Anyone think the white macbook will discontinue?

[Tosser]

Aluminum vs Plastic "which one is more durable" ?????? do you need anyone to answer that?
I dont know about you but i havent seen anyone complaining that there aluminum macbooks are cracking where as your "high impact" plastic IS cracking on peoples macbooks

That has very little to do with Alu vs plastics - which is more durable. "durable" as it is is an empty word. Impact resistant? UV-resistance? Flexing?

Speaking of words void of meaning in this context: "Plastics". We're speaking of a very specific type of plastics here: Namely polycarbonate.

In my above post im not saying one is better than the other. I dont want it to turn into that. Im just saying that anyone knows metal is stronger than plastic.

LOL, you think your lack of knowledge can be extrapolated to "anyone" (and by that I mean "everyone")?
You realize that there's a reason that many of the things you call "metals" are indeed alloys? yes, that includes your beloved anodised alu MB.

The Al MacBook is out for like 6 weeks.
It is impossible to judge the durability of it yet.
Wait at least 6 month and then we can make comparisons and so on.

SOME things can be deducted by materials choice alone.

Im not doubting your careless handling of your laptops. Im just saying aluminum is stronger than plastic.

In SOME circumstances you're right. But you will have to define "stronger" and the specifics as to where that definition will hold true.

Why are car bodies not made of your "high impact plastic" if its so much stronger than metal??

Some cars actually do have quite a lot made out of different types of plastic composites.

I could go on with thousands of examples of metal being stronger.

You could "go on"? What about you began to get going in the first place? I can build a bike off of plastic composites that are stronger than a "metal" bike, be it alu, ti, steel, or any other pure metal or alloy. Of course, the reverse is also true.

You like your laptop, thats all that matters! You dont have to try to justify yours being better than someone elses aluminum macbook.

LOL, the only ones I see justifying anything in this thread are you guys – and een trying to do so without any knowledge of metals (alloys or otherwise) or "plastics" (composites and whatnot).

Everyone is entitled to there own opinion but it is a FACT metal is stronger than plastic.

Go do some research, and you will soon see that the opinion you try to peddle as "facts" is nothing but an outlet for a vast void of knowledge in this area.

And for fiberglass, now your throwing 3 elements into the mix. Fiberglass has nothing to do with this. it was metal vs plastic.

Actually, your "metal" is no different: It's a bloody _ALLOY_ (look it up).

Guess you're not familiar with Euro car makers who have used a number of plastic panels for many years - especially in French cars. I had a Citroen that had plastic bonnet & tailgate, side (C) pillars and a number of other areas too.



Sorry but this is poo - yes in many/most cases plastic would be stronger but it all depends on application, thickness, design etc. especially if we're talking light-weight, thin aluminium. We’re not talking about steel here . . .

Exactly.

Oh, and I do believe the whitebook will very soon be dead, regardless of choice of materials.

 

[Luke1robb]

I was a little surprised that apple kept the white macbook somewhat alive after the aluminum update. Does anyone think that at Macworld, or within a few months after, we will likely see apple replacing it with an aluminum macbook?

My first reaction is to say obviously they will drop it and lower the price of the base alu macbook, but then again it makes no sense as they can capture market share and low-end buyers and not have to compromise the alu macbook's name by lowering the price. So NO, I don't see Apple getting rid of the Whitebook any time soon as it is helping them capture an increasing amount of market share.

 

[shady825]

That has very little to do with Alu vs plastics - which is more durable. "durable" as it is is an empty word. Impact resistant? UV-resistance? Flexing?

Speaking of words void of meaning in this context: "Plastics". We're speaking of a very specific type of plastics here: Namely polycarbonate.




LOL, you think your lack of knowledge can be extrapolated to "anyone" (and by that I mean "everyone")?
You realize that there's a reason that many of the things you call "metals" are indeed alloys? yes, that includes your beloved anodised alu MB.



SOME things can be deducted by materials choice alone.



In SOME circumstances you're right. But you will have to define "stronger" and the specifics as to where that definition will hold true.


Some cars actually do have quite a lot made out of different types of plastic composites.


