Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Sad realization the BlackBook & i aren't gonna work out

daneoni

daneoni

macrumors G5
Original poster
So i have a blackbook and an iMac but i've been mostly using the iMac until recently when i became reliant on the macbook for school related work (exam/cw season). Suffice it to say, i'm not loving the macbook at all.

The screen is really subpar (Chi-Mei) and its even more apparent when i switch from the iMac to the macbook. Its really washed out and calibration only mitigates the issue a little but i find my eyes get tired quickly after using it

Secondly (and i thought i was already over/used to this initially), the sharp edges issue is still apparent and bugs the sh*t out of me. I didn't realise how much until i started typing/researching a long essay recently, i didnt have a mouse so i was using the trackpad a lot and it was NOT fun. It reached a point where the discomfort became unbearable and i had to head home so i could use the imac instead

Also, i realised how much i missed a backlit keyboard when i was pulling an all-nighter recently and i found that i was forcing myself to touch-type because i couldn't see the keys and ultimately had to go to the toilet so i could get some light (didn't want to disturb my brother's sleep)

Finally, the fingerprint issue. I don't consider myself a neat freak but i don't like seeing oil/dirt/grime either and i find i have to clean the laptop daily and avoid touching it as much as possible because if i so much as breathe on it, it'll get marred with fingerprints/dust or whatever

I was so unhappy at one point that i even went to the apple store online to order a refurb MBP but ultimately decided against it cos i realised i wasn't making a rational decision

However, i've thought about it and sad to say the macbook doesnt work for me, which is a shame cos i kinda like it. It is portable, powerful and cheap but the truth is i had more fun/less hassle with portable computing when i had a MBP. I only cleaned it once a month sometimes later, backlit keyboard was a Godsend, screen was superior and easier on the eyes and overall just a better experience. Even my friends say they prefer the silver laptop i had compared to the BlackBook (MBP)

Sooo i've decided...and i think i'll be selling the macbook and getting something else. I don't want to get a MBP unless i absolutely have to, i was hoping the next macbook revision would have LED backlit screen, backlit keyboard and hopefully an aluminum enclosure but i don't see that happening for some reason.

I really don't want to sell my iMac cos i love it to bits but alas it seems i have to sell both the iMac/MB for a MBP/Ext Display combo yet again which i'm not fond of (hooking up/disconnecting cables NOT fun). I can't get the MBA cos its expensive and useless but its the laptop design i would've loved to have but with more power

Sigh...i dunno what to do.

PS sorry for the long post but i was just frustrated and needed to vent 😱
 
It sounds like the BlackBook was never for you in the first place. Strange, I'm loving mine and use it extensively on a daily basis. But if it's really bothering you that much, I think an MBP/external display is a much better option for you. I fail to see what you'd be missing about the iMac with that set-up.
 
in hindsight it probably wasn't. i guess i wanted to like it and thought i did but didn't realise that it wouldn't work for me like i thought it would because i rarely used it for long periods until recently
 
idk what im doing wrong because im always typing up papers and such, and have never had the "sharpness" issue. I rely on this machine a lot because its the only personal machine i have. So yeah working great for me...dunno why its so bad for you.
 
If you plan to sell, PM me, I might be interested because I'm looking for a BlackBook, and was hoping to find one cheaper than buying from Apple.
 
ki2594 said:
idk what im doing wrong because im always typing up papers and such, and have never had the "sharpness" issue. I rely on this machine a lot because its the only personal machine i have. So yeah working great for me...dunno why its so bad for you.
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong when typing since my hands since my hands arent resting on the palm rest. My issue is when using the trackpad. I have a habit of resting my hand (especially during long mousing periods) on the palm rest whilst using the trackpad but seeing as the macbook palm rest area is smaller than say a MBPs and I have big hands, i have to rest my palm a little over the edge and therefore feel the sharp edge grazing my edge of my palm/wrist a lot

Slovig said:
If you plan to sell, PM me, I might be interested because I'm looking for a BlackBook, and was hoping to find one cheaper than buying from Apple.
Click to expand...

