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Keep Or Sell The "New" White Macbook?

BruceEBonus

BruceEBonus

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 23, 2007
1,355
1,362
Derbyshire, England
Can I just go very quicky OT here pse ... ("Well alright but make it snappy, then!'_Ed) I have just bought the 'missus a White Macbook ... about 3 weeks ago. Imagine my amusement then, when they now talk about discontinuing it. Three weeks later ... My question to the Forum is:
I have 'til January 9th to return IF I want to. But she likes her Macbook and so do I - will discontinuation lower its value overnight or will it having the much vaunted Firewire Port which they Alu's dont have ... keep its value up on eBay in a year's time etc?.
Or should I just pay the extra and return it for a Ali... the fact is - in the UK its £700 .... with the Alu 2.0ghz being £900. .. ouch! But with talk of a $1000 dollar Alu .. this would make it about the same price as the White Book.. D'oh!.
Cheers Steve ... you sure know how to make folks loyal maaaaaan!.
Will we all be eligible for a refund ? (ahem)

Thanks in anticipation y'all etc
 
It really shouldn't matter if it's being discontinued OR not. You said yourself that you like the Macbook and so does your wife so why not just keep it and be happy? There's no confirmation that it's being discontinued however at least you will have a better idea of this on Tuesday's Macworld Expo. Even so, the only reason to get rid of something is if you are unhappy with it. You did pay a lot less for it than the unibody Macbook.
 
You both like the compuer right? Yes! Keep it (End of Discussion) There will always be something bigger and better down the road. Enjoy what you have, its a great computer!
 
Tinknock71 said:
You both like the compuer right? Yes! Keep it (End of Discussion) There will always be something bigger and better down the road. Enjoy what you have, its a great computer!
Click to expand...


You guys are both right of course - I fully agree. BUT my worry is the fact that if the 2.0ghz Alu comes down to the price of the lesser spec'd White Book three weeks after I bought it .. because the Alu was £200 dearer - then I will be a bit miffed to say the least... a bit like those poor sods who bought the first iPhones was it? And then they dropped the price by $200 soon after then Steve let them $100 in the Apple store as compensation.

But as you say - its currently pure conjecture whether these rumours will out ... I am hoping that the existence of a Firewire port will keep the demand of the ol' WhiteBook stable for the foreseeable future for those into such things
 
If you think you will use the firewire, another reason to keep it, but if you want that shinny alum. notebook get it if the price comes down, remember you will have to pay a restocking fee for your old one. My brother has a white Macbook and we compared the two, not to much difference other then one metal and one plastic. and my Keys lights up.:D
 
It's not about the $$$ at this point...you like or you don't...and if Momma's happy...;)

I 've got four of the white dudes...1 for the Mrs, and three for the kiddos...wouldn't change for anything...best value for the money...

Best laptops I've ever used...except for my MBP, or course...:p
 
I'd take it back and wait. The people advising you that if you're happy, keep it, won't be the ones stuck with a product that you just bought a couple of weeks before it got obsoleted. I had the same thing happen to me a few months ago, when I got an iPod Touch for my birthday for $299, and shortly afterward saw the iPod Touch 2G come out, with better features for $70 less.
 
My fears exactly - its not the question of keeping it cos I dont like it or am bored .. its sheer monetary value in the future .. why pay the same price for a lesser product - which it will be if the Alu's come down.. Cheers!
 
BruceEBonus said:
My fears exactly - its not the question of keeping it cos I dont like it or am bored .. its sheer monetary value in the future .. why pay the same price for a lesser product - which it will be if the Alu's come down.. Cheers!
Click to expand...

I don't know how long you've been buying Macs or if you have kept up with Apple's M.O but they have never really "dropped" prices. What they generally do is intro a new top of the line model to replace the current TOL model and due to the specs being higher they generally adjust the prices of the remaining line to keep the prices in tact for the type of specs on the entire line.
If Apple replaces the entire line then there will be NO price reductions. The fact that the unibody's just got released in October (which was only 2 1/2 months ago) makes it too early for Apple to do anything (pricewise) with the current line. Even if they release a new 17" at Macworld it should have no reflection on the current line.
 
danimal99 said:
I'd take it back and wait. The people advising you that if you're happy, keep it, won't be the ones stuck with a product that you just bought a couple of weeks before it got obsoleted. I had the same thing happen to me a few months ago, when I got an iPod Touch for my birthday for $299, and shortly afterward saw the iPod Touch 2G come out, with better features for $70 less.
Click to expand...


I have a new alum. macbook and a black plastic one both bought about 2 weeks ago, sure they might lower the prices, sure might come out with new ones. get over it! be happy for what you have! The day you walk out of the store with the computer its absolete. Hell look at a car, drive it off the lot and you just lost 5 grand.
 
I say wait until tomorrow. If something happens and you just can't stand to keep the white one anymore, trade it in. If you're still as happy with it tomorrow as you were last week, then don't worry about it.

