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1st post - buying my Macbook White this weekend

6

615bride

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 17, 2009
5
0
North Carolina
I'm sure I'll be around here a lot with questions. I'm about to switch over to a Macbook White from a 6.5 year old Dell laptop. I'm a teacher and my school used macs for many years several years ago but I've been on a PC ever since.

I don't have an apple store in my city but our Best Buy has the mac setup and I was planning to buy there.

I'm on the computer a lot but do no gaming or video watching. It's all internet, blogging and a good amount of photo editing.

Do I sound like I'm on the right track with a macbook white? My husband is working on his dissertation and has a great Dell laptop with lots of bells and whistles which is great for watching Netflix and other things. The Macbook will be all for me!

I'm a little bit weirded out by Best Buy only because the people there often seem to not know much about what they're selling. The "mac guy" was very helpful though and talked with me for a long time about options, features, my teacher price, etc.

Am I on the right track with this decision?

Thanks!
 
The MacBook is always a great all-around computer. Many switchers from PCs choose either that or the Mac Mini for their first Mac. For your uses, it should serve you well. Although if you can, the aluminum version will last longer and is more sturdy. I have a white MacBook and I think it's a great computer. Just don't expect any mid-level to high-end gaming. For photo editing, PhotoShop will run fine and iPhoto (which is included) will be great for organizing family photos and etc. Every Mac comes with iLife (iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, iDVD, and iWeb) which is useful for people that don't use Pro apps like CS4.
 
Thank you!

Maybe I should start a new thread for this but I'll see if I get replies here first. I mentioned my hesitation with Best Buy. I do have an apple store about 35 minutes away. Is it worth the drive to buy there? I know it's not like it's across the state but I'll save the drive if there is no "advantage" to buying there. Thoughts?
 
There's no monetary advantage, and if you've already got the information you need there's nothing you need you won't get at Best Buy. It's more fun to buy the computer at an Apple Store though, and if you want to get a case as well (which is a really really good idea) or would like to look at a selection of software, the Apple Store will be better.
 
As a mac user for 16 years, I would recommend you get the aluminum MB instead of the white if you can afford it. Regardless of what anyone tells you, the build quality on the white is not very good, and it is not very fun to type on. Also, it is a dying breed so resale value might not be the best. And the screen sucks, though not that any low end mac computer has a good screen anyway.
 
615bride said:
Thank you!

Maybe I should start a new thread for this but I'll see if I get replies here first. I mentioned my hesitation with Best Buy. I do have an apple store about 35 minutes away. Is it worth the drive to buy there? I know it's not like it's across the state but I'll save the drive if there is no "advantage" to buying there. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Actually, you should make the trek out to the apple store (or buy it online and have it delivered). Apple offers an education discount to all educators (k-12), college students, and college faculty. The discount is minimal, but it never hurts to save $100 or so. Also, the discount depends on your educator status (I think); basically its not the same for everyone.

Another difference between the white and the aluminum macbook is that the later of the two has a glass pane over the screen. I would make sure that the reflection off of the glass won't bother you (some people have problems with it).
 
615bride said:
I'm sure I'll be around here a lot with questions. I'm about to switch over to a Macbook White from a 6.5 year old Dell laptop. I'm a teacher and my school used macs for many years several years ago but I've been on a PC ever since.

I don't have an apple store in my city but our Best Buy has the mac setup and I was planning to buy there.

I'm on the computer a lot but do no gaming or video watching. It's all internet, blogging and a good amount of photo editing.

Do I sound like I'm on the right track with a macbook white? My husband is working on his dissertation and has a great Dell laptop with lots of bells and whistles which is great for watching Netflix and other things. The Macbook will be all for me!

I'm a little bit weirded out by Best Buy only because the people there often seem to not know much about what they're selling. The "mac guy" was very helpful though and talked with me for a long time about options, features, my teacher price, etc.

