Macbook -- White / Black...

briiaann · July 25, 2007 4:14PM

Hey,

I am interested in buying a Macbook, but unsure of which color to choose from; I am quite worried about buying the pure-white colored one, for the simple reason I feel that it might become very yellow/discolored over time, or within a short period of time. It would be greatly appreciated if someone with a white-colored Macbook could answer this question.

Thanks,

Brian

abandonedhero · July 25, 2007 5:01PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briiaann

Hey,

I am interested in buying a Macbook, but unsure of which color to choose from; I am quite worried about buying the pure-white colored one, for the simple reason I feel that it might become very yellow/discolored over time, or within a short period of time. It would be greatly appreciated if someone with a white-colored Macbook could answer this question.

Thanks,

Brian

I have a friend with a white macbook who had it discolor slightly and was quite depressed by it. If you're really that worried, go for the black. It's a pretty braindead choice to me, the white just doesn't seem to hold up as well.

2007bpm · July 25, 2007 6:01PM

its a no-brainer choice for me, but in the opposite way as abandonedhero -- go for the white, since its sooo much cheaper. not only does it look way cooler, you can get the yellowed-out part replaced by apple (i read it at appledefects.com or somewhere).

karelia · July 25, 2007 10:16PM

True. The top case unit is easy to get replaced, and even if the warranty is up, it's a pretty cheap part.

messiah · July 26, 2007 3:15AM

My wife has a white MacBook and I have a black MacBook.

I prefer the white MacBook - it just feels more like a Mac, in the same way that the signature colour of a iPod is white.

As for the white becoming grubby, we've had it for about a year now and it's still pretty good. I guess we must wash our hands more than average, or not wear fake tan. The only real tell tale that it's not a brand spanking new machine is the fact that the trackpad has become shiny.

The black MacBook actually picks up your fingerprints more than the white. In my opinion, the Black looks worse than the white, and I've only had the black for about 4-5 weeks!

loungepop · July 26, 2007 11:42AM

Either way you're making a sacrifice... I don't know why Apple have to be such bastards about it. The white one will get dirty and ugly no matter what (I have one). You could save yourself the trouble and just get the black one but it costs $200 more and you're only getting a slightly bigger hard drive (a $75 upgrade on the white version, not $200). Some people say that Apple just want to differentiate the high-end MacBook, but it's still just a MacBook, and if they were that arsed about it they'd be charging more for the black iPods over the white.

kjm1863 · July 26, 2007 3:16PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briiaann

Hey,

I am interested in buying a Macbook, but unsure of which color to choose from; I am quite worried about buying the pure-white colored one, for the simple reason I feel that it might become very yellow/discolored over time, or within a short period of time. It would be greatly appreciated if someone with a white-colored Macbook could answer this question.

Thanks,

Brian

I take care of 90 white white iBook/MacBooks at an elementary school. All I use to clean them when they became grubby is "Mr. Clean Eraser". Wring eraser out so it is barely damp, clean area, wipe with soft cloth....and no scratches!!!

kjm1863

jake_11 · July 29, 2007 12:59PM

I have both a white MacBook and a black MacBook. The white one is a first release Core Duo and the Black one is a Core 2 Duo. I had a problem with the white one discoloring when I bought it and was told by a Mac Genius there was a problem with the first ones and it had since been fixed. They replace the bezel, palm rest, and keyboard in March and I have not had any issues since. With that being said, the black one shows every finger print and always looks dirty. It is near impossible to keep clean. After my initial issue with the white one, I have to say white is the best option.

briiaann · July 30, 2007 3:37PM

Okay, if I do end up purchasing a white Macbook, and it does end up discoloring, where would I take it to obtain the new parts? I will be purchasing the Macbook online, and I am from Canada. There are some stores in the local area that are "official Apple dealers," such as Staples Business Depot and FutureShop.....

bobmarksdale · July 30, 2007 3:43PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briiaann

Okay, if I do end up purchasing a white Macbook, and it does end up discoloring, where would I take it to obtain the new parts? I will be purchasing the Macbook online, and I am from Canada. There are some stores in the local area that are "official Apple dealers," such as Staples Business Depot and FutureShop.....

