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$999 WhiteBook or $1299 Aluminum for School/Internet?

W

wishman35

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 9, 2009
213
0
I know this has been repeated but now that its been some months with the new book, I would just like some opinions on this.

Assuming that the $300 extra can only be spent if its really necessary

This is just for a college student girl who needs it for office, maybe powerpoint, internet and some iTunes.

Please..nothing about its looks or the mousepad because for a college student that doesn't justify $300. Just its insides

The help is appreciated!
 
wishman35 said:
I know this has been repeated but now that its been some months with the new book, I would just like some opinions on this.

Assuming that the $300 extra can only be spent if its really necessary

This is just for a college student girl who needs it for office, maybe powerpoint, internet and some iTunes.

Please..nothing about its looks or the mousepad because for a college student that doesn't justify $300. Just its insides

The help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
The Whitebook would do just dandy for that line-up.
 
wishman35 said:
I know this has been repeated but now that its been some months with the new book, I would just like some opinions on this.

Assuming that the $300 extra can only be spent if its really necessary

This is just for a college student girl who needs it for office, maybe powerpoint, internet and some iTunes.

Please..nothing about its looks or the mousepad because for a college student that doesn't justify $300. Just its insides

The help is appreciated!
Click to expand...

I realize you say the looks and/or trackpad don't matter, but seriously I'm a college student (although an Apple Fanboy) and I can't imagine living without my new Alu Macbook. You just would feel silly to have a macbook that was a year and a half old thats brand new, when theres such a better macbook available out there.
 
If money is not a problem then go for the alu MB, it feels stronger and is a great overall machine but you could also get a refurb MBP.

ChrisN
 
go of the WhiteBook, more than enough for your needs. just get another 2GB of ram, maybe a sleeve and you're good to go.

I have new Whitebook and i'm more than happy with it
 
wishman35 said:
Please..nothing about its looks or the mousepad because for a college student that doesn't justify $300. Just its insides
Click to expand...

Based on that, I'd suggest getting the whitebook. Runs great, perfect for tasks that you've described. A college student's budget can be even better served by getting a refurb.
 
Macbook choice

I'd say 100% White Macbook. There is no need at all for the aluminum. In my honest opinion, the aluminum macbook was the most needless update from apple, just to keep people happy with something shiny and new. As a college student, with the things you need, the white one will work fine. Heck, it even has a faster processor than the entry level aluminum. Also, in case you ever need it, the white one has firewire. Which angered me quite a bit when it wasn't on the aluminum. Why pay more for lack of features? And the white has proven much more durable than the aluminum, as several people are reporting significant body damage after small drops, bangs, etc. One guy, which im not sure i believe though, said he bent his slightly just by picking it up with one hand on one side. I mean, the pictures showed it bent, but it couldve been caused by something else. But yes, being in college, knowing money is tough, don't waste $300. Keep it for books and food and more important things. Trust me, the white macbook will last you years upon years, and do everything you need it to flawlessly.
 
It's funny that many of the people who suggest the whitebook over the new aluminum macbook are indeed owners of the whitebook who may have been frustrated with the release of a major update over their model. ;)

I am in the exact same boat as you - starting College next year, and needed a new laptop. I went with aluminum, because I know it's more sturdy than the plastic which could crack, and also because it seems more durable to carry around with me. It's also (on the insides) a much better computer.

Trust me, many of my friends have the whitebook which I was seriously considering getting, but I went with aluminum. It seems like the better choice knowing that you may not be able to afford another laptop for 5 years...

Also, get AppleCare if you can afford it.
 
I'd go with the new aluminum one...cuz it's newer and has DDR3 ram and a much better video card for only $300 more. Though the processor may be slower than the whitebook, i'm sure the video card and new DDR3 memory more than makes up for the .1 GHz difference. With a student discount, you also get $100 off, so make sure you ask for it!, and get you free printer too. So all u really need is the office suite, which shouldn't be too pricey (cuz i think you also get a student discount on that). Btw, the whitebook is great - i've had it for about 6 months, and have no experience with the aluminum macbook. But i'm thinking if you buy the latest gen. macbook, it'll last you maybe 1 year longer than the older whitebook and you won't feel any buyers remorse.
To sum it up:
Pros for aluminum: new, lighter, upgrades to like everything (battery/screen/trackpad), u prob won't use firewire so that doesn't matter, new memory, new video card
Pros for whitebook: cheaper, firewire, more issues resolved?

Just get the new one, apple likes students! And ask for the educational discount!!!
 
The white Macbook should fit your needs just fine. My fiance is using one at the moment, and it's perfect for her needs. I myself chose the Aluminum Macbook because I game a bit more, and the intel integrated graphics in the white macbook wasn't cutting it for that purpose. If you wanted to run certain games and such, the Alu. Macbook might be a better choice. Other than that the original Macbook should suffice.
 
