Should I buy the white Macbook.

[afronathan]

Hi. I'm a student about to start University in the UK and I'm in need of a new laptop. I've been interested in apple products for so long that I'm going to take the plunge and get an Apple Laptop,

I'm not sure whether to buy the white macbook though, I don't have the money yet so I'll have to save for a while unless I get a bargain from eBay.
I don't think I need the Macbook pro, I just want it because it looks nicer.

My main concern about the white is the screen, it's not backlit by LED so how does it look in the dark, can anybody show me photos or a video?

What are the pros and cons of the UBM compared to the white macbook, considering I'm only doing Politics.

Thanks

 

[gethyphyyo]

The white MacBooks screen sucks. It is washed out and the colors are not vibrant what so ever.

I sold mines and replaced it with a 13" MBP.

 

[gan6660]

I would go for the 13" MBP. With education discount its only $149 more than the white MB. The MBP uses ddr3 memory which is faster, LED Screen, 7 hour battery, SD card slot, glass multi-touch trackpad and it doesnt have the cracking issue. If you decide on the MB I suggest waiting as it is rumored to get a redesign and price cut by the end of the year.

 

[brendu]

well the whitebook is a good computer, but the unibody is nicer, its sturdier, backlight keyboard, and better mousepad (although snow leopard gives the whitebook all the nice multitouch capabilities)... the screen is also nicer... my girlfriend has the whitebook though and the screen is pretty good and fine in a dark room..(also has less glare than the unibody glass screen)... also the speakers are nicer in the unibody..

my only concern with the whitebook is that it is going to be redesigned in the next 6 months most likely... it is an older design and might get cheaper too... so if you can wait id say its prob worth it, otherwise it is still a great machine and you prob. wont be upset.

 

[brendu]

I would go for the 13" MBP. With education discount its only $149 more than the white MB. The MBP uses ddr3 memory which is faster, LED Screen, 7 hour battery, SD card slot, glass multi-touch trackpad and it doesnt have the cracking issue. If you decide on the MB I suggest waiting as it is rumored to get a redesign and price cut by the end of the year.

yeah about that 7 hour battery... mine has not lasted longer than 5 hours, and i have the backlight for the keyboard and the screen both turned down low... 7 hours is a crock.. but 5 is still pretty great..

 

[yoyo5280]

No.

 

[gan6660]

yeah about that 7 hour battery... mine has not lasted longer than 5 hours, and i have the backlight for the keyboard and the screen both turned down low... 7 hours is a crock.. but 5 is still pretty great..

Really I get 6.5 7 hours daily will the screen a couple notches above medium and the keyboard backlight on too.

 

[aethelbert]

The white one will be just fine for you. Save as much as you can as a student, use your HE discount, etc; every pound saved counts. The screen on it is fine for what you'll be doing and mine seems to be just as bright as it was three years ago. Comparatively the other is probably somewhat better, but those improvements in color gamut are probably irrelevant for what you'll be using it for. There's no point in spending more when it won't get you anything that you need. Best of luck at university.

 

[RareEarthMetal]

I took the "plunge" a couple of months ago and i don't regret the expense. I bought a 13" macbook and the screen is gorgeous, i don't know how i ever lived without the two finger scrolling and its got all these cool apps which are free and usefull. Plus i dont worry too much about malware and such.

my thoughts were this: a macbook does all that a pc can do, a unibody macbook does more than a pc can do. In what sense is for you to find out if you go for it.

 

[brendu]

Really I get 6.5 7 hours daily will the screen a couple notches above medium and the keyboard backlight on too.

1. do you play music alot? if so how loud?

2. how long have you had yours, i got mine this week and in hopeful that with a few more full drain and charge cycles it will perform better

 

[gan6660]

1. do you play music alot? if so how loud?

2. how long have you had yours, i got mine this week and in hopeful that with a few more full drain and charge cycles it will perform better

I dont play music and I got mine in the middle of july.

 

[brendu]

cool.. thanks... the music thing definately contributes to my less than stellar battery performance... still hoping to see better... to the OP, good luck in your decision...

 

[afronathan]

The white one will be just fine for you. Save as much as you can as a student, use your HE discount, etc; every pound saved counts. The screen on it is fine for what you'll be doing and mine seems to be just as bright as it was three years ago. Comparatively the other is probably somewhat better, but those improvements in color gamut are probably irrelevant for what you'll be using it for. There's no point in spending more when it won't get you anything that you need. Best of luck at university.

Thanks for the replies and advice all. I think though I'd rather get the UMB, not the pro though. I'm hoping to get a bargain from the refurb store.

Thanks for the encouragement though akonradi

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The unibody is probably a better computer in almost every way, but both of them are excellent machines and you should do very well with either of them, especially as you can always sell on the MB at a later time when finances improve and buy the unibody then.

I'd suggets that you take a look at the refurb option, if finance is an issue, as that way you get a computer that has been individually tested and tried and comes with all of Apple's warranties.

Best of luck with university and enjoy it.

Cheers

 

[bbergie]

The unibody is probably a better computer in almost every way, but both of them are excellent machines and you should do very well with either of them, especially as you can always sell on the MB at a later time when finances improve and buy the unibody then.

I'd suggets that you take a look at the refurb option, if finance is an issue, as that way you get a computer that has been individually tested and tried and comes with all of Apple's warranties.

Best of luck with university and enjoy it.

Cheers

I tend to agree with the emerging consensus; the white macbook may not be for you. You might also want to check the clearance section of your online apple store. At the Canadian store, the unibody macbooks have been offered there at reduced prices for some time, and those machines are brand new.

 

[illinois2011]

Just a few thoughts on the matter.

Over this past summer I worked for my local school district's technology department. Every summer the teacher's laptops are collected so that they can be updated. Most of the teachers in the district were assigned white MacBooks, while a few had the aluminum MacBooks. Almost every one of the white ones was incredibly dirty. Keep in mind that these are schoolteachers using these computers, not little kids. We almost spent more time cleaning the computers than installing updates. Of course, the aluminum MacBooks don't have firewire, so that is why I just purchased a refurbished 13" MacBook Pro for $999 from Apple's Online Store. I figured I couldn't really beat that for what I was getting.