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Advice needed: First time buyer

T

tempques

macrumors member
Original poster
May 25, 2006
51
0
Hello,

I've reviewed several options regarding my next computer purchase - one of those being Apple and OS X. After careful review of each application that ships with Tiger, it seems to hold a significant value in its ease of use and clean desktop environment. OS X is clearly an elegant operating system and I came to the conclusion that I'd make the switch. So I studied the available hardware from Apple's site and was very impressed with the Macbook Pro.

But it was when reading user-reviews, though, I hit my snag.

I understand the concept of the squeaking wheel getting the most attention: more users will flock to forums to seek solutions to defects rather than simply say how great their computer is. However the impression I am getting is that currently buying a laptop from Apple is too much like playing the lottery. I will spare you the repetition of what has already been covered in many threads before, nonetheless a new computer is an expensive purchase and one I will not settle to chance. If I make a 2000-3000 dollar purchase I don't want to have to anticipate being one of the lucky ones to get a defect-free machine. Of course the switch to Intel means that Apple is in the first revolution of the MB and MBP, so I assume waiting out more revisions is the solution to getting a properly operating computer.

Here is my question: How do I know when it’s significantly safe to buy a computer from Apple? The problems are keeping me from being an official “switcher” and, if they go on long enough, I might have to stay on "the dark side." But I don’t want to do that, I really like the operating system, but the best software in the world wouldn’t matter if running on defective hardware. Advice?

Thanks.
 
Just buy, you will be fine. Most of these "problems" have actually been fixed in the latest shipments. I have to say, that "whine" that people talk about has been present on TWO past GATEWAY laptops. I think it may have something to do with the actual intel chip, it isn't THAT big of a deal just people like to blow problems up. To their defense, their MBP was a lot more expensive than my 2 laptops, so expecting a perfect computer is reasonable.

I just say buy it, you should definitely be fine, hope that kinda maybe helped :eek:
 
I don't think the lottery is a very fair analogy. There are many more satisfied buyers out here than not.

Admittedly if you have an issue right out of the box with a your new computer you should deal with apple strongly and decisively. But the chances of having a significant issue is pretty slim.

I've bought two more laptops from apple since my first one (a 12" PB) and have had zero problems.

The first PB arrived with a defect and I had a "go" with apple over it until they finally acquiesced to sending me a new unit. (which has performed flawlessly for two and half years).

Trouble with being a new apple user is the initial learning curve. Which might cause you to overlook a defect. Read your manual and you will find many useful tips here.
Be sure to check out this beginners guide. It's very useful!
 
One thing to keep in mind is people with problems tend to be a lot more vocal then people without problems. You might hear from 5 people that have problems, and 1 person that does not have any. Don't let a very very small minority of Mac users (this forum represents that small number) lead you in the wrong direction. I switched, and the only question I had was, what took me so long?

One thing though that you could do is wait for revision B products to come out from Apple. All the intel cpu'd machines are on revision A right now, essentially their first run products. Macbook Pros are rumored to be on a different revision to fix certain things, but officially is still on revision A. Newer revisions usually introduce upgrades etc.

I hope you do make the switch, you won't look back, that's for sure. I now only use windows to game with. My iBook certainly gets more attention and is just a better computing experience.

Z
 
Don't bother with what the other people say about how bad the machines are acting. My iMac is the best machine I have had in my life. I would not trade it for anything. You will be so happy with your purchase. GO FOR IT:D
 
just like everyone else in this thread I don't think you could call it a lottery to buy a laptop from mac! I just recently made the switch and bougt my first mac - my first laptop even - and it's superfly! haven't found a single fault! I do understand that I talking of a different model than the one you're thinking of but I'm sure there's a lot of satisfied macbook pro buyers as well!
forums are great for hearing peoples opinion but you have to keep in mind that negative and angry people are dominating most fora... also you have to realise that most often people go to a forum to seek help, advise or to blow some steam! :)
 
buy it. I am a extremely cautious consumer and put it off and put it off..... making the switch that is. Getting this computer is simpley the best purchase i have ever made. I love it, and even if you had to send that thing back 40 times it would still be worth it. You know what i mean though. Imagine if there were a forum for people using windows machines....... i take it back. People are used to the junk that goes on with their pc computers. The faster you make the switch to a Mac, the sooner your life gets better. Trust me thats how it works.
 
there will never be a time where it is safe to buy from defects. there will always be defects.

even on the last revision of the PB you still risked on getting a dead pixel on the screen (like any other LCD screens though)

if you want, you could always wait a year and wait for revision b of the macbook or mbp
 
Buying any computer is like rolling the dice. There is nothing special about Apple in this regard. A new Apple notebook is no more or less likely to have problems than an HP or Toshiba or whatever.

You just hear about it more because the Mac community is very tight-knit.

What forum or site could you visit where you could find a dozen or more HP Pavillion dv5000-series users? Or Inspiron E1505 users?

Dell and HP probably sell twice as many of these as Apple does MacBooks. But you never hear a word about them. And it's not because Dell and HP never build a faulty notebook.
 
Well, the MacBook Pros were just quietly updated when the MacBooks were released, so I think you're safe as far as that goes. But as for in the future, and just buying Apple computers in general, the answer is you never know. But if you play the waiting game, you may be waiting long enough that either one, you decide it's not even worth it or two, you are simply just waiting forever. What's the worst that's gonna happen? You buy the computer and a few weeks later it is released. Well, does that make the computer you bought any less than it is/was when you purchased it? No. The only reason I would suggest waiting, and even this is a strech, is if you are waiting for something VERY SPECIFIC. An example would be like 64-bit processors. And even in that case, I would ask you, do you really need the 64-bit processing?
 
Never buy first revision: You're right, it's like playing the lottery.

Play it safe, wait for a speed bump, which will mean it's at least into the second revision: It's like playing those charity lotteries, more chances to win...

Let all these early adopters do the testing for you. I bought a biege G3 Rev A a long long time ago (in a galaxy...) and will never buy rev A again.

That's just my 2 cents. That's in Canadian funds, so it's almost worth as much as USD now, wait a few more months and I'll be just as smart...
 
Let me first apologize for coming across unfairly in my lottery analogy. I’m sure that the vast majority of computers sold by Apple are of high quality caliber. My goal was simply to establish the optimal time to buy when chances of problems were minimal, as I wanted my rookie experience with a Mac to be as enjoyable and painless as possible. And I understand that any hardware problems faced by Apple are shared equally, if not more so, in the PC world as well.

I really appreciate the time taken to both read my request and to answer it with personal experience or general great advice. When I originally wrote it I was still on the fence trying to decide whether or not I should even make the switch. But now having come away with reading your responses, in addition to reading praises from long-time users in other threads, I have decided my next purchase will be from Apple. Thanks all for your input.
 
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