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

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
I can't believe oily finger prints held them back. I had a black MacBook and it was a magnet for finger prints.

For all we know, complaints over fingerprints were one of the lessons they learned when they canned that model! (It was cool, though, for sure.)

Apple makes really great-looking products, with great fit-and-finish, and a great software experience to boot. That makes even tiny flaws stand out, when they would go unnoticed in a more cheaply-made device.

For instance, I moaned over a slight curved unevenness in my old PowerBook G4’s lid gap. Then I looked at other (non-Apple) laptops all around me. They were worse! But you hardly noticed. Yet the flaw stood out amid Apple’s perfect, simple, aluminum lines and uncluttered design (not crawling with PC-style vents and hatches and screw holes and painted plastic).

Heck, my friend’s Dell’s DVD drive cover fell right off, and I barely noticed! You know if that happened to 10 owners of a mass-selling Apple product it would be: “surprisingly widespread manufacturing woes leave Apple’s laptop future murky.” :p

If this rumor is true, Apple made the right call: building/stocking two separate sets of models is an expensive proposition if what it gets them is just a blog-hyped “fingergate” scandal. And 99.999% of people who would want a black Air (maybe even me) will still settle for a silver one; and Apple hasn’t lost a customer then.
 

fkhan3

macrumors 6502
Apr 28, 2010
383
0
Oh man! if not black how about darker aluminum like gunmetal color? those would look sick too.
 

thederby

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2007
164
80
Austin, TX
If Lenovo can make a quality aluminum black laptop, why can't apple?

is the lenovo aluminum?

fwiw, my work laptop is an early production dell e6420 that was sent to us for evaluation. it also has a black lid that absorbs/shows body oils.

we were told at the time that the lid panels were ungoing some changes and the "final" spec wouldn't show oil/smudges to the degree that mine does.

sure enough, the newer ones have a different paint/coating on them.

"black" isn't easy.... ask anybody that's owned a black car.
 

h4ck

macrumors regular
May 26, 2006
193
54
i find it hard to believe that apple would hire someone that doesn't know when to use an apostrophe.

everyone else, there is no apostrophe in 'pros' or 'airs' - an apostrophe is used to denote ownership, or in a contraction. this is 4th grade grammar. no excuses.
 

ioannis

macrumors newbie
Aug 3, 2008
9
0
glass keys

speaking of "soaking body oils", when are they going to replace those plastic keys with something that don't get all 'shiny' after a month's use? They look ugly as well. What about glass keys (ala touchpad) or something like that?
 

tjb1

macrumors 68000
Aug 26, 2010
1,999
0
Pennsylvania, USA
I'm pretty sure they've thought of using their existing materials.

But email Jonny Ive. :p

I dont get why they would even try Powder Coating...I do it at home and I just dont see it as a computer coating. Not very strong as far as scratches go and smooth texture. Anodizing on the other hand would make the aluminum harder and keep the nice texture.
 

coolfactor

macrumors 604
Jul 29, 2002
7,056
9,723
Vancouver, BC
Sounds like the aluminum pitting that happened on the pre-unibody MacBook Pro's (which I believe were powder-coated) from your oils and sweat.

macbookpropitting.jpg

That's EXACTLY what has happened to my current MacBook Pro and the PowerBook G4 before it. I'm glad they are not going to let that happen again. I can't believe my oily skin ate away at the aluminum. Feels and looks like plastic underneath. lol
 

justinfreid

macrumors 6502a
Nov 24, 2009
501
23
NEW Jersey / USA
A very similar thing happens on my CR-48, the prototype ChromeBook Google gave away to 60,000 or so people.
If my fingers or palms are at all dirty, touching them to the CR-48 leaves what looks like a corresponding wet area. It's not nice looking.

I also heard Apple tried and failed to make a MacBook OUT of air. The plans are blowing in the wind.
 

carlivar

macrumors newbie
Feb 28, 2006
11
0
But a sharp edge below the touchpad is fine. It's okay if users consistently have a painful red abrasion on their hands or wrists as long as the computer looks good!
 

wordoflife

macrumors 604
Jul 6, 2009
7,564
37
Ultimately that is the reason that the top brass (Jobs) killed the idea... it was just too easy to make the computer look like crap.

Actually, I agree with this. Look at the 2006 MacBook Pros. They still look very nice (provided they were taken care of). I mean, VERY nice.
 

tjb1

macrumors 68000
Aug 26, 2010
1,999
0
Pennsylvania, USA
The original MacBook Pro also had an anodised aluminium case as did the PowerBook that came before it.

Anodizing and Power Coating are two completely different coatings... One is a chemical coating/plating and the other is a plastic coating that is sprayed on and melted.
 

pjhamill

macrumors regular
Aug 30, 2010
184
0
i find it hard to believe that apple would hire someone that doesn't know when to use an apostrophe.

everyone else, there is no apostrophe in 'pros' or 'airs' - an apostrophe is used to denote ownership, or in a contraction. this is 4th grade grammar. no excuses.

Yeah, because Apple wouldn't hire a talented engineer because their grammar wasn't perfect, get real!
 

malman89

macrumors 68000
May 29, 2011
1,651
6
Michigan
How is this any different than the awful condition the black MacBooks easily got themselves into after use? After seeing those palm rest areas, it made me feel much better about having a white MacBook
 

jtgreen86

macrumors member
Mar 26, 2010
55
4
I just wish they would use a black bezel on the Air. That's really the only thing keeping me from buying one at this time. The other MacBooks have them, why not the air?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.