Im a windows guy as well as new here..

[Deanhartleyy]

Hey all Im new and Im running windows on an Hp laptop. Im a notebook guy so no iMacs involved.

In about 4ish months im going to be taking up my first job and saving for a macbook. Now I love camcorders as well as digital cameras and have found out the new macbooks dont have firewire() so I want to get the white macbook.

Is it reliable? Everyone says it cracks but im not aggressive when it comes to hardware and such so. Tell me your opinions to help me make my decision.

Pros and Cons?

-Dean

 

[madog]

If you look at the plastic MB's there are two bumps at the top of the LCD on the left and right. When closed enough times or hard enough it can crack or break the area on the top case where those bumps hit.

That's the majority of cracks I've seen, and as it is a manufacturer defect it is covered under warranty. I would assume they have reinforced the MBs since, as the more time goes on the less I see that issue.

Personally I don't think the unibody design is worth it in terms of how much more it costs just for that "feature". Also, as it stands you are also losing features because of the new logic board design (mainly FW on the MacBooks and the DVI port on the Pro) and I don't think that necessitates an extra few hundred dollars for that reason alone (and is pretty ridiculous as far as I'm concerned).

For those of us who need FW or don't want to buy a $100 (as it stands now) for a DVI adapter for a MBP which used to have it, the white MacBook and old MBP are perfectly great machines still and will continue to be until Apple quits being innovative just for the sake of being innovative. Albeit the one decent thing to be a result is that the aluminum MBs are the only MBs that can utilize a dual-link DVI port if you want to attach something greater than a 24 inch digital display to it.

Also, the new white MB has mostly the same internal bits as the new aluminum ones such as DDR3 and the Nvidia card and still has FW and costs less. I still don't understand why students at my work buy the aluminum one just because it's the new hotness, but have no need for it other than it's new and shinier than the white one.

 

[claimed4all]

Most new camcorders have ditched firewire and gone to USB.

As for the Polycarbonate Macbook, I think its a great buy. I have had mine for 5 months with no signs of cracks. My sister has had hers for a year and a half and is pretty rough on it when lugging it around and hers has no cracks. If you do get cracks they will fix it for free, but I don't think you are going to have any problems.

I would say get the White one unless you want Aluminum, High Gloss Display and a glass trackpad.

 

[alexbates]

Get the aluminum MacBook. Its:
-much sturdier aluminum
-will last you much longer
-looks better
-much improved brightness
-better battery life
-amazing trackpad
-DDR3 Memory
-and the best part: its not polycarbonate

Reasons not to get the White MacBook:
-its made of polycarbonate
-it is way overpriced for what its really worth
-small trackpad
-the plastic will probably crack, even if you dont drop it
-and the worst part- over time, the area around your trackpad will turn a different color because of skin oils, pencils, etc.

If you must get the White MacBook, don't pay $1000 for it. You can get much better than that.

Go Unibody!

 

[claimed4all]

Get the aluminum MacBook. Its:
-will last you much longer

Any facts on that? Just because its made of fancy aluminum does not in any way mean it will last longer.

 

[Deanhartleyy]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Well I don't actually have a camcorder at the moment, so I could just get the new macbook and buy a hard drive camcorder. But im still a little weary. I need more convincing . Im not an apple guy after all so.

 

[claimed4all]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Well I don't actually have a camcorder at the moment, so I could just get the new macbook and buy a hard drive camcorder. But im still a little weary. I need more convincing . Im not an apple guy after all so.

Set up a personal shopping tour at the Local Apple Store and a hour later you will be an Apple Guy. (Thats if there is a store near you)

 

[madog]

Get the aluminum MacBook. Its:
-much sturdier aluminum
-will last you much longer
-looks better
-much improved brightness
-better battery life
-amazing trackpad
-DDR3 Memory
-and the best part: its not polycarbonate

Reasons not to get the White MacBook:
-its made of polycarbonate
-it is way overpriced for what its really worth
-small trackpad
-the plastic will probably crack, even if you dont drop it
-and the worst part- over time, the area around your trackpad will turn a different color because of skin oils, pencils, etc.

If you must get the White MacBook, don't pay $1000 for it. You can get much better than that.

Go Unibody!

OK, so uninformed opinions are why people buy the new aluminum MacBook. Cause it's made out of aluminum, and not plastic. Because no other laptop has ever been made out of plastic before. Because the internal bits are all still the same as every other laptop yet the case is what's important and is what makes a computer last longer overall. The MBP's and PBG4's were made out of annodized aluminum, and instead of cracking would bent and warp.

You could build it out of aggregated diamond nanorods if you wanted to, your hard drive is still going to die.

Oh and the white one is overpriced. Because it has almost identical internal features to that of the $1299 aluminum one, with DDR3, with the Nvidia chip, with FireWire, yet is overpriced cause it's plastic.

