Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,308
8,320
How do you like the color? Wish you got Silver instead?
I like it. It’s definitely darker than the old space gray and more black than the Midnight Air (which is really a shade of blue). It isn’t as dark as the Space Black of the Apple Watch Hermes.
 

mdhaus72

macrumors regular
Dec 29, 2018
222
299
I bought mine in Space Black and I love it. The fact that it varies in appearance in different types of light is specifically why I think it's so great.
 
  • Like
Reactions: decypher44

Macshroomer

macrumors 65816
Dec 6, 2009
1,305
733
Did I order Space Black....? "Dell" yeah I did, lol!

Should match my car nicely....
 

Attachments

  • Space Black.jpg
    Space Black.jpg
    416.6 KB · Views: 132
Last edited:

FrankySavvy

macrumors 68000
Mar 4, 2010
1,616
808
Long Island, NY
So I noticed the new M3 MacBook Pros have another design change compared to the M1 and M2 versions that Apple didn't announce. Chamfered edges around the ports and what appears to be a thicker chamfered edge on all edges of the laptop. With previous MacBook Pros there is a straight edge around the ports and a slight chamfer on the laptops edges.

See attached images that shows a clear chamfer around the ports and larger chamfer around the outside edges of the machine. For the pictures I am comparing my space gray M1 MacBook Pro 14" work computer compared to my personal Space Black M3 MacBook Pro 16".

Because the edges are more chamfered this should help with wear around the ports and edges of the machine, especially with the Space Black color.

What do you guys think!
 

Attachments

  • tempImage92ESHi.png
    tempImage92ESHi.png
    2.1 MB · Views: 255
  • tempImageg0AHSM.png
    tempImageg0AHSM.png
    1.6 MB · Views: 257
  • tempImageUqrIFA.png
    tempImageUqrIFA.png
    2.1 MB · Views: 248

fs454

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,986
1,875
Los Angeles / Boston
So I noticed the new M3 MacBook Pros have another design change compared to the M1 and M2 versions that Apple didn't announce. Chamfered edges around the ports and what appears to be a thicker chamfered edge on all edges of the laptop. With previous MacBook Pros there is a straight edge around the ports and a slight chamfer on the laptops edges.

See attached images that shows a clear chamfer around the ports and larger chamfer around the outside edges of the machine. For the pictures I am comparing my space gray M1 MacBook Pro 14" work computer compared to my personal Space Black M3 MacBook Pro 16".

Because the edges are more chamfered this should help with wear around the ports and edges of the machine, especially with the Space Black color.

What do you guys think!

I was hoping so, but a light brush with a ceramic coffee cup resulted in this on my 16" space black MBP.
IMG_1209.jpg
 

kzly

macrumors member
Apr 17, 2023
33
15
As a Space Grey user...:

Silver > Space Grey >> Space Black >>>>>>> Midnight.

  • Silver is the "original" color, and it is pretty timeless. Additionally, it is also the color that will show far less wear and tear overtime (scratches, discoloration, "palm-sweat", fingerprints), etc.
  • Space Grey looks really nice! But, scratches, discoloration, and fingerprints may make it not look as clean as the Silver.
  • Space Black is essentially a darker Space Grey, but the scratches, discoloration, and fingerprints are for sure more visible in this darker color...even with the new coating process.
  • Midnight just looks horrendous. No special coating like the Space Black. Easily the most prone to wear and tear, and is an insane fingerprint magnet. It's just gnarly looking.
Basically, if aesthetics matter to you (especially fingerprints), don't buy a dark colored laptop.

It has been proven that space gray does suffer from relatively more scratches, discoloration and fingerprints compared to the silver color. It is also obvious that the space black will suffer from fingerprints, but we never know if it can hold up against the discoloration. My reasoning is that it takes some time for discoloration to occur... Until we actually see users going through discoloration of the space black, it is too early to make a bold statement about discoloration yet...BUT I agree with the fingerprint issues.. I went to Apple Stores and noticed that on the space black color :(
 

Paul Deemer

macrumors member
Dec 17, 2023
54
58
Greenville, SC
I read all the posts on Silver being a better option but a finger magnet and how the Space Black might scratch easier yada yada yada. This is my first Apple device ever. Anyway after I went to the Apple Store and saw how shiny and blinding the Silver was under the bright store lights and how cool and toned down the Space Black looked I didn't care about scratching anymore. I wanted the Space Black and bought the 16" M3 Max base $3500 on the spot on my Apple Card with 12 payments and no interest. Been extremely happy with it so far.
 

kzly

macrumors member
Apr 17, 2023
33
15
I read all the posts on Silver being a better option but a finger magnet and how the Space Black might scratch easier yada yada yada. This is my first Apple device ever. Anyway after I went to the Apple Store and saw how shiny and blinding the Silver was under the bright store lights and how cool and toned down the Space Black looked I didn't care about scratching anymore. I wanted the Space Black and bought the 16" M3 Max base $3500 on the spot on my Apple Card with 12 payments and no interest. Been extremely happy with it so far.
Yeah. I like both and space book definitely helps me focus on the monitor.
 