Every computer is "obsolete" the moment you buy it. There's always something newer and "better" out there but it doesn't mean what you have right now is any less a good fit for your needs. If the new one fits your needs better than the current one does, return it.
 
Thanks again .. but aye! When someone says you can take summat back and get a FULL swapover for the same cash for a better spec'd product .. shall I 'get over it' or get over and ... get it! :) Anyway this is all pure conjecture and supposition m'lud .... I'll ask again tomorrow at this time and all will be clear(er) .. I hope, reaaders!
 
Sorry, didn't mean to sound so harsh, its really up to you and the wife, not anyone one this board, you do what makes you happy:D Life is to short go get the one you really want, Hell spend a couple more bucks and get the one with the lighted keyboard, I Love mine, but my wife could give to @#$#% about the lighted keyboard. she's happy with her black Macbook.:)
 
If they come out with a "budget" Aluminum model, I don't see it being any lower than US$1,095...

Apple is still having to recup the costs for developing the Aluminum Unibody process...
 
Well when I went to local Sheffield Apple Store ... bought a EyeTV Diversity .. great wee thing ... and the bloke said you have 'til 9th Jan to exchange anything ... and again . speculated on the price drop .. we shall see ... if no price drop of significance .. then its keep t'whitebook.

Otherwise Id be stark raving bonkers not to swap for a better, lighter, faster product ... even tho the missus wont use a fraction of the features!:eek:

Cheers the noo!!!
 
Being someone who suffers from this malady, I would say: Keep the notebook and make an appointment with your psychiatrist. They might be able to help. It's madness man. Kidding. :D

Look the issue here is that your reasons for returning it are pretty flimsy, as I understand them. The machine you have will keep its value. Now, if you wanted the unibody because it has a better graphics processor, runs cooler, is lighter, thinner and has a better track pad, then you're hitting on much more solid reasons to make the return. Do you get a bigger Harddrive, etc. These are the things that should drive the question of return. Firewire? If you need it, then keep the White one. So, you have to look at whether the extra features, aluminum build, build quality, new design, etc. are worth the additional price. Personally, I think it's a serious no brainer, unless you don't have the money. The unibody is a far superior machine. It runs cooler, is smaller, slicker, faster, has a better track pad, better build quality, it's metal for God's sake and the other one is plastic! If you can take the white one back and money's not the issue, do it, but do it in full awareness of the madness. I think it's a complete no brainer. Liking the plastic one is no the issue. The question is will you like the aluminum one more. You will if you value the things that make it a better machine, but if those don't mean anything to you, then stick with what you've got and save yourself the trouble. Resell should be a very minor consideration.
 
I feel for you... here are my $0.02:

It seems that you have two concerns:
- Value (bang for buck)
- Resale Value

If Apple chooses to price the Alu MB at $1,000, then it is a better value, strictly speaking. However, the restocking fee may cancel out that value because it would add to the overall cost. So, if you want to exchange the machine, make sure you do it for other reasons (e.g. trackpad, DDR3, HD, Aluminum casing, etc.). My guess is, you won't save any money if you do a direct exchange.

Concerning resale value, I don't think you will get much for the white MB a year from now. I find that most Mac users are design-conscious, so the black MB would probably sell for more (it has that "classic" appeal going for it).

Verdict: I would take it back. My reasons for doing it would be:
- Resale value
- Alu MB Extras (Aluminum, DDR3, HD, Trackpad, size/weight, etc.)
 
If you're happy with the machine, just keep it. If you trade for an aluminum MacBook, you'll be happy to find out that it will be outdated in another 6 months.
 
the plastic macbooks are crap on the outside, pretty good on the inside

the casing is total garbage, if you just slightly rub ur fingernail on it, it scratches

total crap

and everyone knows about the cracks and what not
 
amrk47 said:
the plastic macbooks are crap on the outside, pretty good on the inside

the casing is total garbage, if you just slightly rub ur fingernail on it, it scratches

total crap

and everyone knows about the cracks and what not
Click to expand...

Got to agree with this comment, the plastic MB was a great computer let down by a toytown case..........
 
amrk47 said:
the plastic macbooks are crap on the outside, pretty good on the inside

the casing is total garbage, if you just slightly rub ur fingernail on it, it scratches

total crap

and everyone knows about the cracks and what not
Click to expand...

cogsinister said:
Got to agree with this comment, the plastic MB was a great computer let down by a toytown case..........
Click to expand...

Got to disagree. My white MacBook doesn't have a scratch on it after four months' use, whereas my old Al PowerBook G4 got scratches all over it.
 
BruceEBonus said:
You guys are both right of course - I fully agree. BUT my worry is the fact that if the 2.0ghz Alu comes down to the price of the lesser spec'd White Book three weeks after I bought it .. because the Alu was £200 dearer - then I will be a bit miffed to say the least...
Click to expand...

I think there will be a few of us "miffed" to say the least who in the past few weeks bought the new unibody MB to have the price dropped $200.
 
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