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Apple Kills Off White MacBook as Educational Institution Distribution Halted

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Ive owned 3 of the white Polycarbonate MacBooks and I loved them all but unfortunately they all suffered from cracking issues, including my last Unibody white MacBook that I sent in 3 times for the hinge cracks. I just sold that computer on Monday and have a Refurb 13" MacBook Pro on the way. I loved the design on the plastic models, but the cracking issues are unfortunate side affects.
 
Not a huge issue, but I've always believed that Apple misses large opportunities at different times with different products to significantly expand their user base by taking these significantly low cost to produce computers/products that they've spent lots of time and money and effort to refine to the point of being low cost to produce. They should sell these at the lower end of the market at a lower price point. Can you imagine how many kids would be ableto get a $650 MacBook and how many fewer iTunes for Windows users there would be?

With companies casually attempting to photocopy, on the cheap, Apple's every design and not having particularly effective legal system to protect against infringement it's always nice to have a larger userbase to fall back on. Developing more software for sale would ultimately make this kind of shift more feasible. Apple should be producing more software anyway since Steve Jobs always said he viewed Apple as a software developer that came to the conclusion that developing hardware is a necessary component of a good software product.
 
It had an optical drive :eek:. My gosh that is outdated for sure.

Kill it with fire, and anything that has an optical drive also.
 
highdough said:
As the head of my children's elementary school (K-7) tech committee (comprised of teachers and parents), I have to say that the iPad fits our needs far more than a laptop does. There are more and more educational apps that are better and more interactive for elementary school age kids. And with the introduction of iText books, iPads make ever more sense.

It's not just Apple that wants schools to buy iPads, it's schools, as well.
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Except my school where I work. They bought up the leftovers after they were made eol'd for the general public. Can't say I love them. Limited is the word that comes to mind.

I still believe that the iPod Touch is the most under-rated tool for schools.

We could have had an iPod T + an iPad for less than the price of a white crapbook.
 
Yebubbleman said:
Gee, 11.6" screen and 64 GB of storage with a limit of 2GB of RAM versus 13" screen and 250 GB of storage (upgradable to anything, including a 256 GB SSD, or a 750 GB drive) with an Apple-imposed limit of 4GB of RAM (and a theoretical limit of 8GB of RAM) both originally out for the same price, I wonder which is the worse deal. This is why I fail to understand the MacBook Air fanbase; they are so in love with the MacBook Air that they lose all sight of practicality.
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I agree with you on this 100%. Not to mention the point well made about the integrated RAM defecting and rendering the entire unit useless.

I'm currently on my aluminum unibody Macbook with the backlit keyboard. It looks identical to the current pro on the market save for the name plate and some ports. As stated earlier, if you want a bargain on a good modern looking computer that still holds this name you're best off going for the 2008 aluminum Macbook.
 
Kebabselector said:
Sad there's so much hate for the old white Macbook. Great product, great price.
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Agreed. I sold my 2009 15" mid level MBP to buy a white 2010 MacBook. Glad I did. I seriously love using this laptop more. The only thing I miss is the Firewire port, I now have my 2 USB ports used up by my two drives.

Display on these was nearly as good as my MBP.
 
Macbook Airs?

We are looking at MacBook Airs for the school district I am working at. 5700 MacBook Airs will more than likely be on order in March. Although I will miss the iconic look of the White MacBook, the Airs will look good in the hands of all the high school kids. That is, until they will destroy them (it will happen).
 
Makes sense... but who are the sources?

It makes a lot of sense to discontinue the MacBook...

For a MacBook with 4GB memory and a 500GB HD, it costs $1,079.00 for the education market. For a MacBook Pro 13" with the default configuration (4GB/500GB) it costs $1,099.00 for the education market. That is $20 more, and you get FireWire, Thunderbolt, a backlit keyboard, an i5 processor, better graphics, and a bunch of other new tech in an aluminum case. The MacBook is 2010 technology.

The stock MacBook (2GB/250GB) costs $899.00, and the MacBook Air 11.6" is only $50 more at $949... these are educational institution prices. Yes, you get a smaller HD, but it is flash and there is usually not a need for huge storage for a lot of students... with server storage, cloud storage, and removable flash drives, etc. The screen resolution is great, too, and you get all the new technology in this device as well... including a faster processor, better graphics, and Thunderbolt.

With all that said, I don't know who these resellers are... is this a legit rumor? Our Apple rep said he has heard nothing internally. Also, the MacBook is still on our education store site. With that said, I still think we are pretty much ready to move to newer technology... maybe stay with the MacBook one more year (for money reasons) for students if it is still available when we place our next Apple order.
 
baryon said:
How about this: make a MacBook Air-like machine that comes with a range of specifications, from current MacBook Air specifications to current MacBook Pro specifications. Price would range accordingly, from MBA price to MBP price.