I doubt i'll be able to seeing as i am in the UK
 
I almost never use the trackpad. I have a very small mouse that I carry with me. As for using keys in the dark, you really should work with a night light anyway. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Some people just need a Macbook Pro 😀 .
 
buy a usb mini night light, you can angle it down to the keyboard and it wont disturb anyone's sleep anymore than your screen will

buy a nice external bluetooth mouse

get a lens cleaning cloth and keep it with you at all times to wipe it down

if its true that you are using it mostly for schoolwork then i dont see how the lack of graphics or screen quality should be a problem



these suggestions should fix most of your problems until the new revised macbook is released in late august.. then you'll have better display, lighted keys, and a whole new aluminum case.

problem solved take two aspirins and call me in the morning.😎
 
I have 2 MB's, once I set the display profile, the screen now looks beautiful on both. No more washed out, faded jeans. Nice crisp and the colors are (for the MB screen) pretty vibrant considering the screen.

Also around the trackpad since my wife uses hers daily for long periods and is an avid trackpad user she hasn't had one single complaint about the sharp edges. Probably because when I gave it to her I put a Marware cover on the palm rest.

She ran her wrists from side to side along the edge and looked at me saying "if it's sharp you can sue them for me killing myself" and laughed and said the edges were fine even without the palm rest pad.

See if the Marware pad helps. I think it does.

Try adjusting your color profile, the one I'm using was download right from the MR forums from other MB owners.
 
Was he talking about fingerprints on the SCREEN or the CASE? I do baby the screen, and would hate trying to remove a fingerprint (tho I did buy that cleaner stuff at the Apple store)... but the case? Only got prints after closing it after eating a sandwich. Sans mayo, never had an issue. But I must find stickers for it, yes I must.

kkat69 said:
I have 2 MB's, once I set the display profile, the screen now looks beautiful on both. No more washed out, faded jeans. Nice crisp and the colors are (for the MB screen) pretty vibrant considering the screen.
Click to expand...

I set a profile too and it is...much warmer I'd say. Dunno if it's better for game-play. WoW doesn't use the profile when it goes full-screen, and I flip in and out of that mode, there's a diff, but both are OK. Should the desert rocks be more light brown, or light brownish orange? Who's to say.

Plenty of vibrancy, and the brightness goes up so high it's wince-worthy if the room is at all dim.

HOWever, the viewing angle is AWFUL. Horizontally, pretty good, so that's nice for people beside me peeking at the screen. But vertically? There's no position where the black-level is uniform. Best has black at the top and a gradient below. Move your eyes down, and the top of the screen starts looking strange. Move up, things get washed out, quickly.

Then again, apart from the odd IBM T-series with that lovely IPS LCD...every laptop seems pretty bad in this respect. My new external Samsung 223BW is plain TFT, but fortunately seems fine. It's not IPS, but it's not a problem. (What is a problem is that a grey ramp has slight but noticeable color variations in it ... but, I only notice that when I look at grey ramps). One day maybe I'll get one of those monitor profilers like the EyeOne, but it's really better to judge neutral greys from the RGB info palette and plus, I'm playing a lot more with the game than with Photoshop these days. It's more Snap, EyeFi xfers to Flickr, I blog it. Such a relief after banging my head over end-to-end color profiling that never really worked anyway (and was only a little better if you blew $500+ on calibrators)

> See if the Marware pad helps. I think it does.

I'd think it would... that or some fine sandpaper :-O
It _is_ pretty sharp. Dunno why it doesn't bother me. I'm half & half mouse or trackpad. Anything to keep the RSI blues away, and the two-finger scrolling is just fun.

Try adjusting your color profile, the one I'm using was download right from the MR forums from other MB owners.
Click to expand...

I'll look for that.
 
Sorry to say, you should have gone with a MBP 15"! I'm surprised that it took you this long to come to that realization. You might even try the MBA. Go to the Apple Store for a test drive, and that should help you with your search. 😱
 
I have calibrated the screen, in fact i'm probably using one of the best profiles out there but the problem is no matter how much you polish a turd its still inherently a turd which the Chi-Mei screen is unfortunately.

