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amc382

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 4, 2003
102
0
i love the clean whiteness, the shape and weight. the feel. so much power, a superdrive. made for portability.

is the macbook the most perfect laptop ever?

except of course for a dedicated GPU, LED.

i just mean, the current form factor, look and styling. how could they ever do better?
 

janey

macrumors 603
Dec 20, 2002
5,316
0
sunny los angeles
can be lighter
and better QC
can be assembled in better places

short of taking out somewhat necessary components like an optical drive it's not possible to make it much lighter.

and fwiw my macbook is almost perfect - a power adapter needed to be replaced, but my macbook is still fine. has extra ram and a hard drive that I installed though.

And well...assembled elsewhere? got any place in mind?
 

Ish

macrumors 68020
Nov 30, 2004
2,223
768
UK
i love the clean whiteness, the shape and weight. the feel. so much power, a superdrive. made for portability.

is the macbook the most perfect laptop ever?

except of course for a dedicated GPU, LED.

i just mean, the current form factor, look and styling. how could they ever do better?

Notice your pp says you have a PB G3. Have you bought a new, white macbook?

Don't take any notice of the wet sponges :) ! If it's the one you like, go for it and enjoy it!
 

dcv

macrumors G3
May 24, 2005
8,021
1
No. My 12" PowerBook G4 was the most beautiful laptop ever. Far more sleek and sexy than the wide-load of a MacBook with its fugly keyboard and nasty glossy screen :p :cool:
 

Igantius

macrumors 65816
Apr 29, 2007
1,244
3
and better QC
In what way?

I can see this could be a preceived problem if one was just looking at forum reports, but when you look at well researched reports like the reader survey Macintouch did, there isn't evidence to support that Apple has a major problem with the MB's QC.
 

Igantius

macrumors 65816
Apr 29, 2007
1,244
3
Far more sleek and sexy than the wide-load of a MacBook with its fugly keyboard and nasty glossy screen :p :cool:
I'm glad I'm not reading this on my MB, the last thing I need is a laptop insecure about its looks. :p
 

Roy Hobbs

macrumors 68000
Apr 29, 2005
1,860
286
For starters they could make the white macbooks a little less prone to scratches. Then they could make the black macbooks less of a grease magnet
 

Scarlet Fever

macrumors 68040
Jul 22, 2005
3,262
0
Bookshop!
I reckon the MacBook is the best notebook on the market. It is actually really inexpensive compared to the competition, and it is so powerful! There really isn't anything i would change. The GMA950 is more than enough for 99% of users, the CPU is more than fast enough, it's thin and its damn sexy.

I expect the MacBook will pick up the pace, and it will soon become the switcher's computer of choice.
 

BlackMax

macrumors 6502a
Jan 14, 2007
901
0
North Carolina
No. My 12" PowerBook G4 was the most beautiful laptop ever. Far more sleek and sexy than the wide-load of a MacBook with its fugly keyboard and nasty glossy screen :p :cool:

I upgraded from a 12" PowerBook G4 1.33 GHz 1.25 GB RAM to my current Black MacBook. It did take a little getting used to the keyboard, but after about a week of typing it was great. The glossy screen does not bother me as much as it does others.

I picked up my 12" PowerBook again after about a month or so and couldn't go back. The differences I noticed when I picked up my 12" PowerBook again as compared to my new MacBook are:

  • Screen real estate and clarity. MacBook's larger screen is really nice and the screen is much clearer and brighter than the PowerBook.
  • Performance. MacBook significantly faster
  • The MacBook is larger, but not significantly so. It is still very easy to tote around.
  • Sound was better on my old PowerBook. The built-in speakers on the MacBook are pretty poor. I plug my MacBook into my stereo or use headphones.
  • Battery life still a little better on my old PowerBook.
  • Heat generated by both systems sitting on my lap is comparable.

I am really happy with my MacBook. When at my desktop I have it connected to an external 20" LCD monitor and it works very well. Definitely a great little notebook. Now I'm on a mission to find a really good Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I like the Apple keyboard, but don't really like the mighty mouse.

I ended up giving my 12" PowerBook to my brother in-law to use for writing movie scripts as he did not have a notebook computer. So I found a good home for it.
 

feh

macrumors member
Jun 25, 2007
31
0
And well...assembled elsewhere? got any place in mind?

Tiawan -- where factory workers aren't:

1. exploited (long work hours, sub-standard pay with a currency purposefully suppressed by the Gov't in order to corner the globalist labor market)
2. in fear of being shipped off to some Gulag where their organs will be harvested one by one; and
3. the factory owner (read: communist party plutocrat) isn't diverting profits into PRC military modernization.

But let's face it, Apple, like every other American/multinational corporation is about the bottom line and that means cheap labor, and that means China, even if the end result is sub-standard, defective products, as long as the shareholders are happy screw the consumer.

The macbook would be improved dramatically if the optical drive was removed, a cooler, less powerful CPU would be used (e.g. U7500), more air/fan vents on the back of the unit, and the hard drive would be replaced with an SSD drive.
 

negatv1

macrumors 6502
Aug 12, 2005
320
22
MI
But let's face it, Apple, like every other American/multinational corporation is about the bottom line and that means cheap labor, and that means China, even if the end result is sub-standard, defective products, as long as the shareholders are happy screw the consumer.

