Purchasing a MacBook White Unibody (or Pro) next month - basic questions

[Uchiha1911]

Hey there forum!

This is one of my first posts on this forum, I have just registered several days ago but I've been lurking around for a while

Now, I'm going to purchase my first MacBook (Pro?) and with that, my first Mac ever next month. I'm really excited about it, they're awesome machines =)
I've worked with a 13' MacBook Pro and it was a pleasure, OSX is great and the machine itself is great.

As stupid as it may seem, I think like the overall look of the White MacBook better than the MBP line. I've been playing around with it for a while in the Apple Store and it's great too!
Now I'd like to ask some questions about the 'new' Unibody MacBook. Has anyone owned one here for over a couple of months and can tell me something about the overall build quality of the MacBook? How is the polycarbonate plastic holding up? Does it get dirty fast?
I'm pretty anal about my stuff so I keep everything as clean as I can, so I guess this would translate into how my MacBook would hold out, wouldn't it?

I've heard people complaining about the rubber on the back of the MacBook, but I assume the dirt can be swiped of with a damp towel, can't it?
If the keyboard would 'discolour' or start showing dirt, would I be able to clean it properly?

Do the palmrests get 'sticky' after using it for a while? This wasn't the case with the MBP, but I have no idea how this'll be on the polycarbonate plastic.

I guess the screen on the MacBook Pro is 'better' because of the glass panel it has in front of it, it makes the colors show up more vibrant. This said, I do love the MacBook screen though, it's brightness is top notch, isn't it? I've heard complaints about the brightness being 'low' even when turned up all the way..

I already have purchased a sleeve I really like, so that's not something I'm in need of anymore =D

Also, could anyone tell me how the overall performance of the MacBook White Unibody is (day-to-day tasks)?

I know this is a lot to ask on a forum, but I'd like to get some more intel before spending €850,- on a laptop =)

 

[techound1]

Sounds to me like you're already sold on the MB.

 

[henrikrox]

5 days ago, i got my first mac ever. The macbook late 2009 unibody. 4gb of ram, and im loving it. I installed w7 under bootcamp, but after spending 10 min in w7 i hated it, and deleted the partition.

I mean, seriously i never wanna go back to Windows. Im loving the mac for day to day jobs, writing, its not the most powerful. But for my needs its great. Also hooked it up to a 27" LCD at home, when i need more desktop space.

So far i havnt gotten a scratch on it, but im super carefull with it aswell (its my baby). I also found out that the late 2009 macbook has a sensor in it, so i now have a alarm etc. Its just great

And just look how nice and clean it looks!

 

[sml238]

I've had my Unibody MacBook for a while now and I love it. It doesn't get dirty, its actually holding up good. And if you want to make sure you could always buy the bestskinever clear shield. It's just a clear sticker that perfectly covers the MacBook, providing it with protection against scratches and dirt. The bottom plate is fine, I love the feel to it. It gets a tad bit dirty but nothing bad especially if your clean. And it wipes off easily with a small amount of windex or something along those lines.

I actually like how the MacBook doesn't have the glass over it like the Pro's because the Pro has so much glare in sunlight or in any lit room. The MacBooks screen brightness is perfect for me. I never have my screen set to full brightness except on rare occasions. The Pro is said to have better color gamaut but I think the regular MacBook still has an amazing screen, especially compared to other non apple laptops.

As far as the palm rest goes, if you don't like the feel the moshi pamguard is a virtually invisible white sticker that has a slightly rough feel that feels very nice on the palms and protects the palm rests. Also the unibody has no flex or cracking issues. And you should get a keyboard cover if your worried about dirt or anything. But even without it the keys are fine.

I like the feel and look of the white classic a lot. I have upgraded my RAM to 4GB and my HD to a Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB. So I have better specs than most Pro's with the style I'm looking for. But even when my MacBook was stock it was very snappy and handled every day tasks like nothing, and even more extensive tasks like nothing. With the upgrades I have made this macbook has quite the punch

Hope that helped.

 

[chris975d]

I've owned the newest Unibody white Macbook now for a few weeks, and just before that owned a 15-inch Macbook Pro (unibody). I honestly like the white Unibody way more than the aluminum MBP. For some reason, it feels much faster than the MBP, even though the MBP had a 2.4Ghz processor and 4Gb of RAM, whereas the white Unibody has a lower processor and only 2Gb of RAM. But yet everything opens faster, the computer boots up faster, and shuts down faster than the MBP ever did. I can't find a reason for it really in the specs, but the white Unibody does everything almost as fast as my MB Air with and SSD. I never used the ExpressCard slot of the MBP, and I don't use an SD card slot on a laptop, so the white unibody works wonderfully for me. It's not been hard at all to keep clean, doesn't scratch as easily as I thought it would (at least for me, but I keep it in a padded sleeve in my bag), and the rubberized bottom has been more useful for me versus the aluminum bottom of the MBP. All in all I'm wonderfully surprised with the white MB. And if you have a MicroCenter near you, the current $799 in store offer they have going on now makes it an incredible value.