Some people will never view the sharp edge issue as an issue, heck i tried to ignore it thinking i'd adapt eventually but the reality is...its an issue for me regardless. I tried to use the MacBook again this morning to see maybe i was just overreacting but nope the sharp edge thing still bugs me as does the fingerprint issue (i cleaned the laptop again this morning)

i will sell it (blackbook) but problem is finding a replacement. The MBA is too underpowered and costs as much as a MBP. Maybe i'll luck out and get a 41% off refurb MBP or something

PS- this is the profile i use on my display if anyone wants to use it or critique it.
 

Attachments

> The screen is really subpar

In what? Word? Tex? I play around with the contrast settings until I'm happy...

At work I use an external LED monitor for PDF typesetting and use my macbook screen for typing into...

> Secondly (and i thought i was already over/used to this initially), the sharp edges issue is still apparent and bugs the sh*t out of me.

There is a wireless mouse that is better to use (better ergonomically).

And... I wireless keyboard.

I do get what you mean about the sharp edges... The external keyboard and mouse and monitor work really well for me when I'm working for a long time, though.

> i found that i was forcing myself to touch-type...

Which is a good thing - right? I do hear you on that, actually. I wish the keypad was backlit, too.

> i find i have to clean the laptop daily and avoid touching it as much as possible because if i so much as breathe on it, it'll get marred with fingerprints/dust or whatever

You can get keyboard protectors that slot over the keys. They might even help with the sharp edges issue.
 
Try a MacBook Air. They aren't cheap, but if you have an iMac at home, they are a fantastic 2nd/portable computer.
 
I also had a Black Macbook, and loved it at first. I too never cared for the fingerprint look that is soon had, and the constant cleaning. I use my laptop on my lap playing poker and the sharp edges were really a pain (literally). Besides those, I actually liked the look, speed and portability of the Macbook.

However, once I started getting kernel panics every time I played a DVD, or ripped a DVD, and I would lose everything I was working on, I knew it's end was near.

The nice people at Apple were kind enough to give me full credit on my 5 month old Blackbook $1499, toward the purchase of a MBP.

This has been the best move I ever made. I am loving the MBP.
 
collegue of mine did buy a new mb while I bought a mbp second hand for the same price. His mb was tossed in a drawer after he used my mbp for a day. Bigger screen, better screen, better performance, and you are a whole lot more productive on a 15" screen. After 2 years I recently bought an eol mbp 17" with the high resolution screen, what a dream! A pdf and a word file next to each other! Or a complete excel sheet without scrolling like a madman. I only use the new mbp, no secundairy, no external screen, no keyboard, sometimes a mouse, but thats it. I also like to work in the evenings and late at night, because there is no phone, not to much noise usually and my texts are mucht better then. the darkness kind of makes it cosey, more at ease. And althoug I'm a full ten fingers typer, I do like the backlit keyboard a lot!

So you are not the first to make the mistake.
IMHO a mb can be usefull but it needs an external screen keyboard etc
when working serious long hours on it. The mbp is a workhorse altough some people still want an external screen and keyboard, but it ia much better possible to work longh hours.
 
I condole your problems with the macbook. Although it seems to me it is getting used as it should, as a portable computer. If you at home and you need more power, you have your imac. So it seems your using the right tools for the right job. Its just your portable might not be just right...

I have a bog standard 2ghz whitebook I got off ebay, oooh about three months ago to replace my old ibook g3 for taking to uni with me . Sure it has it's problems; Like a small hard drive and the glossy screen making it next to useless for outside use. I also haven't had chance to really test it in the field, as it were, as I don't start my course till later this year, so I cant pass judgement on using it 'properly' as a computer.

Saying that, currently my little laptop gets a hell of a use, thats even with an 8 core mac pro to play with, and a 23" ACD. To be honest I probably use my macbook more (as I can roam about the house, and when the umbrellas up outside, use the wifi in the garden). I also really don't need all that processing grunt of the pro just yet.

