Does the Black macbook feel cheaper than the white?

I've been hearing that a lot. Some say fingerprints are also more easily seen on the black. The difference in price is only $30 CDN, so I have to decide which color I want. Are the rumors True?

 

I don't really think so. The big difference is that the white MacBook has a sort of "glossy" exterior whereas the black macbook has a more matte/satin kind of exterior. I wouldn't say either feels cheaper than the other, just different. The black one has some kind of coating as well though which is what causes that difference in texture.

The black one does show fingerprints/etc. more easily, although these are really only noticeable if you look closely at it, and under certain lighting conditions. The white one can have fingerprints as well, they just aren't quite as easy to see.

I would go with whichever color you like though, they both feel pretty solid to me.

 

Not at all, the black one looks alot more sleeker IMO, as it's not glossy at all. The matte look and feel makes it look outstandingly slick.

 

I think that they feel cheaper, even though its about $200 USD more I believe... I don't know how they can get away with charging that.

 

It isn't $200 more. It ends up being like $50 than an identically configured white MacBook. The price difference used to be greater but with the C2D revision they made the price difference more reasonable (it used to be a $150 price premium just for the color).

 

Actually $30 CDN now (so $25 USD?).

 

I would love the black if only the power cord was black as well.

 

Am I missing something, the white one has the same specs and is $1299 and the black with the same specs is $1499. I think im missing something.

 

You're missing the Hard Drive.

 

Yep. $150 addition for the 120GB hard drive vs. the 80GB.

 

Both are made out of plastic. I do not like plastic laptops.

 

To be fair, there's multiple kinds of plastic...... the MacBook is made out of polycarbonate and is very durable (they specifically have been using polycarbonate since the iBook days specifically because of this durability).

 

According to Organic Chemistry, all plastics are polycarbonate.

 

What? According to which organic chemistry? I think you need to take organic chemistry 101 again

 

Polycarbonate refers to:
Poly=many
carbon=carbon
ate=carbon chains with oxygen bonding

The term is extremely broad and companies like to use it because it sounds cool.

Polycarbonate

 

I'm glad I don't have to take O-Chem.

 

haha homer nice explanation
well i feel that macbooks are quite well built and both of them ahve the same chassis so theres no way that one can feel cheaper than the other even though they are of different textures or made with different coats one with gloss finish and the other with a matte/seude sort of finish
which ever color one chooses he/she is supposed to get the same machine but with different colors and textures but basically same chassis

 

I prefer the MacBook Pro Aluminum Magnesium cases. They might cost more, but I think it is worth it.

 

Yeah the pro's feel nicer, but too big for me. On the other hand, the macbooks are the perfect size, but with too much of a low resolution. I like to put my pdf window and my word document side by side so I can read and take notes without switching, and I think it's going to be difficult on a mb (correct me if I'm wrong).
And the lenovo t60 is perfect but not widescreen, and the widescreen 14" t61 is coming out too late I need a laptop now but it just seems to be the worse time to buy one.

 

Well, fingerprints appear more easily on the black, but it has a nice matte finish, unlike white which is glossy. (and I've heard it gets discoloration in white)

 

The discoloration issue isn't "normal"....... it's generally been dealt with, although if someone did still encounter it, Apple would replace the plastic.

Note that is only actual discoloration of the plastic - it's still possible if you don't wash your hands, etc. to get dirt build-up, etc. on the white wrist rest, etc.

-Zadillo

 

I personally prefer the white because glossy finish looks nicer than a matte black finish - fingerprints show up more on the black one too.

I took the difference $1449 - $1299 = $150 and bought 2 x 1GB DDR2 RAM to upgrade the RAM to 2GB. Having 2GB DDR RAM is IMHO more important than a black plastic case and 40GB of additional HD (for that you can always get external drives).

 

The black bezel on the screen compliments the display imo. Having a white bezel sticks out too much.

 

Polycarbonates are all plastic, but there are tons of different types of plastic that aren't polycarbonates.

PVCs, Styrofoam, nylon, acrylics, polyethylenes....

And the only difference between the black and the white is the 40gb extra HD space... which is worth about $13. If you don't believe me, buy my 120gb 5400 rpm HD that I'm selling for $40.

2GB ram nowadays is worth $70 (AR). From the recent FLOOD of newegg/zipzoomfly deals.

Yep, Apple charges you hefty for the black paint.

 

Nylon and polyethylenes are polycarbonates. I am not sure about PVC, Styrofoam and acrylics. As I said before, polycarbonate is just a cool sounding term. It sounds so scientific, but it only refers to materials that contain carbon backbones and have oxygen bonding.

 

Homer, anyway, my point is simply that the polycarbonate plastic shell of the MacBook is very durable......... I pointed this out because you had complained about it being plastic, but just because something is plastic doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad thing.

Also, according to this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate

Your definition of polycarbonate seems to be incorrect. The "poly" in the term refers to polymers linked together by carbonate groups.

Polycarbonate plastic seems to be noted for its durability, according to the article above:

Either way, not every plastic laptop uses polycarbonate material specifically, which is my whole point anyway. The MacBook is an especially durable notebook, but you seemed to be dismissing it as being like any other laptop made out of plastic, and inferior to a laptop made out of other materials.

 

I prefer the MacBook Pro Case.

 

Yeah, not saying there's anything wrong with the MacBook Pro case.

But as much as I like the MacBook Pro case, and even though it is made of hardened aluminum, it is still somewhat susceptible to dents, etc. (you'd have to really abuse it, but even so). If I was going to be using a laptop in some rougher environments (not ToughBook-level rougher environments, but you get my drift), I think I would definitely trust the regular MacBook....... my mom actually still has an old iBook G4 I got her and it's been through the ringer, and it's still in great shape, and I attribute it to the casing.

 

You are probably right. I do not like plastic because I have bad experience with plastic. I always managed to break plastic parts in cars. Those memories haunt me.

 

then again theres always magnesium alloy and carbon fiber chassis laptops around

 

True, although those are unfortunately still somewhat expensive materials and not as practical to use in a consumer laptop.

-Zadillo