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If You Have The White Macbook: Do You Still Like It or Prefer/Want the Alum. Macbook?

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
So for the past few weeks I've been finding myself subconsciously heading to the Apple website to look at the Aluminum Macbooks. If I find myself at a mall with an Apple Store I'll wind up in there checking out the Alum. Macbooks.

The most notable thing is i'm not too fond of the new Aluminum Macbooks. I've asked around and hear they dent easily (I've rough w/ my white macbook and works 100% perfect & take it everywehre) and simply I think they kinda look like all other laptops now. I don't mean to bash on the aluminum macbooks but I'm not sure why I keep finding myself in front of one.

I thought about this and figured it must be because of two reasons: the first is obvious that i'm interested simply because it's the latest macbook product. Secondly, multi-touch, a feature that the white macbook does not have.

I dunno guys; on my white Macbook I have the apple logo colored green with a color gel insert, which it seems you can't remove the screen from the alum. macbook. Not a big deal, but...well, iono where i'm going with this.

Mainly, I no longer see any people with the white macbook around. I remember being at a starbucks back in the day and being in a sea of white macbooks, but not i'm either the only apple product or if not, the other apple computers are the new aluminum; of course I won't let this fact bug me or be a persuasive decision in getting a new macbook, but an interesting thought nonetheless.

Mainly, i'm wondering here of all the people here with their white macbooks what you think of the aluminum macbooks? Sure the multi-touch and sd card slot features are nice, along with the 7 hr. battery life....but do you really need it when you already have a classic white macbook?

My white macbook has horrible battery life at like 4 hr. doing word processing & less than an hour of watching videos on YouTube and Hulu...but this white macbook has been with me to China, Japan, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc...and has 500GB along with 4GB's of RAM. Iono...I guess I might be bored asking this question, but nevertheless am curious about other's in the same boat.
 
ha im in your boat at the time i was planing on buying my white macbook alum. macbooks were out but no pros (yet) the main concern was my budget which cant be over 1 grand but honestly im rly happy i could care less that i dont have multitouch or a better screen apparently (my screen is fine:rolleyes:) i rarley use my battery this computer is mainly for home use, besides the maybe goin to the studio with it every now and then i dont use the battery that much. (it has 13 cycles i bought 5 months ago). yea i dont lik alum not alot of (apple) accessories match it and it scratches /dents easy which is the last thing i want.
Conclusion: the whitebook is tried and tested everything that has been wrong with it is fixed i still think the alum. macbook pro will need awhile before its up to par with the whitebook
 
Initially I had envy for the unibody MacBooks (Pros). I have been using a WhiteBook for 2.5 years now and still love it. The only thing that I really envy now is the multitouch trackpad. Other than that, I'm over it.
 
...my whitebook is "blue" with its speck see thru case... and for the price ($747 NIB on close out) and the upgrades I have, I prefer it to the uMB/uMBP's out there = alum shouldn't be used for a laptop...

My upgrades still make my Nvidia whitebook 2.0 Ghz with 4 GB PC6400 RAM and 320 GB scorpio blue WD HDD less money than the most current gen whitebook so I'm happy...(its a hold over machine until PC/Mac architecture changes dramatically)...
 
Ah, I love my iBook. No denting AND no cracking to worry about :)

Tbh it sounds like you are just gravitating towards the latest thing, especially if you're basing parts of your decision on what people around you are using. I hate being surrounded by a sea of white mac laptops (which is why I have the same gel insert mod as you. A tiny mod to set my white laptop apart from everyone elses)

HappyDude20 said:
My white macbook has horrible battery life at like 4 hr. doing word processing
Click to expand...

That doesn't seem bad. Then again, I guess it depends how long you've had the laptop.

I'm still using an iBook, I still like it. This computer has proved itself to be an absolute trooper, I'm not upgrading until it falls apart.
 
instaxgirl said:
Ah, I love my iBook. No denting AND no cracking to worry about :)

Tbh it sounds like you are just gravitating towards the latest thing, especially if you're basing parts of your decision on what people around you are using. I hate being surrounded by a sea of white mac laptops (which is why I have the same gel insert mod as you. A tiny mod to set my white laptop apart from everyone elses)



That doesn't seem bad. Then again, I guess it depends how long you've had the laptop.

I'm still using an iBook, I still like it. This computer has proved itself to be an absolute trooper, I'm not upgrading until it falls apart.
Click to expand...

Had my white macbook since late 06, 843 charge cycles, battery health at 85% though i'd say its less.

I was at a friends place once and his roommate has the ibook which i was impressed that he had it for so long. He of course modified it, have a better HD and RAM, he said it was his baby and couldn't imagine parting with it.
 
God knows I'm drawn to the latest shiny object like a bird or chimpanzee. :(
If your current rig is doing the job that you need it to do, why replace it? Unless you have to do something that requires the nvidia 9400 card, (IMO) you're better off keeping what you've got rather than buying the latest thing from apple.

One of the things that attracted me to this platform was my old school mac friends contentedly using three or four year old machines (or older) to get their work done.

With the intel switch, mac users are now doing the old 6-18 month update cycle so prevalent in the pc world.

At least wait until mac introduces snow leopard and/or quad core cpus before you buy a new model.