If your budget is $1299, then why not get a refurb 15" MBP for $1249 right now? Granted it's last-gen, but then so is the white book. I think it's the best bang for the buck.

But you better hurry. These things are hot.
 
I'd say if money is tight, go for the Whitebook, as it will be very powerful for those tasks, otherwise, if you don't mind spending 300 more bucks, for the latest and coolest, then go for the Alu MacBook, it has a better integrated graphic chip, which allows to play games like The Sims 2 and Steam games.
 
wishman35 said:
I know this has been repeated but now that its been some months with the new book, I would just like some opinions on this.

Assuming that the $300 extra can only be spent if its really necessary

This is just for a college student girl who needs it for office, maybe powerpoint, internet and some iTunes.

Please..nothing about its looks or the mousepad because for a college student that doesn't justify $300. Just its insides

The help is appreciated!
Click to expand...

Ive had a white macbook for over a year and a half. So, speaking from personal experience, you can do all of those things easily on it. Don't buy something you do not need.
 
Just know that you can get an Alum Macbook for $999 after rebate ;) Go for the unibody.

Link.

Looks like there's no more instant savings :( $1150 for a new unibody isn't that bad compared to the cost of a $1099 refurb.
 
You can get the alu 2.0 for 1099 in the refurb store I think, you just hafta keep checking till it shows up. For 300 it may not be worth the upgrade, but for 100 i say it definitely is.
 
You can get the white MacBook in the refurb store for $850, a very good deal. I'd say go for that, it will do everything you need to do.
 
For the needs you listed, you could get a previous-revision refurbished model (or this) and everything would run just fine. There's no reason to spend more money just because you can; there is absolutely no advantage here in forking over money for anything but the base model. Also, remember to use the education discount if you buy a new computer to save a bit of money (doesn't apply to refurbished models). Don't spend the $300 if it isn't necessary or desired; it gets you virtually nothing in this case.

ref26 said:
You can get the alu 2.0 for 1099 in the refurb store I think, you just hafta keep checking till it shows up. For 300 it may not be worth the upgrade, but for 100 i say it definitely is.
Click to expand...
If you're going to make that comparison, you'd at least need to throw in both of the computers being refurbished...
 
I can't agree with the post that said that the white MB is a year and1/2 old. I have a black MB and it just turned a year and MB's have already had 3 uprages after that(the Alu one is the 3).So by getting the white one ur getting a 3-4 months old MB. I really like the Alu one but I dont think that it's worth it, I mean if u want to play games u should get a pc, even the 9400 nvidia wont handle the graphics(on high level) and playing with low level graphics, na thanks is stupid. Also judging by the way apple does things a new MB will come out on a couple of months(upgraded) that's how they earn money, the make "apple zombies" out of people.))) I think that as a student u have other needs and the 300$ can be spent elsewhere. Like maybe party's, books and etc. Just think for 999$ u will get a MB that will fully satisfy your need+ extra cash that can be spent and for 1299$ u will get a MB Alu and an "empty" pocket)))))

P.S. Sorry for such a long answer.



P.S. P.S. Some people here sound like Apple spies sent here to program us to buy new apple products)))))))))))
 
one thing to think about is resale
i dont know if you guys sell your notebooks ever (i dont.. but just incase im gettin the 2.4 and i have my needs)
but if you decided to ever sell the Whitebook it will be a bit harder and you will probably lose a bit more money
 
ankitsid said:
one thing to think about is resale
i dont know if you guys sell your notebooks ever (i dont.. but just incase im gettin the 2.4 and i have my needs)
but if you decided to ever sell the Whitebook it will be a bit harder and you will probably lose a bit more money
Click to expand...

I see new unibody MacBooks selling for $300 less than their MSRP already. Not laptop is immune. The $949 Penryn MacBook is a great deal and I again advise the OP to go that route.

Refurbished MacBook 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - $949
 
Okay, stretching out on a limb here, but what about a $999 MBA refurb? She could pick up a SuperDrive on eBay for very cheap, and a USB hub if required.

In terms of usage, obviously the light weight and strong chassis is a huge benefit for college students who are always on the go, plus it has a MUCH more comfortable screen. The MB screen is really crappy.
 
If u r thinking of selling your MB for a good price than u should sell it every 5-7 moths coz that is how often apple brings out new MB's.
 
1. Use the student discount, save $100.
2. Use NeoOffice or OpenOffice instead of Microsoft office (they read and write all the formats you will ever need), save $200.

Now buy the ALU Macbook, because it has better specs and will last you a good deal longer than the white one performance wise.

Or...

Keep the $300 you just saved and buy the more physically durable white MacBook and spend $100 of that 300 on more ram and a bigger HDD... or books.
 
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