The only real issue I have found so far, is trying to work with two windows side by side simultaneously with the whitebook, which is a lot easy on the pro using my 23" screen (and more enjoyable). I do get reason 4 to top the cpu out occasionally on the whitebook, but thats why I have a more powerful computer. Sure I go with the suggestion that a mbp is lovely and yes I would love one (but after forking out for a mac pro ,not now!).

I can go with the no backlit keyboard, and yes those edges are sharp at the front of the macbook...

If your happy with the the imac, my suggestion is keep it. Sure if you can wait for the next macbook revision then do, but that isn't necessarily going to be soon and may not solve all of those problems you have with you current model.

You obviously aren't happy with the macbook and your happy experiences with the mbp suggest that it seems to be a better option for you. So if you can't wait, sell the blackbook and switch to a mbp.

If you aren't using any taxing software and really don't need the power then don't by new, an apple refurb or a second hand quality!) mbp will do (even if its not much more powerful than your current blackbook). If you have the funds, or just the need for a new mbp then go for it..

now the choice of a 15' or a 17" hmmm.

good luck, hope you find a suitable solution to your issues!
r

( p.s apologies for random smiley appearance at top of post)
 
daneoni said:
Sooo i've decided...and i think i'll be selling the macbook and getting something else. I don't want to get a MBP unless i absolutely have to, i was hoping the next macbook revision would have LED backlit screen, backlit keyboard and hopefully an aluminum enclosure but i don't see that happening for some reason.

Sigh...i dunno what to do.

PS sorry for the long post but i was just frustrated and needed to vent 😱
Click to expand...


That's the speculation, the new MacBooks will just be a "much thicker" MacBook Air.

May pay for you to sell the MacBook now and save up for the new ones in August...
 
daneoni,

I understand your frustrations loud and clear. I bought a black macbook a few months ago. My friend hyped it up so much, and it was an impulse purchase because my Dell laptop fan's was making a ton of noise.

My biggest gripe with the blackbook was the edge of the palm rest, as you have stated. It's beyond me why this area was made to have a somewhat sharp edge. I tried my best to ignore it, but I just couldn't it. My wrists were getting killed, and it really upset me.

Then there is also the issue with smudges on the keypad. It certainly wasn't as big of an issue as the palm rests, but still, for such a premium price, you really shouldn't have to deal with smudge marks just by using your computer.

Lastly, the screen. I certainly didn't have such an issue with the quality of the screen as you have, but 13" is 13". I found myself missing the 15.4" Dell screen I had previously.

I ended up sending my blackbook back and (luckily) fixing my Dell laptop. Sure, my current Dell isn't as sexy or perhaps as good* as a macbook, but I have a nice size screen, xp runs smoothly, and most importantly, the palm rests are smoothed over so I can comfortably type, etc.

If you want to stay with a mac, I recommend either waiting to see what the supposed upcoming aluminum macbook's look like, or, purchase an older model MBP from a verified reseller. You can definitely find a MBP in the 1500 - 1800 range if you start browsing sites like B&H, macmall, newegg, etc.

If I had to get a mac laptop, I'd go MBP. Sure, it's way too powerful for what I need, but the higher resolution screen and screen real estate would be the selling points.
 
gkarris said:
That's the speculation, the new MacBooks will just be a "much thicker" MacBook Air.
Click to expand...

LED, Multi touch, illuminated keyboard - the works? Seems excessive, but fanboy rumours often are... and I'd be VERY surprised to see MacBooks get SSD options before the MBP does.

On the flipside I can also envision(or dream of) MBPs getting the magnetic latch and keyboard the MacBooks have enjoyed for ages now. Plus MBA's larger trackpad.
 
It kinda of defeats the purpose if i have buy a mouse or wireless keyboard i might as well use my iMac instead

But yeah...i'm gonna put the macbook up for sale tomorrow morning. Then wait and see what happens June 9th i'll be in the states anyway. If MacBooks dont get any love (which i dont think they will) then oh well. Hopefully the MBPs get some love after all they're pro machines but even thats unlikely. I think its gonna be an iPhone 2/SDK event only

If both the macbook/macbook pros don't get updated then i'll just pick up a refurb from the online store.

I will miss the macbook, shame though i wanted to like it. Oh well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back