Have to compete with Dell. Now that Dell's are being sold in Walmart, it will be sure to get even worse.

Not saying it's right, but in order to keep your Macbook costing only $1000, have to make up that cost somewhere. And realistically, because something is made in China does not equal "sub-standard, defective products" as you say. They are people just like you and I, putting together those machines in high tech facilities.
 

feh

macrumors member
Jun 25, 2007
31
0
Have to compete with Dell. Now that Dell's are being sold in Walmart, it will be sure to get even worse.

Not saying it's right, but in order to keep your Macbook costing only $1000, have to make up that cost somewhere. And realistically, because something is made in China does not equal "sub-standard, defective products" as you say. They are people just like you and I, putting together those machines in high tech facilities.

there are exceptions of course, but I think there were less problems with quality when fabrication was done exclusively in Tiawan -- this is due to many factors, the ethics (or lack thereof) of the chinese mainland factory owners being predominate -- as is shown through the slew of tainted and defective Chinese products across the board (toothpaste, seafood, etc.).

I realize Apple has to compete and that they have little choice, nor does the consumer have a choice as all competing technology products are also made in China, but one can hope (however vainly) for reform in China in regards to both civil rights and REGULATION whether it be self regulation or market correction (multinationals do the math and it costs more to sell defective goods than to go back to tiawan or somewhere else).

I think the lou dobbs position is not happening as globalism is here to stay (both dems and repubs endorse it fully showing that they are not representing the ppl but the multinationals, etc.) but I don't have to like it.
 

siurpeeman

macrumors 603
Dec 2, 2006
6,318
23
the OC
No. My 12" PowerBook G4 was the most beautiful laptop ever. Far more sleek and sexy than the wide-load of a MacBook with its fugly keyboard and nasty glossy screen :p :cool:

i always thought the 12" powerbook was just an aluminum-colored ibook, too unoriginal in its design. as for the macbook, i really do like the look, but i think it could have had a thinner bezel and maybe a few additional colors (aside from black). i love the keyboard, and i love having all the ports on one side and the super drive on the other. i like the magnetic latch and the easy-to-access ram and hard drive. there's so much to love about the macbook; it definitely outweighs all the things that are wrong with it.
 

miniConvert

macrumors 68040
I'd go as far as saying the Macbook is the most beautiful notebook in its class. It alludes me as to why, when Apple make such cleanly designed notebooks, that other manufacturers continue to use cheap plastics and a muddle of grills, angles and stickers.
 

QuarterSwede

macrumors G3
Oct 1, 2005
9,785
2,033
Colorado Springs, CO
As far as styling goes, the 12" PB definitely wins hands down because it's the smallest, and still feature rich, version of the aluminum line. Let's face it, Apple still uses the same styling in the MacBook Pro for a reason.

As soon as Apple releases a small version of the MacBook Pro I'm there, as are a lot of other people. In the meantime my wife will get her MacBook.
 

dannewell15

macrumors regular
Mar 17, 2007
203
0
I love mine. I have had no problems. I hope that I won't have any issues. I love my macbook but if apple bought out a 12 or 13 inch macbook pro i would def. get one. :D
 

kuebby

macrumors 68000
Jan 18, 2007
1,582
13
MD
I love my MB but there is one change I would make. Better heat dissipation. Make them out of aluminum instead if necessary but make it so the area near the ac plug doesn't get so hot.
 

taylorwilsdon

macrumors 68000
Nov 16, 2006
1,868
12
New York City
I love my MB but there is one change I would make. Better heat dissipation. Make them out of aluminum instead if necessary but make it so the area near the ac plug doesn't get so hot.

Frankly, I'm not sure I understand this thread. Macbooks are nice, and very portable, but

The screens suck (they're ugly and pale in comparison next to the Macbook Pro)
The plastic is cheap. Yeah, you can argue all day but its cheap, crappy plastic. They look like toys.
They're little furnaces. God damn, I've never held such a hot laptop.

Yes, its a nice product but it has some huge faults and it seems like the people here are totally missing them. My Thinkpad is a much better portable all around except for the styling, in my opinion. (And yes, I have owned a Macbook and I currently own a Macbook Pro, so I feel like its my place to make these statements)
 

ktbubster

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2007
794
1
US
but i think it could have had a thinner bezel and maybe a few additional colors (aside from black).

Yeah... You know... I may be one of the minority, but I would really love to see apple bring a little bit of color back into their line. Pay homage to the designs that started bringing them back out of their "dark years" the original g3 clamshells and imacs!

I wouldn't mind seeing some anodize aluminum macbooks in the similar form factor they have now, but colors.... (aluminum for better heat dissipation someone said?) or even just colors in the plastic... keep the black and white ofcourse, but some color options might sorta be a nice way to bring back some of their old colors like the ipod nanos.

I love my macbook pro... and would stick with silver, but I would like seeing some colors in the apple line up again :)
 
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