Why get the black macbook

glenn29 · May 21, 2007

I'll be buying my macbook within the next week. I'm very excited to get it and glad I'll get the added boost of the latest upgrades.

My question is this, why would you buy the black macbook at this point? I mean unless you really want a black one.

As far as I can tell, the middle level macbook and the black macbook have the same exact processor, RAM, cd/dvd drive, display, graphics card etc. The only difference seems to be the 120 g hard drive in the white and the 160g hard drive in the black. You can upgrade the white HD to 160 g for only 75 dollars, while the black costs 200 dollars more.

Am I missing something else different? It seems since the upgrade these two are almost exactly the same except HD space and color, and I don't want to pay $200 extra for 40 gig when I can get it for only $75.

Ive been reading the forum for weeks, you guys and gals are a world of knowledge and all really seem to love your macbooks.

dtravis7 · May 21, 2007

I would buy the Black one if I wanted Black over White. Otherwise now I see no reason except color. My opinion anyway.

walkerj · May 21, 2007

glenn29 said:
Am I missing something else different? It seems since the upgrade these two are almost exactly the same except HD space and color, and I don't want to pay $200 extra for 40 gig when I can get it for only $75.

Ive been reading the forum for weeks, you guys and gals are a world of knowledge and all really seem to love your macbooks.

Yes, yes we do.

And yeah, that's pretty much it. I have a white Macbook but I got my wife a black one, mostly because we have two black cats, her iPod is black, and it's different from mine. She really, really, really likes the fact that it's black. She doesn't even care that she has a bigger hard drive by 40gig. So in my case it was a matter of knowing my wife, and that an asthetic would make quite a difference in her overall experience. Was it worth $150? Well, let's take the possibliity of multiple "I wish it wasn't white" factor into account and divide by the number of 'favors' one would get by the fact that her computer is black and she likes that a lot...and...

Okay, so TMI.

Let's just say that Apple thinks they can get away with charging that much more for the black color, note that apparently they can, and there you have your answer. These computers aren't just computers, they are computers that are nice to look at in addition to being productivity machines with no equal. So yeah, we'll pay the extra for a color change. Sure, you get a bigger disk drive, otherwise it's just a color.

Although, I seem to recall that auto manufacturers will often charge a premium for different 'paint packages' that don't enhance the actual performance or comfort factor of the vehicle. Racing stripes come to mind. So it's not like there isn't a precedent.

glenn29 · May 21, 2007

Oh yes, I wasn't trying to downplay the color for those who want that added asthetic, I was just trying to figure out if I was missing something else. I'm already going a bit over budget to get the middle of the road macbook, but I really like them from what Ive seen....so another $200 for the black is just out of my range for now.

thanks for the notes though, glad to be part of the forum.

MinaMACMan · May 21, 2007

I have the Black MacBook, and its awesome.

I bought it only for the fact that I love Black. But also that decision was helped by configuring the White one to the same specs (look under my avatar) and the difference was $50 only. So I happily paid for it and I couldn't be more satisfied with my choice.

I think it all comes down to ur sense of style and what u like.

Cheers

glenn29 · May 21, 2007

I agree with you mina, but I think now that they have changed the specs, if you upgrade the hd for $75 you are getting the same machine for $125 cheaper, still not a big difference if you really want the black one.

MinaMACMan · May 21, 2007

Thats absolutely true, in my case I would have paid the extra $125 or even the $200 for the Black.

I know that some of the Hardcore Mac Users would say that Black is a common color for Wintel Laptops.

But let me tell u this much, I've seen Black Dells, HPs, u name it. Nothing comes close to being as kick But looking as the Black MacBook, its in a league of its own thats all I can say.

walkerj · May 21, 2007

MinaMACMan said:
Thats absolutely true, in my case I would have paid the extra $125 or even the $200 for the Black.

I know that some of the Hardcore Mac Users would say that Black is a common color for Wintel Laptops.

But let me tell u this much, I've seen Black Dells, HPs, u name it. Nothing comes close to being as kick But looking as the Black MacBook, its in a league of its own thats all I can say.

Eh, Thinkpads were pretty svelt looking back in the day. I've heard their quality has gone down a bit though since some corporate changes at IBM.

I only am occasionally jealous of my wife's Blackbook. I like my white just fine, but the black frame of the screen does seem to make it appear a little larger than it is. I really kind of want her 120gig drive more than the color though (we have the second gen, not the latest updated ones) but I have this 250gig external firewire drive which kind of mitigates that issue.