Then you could plug in external graphics cards and I/O into the Thunderbolt port. Too bad this will be expensive, but it would be great if you could get it for a decent price…

But I'm sure that one day, soon, technology will permit the MacBook Pro to fit into a MacBook Air. Then it will be all unified, and very Apple-like!
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What is the point of designing a machine to be ultra-lightweight and portable, but taking so much out of it that you have to plug external accessories into it? Then it's no longer so portable.

There is also no point in Apple turning the MBP into the Air. They need to maintain both lines. The Air is for executives who want something light and easy to carry when they travel and who mainly only check email and access the web. Those people can switch to a Pad, although typing is obviously much easier on the Air. The MBP is designed for people who still do real work (and not just consume content) using intensive applications like Office, Photoshop, video editing, databases, etc. It also has a higher specification than the Air so why would anyone want to take steps backwards?

And while most people on this site agree that it's time to remove the optical drive from the MBP, I would strenuously disagree. I use that drive for all kinds of things, like copying CDs to iTunes or transporting files from a standalone CD-R drive where I do audio editing and mastering.

Besides, good marketing says you have products for every market at a variety of price points. If you look at Apple's current lineup, they hit all of those price points: the computers are all spread about $200-$300 apart.
 
I always had mixed feelings about the white MacBook, though I did eventually buy one due to its superior affordability.

In my opinion, with the lid open the screen and keyboard look typically Apple-elegant, while the outer shell's glossy polycarbonate isn't so impressive to the eye.

As for its functionality, because I don't play games on it and don't make fancy films or anything else too demanding, it's a perfectly fine computer that does all I ask of it. Indeed I have developed a soft spot for it. Apple manage to achieve this time after time.

I haven't experienced any problems with it other than my Airport reception playing up, coincidentally (?) since I installed the Snow Leopard updates recently.
 
Macman45 said:
Not yet, but I can hope cant I?...:)
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Y'know...that's completely fair; it's like half of all MacRumors MacBook threads are hopes for some mega-beast of a MacBook Air.

sseaton1971 said:
It makes a lot of sense to discontinue the MacBook...

For a MacBook with 4GB memory and a 500GB HD, it costs $1,079.00 for the education market. For a MacBook Pro 13" with the default configuration (4GB/500GB) it costs $1,099.00 for the education market. That is $20 more, and you get FireWire, Thunderbolt, a backlit keyboard, an i5 processor, better graphics, and a bunch of other new tech in an aluminum case. The MacBook is 2010 technology.

The stock MacBook (2GB/250GB) costs $899.00, and the MacBook Air 11.6" is only $50 more at $949... these are educational institution prices. Yes, you get a smaller HD, but it is flash and there is usually not a need for huge storage for a lot of students... with server storage, cloud storage, and removable flash drives, etc. The screen resolution is great, too, and you get all the new technology in this device as well... including a faster processor, better graphics, and Thunderbolt.

With all that said, I don't know who these resellers are... is this a legit rumor? Our Apple rep said he has heard nothing internally. Also, the MacBook is still on our education store site. With that said, I still think we are pretty much ready to move to newer technology... maybe stay with the MacBook one more year (for money reasons) for students if it is still available when we place our next Apple order.
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1. To compare the Mid 2010 MacBook to the Late 2011 13" MacBook Pro is unfair. When one doesn't get refreshed and the other one does there's a clear advantage.

2. Education users don't need anything about the MacBook Air's SSD-induced speed. Also a paltry 64 GB when the OS takes up at least 12 doesn't leave me with a whole lot of room for app and user data, which is something even schools have on their machines. That and an 11.6" screen is impractical even for education users. Lastly, let's be real here, Polycarbonate plastic dings under impact, aluminum dents; which material makes overwhelmingly more sense for schools? Gee, I wonder...

It was stupid of them to ever kill the white MacBook. Just because it doesn't fit with their all-aluminum design goals or the superficial hatred of white vs. Aluminum doesn't mean that such a notebook made of such material doesn't have a clear use.
 
MBP13 said:
I'll have to see how the switch goes from using my 13" MacBook Pro in class daily after my school requires us to have iPads next year. My school is implementing iPads next school year, so I can surely say which is best (laptop or iPad) in schools.
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A school cannot require anyone to have an iPad.
 
1. To compare the Mid 2010 MacBook to the Late 2011 13" MacBook Pro is unfair. When one doesn't get refreshed and the other one does there's a clear advantage.
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I have no problem with the MacBook, except that Apple doesn't update it. And my comparison was simply to illustrate that for $20 more there is a very capable replacement laptop.

2. Education users don't need anything about the MacBook Air's SSD-induced speed. Also a paltry 64 GB when the OS takes up at least 12 doesn't leave me with a whole lot of room for app and user data, which is something even schools have on their machines. That and an 11.6" screen is impractical even for education users. Lastly, let's be real here, Polycarbonate plastic dings under impact, aluminum dents; which material makes overwhelmingly more sense for schools? Gee, I wonder...
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The speed isn't the issue... the issue here is that our students (I work in a public school district) are very hard on the computers. Our hard drives have failed a lot. An SSD would help with this. Also, we have no need for local storage of files. We still have MacBooks running with 80GB hard drive, and we have not had problems with data storage on these student computers. This is our unique environment. If yours is different, then this might not be a good solution for you.

