I would love to add one of those to my collection, but they crossed over from "obsolete computer" to "collector's item" a few years back and prices have only been climbing since.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Last Plastic MacBook Now Considered Obsolete
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
But it'll be v slow still. One of mine takes a current OS but is slow. It still got the original chips after all. Anyone successfully managed to do anything different as I'd love to resurrect them.
I literally just finished installing 10.6.0 on one of these. It is so fast and responsive I'm trying to not throw my other "more powerful" iMac and MacBook running Sierra through the window. I needed an "old" style iTunes library for some testing. iTunes 8, baby! 
Why can't Apple get their crap together?
Why can't Apple get their crap together?
Really depends on what your frame of reference is.
I upgraded my 6 y.o.'s 2006 CoreDuo Macbook with a 2010 Macbook. With 2GB and a SSD, the thing scorched using 10.6.8. It's on Mavericks now, because I needed support for the latest web browsers and it's still pretty fast.
I suspect that upping the RAM could help out a little bit.
This was my first Mac. I still have it. Started my first business with that thing. Wrote my first iOS app with that thing. Became a full-time Mac user with that thing. It still works okay. (though the bottom RAM slot isn't working anymore. Also, it turns off and stays off for about a minute if you hold it a certain way.)
Now it's used as a small Xcode server. I've been meaning to get it fixed but never had the time. Now that time window is out. :/
Now it's used as a small Xcode server. I've been meaning to get it fixed but never had the time. Now that time window is out. :/
I still use my 2009 15 inch MacBook Pro every single day. I do all the heavy lifting on my desktop now, but for browsing the web, writing texts and occasional light work in Illustrator that thing still works great.
But since it doesn't even run the latest macOS and is considered obsolete now, I guess it might be time to say good bye to my dear companion soon.
But since it doesn't even run the latest macOS and is considered obsolete now, I guess it might be time to say good bye to my dear companion soon.
These models are
the instructions are on iFixit. I've used them several times... parts are getting thin though.
My wife is still using our late 2007 Black MacBook!! - an SSD and plenty of RAM keep it going strong... screen a little yellowed though. Quality lasts.
My first Mac was a white plastic MacBook back in 2008. My sister was lucky enough to have gotten a black one
Apple first introduced the unibody polycarbonate MacBook, the third design iteration of the MacBook line, in late 2009, offering it in black and white. The MacBook was sold for only a short time, having been discontinued in mid-2011 after the introduction of the MacBook Air.
To my knowledge, this unibody plastic model was not offered in black like the one immediately before it. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course. Just a note!
Beat me to it!
Interesting... I have two of these in use still today in our house. Both perform flawlessly. The only issue is the cracks at the hinge that make the hinge have very little resistance.
No real reason to upgrade until now. They are only used for web browsing, videos, writing papers.
No real reason to upgrade until now. They are only used for web browsing, videos, writing papers.
Maxxing out the RAM, replacing the HDD with a SSD, and doing a fresh OS install are the only things you can do to improve speed. A replacement battery is probably needed at this time. It won't have the speed of today's computers but will be very usable for a number of tasks.
An official goodbye to the white macbook days. I remember when I first was introduced to mac back in 2004 (I think). A relative bought an iBook G4 and I remember playing around with the Garageband app and thinking she was the luckiest person in the world.
I bought my first mac, a macbook, back in 2007. Holy smokes, 10 years ago now! :O
I bought my first mac, a macbook, back in 2007. Holy smokes, 10 years ago now! :O
Ah, the joy of all that underside rubber de-laminating from the aluminium bottom plate, separating from the glue so you ended up with wavy ripples of rubber and bubbles under it... ahhhh! Apple had the decency to issue a repair kit, which they sent me, which was a new set of screws, a screwdriver and a replacement bottom plate - GOOD AS NEW.
Actually, yes, I really loved my 2009 UniBody MacBook, it was amazing.
[doublepost=1493692150][/doublepost]
I think you bought your first Mac when I bought mine - 2007, a white MacBook, from KRCS in Leicester
[doublepost=1493692278][/doublepost]
Hilariously inept of MacRumors not to know their Macs - what a joke - if you know about Macs you KNOW there wasn't a black U/B, it's not a copy/paste or journlist's error, that's a joke.
Actually, yes, I really loved my 2009 UniBody MacBook, it was amazing.
