Apple Kills Off White MacBook as Educational Institution Distribution Halted

Apple would much rather institutions needing a low-end machine buy iPads instead.

(*assorted grumbling about how an iPad doesn't fit your needs follows*)

Yeah, but Apple would rather you buy iPads.

Yay, no more plastic shells!

Pretty sad, as the white MacBook was an iconic design that looked lovely on anyone's desk. They were always plagued with design flaws, but fun none the less.

The MBAs are nice, but the all aluminium finish doesn't have the same cleanliness, to me anyway.

Seems like Apple is pushing the iPad for the K-12 market now, rather than any MacBook Pro/Air. And for cash-strapped schools, if an iPad will do it is far less expensive and probably more reliable as well.

not much of a surprise really , it wasn't likely they would keep manufacturing them for long, as there spec was rather outdated

How about this: make a MacBook Air-like machine that comes with a range of specifications, from current MacBook Air specifications to current MacBook Pro specifications. Price would range accordingly, from MBA price to MBP price.

Then you could plug in external graphics cards and I/O into the Thunderbolt port. Too bad this will be expensive, but it would be great if you could get it for a decent price…

But I'm sure that one day, soon, technology will permit the MacBook Pro to fit into a MacBook Air. Then it will be all unified, and very Apple-like!

What is the point of designing a machine to be ultra-lightweight and portable, but taking so much out of it that you have to plug external accessories into it? Then it's no longer so portable.

There is also no point in Apple turning the MBP into the Air. They need to maintain both lines. The Air is for executives who want something light and easy to carry when they travel and who mainly only check email and access the web. Those people can switch to a Pad, although typing is obviously much easier on the Air. The MBP is designed for people who still do real work (and not just consume content) using intensive applications like Office, Photoshop, video editing, databases, etc. It also has a higher specification than the Air so why would anyone want to take steps backwards?

And while most people on this site agree that it's time to remove the optical drive from the MBP, I would strenuously disagree. I use that drive for all kinds of things, like copying CDs to iTunes or transporting files from a standalone CD-R drive where I do audio editing and mastering.

Besides, good marketing says you have products for every market at a variety of price points. If you look at Apple's current lineup, they hit all of those price points: the computers are all spread about $200-$300 apart.