I would try KJM's idea (now I want to use that on my silver MBP which shows smudges pretty easily), and otherwise, I think you would either have to go to an Apple store or call them and ask how you would go about shipping it back for the 'repairs'.

kjm1863 · July 30, 2007 7:38PM

The cleaning method I mentioned is great on "filth".... some of teachers body oils/ hand lotion, etc. are harsh on some of their iBooks and even erased the lettering on the keys, which Apple replaced under our replacement policy. I've hand several white computers and with regular cleaning, no yellowing, Products like the 'iSkin" silicon protector or Radtech's products are very good also to protect the keyboard/pad area...

kjm1863

briiaann · July 30, 2007 8:42PM

I was searching through Apple.ca's support pages... If I did have to have certain parts replaced because of discoloring or possibly something else, would an Apple Authorized Service Provider be business that would be able to replace those parts under warranty, despite not buying the Apple product from their store?

joey · August 3, 2007 7:58AM

As others have mentioned... the black shows up every single finger print. It's like the finish is slightly absorbent or something. To be honest, I prefer the look of the black. If it just stayed clean, it would be perfect. Everytime I use it, I wash my hands just before to avoid the problem. I'm not really sure why Apple went with whatever type of finish they went with on the black MacBooks. I've been using black notebooks from other companies for years and none have ever really shown prints. I did think about the idea of going with a white one shortly after I got my BlackBook... but I decided to stay with it.

l33r0y · August 4, 2007 8:22AM

If you are buying a new macbook, you won't have any problems with white.

nascarnate326 · August 6, 2007 4:14PM

I have a black MacBook C2D, bought it in NOV 06, and I wish I would have got the white one. Not only would I have saved money, but it would look lots better. The flat black track pad shows in the middle, the palm wrests show marks, and the lid has marks everywhere. I try and keep it as clean as possible but the black is imposible to use and keep clean at the same time. Im selling mine as soon as the new iMac's and 10.5 are out.

gon · August 6, 2007 4:36PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loungepop

Either way you're making a sacrifice... I don't know why Apple have to be such bastards about it. The white one will get dirty and ugly no matter what (I have one).

That's what they said about iBook. I had one of them and there was one more in the family, and both were in good shape after being used enough that the lettering on several keys has almost faded off. Now I have a Macbook, which likewise hasn't changed color.

getluv · August 7, 2007 1:59AM

the black macbooks are sexier. yes it has fingerprint issues, but dim your light a bit and it looks fantastic.

saiko · August 7, 2007 3:33AM

I'm in the same boat as the OP, I've got to buy before August 23rd - for college. I am really really torn between the white and the black. I was originally DEAD set on the black, but a few months ago my mom purchased the black one to replace her old iBook that died. Absolutely GORGEOUS out of the box. It was truly amazing, but then I began to really notice that it was showing signs of collecting fingerprints and smudges, etc. I shrugged it off as her not really taking good care of it...

Until one day I saw that she left it on the counter in our kitchen, so I pulled out some cleaning supplies and worked a bit on it and man it is really hard to clean! Those smudges don't come off easy, well under direct bright light anyway. Really easy to dirty, and really tough to bring clean again.

But yeah in low light...

Quote:

Originally Posted by getluv

the black macbooks are sexier. yes it has fingerprint issues, but dim your light a bit and it looks fantastic.

^ this guy's right.

Ugh I am so torn between choices.

Pros of choosing black:

1. Slightly larger hard drive

2. Sexy out of box, and under a low light

3. Aesthetically pleasing matte finish

Cons of choosing black:

1. $200 price different for a really small hard drive upgrade is really no good, especially for a poor college student like me

2. smudge / fingerprint issues / hard to clean

3. $200 more than the same stat (-HD space) white one

Okay I'm too lazy to do a pro / con for white. I might edit this post later. Haha

teedoff087 · August 7, 2007 1:47PM

The white is gorgeous as well. And you can't see fingerprints. Either way you'll want to make out with it.

macaximx · August 8, 2007 5:10AM

Like Messiah, my wife has a white MacBook and I have a black MacBook. We both prefer the look of the Black. I do wish the power cord and mouse were black.

Also, with the new iMac the White look may become dated faster than the Black (if such things matter with you.)

Macbook -- White / Black...

Comments