[doublepost=1493692150][/doublepost]
An official goodbye to the white macbook days. I remember when I first was introduced to mac back in 2004 (I think). A relative bought an iBook G4 and I remember playing around with the Garageband app and thinking she was the luckiest person in the world.
I bought my first mac, a macbook, back in 2007. Holy smokes, 10 years ago now! :O
I think you bought your first Mac when I bought mine - 2007, a white MacBook, from KRCS in Leicester
[doublepost=1493692278][/doublepost]
Hilariously inept of MacRumors not to know their Macs - what a joke - if you know about Macs you KNOW there wasn't a black U/B, it's not a copy/paste or journlist's error, that's a joke.
Agreed, the G4 iMac was the epitome of form over function. Especially the 20", where they weighed down the base so it would support the screen, amazing. And they never even thought about making it thinner!
I had the earlier plastic iBook, the G3 600 and 800MHz ones, and those were great machines.
I still have mine. When the battery swelled up many years ago, I didn't want to to pay Apple $129 for a new battery. The batteries were still available on their website till about two years ago. I used it all these years without a battery. It still works, it's just so slow compared to my 2012 13" non retina MBP and my 2015 MBP.
Not worth selling at this point. I did have to get it out to use to downgrade my old iPhone 3GS to 4.1 several months ago so I could use an old app. I'm glad I still had it because if this. It was my only computer that could do the job because of recognizing the USB ports or something like that.
I had a white 2010 MB also. The battery in it swelled so bad that it pushed up through the trackpad breaking the plastic on each side of the trackpad so it popped up at about a 90 degree angle. It was pretty much worthless at that point.
As per the article, Cali and Turkey have local statutes requiring the longer service and parts periods.
Quote: "The vintage classification means that Apple is no longer offering hardware service for the devices except in Turkey and California, where local statutes require that Apple continue to provide service and parts for a longer period of time."
I have a Mid 2010 which I bought used in good condition. Upgraded to an SSD + 8 GB RAM and runs on MacOS Sierra. At the moment I don't really have a use for it, though. Perhaps better to preserve it.
Some may be quick to dismiss the idea of a plastic MacBook today, but it feels very good in the hand with the smooth/rounded edges and rubber bottom despite being thicker/heavier than modern MacBooks. It was and still is a good design, at least I think so; aside from the separating rubber issue on the bottom (which mine luckily doesn't have).
Some may be quick to dismiss the idea of a plastic MacBook today, but it feels very good in the hand with the smooth/rounded edges and rubber bottom despite being thicker/heavier than modern MacBooks. It was and still is a good design, at least I think so; aside from the separating rubber issue on the bottom (which mine luckily doesn't have).
Don't forget the Power Mac G5. Those looked more beautiful on the inside than contemporary desktop PCs looked on the outside...
Until now? This announcement doesn't make any of these Macs suddenly obsolete. It simply means you can't go to Apple for an expensive repair that would be hard to justify on a Mac of this age anyway.
Well, all iPhones before the 5S.
[doublepost=1493714915][/doublepost]I used the OG MacBook (2006) throughout high school (2011-2014). Poor thing had taken such a beating from previous owners that I had to hack it a ton to keep it running, but it was one heck of a reliable machine.
[doublepost=1493715036][/doublepost]
I can at least confirm that the HDD is a piece of cake to swap. But the processor is 32-bit and therefore incompatible with tons of stuff, so you might have a bad time even though it's decently fast.
[doublepost=1493715218][/doublepost]
It's sad. All of Apple's software was like 1000% faster back then. That's why I was able to use my '06 MacBook for so long. I'd like to know who the heck they're hiring to "update" iTunes.I literally just finished installing 10.6.0 on one of these. It is so fast and responsive I'm trying to not throw my other "more powerful" iMac and MacBook running Sierra through the window. I needed an "old" style iTunes library for some testing. iTunes 8, baby!
It's not just Apple that's at fault. Google is a pioneer in ****ty coding. How come Google Hangouts brings a brand new rMBP to its knees with full CPU (and probably GPU) usage, but I used to do iChat and AIM video calls with no problem on an iMac G4 that's probably 1/128 as powerful? What did they do, write the video encoder in Python?? Mind you, AIM's video call service used Adobe Flash, and it performed way better than anything Google has made.
Last edited:
Yup just gorgeous. Always wanted one. My very first computer was the graphite Power Mac G4 and it also was gorgeous.
