one looks like a Mac....jeez, it could be a Dell.

Funny. That's just what I thought when I saw the black one at the Mac store!

[InIn14]

Let's see if I can be of any help here.

In response to your question about oil marks and smudges, I think this is going to be an issue no matter which computer you have. I have had a white (obviously) iBook G4 that I bought almost three years ago. Admittedly, the area where I rest my palms has become slightly discolored as I never used anything to protect it. It has a slightly darkened tint to it, but it is only noticeable in certain lights. I would imagine that this problem is evident on both laptops -- I don't see why a black coat of paint would make a laptop any less susceptible to palm discoloration than a white one. Perhaps I can be corrected on this by someone who owns/owned a black Macbook, but it just doesn't seem logical to me. If anything, I would think that when a black one becomes discolored it would be even more noticeable, regardless of the light. In any case, this problem can be remedied for either computer by investing in a protective cover type of thing, so it should be a non-issue.

Moving on to the issue of scratches. Having had my laptop for three years with no case whatsoever (for transportation or otherwise), it has acquired its fair share of scratches. The fact of the matter, however, is that these scratches are completely invisible unless you are looking for them. The only way that I can ever locate these scratches is by shining a flashlight to the outside of the laptop and inspecting closely...and let's face it, if you have to look that close to find scratches, you're wasting a lot of time and energy and you'll probably never be pleased with the scratch resistance of any item. I don't feel like I've been particularly anal about taking care of my laptop, either, so if you are at all careful about cleaning and moving it gently, your story might be even better than my own.

Finally, let's move to the issue of overall cleanliness. While someone likened the white iBook/Macbooks to that of a white shirt or car (meaning they show everything), I would like to first say that white cars show far less dirt and scratches than black cars (I don't really understand the logic behind saying that white cars are usually more dirty than black ones...that just flat out doesn't make sense...), and that Macbooks are not made out of cotton or some other fabric. But anyway, that's another tangent. My laptop looks clean 100 percent of the time and I rarely, if ever, clean it. The only time it has ever become discolored (besides the palm rest) was on the bottom, when I shoved it into my backpack one day and it got pencil markings on it. These were easily rubbed off (without any cleaning substance, mind you). A white laptop, to put it simply, will never show as much as a black one will as far as smudges go. Smudges on the outside of the laptop or on the keyboard itself are virtually nonexistent. I have never seen one on my laptop, but according to Blackbook owners on this thread, they are readily apparent on the touchpads, keypads, and the case itself of the Blackbooks.

To wrap it all up, I would have to say that all laptops will get discolored and scratched and smudged. It is just a question of which laptop will show these scratches and smudges and discolorations. Between the black and white Macbooks, the one that makes these slights less visible is obviously going to be the white one. But if that doesn't work for you, take into account the fact that all laptops are easily maintainable, provided you are willing to do the work (i.e. cleaning) or purchase the merchandise (i.e. shells/covers) to maintain it with. The only question you should be asking yourself is whether or not it is worth 100 extra dollars for a coat of paint. When you upgrade the second Macbook so that it has the same specs as the top of the line Blackbook, you will find that there is still a 100 dollar price difference. And honestly, if I was going to waste 100 dollars on a paint job for my laptop, I would couple it with an extra couple of hundred dollars and go to http://colorwarepc.com to get it a color I actually wanted.

Sorry for the length, but I hope that answered any questions you may have. :]

[krye]

White is more forgiving of scratches and greasy finger prints.

Besides, every other laptop in the world is pretty much black. Nothing is as cool and iconic as the signature white MacBook.

[QCassidy352]

Originally Posted by macdoobie

I have both.

The black is much easier imo.

Does not scrath easy compared to white. EASILY cleaned with iclear for the grease smudges, and then i only have to do that 2-3 times a week

I agree. I used to own white and now own black. The black is much easier to keep looking clean.

Originally Posted by Ra226

go with the black one.

i have seen countless white macbooks, with the palm-rest discolored.

its not a pretty sight.

Yeah, I had that problem with my whitebook. And it was the bad kind of discoloring, that wouldn't come off with a magic eraser or anything else. Drove me crazy!