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I don't consider a $1200 laptop and "entry level" computer in anyway shape or form. You can get a PC with 4 gig of ram and a duo core proc for like $500 just about any day of the week.

I think the macbook is considered the ENTRY level laptop in the Apple line-up...
 
Sure if you consider just the hardware. Don't forget OS X doesn't grow on trees. The cost to develop and upgrade OS X is supported by < 20% of computer users, and Windows is supported by the rest. Also, the Macs are not loaded with 3rd party apps which pays for a big part of the computer.



Hey, I love my new macbook..and I love OSX, I'm just not sure it's $800 better than windows xp.

Macs are expensive as crap.
 
I think the macbook is considered the ENTRY level laptop in the Apple line-up...



No doubt about that. But that doesn't mean in the realm of laptops it's an entry level machine. If the product isn't considerably better than comparable pc's (hardware) then we're all idiots for spending so much.
 
Yep, Im opting out from buying the new AlumMacBook all together. I was pondering all 3 models (MB, Air & MBP) but Ive decided the MB just has too many issues....between the screen and the potential for slanted keys, loose battery covers etc, I just dont want to deal with it (especially since id be getting a BTO MB w/ 4GB RAM so it would have to be shipped back with issues)...

Then I pondered a new MBP and I just frankly dont want that extra weight, its bigger than my 2007 Merom MBP, and the screen is a glossy annoyance.

The Air seems like my only option....fast for my needs, well built, non-glass screen, beautiful screen, touch gestures, backlit kb, 3lbs, super thin and I can purchase it in store....hopefully Apple knocks $100 off on it on Black Friday, coupled with my $200 student discount. Id take a $2,199.99 MBA. 1.86GHz/128GB SSD here I come.
 
Get ready to be bashed.

I hope you enjoy the new Macbook Pro.

He won't get bashed. The screens on the new MacBook and the white/black ones are indeed terrible. And I own the last rev BlackBook. If I didn't have a tower and much better display at home, I'd be angry too. As is, I only use the laptop for daily travel, so it's OK.
 
Yep, Im opting out from buying the new AlumMacBook all together. I was pondering all 3 models (MB, Air & MBP) but Ive decided the MB just has too many issues....between the screen and the potential for slanted keys, loose battery covers etc, I just dont want to deal with it (especially since id be getting a BTO MB w/ 4GB RAM so it would have to be shipped back with issues)...

Then I pondered a new MBP and I just frankly dont want that extra weight, its bigger than my 2007 Merom MBP, and the screen is a glossy annoyance.

The Air seems like my only option....fast for my needs, well built, non-glass screen, beautiful screen, touch gestures, backlit kb, 3lbs, super thin and I can purchase it in store....hopefully Apple knocks $100 off on it on Black Friday, coupled with my $200 student discount. Id take a $2,199.99 MBA. 1.86GHz/128GB SSD here I come.


I love the new Air. I played with the new one with SSD and it was awesome. Screen was great, fast, temps were fine, the whole machine is nice. I was planning to sell my Blackbook and buy a Macbook Pro next Fall, but I think I will keep my Blackbook (I love my Blackbook)(I have a desktop also) and just buy the Air with SSD.
 
Facepalms everywhere

Yeah, had to say it. So many people are earning only facepalms.jpg from me. Why? Because some people bash out others when they are telling truths.

I know the MacBook screen is sup-par and could be better considering a $1300-$1600 notebook which is supposed to be 'premium' over competitors. However, some people blindly say its ok/perfect and its over demanding people making up excuses.

Like a previous poster in this thread said, its up to the individual. I mean, only you know your needs. To the OP, it is a good thing you noticed the MacBook wasn't delivering what you needed. I am here to say your decision to get a better screen is a decision based on your needs and no one has the right to bash you out. Besides, you want to obtain something you expect (better screen).

I, like others, have found the screen fits my needs (after calibration of coarse). I am not a demanding user neither nor do I need the power of a MacBook Pro. Still, that doesn't mean I am ok with Apple lowering the display quality, I expect more, but hey, its not as ad as my old notebook was. Hence, the issue of 'depends of the individual' kicks in.

Anyway, I don't want to make this a drama post, so....

Enjoy your MacBook or MacBook Pro, each got what we liked and waht we are meant for.
 
