Picked up a new Macbook Aluminum at Micro Center St. Davids for $799.99 The guy told me there were others of this model available at other Micro Centers at this price. Marked down to clear out for the new polycarbonate macbooks.
microcenter.com has the Apple MacBook MC207LL/A for the same price after 200.00 mail in rebate. anyone know what the difference between that and this one is?
kaveh2k said: microcenter.com has the Apple MacBook MC207LL/A for the same price after 200.00 mail in rebate. anyone know what the difference between that and this one is?it's not aluminum like the OP posted...just the white version.
kaveh2k said: so whats the advantage of the aluminum version? just lighter?for me it would be looks. the cheapest aluminum model as new right now from apple is $1199, so eventhough this is an older model aluminum it's an awesome price if u want an aluminum model.
jspalyl
Broke Member
posted: Jan. 9, 2010 @ 11:33p
kaveh2k said: microcenter.com has the Apple MacBook MC207LL/A for the same price after 200.00 mail in rebate. anyone know what the difference between that and this one is?
When I added it to the cart it stated that it is store pickup only, so you would have to have a MicroCenter somewhere nearby.
Does this have the built in battery? If not then the plastic one is definitely a better machine. Has a faster processor as well.
daver234
Member
posted: Jan. 10, 2010 @ 6:48a
Just a heads-up, I am using a polycarbonate one as I type this. I've had it for a couple years and it gets light use, but the case has a hairline crack on the right side and the edge of the keyboard has had the plastic chip and peal away in a couple spots. I've never dropped it nor abused it. I've read that sometimes Apple replaces the keyboard to fix the one set of cracks, but that's hit-or-miss. I also have a an aluminum macbook pro through work so I can see that the same issue is not likely to happen with that one.
Bottom line, the aluminum one probably has an advantage over the polycarbonate version when it comes to durability.
This model aluminum does not have SD slot, no illuminated key board and no fire wire. I also have a polycarbonate. This aluminum will also not have all the cracks that my polycarbonate has. My poly also has a faster processor but I can not see the speed difference. Poly also has a 250 Gig HDD the aluminum has a 160. Not to mention the aluminum looks great and feels better.
If I had it to do over again I would skip the polycarbonate.
I'll be listing the poly on eBay or Craigslist soon.
daver234 said: Just a heads-up, I am using a polycarbonate one as I type this. I've had it for a couple years and it gets light use, but the case has a hairline crack on the right side and the edge of the keyboard has had the plastic chip and peal away in a couple spots. I've never dropped it nor abused it. I've read that sometimes Apple replaces the keyboard to fix the one set of cracks, but that's hit-or-miss. I also have a an aluminum macbook pro through work so I can see that the same issue is not likely to happen with that one.
Bottom line, the aluminum one probably has an advantage over the polycarbonate version when it comes to durability.
Return it to an Apple Store, they will likely replace these cracked cases (other than abuse) free, even out of warranty. It's a known issue.
happynow
Member
posted: Jan. 10, 2010 @ 1:54p
One other point to consider when deciding between this older aluminum to the new (2.26 GHz) polycarb: the new polycarb has a maximum of 8GB of RAM while the aluminum offically supports 4GB (and unofficially supports 6GB). I always want to be future-proofed with a higher RAM ceiling as some day, 4GB sticks of DDR3 sodimm's will be dramatically less expensive than the are now.
On a sort of separate tangent but testimony of Apple's super-duperness, I bought the 2.26 polycarb for my wife as a Christmas present. Five days later, my son spilled a glass of water on it and totally hosed it (even after I took it apart, disconnected internal battery, used a hairdryer, let it dry out ~1 day). Since I bought it on an American Express card, I knew it'd be covered under their Purchase Protection plan (90-days from date fo purchase which specifically includes accidental damage). AMEX told me to get a repair estimate from my local Apple Store. At the Genius Bar of the Apple Store, the tech told me how sorry he was that this happened to me, and that while according to policy, accidental damage wasn't covered under the warranty, they'd cover a full fix on the machine and would overnight it to Apple for full repairs and then overnight the machine back to my house. Now THAT'S a company I want to do business with. Although Apple was under NO OBLIGATION to cover a comprehensive system fix for accidental damage, they sprung for it anyway, including 2-way overnight shipping (worth at least $150 by itself) at absolutely no cost to me. Beat that, Dell, Lenovo, or HP!!!
Not the right forum for this but I learned to stop buying too much computer for what I need it for. A 2 ghz processor and 2 gig of ram with a 160 gig hdd with a removable battery works just great for me. The best part is that it was only $800 and a solid aluminum body makes this macbook a bargain.
poorfatkid said: Not the right forum for this but I learned to stop buying too much computer for what I need it for. A 2 ghz processor and 2 gig of ram with a 160 gig hdd with a removable battery works just great for me. The best part is that it was only $800 and a solid aluminum body makes this macbook a bargain.
You made a right choice for you. It depends on what you actually need. If you dont need the 7 hour battery, get the older Al. The Al is more durable. If you travel, the 7 hour battery is worth it. i flew coast to coast and for the first time, the battery didnt run out and didnt need to get recharged. You can get thru a whole work day without recharging. That is worth a bunch. There also is a slight difference in displays, but it is minor and I cant see the difference.
mphuie
Member
posted: Jan. 10, 2010 @ 8:44p
rmhop said: kaveh2k said: so whats the advantage of the aluminum version? just lighter?for me it would be looks. the cheapest aluminum model as new right now from apple is $1199, so eventhough this is an older model aluminum it's an awesome price if u want an aluminum model.
The later model 13 Pros also have a much better screen - not the craptastic screens that they've been putting in the Macbooks for years, which was a huge dealbreaker for me - ended up buying an Air.
Even though this model was discontinued over 6 months ago @ $799 its an amazing deal. There literally is no major difference between this model and the current model other than this one has the aluminum case & 5hr user-replaceable battery and the current has the polycarb unibody (not the same as the previous polycarb everyone is complaining about) and a 7 hr sealed battery. Other the other specs are too similar to note --although the alu MB has a backlit keyboard which is a nice bonus.
That built in battery scares me a bit. I've never owned a laptop that I did not have to replace the battery. Not to mention that batteries never last as long as the manufacturer states. They rate that life on "perfect world" senarios. At least with the aluminum I can keep the battery out of while using it in the office or at home to save wear and tear.
poorfatkid said: Picked up a new Macbook Aluminum at Micro Center St. Davids for $799.99 The guy told me there were others of this model available at other Micro Centers at this price. Marked down to clear out for the new polycarbonate macbooks.
Did you get the 2.0GHz or the 2.4GHz processor since the 2.4GHz has a backlit keyboard as well.
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