You could "go on"? What about you began to get going in the first place? I can build a bike off of plastic composites that are stronger than a "metal" bike, be it alu, ti, steel, or any other pure metal or alloy. Of course, the reverse is also true.


LOL, the only ones I see justifying anything in this thread are you guys – and een trying to do so without any knowledge of metals (alloys or otherwise) or "plastics" (composites and whatnot).


Go do some research, and you will soon see that the opinion you try to peddle as "facts" is nothing but an outlet for a vast void of knowledge in this area.




Actually, your "metal" is no different: It's a bloody _ALLOY_ (look it up).





Exactly.

Oh, and I do believe the whitebook will very soon be dead, regardless of choice of materials.

Try to prove me wrong all you want! I really dont care! As ive said MANY times, everyone is entitled to there own opinion. I like my MacBook and thats all that matters. It has nothing to do with knowing a lot about metal or plastic! I DONT CARE! I'm happy with my MacBook which happens to be aluminum, and there are people happy with the plastic MacBooks. I could really care less what you or anyone else thinks about plastic vs metal. I bought the aluminum one cause i wanted it. I could have bought the plastic one but i didnt.
end of story.

 

[hogfaninga]

Chill out shady. He was just responding with facts and not putting down your purchase. It does get old when people state things without facts like polycarbonate is weak and aluminum is super tough. There is nothing wrong when someone, who clearly knows what they are talking about, responds with facts. That isn't opinion. It is fact. An opinion would be if I said I like redheads more than blondes.

 

[shady825]

Chill out shady. He was just responding with facts and not putting down your purchase. It does get old when people state things without facts like polycarbonate is weak and aluminum is super tough. There is nothing wrong when someone, who clearly knows what they are talking about, responds with facts. That isn't opinion. It is fact. An opinion would be if I said I like redheads more than blondes.

I know what your saying.. Its all good. Im done with this thread cause "I obviously dont know what im talking about"

 

[hogfaninga]

I know what your saying.. Its all good. Im done with this thread cause "I obviously dont know what im talking about"

Believe me I don't know too much about the strenghts of polycarbonate or metals or alloy or whatever. I just know my cheap plastic Macbook's have always been very durable.

There are some smart people on this site. Tosser is one of them.

 

[thewizard.mac]

You know the answers from some you will get on that question. I tell ya these new alu owners are vicious and protective of their laptops.

They all crack. Didn't ya know? Funny the 3 I have had never did (guess Apple gave me the special ones), but that argument has been played enough on here.

I also have the white macbook 2 friends also have it and no cracks at all. We don't talk about the white iPhone

 

[chrisiw]

I had to buy a laptop for school last week and I passed on the aluminum Macbook. Future Shop was clearing out the old Macbooks and I got a brand new 2.4 GHz whitebook for $1099. Cost wasn't really a factor to me even though I saved $650 by not going for the 2.4 Ghz Glassbook.

I need to use my laptop for school so it's going to spend a lot of time jostling around a backpack with 50 lb Anatomy books (ok, I'm exaggerating, but they're huge!). When someone says the plastic Macbooks are more durable They mean they can take a hard bump better than a Glassbook.

Aluminum is stronger than plastic and therein lies its weakness. When you bump one of those suckers, there is no give and every component inside feels it. Plus the wireless reception is better because there is no metal to interfere with the signal. I have an iMac at home so what I need out of a laptop is performance on the road, and the whitebooks have it.

To top it all off, that $650 sitting in the bank earning interest plus the resale value of the whitebook = brand new Macbook a year or two down the line. For free. Can't beat that.

Very wise decision I think

 

[leekohler]

Try to prove me wrong all you want! I really dont care! As ive said MANY times, everyone is entitled to there own opinion. I like my MacBook and thats all that matters. It has nothing to do with knowing a lot about metal or plastic! I DONT CARE! I'm happy with my MacBook which happens to be aluminum, and there are people happy with the plastic MacBooks. I could really care less what you or anyone else thinks about plastic vs metal. I bought the aluminum one cause i wanted it. I could have bought the plastic one but i didnt.
end of story.

No one is criticizing what you like. Relax.