Oh and discoloration! Yes, that's also important to the life of a computer.

I love Apple too, but don't let them brainwash you!

 

[Iceclaw]

Get the aluminum MacBook. Its:
-much sturdier aluminum
-will last you much longer
-looks better
-much improved brightness
-better battery life
-amazing trackpad
-DDR3 Memory
-and the best part: its not polycarbonate

Reasons not to get the White MacBook:
-its made of polycarbonate
-it is way overpriced for what its really worth
-small trackpad
-the plastic will probably crack, even if you dont drop it
-and the worst part- over time, the area around your trackpad will turn a different color because of skin oils, pencils, etc.

If you must get the White MacBook, don't pay $1000 for it. You can get much better than that.

Go Unibody!

taha, well said!

 

[SkyBell]

Get the aluminum MacBook. Its:
-much sturdier aluminum

Aluminum isn't a very sturdy metal. It has problems too.

-will last you much longer

How so?

-looks better

Matter of opinion.

-much improved brightness

Don't know anything about this, but I'll give you this one.

-better battery life

By a half hour.

-amazing trackpad

Again, opinion.

-DDR3 Memory

You get this one, though it is a heck of a lot more expensive...

-and the best part: its not polycarbonate

Which is opinion again.

Reasons not to get the White MacBook:
-its made of polycarbonate

See above.

-it is way overpriced for what its really worth

With specs nearly the same as the AlBook, I have to disagree.

-small trackpad

Use an iBook. Then you get back to me on that.

-the plastic will probably crack, even if you dont drop it

AFAIK, That problem was fixed early on in the MB life. All plastic laptops have a chance of cracking, just like all aluminum laptops have a chance of bending or warping.

-and the worst part- over time, the area around your trackpad will turn a different color because of skin oils, pencils, etc.

Again, I believe this was an issue with early MacBooks, not so much with the newer ones.

 

[DeusInvictus7]

Also, the new white MB has mostly the same internal bits as the new aluminum ones such as DDR3 and the Nvidia card and still has FW and costs less.

The White MacBook does NOT have DDR3. Just so you know

 

[claimed4all]

.....

Well Said. Call that a point for Polycarbonate.

 

[Floris1994]

WHITE,

because... DDR3 barely increases performance,
Cheaper with same internals except 40GB lessHD and DDR2RAM

looks better for some people...

so when you buy a alu macbook you are paying an extra 300dollars
for a bit faster RAM, bit biggerHD and a little bit better looking (matter of opinion) macbook WITUOUT firewire

 

[ashjamben]

just to tell you my anecdote

i babied my macbook (late 2007) and i still ended up with the classic palm rest crack. it got fixed about a year ago and havn't had any problems yet

 

[azdunerat]

The white mac book is one hell of a value propositon. Great parts and performance for considerable savings. That being said I bought the aluminum, why you ask. Because it is effin cool thats why. Chit if it was all about the money I would have gone over to best buy and bought the 350.00 Compaq 15" with 250gig HD and 2.0 C2D. I could have bought three for three for the price of one white mac book.

As for your questions. I use a JVC internal hard drive camcorder and it has options for both USB and FW. I used the USB connection with my macbook and it took a couple of minutes to transfer over about 10 gigs of info but nothing obnoxious timewise. I am not going to get hung up on the FW issue matter of fact I have never had to use one before and now I dont really need to. If your camcorder offers USB 2.0 I wouldnt worry about it too much. If you are using a Prosumer camera like the hi end canons then yeah maybe you should be looking into something with fw800.

Buy what gives you warm fuzzies they are both great machines and neither will leave you dissapointed.

 

[alphaod]

WHITE,

because... DDR3 barely increases performance,
Cheaper with same internals except 40GB lessHD and DDR2RAM

looks better for some people...

so when you buy a alu macbook you are paying an extra 300dollars
for a bit faster RAM, bit biggerHD and a little bit better looking (matter of opinion) macbook WITUOUT firewire

Buying the aluminium MacBook equates to getting a better computer; don't learn the hard way.

 

[johndoe588]

I've had a black MacBook for two years now and just got a 15 inch MacBook Pro as I wanted a bigger screen and a bit more graphics power. I think the white plastic MacBook is a great buy. I never thought it wasn't sturdy, and I have no cracks even though it's been open and closed about a zillion times. It's been all over the world and hasn't been babied. I have had a Marware palmrest protector on it since new. It looks like the bezel around the screen contacts this first, rather than the "nubs" hitting the base. Soft closing and more contact area, so maybe that's why I have no cracks. The smaller trackpad is still bigger than most other laptops out there have, and was the first one I could stand to use.

Don't fear the white MacBook. It's plenty strong.

John B.