It was stupid of them to ever kill the white MacBook. Just because it doesn't fit with their all-aluminum design goals or the superficial hatred of white vs. Aluminum doesn't mean that such a notebook made of such material doesn't have a clear use.
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I wish they hadn't killed it, too. But it makes sense, since there are other options that really don't cost that much more and are technically superior. A MacBook could have been updated, too, to include the many technical advances. Who knows if this rumor is true for sure. If it is, perhaps Apple has something in mind for the education market. But I don't see a MacBook replacement coming back to the general consumer at this time.

Now that we probably agree on the value of the MacBook and that it is a very useful computer today and could be updated with all the latest Apple tech, you can relax. You kinda freaked out on me! lol
 
zoetmb said:
What is the point of designing a machine to be ultra-lightweight and portable, but taking so much out of it that you have to plug external accessories into it? Then it's no longer so portable.

There is also no point in Apple turning the MBP into the Air. They need to maintain both lines. The Air is for executives who want something light and easy to carry when they travel and who mainly only check email and access the web. Those people can switch to a Pad, although typing is obviously much easier on the Air. The MBP is designed for people who still do real work (and not just consume content) using intensive applications like Office, Photoshop, video editing, databases, etc. It also has a higher specification than the Air so why would anyone want to take steps backwards?

And while most people on this site agree that it's time to remove the optical drive from the MBP, I would strenuously disagree. I use that drive for all kinds of things, like copying CDs to iTunes or transporting files from a standalone CD-R drive where I do audio editing and mastering.

Besides, good marketing says you have products for every market at a variety of price points. If you look at Apple's current lineup, they hit all of those price points: the computers are all spread about $200-$300 apart.
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What I mean is that there would be a low-end MacBook Air, and also a high-end version. The high-end version would have the same specifications as the current MBP, except it wouldn't have an optical drive. Unless you really need the optical drive, why would anyone not want a much thinner and lighter MacBook Pro?

I think that eventually, maybe not right now, but one day, it will be totally possible to but anything inside a MacBook Air, so there would be no need for a MacBook Pro, if the Air can do everything.

If I had to choose between two identical computers, one that looks like a MacBook Air and one that looks like a MacBook Pro, with the exact same specifications except for the optical drive, I would take the one that looks like the Air...
 
baryon said:
What I mean is that there would be a low-end MacBook Air, and also a high-end version. The high-end version would have the same specifications as the current MBP, except it wouldn't have an optical drive. Unless you really need the optical drive, why would anyone not want a much thinner and lighter MacBook Pro?

I think that eventually, maybe not right now, but one day, it will be totally possible to but anything inside a MacBook Air, so there would be no need for a MacBook Pro, if the Air can do everything.

If I had to choose between two identical computers, one that looks like a MacBook Air and one that looks like a MacBook Pro, with the exact same specifications except for the optical drive, I would take the one that looks like the Air...
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Makes a lot sense... I agree wholeheartedly. It is not like the form factors and materials are going to stay the same forever. They never have, and they never will... nor should they.
 
Santabean2000 said:
Except my school where I work. They bought up the leftovers after they were made eol'd for the general public. Can't say I love them. Limited is the word that comes to mind.

I still believe that the iPod Touch is the most under-rated tool for schools.

We could have had an iPod T + an iPad for less than the price of a white crapbook.
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An iPod Touch is nice (I have one) but doesn't compare to an iPad, in my opinion. That extra real estate and power makes a big difference.

And our whole district is moving away from computers and laptops, in large part because they feel things are moving.
 
I like the aluminium mac books. I just got a 15” MBP as my first Mac and I’m loving it.
I want to get my kids into Macs but the air is too much $ and I’m afraid they will break the iPads. I’m trying to talk my wife into letting me get them each an iPad for learning on but they just got new windows laptops for X-Mas. :(
 
jclardy said:
A private school can do whatever they want. The parents are already paying $10,000 a year so an iPad is chump change in comparison.
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Private schools do not require students to buy personal iPads. Private schools may charge technology fees for using school-owned iPads, which is an enormous monetary difference. I would know because I went to private schools my entire life and now teach at some.
 
myrtlebee said:
A school cannot require anyone to have an iPad.
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They can and they are. Every student will be leasing an iPad from Apple. When I graduate next year, I will be given the option to either return the iPad to Apple or buy it at a reduced cost.
 
I see the 13" MBP being rebadged as the new MacBook. I can't see anything losing the optical drive, obviously aside from MBA. I think it's still a bit too soon to drop it. It's more of a psychological loss, as optical drives are just part of computers, at least IMO.

When SSDs get cheaper and smaller, and external drives get cheaper as well, then we'll start to see more optical driveless laptops. Digital distribution of disc media also becoming more prevelant will aid this, as this has been the trend.
 
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