Yeah, had to say it. So many people are earning only facepalms.jpg from me. Why? Because some people bash out others when they are telling truths.

I know the MacBook screen is sup-par and could be better considering a $1300-$1600 notebook which is supposed to be 'premium' over competitors. However, some people blindly say its ok/perfect and its over demanding people making up excuses.

Like a previous poster in this thread said, its up to the individual. I mean, only you know your needs. To the OP, it is a good thing you noticed the MacBook wasn't delivering what you needed. I am here to say your decision to get a better screen is a decision based on your needs and no one has the right to bash you out. Besides, you want to obtain something you expect (better screen).

I, like others, have found the screen fits my needs (after calibration of coarse). I am not a demanding user neither nor do I need the power of a MacBook Pro. Still, that doesn't mean I am ok with Apple lowering the display quality, I expect more, but hey, its not as ad as my old notebook was. Hence, the issue of 'depends of the individual' kicks in.

Anyway, I don't want to make this a drama post, so....

Enjoy your MacBook or MacBook Pro, each got what we liked and waht we are meant for.


I agree except the part with the new alu having a better screen than the previous gen.. It isn't at all (except for brightness and the older is better on blacks), but we all know where we all stand (us regulars) on that. Brightness is fine on my Blackbook as it is now. I don't like it too bright anyways. Good post.
 
He won't get bashed. The screens on the new MacBook and the white/black ones are indeed terrible. And I own the last rev BlackBook. If I didn't have a tower and much better display at home, I'd be angry too. As is, I only use the laptop for daily travel, so it's OK.

More times than not, these threads about the screen (FW also) become a bash session. Hence why I said what I did.
 
same story here but, what do you plan on doing with your blackbook if you also have an air?

I figure I can only get about $700-800 for it late next year maybe (who knows). I love my Blackbook (looks wise I think it is the best looking Macbook and performance/durability wise it has been great to me) and will just keep it for that. Plus I do a lot of outdoor photography and the Blackbook has the necessary ports I need to do work in the field. The Air can't do it. I will get the Air out of want, not need. We all need our toys sometimes and that is how I see this future purchase. I work hard and deserve some fun purchases sometimes.
 
I WAS blinded by Apple. The sun kept reflecting off of my glassbook display and burning my retinas...:D

Personally, with all the people on this forum that never leave their square cave ...

What does sunlight feel like. :confused:

Last time simply walking outside burned my retinas, took weeks of hiding under the bed for them to heal.
 
I agree except the part with the new alu having a better screen than the previous gen.. It isn't at all (except for brightness and the older is better on blacks), but we all know where we all stand (us regulars) on that. Brightness is fine on my Blackbook as it is now. I don't like it too bright anyways. Good post.

I know the current MacBook has a inferior screen to the previous gen. Maybe I worded that wrong, can you point out where I made the comment. That way I can fix the wording... thanks...

Personally, with all the people on this forum that never leave their square cave ...

What does sunlight feel like. :confused:

Last time simply walking outside burned my retinas, took weeks of hiding under the bed for them to heal.

Under the bed? Try the basement closet. Also, your nick says it all... SunBaked...
 
will get the Air out of want, not need. We all need our toys sometimes and that is how I see this future purchase.

recession? what recession? ya that's my attitude too, my whitebook is rugged I can toss it around and if it breaks no worries. I'm hoping MW09 will prop up a decent affordable desktop or macmini at 3ghz+ so that I can have power at home and portability with the mba.
 
Oh the beauty of always having a company provided laptop. Each year when I get my refresh, the screen is always the worst part about the system. So when I purchased my OWN computer (2.4 AluMacBook) the screen is 50 times better than the crap I have been looking at previously so I'm in the camp that doesn't mind the new screens.

That's not me backing Apple or justifying my purchase. It's just a simple fact of me always having even crappier screens so the new one looks fantastic to me! Can't beat it.
 
Hey, I love my new macbook..and I love OSX, I'm just not sure it's $800 better than windows xp.

Macs are expensive as crap.

Even just the hardware, I don't think the MBs are the same as the $500 PCs. Most of these $500 PCs has 14"+ screen and > 5 lbs in weight. If we consider the same class of PC laptops as the MB, 13" screen and under 5 lbs (Thin and light, with build in webcams). They are more like $800-1000+ (compared to the $1000+ for MBs).
 
