# Black or white macbook?



## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi, I'm a macbook n00b 

I've used Apple systems before, but this is first time I'm actually going to own a laptop of theirs, after being a PC user for my entire (albeit, short) life.

I know there aren't huge differences between the black and white macbooks, but I'm interested in knowing if the wear is significantly more noticeable on the white laptops compared to the black. I'm guessing the black ones are more sleek? I do plan on using the notebook all the time.

I have already purchased a sleeve, keyboard cover and will get some covers for the wrist area soon, depending on the colour of the macbook I get (yes...I have these before I have even bought the machine...can you tell that I'm excited?)

Also, I'm guessing that Apple Canada or The Mac Group are the best bets to purchase the machine if I live in Ottawa?


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## Felixtrio (Mar 25, 2007)

I would go with the white. My wife has a black laptop. I find that it is difficult to see the letters in lower light. If you are an accomplished typist, then it makes no difference.

Felix


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

HowEver said:


> Welcome to ehMac.
> 
> I don't think finding the keys will be a problem for most.
> 
> ...


Thanks,

No, I haven't tried any in a store, but I plan to. I like the black one more, but it all depends on the price and if it's on sale.


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## genuineadvantage (Mar 14, 2007)

Well if you are concerned about scratches and other unwanted things showing up on the enclosure then you are better off with the black. I agree with however, with regards to the finger prints, it can be cleaned off very easily. Also the black MacBook has a few extra features that the ohters dont have. I hope this helps 

Oh and welcome to ehMac!


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## gizmo321 (Oct 27, 2006)

I have a black one. I thought it was sleek and nice at first. But after awhile the grease marks all over the laptop get pretty annoying. If I were to get the MacBook again, I'd get the white one.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

Hmmm...interesting. I suppose I'll have to figure out which one would bother me more.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Ya -- I'd say the black one shows dirt/wear MUCH more than the white one.

That being said, I still like my BlackBook


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## Aero (Mar 2, 2006)

You should go to an apple store or a store that sells macbooks, Im pretty sure the floor model would've been raped by now. It will show a wear of at least a year or two.


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## eggman (Jun 24, 2006)

You mentioned that you're young (student discount?) and in Ottawa (Many gov't employees belong to groups which have volume discounts with Apple - equivilent to the education pricing, the same as some large corporations). If you're able to take advantage of either of those then your only choice is Apple directly. "The Mac Group" or "iService Depot" or any of the other authorized resellers in town can't equal the discount you could get direct from Apple as far as I know.

%8 might be worth waiting for the shipping, from what I know of the margin that Apple allows its resellers they probably can't equal that discount on the computer, though sometimes they can throw in accessories that might make a purchase decision easier.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

I don't own any white clothes because I get them dirty before I even put them on. If I walk on the opposite side of the street and I pass an Italian restaurant while I'm wearing a white shirt, I'll have tomato sauce stains on my shirt before I get to the end of the block.

But I bought a used, white iBook a few months ago and even though I'm careful around it, I haven't cleaned it in any special way, and this white iBook looks great! No dirt flagrantly shows.

I don't have a black MacBook to compare it to, but I'm amazed at how clean the white iBook remains.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

I emailed The Mac Group about the student discount, so we'll see what they say. I'm guessing they won't give it to me (although...they are an authorized reseller). Then I will most likely be buying it through the Apple store, although the black one is quite pricey that way. So, if buying through the Apple store, I would most likely get the white macbook.

There is a trusted person on eBay who is selling them for around $1400 (and has replied to every email I have sent him promptly), but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with making large purchases there.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

SoyMac said:


> I don't own any white clothes because I get them dirty before I even put them on. If I walk on the opposite side of the street and I pass an Italian restaurant while I'm wearing a white shirt, I'll have tomato sauce stains on my shirt before I get to the end of the block.
> 
> But I bought a used, white iBook a few months ago and even though I'm careful around it, I haven't cleaned it in any special way, and this white iBook looks great! No dirt flagrantly shows.


Haha, good to know. I'm the exact same way, actually, which is why I was worried about purchasing a white macbook. However, I think if I just take care of it (and possibly get those wristpads I was mentioned before) then my system should be okay.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

Jaline, be sure to check out the Refurbished section of the Apple Canada Store. I just picked up a laptop for a present - got the Black Core 2 Duo 2.0 ghz model for $1126 - that's much better than the education discount.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Aero said:


> You should go to an apple store or a store that sells macbooks, Im pretty sure the floor model would've been raped by now. It will show a wear of at least a year or two.


Well new MacBooks came out in May, so maybe a month or so of wear. 

I know in the official Apple Stores they clean the laptops each and every night (if not more frequently) 'cause they want them looking their best for the customers.

If you want Beat Up -- Try Best Buy. The Demo models there are always dirty and crashing constantly.


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## Aero (Mar 2, 2006)

fyrefly said:


> Well new MacBooks came out in May, so maybe a month or so of wear.
> 
> I know in the official Apple Stores they clean the laptops each and every night (if not more frequently) 'cause they want them looking their best for the customers.
> 
> If you want Beat Up -- Try Best Buy. The Demo models there are always dirty and crashing constantly.


Well, a couple of days on the floor could mean a couple of weeks (or more) in the real world. The apple store do look better but still kinda dirty compared to the one at best buy.