FrankySavvy

macrumors 68000
Mar 4, 2010
1,616
808
Long Island, NY
I like space black but returned for the silver. I’m wayy to OCD for the smudges on black
I did the same thing, but not because of the smudges. There seem to be some inherent manufacturing defects during machining when the silver comes through on the Space Black models. I was nervous this would also be an issue with wear and tear over time.
 

4743913

Cancelled
Aug 19, 2020
1,564
3,716
How do you like the color? Wish you got Silver instead?

never. I was never a big fan of silver, and jumped to Space Gray in 2017. Space Black is deceptively dark as long as you are not in some offensively lit office setting. In normal lighting, it's black. I love it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Macbookey

EDS66

macrumors regular
Mar 31, 2018
134
136
I bought mine in Space Black and I love it. The fact that it varies in appearance in different types of light is specifically why I think it's so great.
I love mine. I only wish they'd done something about the trackpad and keyboard, which accumulate hand oils like crazy -- keyboard especially. I can see that in a couple of years the hand oil-engendered sheen, which is currently removable via wiping it off with cloth and alcohol, will eventually become permanent.
 

jamdex

macrumors 6502
Jul 8, 2012
255
250
Manchester UK
No regrets, love the colour and clean it daily. Its my daily driver used for work and home so on it for probably about 10 hrs a day.
 

danwells

macrumors 6502a
Apr 4, 2015
783
617
How was NeXT able to make super-duper-black metal computers over 30 years ago? The answer may well have been "they weren't laptops" - either because the finish would never have survived going into and out of cases all day long, or because we don't want to THINK about how many fingerprints they would have attracted if touched on a regular basis. Was it that they weren't laptops, or was NeXT doing things that Apple won't (for cost or environmental reasons).

I loved the look of the NeXT machines, and will be ordering my MBP is Space Black to get as close as I've seen since, and because of the anti-glare factor.

I also loved the suggestion of a titanium machine in natural color (Apple's Rose Gold is close, but not right there and not as attractive). I've never seen a computer in natural titanium (I think the TiBooks were treated, or else they were an alloy that didn't have the color) - but cameras have shown up that way over the years, and many of them are gorgeous - and very, very durable.

The problem is that cutting unibodies for a high production laptop out of titanium would be a wonderful way to exhaust the world supply of milling machine bits.😂 Aluminum is relatively soft and mills nicely. Pure titanium is not, and doesn't. It can be milled, if you're building stealth aircraft and have that kind of budget. The Russians used to build submarines out of the stuff, and it both made wonderful submarines and bankrupted the Soviet Union (not on its own, but it WAS a factor). While the boss wasn't looking, the Russian titanium workers used to make camping gear out of scrap titanium. They traded it to Western mountaineers who loved it, and a lot of ultralight gear is now made out of titanium, but it's stamped, not milled.
 

Arctic Moose

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2017
1,599
2,133
Gothenburg, Sweden
How was NeXT able to make super-duper-black metal computers over 30 years ago? The answer may well have been "they weren't laptops" - either because the finish would never have survived going into and out of cases all day long, or because we don't want to THINK about how many fingerprints they would have attracted if touched on a regular basis. Was it that they weren't laptops, or was NeXT doing things that Apple won't (for cost or environmental reasons).
Apple made excellent black laptops 25 years ago. My PowerBook G3 (Wallstreet) doesn't mind rough handling, it looks new despite years in and out of backpacks without a case. It doesn't show fingerprints either.
 

pavvel

macrumors regular
Jul 18, 2013
197
329
So many differences of option it’s unreal. I order m4 pro in space black 14” absolutely love the machine but this thing is an ABSOLUTE FINGER PRINT magnet. Looks absolutely awful after just normal use as I’m really careful with my handling. Nevermind all the wearing and chipping issues I just cannot cope with how marked it looks all the time, so I have swapped out for a silver. Nowhere near as many problems and once you have got over the “new” black realistically it’s more practical and I think looks much better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NeonNights

MacDaddyPanda

macrumors 6502a
Dec 28, 2018
990
1,158
Murica
When the mbp m3 pro came out I got it in space black. I found it actually bit too dark for my desk. I traded it in for mbp m4 pro in silver this time. I like the silver more in this setup. But if I had a brighter desk like white id probably stick with space black. But I upgraded for hardware bump too not just the color change lol.
 

EDS66

macrumors regular
Mar 31, 2018
134
136
So many differences of option it’s unreal. I order m4 pro in space black 14” absolutely love the machine but this thing is an ABSOLUTE FINGER PRINT magnet. Looks absolutely awful after just normal use as I’m really careful with my handling. Nevermind all the wearing and chipping issues I just cannot cope with how marked it looks all the time, so I have swapped out for a silver. Nowhere near as many problems and once you have got over the “new” black realistically it’s more practical and I think looks much better.
I keep a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth nearby to wipe down the trackpad and the space bar. Although, and it might be my imagination, I feel that the coating on the 2024 space black models is more fingerprint resistant and oleophobic than last years' MacBooks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: groundcontrol
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.