Hmm, is there any videos comparing the two notebook's screen quality? I want to buy my wife a Mac to replace her old iBook, but I'm stuck between the new Air (HDD) or the new 2.4GHz MacBook.

How fast do you reckon the HDD version will be? Would you recommend it?

A video would be great. ;(
 
I have a 9C89 (LG) screen in my aluminum MacBook. Had an LG display in my white MacBook too (both of them actually).

My aluminum MacBook, once calibrated, looks every bit as good as my friend's LED backlit MacBook Pro. Colors are the same, blacks are the same. It's just not quite as bright.

Apple's display manufacturers, despite some of them being good (Samsung and LG), don't create all of their displays equal.

My first MacBook had an LG display but the back lighting was noticeably uneven. The right side was noticeably brighter than the left. It sort of faded from dark to bright.

Of course, the MacBook Pros aren't unaffected by this lack of quality control either.

Let's not forget the yellowing issues that still exist today with the MacBook Pro displays.

So while people in this thread and the OP might not have been happy with their MacBook's screen, their experience does NOT reflect the quality of the entire MacBook line. They proudly proclaim going to the MBA (every MBA I've seen looks no better than the current MB) or that they're upgrading to the MBP. But you know what? That doesn't make sense. Because the MBP has known issues with the display as well. So they could very well be going from one bad display to another.

Unfortunately, with Apple, getting a good display seems to be a matter of luck. Rather than tell Apple "your displays are horrible so I'm returning this computer and buying an even more expensive one! take that!" you should speak with your wallet completely and just buy a PC. Once Apple sees their sales go down thanks to bad quality control they'll finally get in gear and start making sure only the best go in to their computers.
 
Hmm, is there any videos comparing the two notebook's screen quality? I want to buy my wife a Mac to replace her old iBook, but I'm stuck between the new Air (HDD) or the new 2.4GHz MacBook.

How fast do you reckon the HDD version will be? Would you recommend it?

A video would be great. ;(

Well, the MacBook Air uses a SATA 5400 RPM HDD now compared to the previous generations PATA 4200 RPM. But its still not going to be anywhere near as fast as whats in or can be in a MacBook.

And despite what some around here say, if you check it out in person, you'll see that the new MacBooks look every bit as good as the MacBook Air. Wouldn't surprise me if they're using the exact same panel and people are just falling victim to the usual "it's more expensive so it must be better!" mentality.
 
Well, the MacBook Air uses a SATA 5400 RPM HDD now compared to the previous generations PATA 4200 RPM. But its still not going to be anywhere near as fast as whats in or can be in a MacBook.

And despite what some around here say, if you check it out in person, you'll see that the new MacBooks look every bit as good as the MacBook Air. Wouldn't surprise me if they're using the exact same panel and people are just falling victim to the usual "it's more expensive so it must be better!" mentality.

Nope it still uses a 4200 RPM drive. Not sure if it's ATA or not though.

I was in the lovely apple store in Arndale Center, Manchester last friday and i can honestly say the Air's screen is definitely better than the Macbooks. I could easily see wash out and inverted blacks on the MB, whereas the Air had much better colours and blacks over a wider range of angles
 
Well, regrettably I have to say that the new Alu Macbooks screen is pretty poor. I bought the new 2.4Ghz model and try as I might I couldn't get past the limited vertical viewing angle either. The one thing I don't like is having to deal with endless calibration to make the screen "appear" to be better when it's actually not. No amount of screen calibration was going to make the black levels better and I think it's ridiculous to have to try so many color profiles that really don't help very much.

I noticed that Apple is not the only one doing this, I was at my favorite retail store yesterday and saw Sony's newest 16.4" FW series notebook and it looked pretty good until I changed the background wallpaper to a black background to compare it to the Alu Macbook. As soon as I tilted the Sony screen the black level was non-existent, it washes out just like the Macbook. The Sony FW was $1299-1499 which is inline with Apple's Macbook.

I ended up returning my Alu Macbook and ordered the new MBA SSD model. The screen on the Air is incredible and the black level is better than than the Macbook Pro. I knew the MBA had something superior about it since it's limited on ports. I'd give up features for screen clarity any day.
 
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