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

gizmo321 said:


> I have a black one. I thought it was sleek and nice at first. But after awhile the grease marks all over the laptop get pretty annoying. If I were to get the MacBook again, I'd get the white one.


This is probably one of the biggest issues I've heard with regards to the black model on this and other forums. The solution seems to be either buy a white one or get a Speck hardshell case.


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## csonni (Feb 8, 2001)

I'm real happy with my white MacBook. It's stays very clean. I've only wiped it down once in the last month, and that was only for a few fingerprints which I could hardly see.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

CubaMark said:


> Jaline, be sure to check out the Refurbished section of the Apple Canada Store. I just picked up a laptop for a present - got the Black Core 2 Duo 2.0 ghz model for $1126 - that's much better than the education discount.


I am definitely going to do this...if I can find one soon. The problem is that the Apple Canada refurbished section has a smaller amount of refurbished models available and sometimes it takes weeks for them to have a good one up. There hasn't even been a white macbook with at least a 120 GB HD for the past week or two.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

I will be buying RAM separately, for sure. The Apple store is a rip-off for that.

I currently have an external HD so I'm not too worried about extra space right now. 120 GB is a good base amount to have.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

jaline said:


> I am definitely going to do this...if I can find one soon. The problem is that the Apple Canada refurbished section has a smaller amount of refurbished models available and sometimes it takes weeks for them to have a good one up. There hasn't even been a white macbook with at least a 120 GB HD for the past week or two.


I thought I was out of luck, too. I saw a Black MB in the config I wanted to buy on a Tuesday, and on Thursday, when I finally decided to go for it, the MacBook was gone. Three days later - another one appeared, with even better specs. Check the refurb site frequently!


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

Thanks, will do.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

HowEver said:


> I wonder where they get their end of month sales model from...?


Well... actually, according to the people I talked to in the Eaton Centre Apple Store -- they don't have those sales anymore. And they don't do "refreshed" anymore. It all gets shipped back to Apple (I guess to sell refurb on the website?).

That being said, at the end of month sales -- they always clearly marked the boxes between "Demo" and "Refreshed" -- Refreshed being customer returns, and demo being a store demo. There were always way more "refreshed" and you could always look at the demo ones and see what (if any) marks/damage was on them.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

Hey again, guys.

I finally ordered the white macbook this morning, with a 160 GB HD, and I'll be ordering extra RAM for it tonight. I should be getting it before the end of the week.

Just a question: Who is the delivery company that Apple Canada uses, and can you use your Mastercard / credit card to pay for the taxes at the door? or does it have to be cash?

Thanks.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

HowEver said:


> Apple will send you another invoice/receipt, by email. It will include taxes, and includes shipping as well. All you have to do at the door is sign for your new computer.


Oh, okay, thanks. It's my dad's credit card, so I can't really check his account to find out how much Apple actually took from it. What I did was just put all the money I saved up onto his card (since I don't want to own a credit card yet), with his permission, of course, and then bought the computer by using his info (but with my name on the shipping info). Anyway, it's nice to know that they automatically take the tax from the card as well.

Now I just have to purchase RAM from CanadaRAM and then I'm all set!


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## mixedup (Jul 4, 2004)

just hope they deliver it to the correct address...i had the unfortunate experience of mine being delivered to a nearby retailer who had placed a large order. thankfully, i was tracking it online and when it said "delivered" i called my g/f who was at home and asked if it had arrived. it was taken care of, though (fedex/purolater picked it back up and delivered it to me).


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

mixedup said:


> just hope they deliver it to the correct address...i had the unfortunate experience of mine being delivered to a nearby retailer who had placed a large order. thankfully, i was tracking it online and when it said "delivered" i called my g/f who was at home and asked if it had arrived. it was taken care of, though (fedex/purolater picked it back up and delivered it to me).


I remember you posting about that! Hopefully I'll get mine this week and it will be fine


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## Aero (Mar 2, 2006)

jaline said:


> I remember you posting about that! Hopefully I'll get mine this week and it will be fine


Thats the hard part, waiting... It feels like forever.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

Actually, this is the fun part. Use the tracking number Apple gave you (go to the Apple Store and "Check Order Status" in the top right) to see where it is. Mine went from California to...Memphis, I think?... to some other spot, then Quebec, and finally to Halifax.


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

Yay, it's shipped! Starting off in Shanghai...


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## jaline (Jul 7, 2007)

You're right! This is fun...checking out the spots it gets to travel to.

So far it started off in Shanghai and it is now in Anchorage, Alaska, heh. Still has to travel through a few provinces. I think the expected delivery date is Monday though, which sucks. I was hoping to have it tomorrow.


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## JAGflyer (Jan 10, 2005)

jaline said:


> You're right! This is fun...checking out the spots it gets to travel to.
> 
> So far it started off in Shanghai and it is now in Anchorage, Alaska, heh. Still has to travel through a few provinces. I think the expected delivery date is Monday though, which sucks. I was hoping to have it tomorrow.


Pretty much all of the Apple computers coming from China go on a Shanghai-Anchorage-Memphis flight. From MEM they are sent on other FedEx flights to the destination. Your MB will be on the Memphis-Buffalo-Ottawa flight.


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