 

[Uchiha1911]

Sounds to me like you're already sold on the MB.

Well, that's not true. I tend to like the overall look of the MacBook more, but I'd hate it if it gets dirty fast =(
Also, I actually like the glass panel that the MacBook Pro has.
I'm just in a situation where I can't decide.. AT ALL.

How would the MacBook look after a year of usage compared to the MBP?

 

[sml238]

did u read my post about the glass cover over the screen? and both macbooks can hold up pretty well. the mbp dents easier and can get scratches. the mb can scratch and get a bit dirty. both laptops can look spotless for a long time if u take care of them..

 

[Uchiha1911]

did u read my post about the glass cover over the screen? and both macbooks can hold up pretty well. the mbp dents easier and can get scratches. the mb can scratch and get a bit dirty. both laptops can look spotless for a long time if u take care of them..

I did read your post =)
I've had the privilege of using a MBP 13' for a whole week and I think it's great, I didn't really notice the reflection in a lit area because the brightness just blew me away.. hehe

It IS a hard decision to make, though..

MacBook vs MacBook Pro.. meh!

 

[sml238]

I did read your post =)
I've had the privilege of using a MBP 13' for a whole week and I think it's great, I didn't really notice the reflection in a lit area because the brightness just blew me away.. hehe

It IS a hard decision to make, though..

MacBook vs MacBook Pro.. meh!

yeah i agree. but wait till you get that thing outside or in a position where the light is shining right at it, all you can see is reflections. and even in any lit room if you look you will always see reflections.

all im saying is i paid less for my macbook and have better specs than most pros and have the style im looking for.

 

[iphone1105]

All I will say is this, I have the new Macbook Unibody from Late 09. I've had it exactly one month now. I have a 500GB HD, 4GB of RAM. The computer is a beast in my opinion. I'm not a super techy guy, Im just the average joe who appreciates technology. The MB ths best machinery I have ever owned, ever. I love it. The white is what made me get it over the Pro version. I love it.

 

[Uchiha1911]

yeah i agree. but wait till you get that thing outside or in a position where the light is shining right at it, all you can see is reflections. and even in any lit room if you look you will always see reflections.

all im saying is i paid less for my macbook and have better specs than most pros and have the style im looking for.

I DO agree with you on the style thing, I like the white MacBook better than the MBP.
Also, the MBP is €250,- more expensive than the MB, which it doesn't justify for me.

Do you think it'll be needed to buy a Moshi PalmGuard (I am a very clean person)?

 

[iphone1105]

I DO agree with you on the style thing, I like the white MacBook better than the MBP.
Also, the MBP is €250,- more expensive than the MB, which it doesn't justify for me.

Do you think it'll be needed to buy a Moshi PalmGuard (I am a very clean person)?

I purchased the Mophi for my MB not for protection really at all, but for support on my wrists w/ padding. For such a thin little sheet, it does make it less "hard" on my wrists....call me weird, but it does feel "softer" with the moshi on there.

 

[sml238]

its not that it makes it softer really, it doesnt really provide any padding, unless you consider a plastic sticker a pad... it just makes for a nicer feel because of the texture, it's not sticky like the glossy finish is. and i got mine to keep scratches away and for the better feel, not really for the dirt. dirt easily cleans off the mb and im a clean person as well.

edit: but regardless, id say you would love the moshi palmguard. its your choice whether its worth 20 bucks to you for a nicer feel and to keep scratches/wearing away.

 

[Uchiha1911]

its not that it makes it softer really, it doesnt really provide any padding, unless you consider a plastic sticker a pad... it just makes for a nicer feel because of the texture, it's not sticky like the glossy finish is. and i got mine to keep scratches away and for the better feel, not really for the dirt. dirt easily cleans off the mb and im a clean person as well.

edit: but regardless, id say you would love the moshi palmguard. its your choice whether its worth 20 bucks to you for a nicer feel and to keep scratches/wearing away.

What does it feel like? =)
I think it's worth the 20 bucks even íf it'd be for a nicer feel.. wouldn't want the palmrests to get all sticky =(

 

[sml238]

What does it feel like? =)
I think it's worth the 20 bucks even íf it'd be for a nicer feel.. wouldn't want the palmrests to get all sticky =(

its sort of a slightly rough texture but not bumpy or anything. without the palmguard my hands feel sticky and sweaty on the palm rests but with the palm guard they feel much more comfortable.

its hard to explain but trust me if/when you get one you will know what im talking about and im sure youll like it.

 

[iphone1105]

its sort of a slightly rough texture but not bumpy or anything. without the palmguard my hands feel sticky and sweaty on the palm rests but with the palm guard they feel much more comfortable.

its hard to explain but trust me if/when you get one you will know what im talking about and im sure youll like it.

Hmm it is hard to describe how it feels, its got a little grip to it, its hard to describe but it is worth it. It's odd, but it does feel softer to me even though theres no padding on it, I say get it, trust me you'll like it.

 

[sml238]

yeah it does feel a bit softer. the best way i can describe is feel an xbox and then feel a ps3. the moshi is a tiny bit rougher than the xbox but feels similar.