Hmm, getting a little smudge on the left wristpad. Better clean that up. And those black cats I mentioned? We live in a cloud of their fur so I'm always doing the 'can of air' thing with my Macbook and all the white peripherals (Mighty Mouse, Apple keyboard, iPod, charger, headphones...)

MinaMACMan · May 22, 2007

Yeah its true, that the Black frame for the screen makes look larger. Also u gotta admit if u are gonna use it for business nothing SCREAMS Professional Innovation than the Black Frame with that Awesomely Illuminated Apple on the Back, u'll definitely turn some heads around

gilesjuk · May 22, 2007

It's purely down to taste. If your eyesight isn't great then you'll see the keys on the white model easier.

The black model is easier on the eye.

Kash · May 22, 2007

I personally bought the black one because I find it better looking than the white one. Now my sister, on the other hand, prefers the white.

gilesjuk is right, it all comes down to personal taste. Some people can justify the added expense for the black.

glenn29 · May 22, 2007

Thanks everyone....personally I'd probably perfer the black one myself, I just can't buck up the extra money for a color right now....maybe my second macbook will be black

mac smalls · May 24, 2007

yea i got the black even though the guy in the apple store was trying to push me towards the less expensive white....i just feel the black fits me more

SLC Flyfishing · May 25, 2007

Black equipment conveys power.

SLC

hagios1972 · May 25, 2007

I got the black one because its processor is faster than the white one.

cramar · May 25, 2007

Well the question just got harder with the latest Apple upgrade. When the black MB came out there was a hefty premium over white. A lot of people on these forums said it wasn't worth it. When I bought mine (about a month ago), here in Canada to upgrade the white to 120 Mb it was only $20 cheaper than the black. No brainer if you were partial to black anyway. I was.

Now there is $200 Cdn difference, and with only a $90 upgrade to 160 Mb that leaves a $110 difference. The decision just got harder. Quite frankly, Apple sees that consumers are willing to pay this premium just to get the black color. Smart business, but bad for you shelling out your money. Tough call!

falling5tarr · May 25, 2007

I only purchased the black Macbook because Amazon had a great deal on the 2.0 ghz discontinued model. I bought it for only $1099. Can't pass that up! Only now I am getting very impatient because I ordered it more than a week ago and it still hasn't been shipped, and probably won't be shipped until the 29th.

mutejute · May 25, 2007

i purchased a black macbook because i just like black. if money is an issue, id get the cheapest macbook model. theres not much difference except for minimal speed improvement and more harddrive capacity. external harddrive is the way to go if you have lots of media files. for dvd burner, in case you need one, you can also get an external one. for me, i dont really need it cause i rarely use a dvd burner cause i always dump/backup files in an external drive.

the other reason i bought a black c2d macbook is because i got it cheaper. i saved £162 (or £212 if compared with the old price).

cdawg · May 25, 2007

walkerj said:
Eh, Thinkpads were pretty svelt looking back in the day. I've heard their quality has gone down a bit though since some corporate changes at IBM.

I only am occasionally jealous of my wife's Blackbook. I like my white just fine, but the black frame of the screen does seem to make it appear a little larger than it is. I really kind of want her 120gig drive more than the color though (we have the second gen, not the latest updated ones) but I have this 250gig external firewire drive which kind of mitigates that issue.

Hmm, getting a little smudge on the left wristpad. Better clean that up. And those black cats I mentioned? We live in a cloud of their fur so I'm always doing the 'can of air' thing with my Macbook and all the white peripherals (Mighty Mouse, Apple keyboard, iPod, charger, headphones...)

That's because IBM doesn't make the Thinkpad anymore. They sold the laptop division off to Lenovo years ago.

In response to the OP's question, the black one is nice, but shows fingerprints on the outside way too easily.

elpollodiablo · May 25, 2007

Hey guys! Just ordered my first Apple system last night, a shiny new black Macbook. I've been a PC apologist for about 15 years; the last Mac I had any experience with (outside of my limited use of them in high school) was a IIGS--I loved that thing.

Anyway, I'm ready for a change, and after much research, I jumped in and went for the Macbook. I got the black one partially because it's slicker, partially because it's got the huge hdd, but mainly because it's got the 2.16ghz processor. That seems like the clear deciding factor after this latest update, right?