Do as I say, not as I do. You'll save a lot of money that way.;)
 
I prefer my white MacBook's screen over the aluminum's completely shiny screen. But if I were buying another MacBook right now, I would go for one of the aluminum ones in order to get 8 GB RAM. No one knows whether my current white MacBook supports 6 GB or not...
 
i got a whitebook over an alu one. i've used my friend's alu and i think it feels a bit stronger, like i wouldn't have to baby it as much as i feel i need to with the white one. as in, i won't just throw this in my bag (well, not throw, but you get it) and dash. but hey maybe that's just me being too careful.

of course the aluminum ones are cool. trackpad's awesome, backlit keyboard seems like it'd come in handy every now and then (though definitely not essential), etc. etc. etc.

as far as damages... every computer is going to get cuts and scrapes and scratches and dents, so i've found it best just to be ready for them and try to embrace the little flaws.

in the end, i like the whitebook a lot. but if i was buying another macbook right now, i'd probably go with the alu because of the durability thing i explained up there.
 
i have the late 2007 white MacBook, and I am keeping it.

I have used both the Air and the MacBook in my sister's house, and I get much better and stronger WiFi signal using my white MacBook. I am going to upgrade the ram and HD; I also have a Toshiba laptop, so frankly have no need for a new computer at the moment.

Jude
 
The only thing I don't like about my whitebook is the screen, which to be honest is pretty awful. Backlit keys would be nice too...
 
I must admit the first mac portable I bought, was an alu MBP, and I think it would be cool, to have a cheap whitebook, and not have to worry about denting it etc.
 
I definitely like my Whitebook. Been with me for 2 years now, and it is still doing GREAT. Upgraded to 4GB RAM, and a 320GB 7200RPM HDD. I love it, the thing pretty much flies.

If your rig is doing what you want it to, then there is not much reason for you to upgrade to the new unibody MBP's. That being said, I myself have started thinking about trying to get a good price selling mine if just to get the better GPU (GMA950 suffices just fine, but an nVidia chip would be nice) and of course multi-touch...

I guess it comes down to two trains of thought:
a) Hold on to your hardware for as long as possible, and hope that your machine will hold together / be "fast enough" for it's whole life. Trash it or part it out at EOL.

b) Only hold on to your hardware for 1 year, maybe a little more. Sell it whenever something new comes out, because after all, Macs do a great job retaining value, and their are plenty of folks looking for lightly used Macs. This method means that rather than dumping ~$1000+ every 3-4 years, you spend ~$1000+ initially then maybe only $100-$200 each year, and you always have the latest and greatest.

Ultimately, it comes down to what you can afford. If you have a little extra cash, sell your current machine (upgrades will help you get a premium), and get a new uMBP. If you are pinching pennies, then stay with your current rig. It should last you just fine for another few years (hopefully)
 
I'm happy with mine, not interested in buying the new one especially since they started using non-removable batteries. If apple drop the white macbook they've pushed me into buying another hackintosh next time.
 
thats what i did got rid of my ugly fat whitebook with intel grafix and upgraded to the amazing Unibody and if your worried about denting it just take care of it its not that hard...
 
I'm a last gen blackbook user and I love my laptop despite its quirks in comparison to the newer nvidia ones. If there's anything that bothers me about it, is that the fans go crazy when watching hulu, and my processor bar jumps in my menubar. I personally prefer the appearance of the polycarbonate to the aluminum macbooks because I like its single color, and that they match the iPhones(yeah gloss black and matte black don't match, but mines been modded to be matte, and I use a black Air Jacket case).

My friend is selling his 2.4ghz unibody, and is offering it to me for $800. While I like the unibody design itself(still hate the keyboard), I can't help but imagine how nice the faster ram, better graphics, and backlit keyboard will be. Should I upgrade?
 
I have a early 2008 white macbook and I keep finding my self looking at the 15 inch MBP i just look the look and there it is quite a bit faster i am also finding my self on photoshop more and more. I will probz end up getting it. If dont need to upgrade dont save you money for when you need to. It your choice but if you really do want to go for you wont regret it.
 
I purchased the white MacBook for my wife a couple of years ago and she prefers that look to the current aluminum. However, she has told me that she does like the MacBook Air the most, but that is due more to size/weight.

In my opinion, the white MacBook seems more feminine and looks more like a kid's toy computer. If I was to purchase a laptop for myself, I would definitely go aluminum. The build quality just seems more sturdy and masculine looking, not that I am really that worried about being perceived as feminine or masculine.
 
Still like my White model, had it for just over 2 years

I dont like trackpads (unless I really have to use them), I nearly always have an external mouse, so this is not a reason for me to upgrade

Personally I dont like the new aluminium models, when i next come to upgrade it will be for an iMac (but i need the prices to come down)

fingers crossed my current macbook will last for quite a while longer
 
I've had my whitebook for 2.5 years, and while I definitely notice it lagging in some areas, the battery is still great and it's still working for my purposes, so I have no immediate need to upgrade. When the time comes though I'll be happy to upgrade to an alumbook, because they really are gorgeous machines.
 
I love my WhiteBook but I've noticed that the plastic seems to no longer be as strong after Apple replaced my display. I loved the look of the white plastic but now I'm keeping it in an Incase hardshell again because of the creaking plastic.
 
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