black macbook quality

Hey everyone,

I know this issue has been discussed before, and I've been reasearching it here and elsewhere on the internet...

Nonetheless, I'd like to ask about the durability/quality of the black macbook casing. If you own one, how has it stood up? Has the 'peeling' been an issue, and has anything changed since the new CD2 revision to reduce this occurence? Would it be something to dissuade you from buying one, or make you hold out for a future model?

Thanks for any input/information you may have.



Aside: I'm trying to decide between a high-end Toshiba A100 and a black Macbook (I don't like the white), but the durability issue concerns me. Choosing the Macbook from these two options, after all, involves a substantial loss in RAM, HD space, dedicated graphics...and I'd hate to get something that wears out quickly, especially after having made this tradeoff.

 

I will preface by saying that I own a MBP, not a MacBook. However, I have heard no reports of the black surface flaking off since the first couple weeks of release. It seems that was a bad run and has been taken care of. As for durability, I don;t think you have anything to worry about. I would recommend getting AppleCare for piece of mind. If something does go wrong Apple has very good support.

As for your decision, it seems you are comparing two notebooks from different classes. I am not entirely sure what specs the A100 has, but I believe it is a 15.4" with dedicated graphics. It sounds more like the same class as the MBP, not MacBook. Your decision is more of what kind of notebook you want as opposed to which of those two you mentioned.

 

Thanks cashmonee,

I agree with you about the notebooks not being completely comparable; they are however comparable in price, both around $1600 Cdn (what I can get them for). The one I'm looking at in Canada is the A100 SK9, CD 2 1.8ghz, 2 gigs ram, 160gb HD and a GeForce go 7600 128MB (though it is a 64 bit memory interface version, and will perform closer to a GeForce 7400, and a bit worse than the MB Pro's underclocked X1600). So it would probably be more comparable to a MB Pro.

However, I'm very interested in the Mac OS, and am thinking of dropping the gaming idea completely. I also find the style, slightly smaller size of the Mac very appealing. I find the Toshiba to be relatively noisy, the keyboard difficult (it's not centered on the unit) and I'm not sure how the build quality would compare. I can give up the HD and the RAM for a Mac, however going to a GMA 950 is a little troubling since it's extremely 'bare bones'; I only hope it survives a 2-3 year life for basic (i.e. non-gaming) use.

In any case, these are all things I need to weigh. Hard drive and RAM are not such big factors to me, and I only prefer dedicated video for futureproofing. The macbook looks great, and I admire the elegance in the design (and truth be told, I have a bit of an urge to escape Windows and try something else).

I just wanted to be clear on the build quality; given the comparable PC I could buy for the same money, it's a significant tradeoff as is, without considerations of poor design!

If any black MB owners have input (either good/bad), I'm still interested in hearing from you...

 

I have a black macbook and the only problem you will have trouble with is fingerprints. I also have the invisible shield applied.

 

I see. Well, a video card does not really have much effect on future-proofing. If you are not going to game or don't need any 3D performance a discreet graphics card would be overkill. Also, for future reference, the C2D MacBook Pro's x1600 is now similarly clocked to all other x1600s.

 

So I got a chnce to see a few black MB and white MB side by side at a mac conference at my university the other day. I honestly cannot say that I was impressed by the black finish. It's a dull black, not a nice glossy black. I didn't notice any fingerprints on any of the 3 black units, even after they touched the case.
as cash has said, there is no real difference in durabilty between the white and black units. And for non gaming use, a video card will not have in an impact on lifetime.

 

I have a black MB, but it's only a couple of weeks old.

Yes, it does collect more than its fair share of fingerprints and smudges. There are 6 other people in the office that have white ones and they stay relatively clear... at least, you can't see the fingerprints or smudges.

I decided to upgrade to the MBP and I just got it a couple of days ago. No question that it has the best case of the bunch, but at a premium price.

If price is no issue, go with the MBP, you won't be disappointed.

Incidentally, I'm a Windows software developer and will be using the MBP for Windows development about 90% of the time. I'm using Parallels and it works great.