For some of us, it's all about what we need, not what we like. Yes, aluminum is very pretty. I've always liked the MBP/PowerBook. They just don't suit my needs due to what they're made of. I would just like to continue to have a choice from Apple, given that I need to use their platform in my line of work.

 

[heatmiser]

I also think the plastic books are more durable than the aluminum ones, if we define durability as dent-resistant. I also think the plastic books will be gone a year from now.

I've had mine for 13 months now, and it's still going strong. After going through 6 laptops in 2007 due to restlessness, I made an effort to stick with one for 2008, and I've done it. It's hard to believe I was a senior this time last year, contemplating which laptop I'd buy next. Now I'm in grad school, and so far, so good.

I'd like to keep the MB for five years (the length of the program), but if I run into some money, I'll probably buy an MBP at some point. Either way, 13 months is probably the longest time I've kept one laptop. It cracked in the summer (they all do eventually), but I taped it up and kept on going. Hopefully it'll keep working until I decide to replace it.

 

[Piaget]

How many alu vs. plastic MB threads do there need to be? (By the way, it seems hogfaninga finds a way to be in the middle of all them, even if he claims alu MB owners are overly "defensive" on the issue.)

Both the alu and white/black MBs are great machines in their own right.

Aluminum and plastic each have their strengths and weaknesses as laptop materials, but both the alu and plastic MBs are durable machines.

Both are macs which we all should just enjoy.

End of story.

 

[hogfaninga]

How many alu vs. plastic MB threads do there need to be? (By the way, it seems hogfaninga finds a way to be in the middle of all them, even if he claims alu MB owners are overly "defensive" on the issue.)

Both the alu and white/black MBs are great machines in their own right.

Aluminum and plastic each have their strengths and weaknesses as laptop materials, but both the alu and plastic MBs are durable machines.

Both are macs which we all should just enjoy.

End of story.

I visit the site a lot and like to balance the threads out a bit. What is it to you? If you don't like it then use the ignore button.

How many threads there needs to be on this? I don't know. I never start them, however if you don't like the subject of the thread then don't click on it. That is common sense don't ya think?

End of story? Not because you said it.

 

[FieryFurnace]

I like threads like this one.
It is just fun to read them and I think they are much more interesting then those screen quality and firewire threads.

So keep up the discussion guys!

 

[StuBeck]

I think the problem with threads like this is people say what they think, someone disagrees, then they just say the same thing over and over. Its alright if people wouldn't take things so personally, and realize once they make a comment thats basically the end.

 

[Piaget]

I visit the site a lot and like to balance the threads out a bit. What is it to you? If you don't like it then use the ignore button.

How many threads there needs to be on this? I don't know. I never start them, however if you don't like the subject of the thread then don't click on it. That is common sense don't ya think?

End of story? Not because you said it.

I don't think you get my point. I have no problem with you voicing your opinion. My problem is that you have made basically the same post in multiple threads. There is something to be said for not being overly redundant... This goes for people on the other side of the plastic vs. alu macbook issue, as well (read: silverback, MacJenn - even as a casual MRs member, I know these characters well and where they stand). This comment was not directed specifically at you, but the condescending tone you take is often quite off putting. I'm sure you this won't stop you (I can tell from the last paragraph of your post), but I'm just letting you know how you can come off sometimes to others.

Moreover, many threads which start off with perfectly legitimate questions turn into these flame wars when there is even a hint that they might be relevant (see OP in this thread and see posts that follow). This doesn't mean that I shouldn't just not click on the topic.

I think the problem with threads like this is people say what they think, someone disagrees, then they just say the same thing over and over. Its alright if people wouldn't take things so personally, and realize once they make a comment thats basically the end.

This.

 

[therealdt]

No. The Whitebooks will be Apple's "low end" model. @999 this price is good for the new to Mac crowd.

 

[Nurisim]

I had the feeling they were going to discontinue it. Makes me sad. Speck has already discontinued the cases for the white book (grrrr... anyone know where else I could find one?). I really hope they decrease the price of the Alu uni body though, since right now most of my friends (who are considering switching to macs) gawk at the base price of the current laptop (999). As a mac user, I know it is well worth the money. But for someone unversed in the wonders of Apple dropping 999 USD, when you can get a pretty bad-ass PC for under 600 USD, seems a little irresponsible.

