[Undo Redo]

Where does the plastic crack? I've had two of them and neither one did this.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Undo Redo 

Where does the plastic crack? I've had two of them and neither one did this.

Usually along the front edges. Just where the screen bumpers meet the bottom case.

[tooki]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

The black MacBook was a ridiculously popular model that made Apple a lot of money (especially considering the "black tax" was pure profit).

Not entirely. White MacBooks are made of naked white plastic. Black MacBooks were made of black plastic that was then painted with matte black paint. Not sure how much cost that really adds, but it is nonetheless another cost.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by tooki 

Not entirely. White MacBooks are made of naked white plastic. Black MacBooks were made of black plastic that was then painted with matte black paint.

I keep seeing this, and wonder where it comes from.

BLACK MACBOOKS WERE NOT PAINTED.

I've owned one for two years and banged it up and had the topcase, bottom case, and screen bezel replaced.

It is matte black plastic.

No paint.

[tooki]

They totally are painted. It's good paint that is durable, but if you've seen the parts disassembled, you can see that it's been painted.

FWIW, most electronics are painted -- it's far more common than you think.

Edit: P.S. I also was told by my Apple-trained Mac Genius coworkers that the black MacBooks are painted.

[Simon]

Wouldn't you be able to check this if you just took a case piece, broke it, and looked at the fracture form the side?

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Simon 

Wouldn't you be able to check this if you just took a case piece, broke it, and looked at the fracture form the side?

That is, in fact, what happened to my MacBook's bottom case.

No paint.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by tooki 

They totally are painted. It's good paint that is durable, but if you've seen the parts disassembled, you can see that it's been painted.

FWIW, most electronics are painted -- it's far more common than you think.

Edit: P.S. I also was told by my Apple-trained Mac Genius coworkers that the black MacBooks are painted.

It looks pretty unpainted to me.



P.S. The white MacBook isn't painted either.

[P]

It can be black plastic that is then painted black as well. I work in automotive - we do this all the time. The reason for painting is to get a better, more controlled finish than you can get with incoloured plastics. The downside is cost, but Apple's isn't exactly known for shrinking from cost if it improves appearance.

The reason for using black plastic is that scratches and other damage to the surface is less obvious if you do that. It can be quite hard to tell if a part was painted or not, if the color matching was good.

[clockworkwar]

I will be getting a Unibody.

[Brien]

They're painted. They're semi-shiny and have a matte coat on them. I know, it flaked off of mine in a couple spots.