Am I on the right track with this decision?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Excellent choice :) The whitebook will be perfect for the things you do and i'm confident you'll be very happy with it.

Since you mention you're a teacher, I do believe you are entitled to an education discount! That however, means you'll have to purchase the macbook in an apple store or online. :)

edit: I highly recommend buying from an Apple store and not best buy.
 
Upon further thought, you should definitely make the drive to the Apple Store. It's much more fun and also easier. The people there are really helpful and can even help you get to know the Mac OS (for free of course) before you leave.
 
zorahk said:
and it is not very fun to type on. ...And the screen sucks
Click to expand...

What exactly are you basing this on? I've used both and see no difference at all between the keyboards, except the key color. Actually, if anything, my sister's aluminum Macbook's keys are "slick" feeling compared to my white.

And the screen? Are you kidding? Its the SAME screen. The only difference is the backlight, which is a toss-up. Sure, the LED is brighter, but it also seems a bit harsher to my eyes. But that's just a preference - regardless, the screen's the same, so other than brightness, there's nothing inferior about the quality of the white compared to the aluminum.

Sorry, but I had to share my 2 cents on that... people are so quick to bash the white Macbook...

To the OP: Get the white Macbook - you'll love it, and it saves you ~$300. And being a teacher myself, I know that's important. Don't forget that Edu. discount, too! :D
 
Dollar for dollar, the best Mac laptop. Why?

1) firewire
2) new stronger video card than before
3) price
 
+1 for the unibody macbook. Unless you need firewire, otherwise unibody macbook better build, faster ram ( which really helps ) bigger hard drive and LED display ( saves energy, no toxics ). Also you can get one from the refurbished store for $ 1099.
 
For the purposes you list I think you'll be well pleased with the whitebook. It is the best Mac deal out there out there even without the education discount, which you should definitely go for.
 
Here's my opinion:

+1 for checking the thing out at Best Buy or the Apple Store, then buying refurb. I got my Mac mini, and Dell Studio 540, both refurb, and both in brand new condition.

Never buy anything Mac or anything Apple at Best Buy.
 
+1 to this posts:

63dot said:
Dollar for dollar, the best Mac laptop. Why?

1) firewire
2) new stronger video card than before
3) price
Click to expand...

zer0tails said:
Excellent choice :) The whitebook will be perfect for the things you do and i'm confident you'll be very happy with it...
Click to expand...

And +2 to this one:

clyde2801 said:
Go to whichever store you want, look at the models, decide which one you want, and buy it refurbed from the apple store online for a substantial (by mac terms) discount.
Click to expand...

I've seen that buying refurb is almost always the cheapest way to get your NEW mac, even cheaper than with the education discount (student/teacher).

Also, if you decide not to buy refurb, buy on the apple store online, that way you can order a bigger harddrive or other perks, and still use your education discount.

And about unibody versus white: the speed difference in the RAM is negligible for most day to day use, you can order a bigger harddrive online for the white and still would be cheaper than a refurb unibody, and the white STILL HAS firewire, a dealbreaker for many (altough, to be sincere, not for everyone).
 
You mention Photo editing. If you are working with quite a lot of RAW photo's and are mainly adjusting exposure etc rather than lots of re-touching, get the Apple store to show you Aperture, it could work well for you. Also you 'll probably be able to get it discounted if you buy the MacBook there, you can get it with an education discount, and it's a lot cheaper than Photoshop.
 
I don't think you can get an edu discount if you buy refurbished, so why not take a brand new computer for refurbished price? It's a win-win anyway. And yes, the aluminum new MacBook does feel sturdier and nicer, but it also lacks FireWire, which means no DV cameras. Still, the white is currently best value for your money
 
kindablue09 said:
Another difference between the white and the aluminum macbook is that the later of the two has a glass pane over the screen. I would make sure that the reflection off of the glass won't bother you (some people have problems with it).
Click to expand...

Since the release of unibody people started to forget that plastic MacBooks have (and always had) glossy screens too.
 
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