I had a 15 in macbook pro before I got my current white macbook. I didn't really notice a difference in durability between the aluminum and the plastic. The alu did mar, scratch, and discolor a little, but I kept a case on it. It seemed to flex more and where the aluminum pieces met, there was some separating, but I suppose the uni body design would fix a lot of that. Plastic does discolor, and the white plastic can become quite fantastically scratched.

But if you want to find beautifully executed white plastic, go back to the G3's. I have my sisters (which is 6 years old) that still works. It is in really good shape (despite the beating it took). It hardly looks scratched on the surface it has a layer of clear plastic over the white. I don't know if that is why it looks so much better than the current ones. The surface where one rests one's hands is also grey, which covers the discoloration much better. *sigh* that was back in the day when buying a mac meant you could actually use it for several years. Now I almost feel as if mac is almost as bad as PC's in terms of "progress" (and making previous computers obsolete). Recently, every mac I have purchased has been "old technology" within months, it is kind of irritating me.

Really, I am a plastic fan for a pretty stupid reason--temperature. I live in the frigid armpit of the United States where it is below 40 degrees F about half of the year. It sucks to have to type on a refrigerated metal surface, and it would make my hands go numb. Yeah, like I said, a stupid reason
I may try out one of the aluminum computers when I have to...

 

[Insulin Junkie]

Me personally I agree with what some posters said about the white macbook not being around for too much longer. Sooner or later I believe they're going to streamline their entire lineup, we might see it in the rev c mba sooner rather than later.
I agree with whoever said that the 2.0 will likely drop in price and become the low-end macbook in a while.

It's kinda sad... I like the looks of the whitebook!

 

[Richard1028]

I had the feeling they were going to discontinue it.

You're writing in past tense. Is it officially discontinued? If so, that's because I just bought one.

Mine was configured with 2.4ghz processor though.

I'm not going to read up the line but I'm sure somebody mentioned the white macbook being Apple's best seller.

 

[amabo]

At the laptop release event in October, they mentioned the price drop on the white macbooks and that they were the best selling laptops Apple has ever had.

I don't think they'll be around in October when they do a notebook refresh, but I'm sure they will keep them around this summer for the Back to School event (free iPod).

 

[Nurisim]

You're writing in past tense. Is it officially discontinued? If so, that's because I just bought one.

Mine was configured with 2.4ghz processor though.

I'm not going to read up the line but I'm sure somebody mentioned the white macbook being Apple's best seller.

No, no. It isn't already discontinued. That was conjecture on my part. I just bought one too

 

[crackbookpro]

Yes, and it's too bad. Then there will no longer be a durable laptop in the line. Here's hoping they wake up by the time I need a new laptop. Until then, I'm holding on to my BlackBook.

...still wish I had my BlackBook, only nice thing I can say about my UniMB over my BlackBook - is the trackpad ...other than that, I want my BlackBook back. The polycarbonate has proven to me & - it's worthy of keeping....But why the white?????

CrackBookPro

 

[bchreng]

That's fine. I haven't lied about anything. Let's see- aluminum and glass versus high-impact plastic- which one is more durable?

This is probably too early to call, but aren't the plastic Macbooks highly susceptible to cracking? I own an '09 Whitebook and have come to accept the fact that it will crack sometime within the next year or so.

If the Whitebook cracks even with the user practically babying it, wouldn't that make the Aluminum MB the more durable of the two?

 

[zap2]

I hope not!

Make it 799, it will sell like wild fire!

 

[rotlex]

I hope not!

Make it 799, it will sell like wild fire!

At that, I'd buy two.....one to keep for spare parts.

Seriously though, while it may be a dumb move, I'm waiting until after June to see if the price does drop anymore on it. My wife needs a new notebook, and it's the perfect machine for her. She only needs mail, web, word processing etc. (And I need a nice lite cheap machine to take on vacations etc.).

If the price drops under $850 for a new unit, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.