Annoying Things about the MacBook

[stevento]

1. magport

this is one of the things i dispise about my macbook (white 1.83gHz).
whenever i have my computer anywhere other than a desk, the magport falls out all the time and i have to worry about situating it so that the cord will stay in... so annoying.

the point of the magport is that if you trip over a cord, the computer wont be pulled everywhere, but other cables plugged into the computer will pull it off anyway

2. only 2 USB ports
they could definitely fit another one on the other side, where the CD rom is.

3. only one headphone jack

4. the speakers are not loud enough

5. omg i HATE the way iPhoto handles pictures.
if i import the pic into iPhoto, it saves it in data folder and originals folder and then if i enhance it, it saves it again in the modified folder
my camera is 6 megapixels so saving pics 3 times a piece is wasteful
when i import 512kb worth of pics into i photo it takes up a gig, then i need to modify each of them (i'm a photo nerd) so that's another 512kb

6.macbooks got better as soon as i bought mine.
i bought mine and the core 2 duos came out the next day it seems like.

i dont regret buying mac though, over all its a great computer. i hate the way i bought it (thanks to my overbearing mother, but that's a topic in and of itself)
i needed one for college this past september, and i sure wasn't about to get a windows before they start shipping with vista.

 

[adrianblaine]

Wow, so much hate. My only advice is to maybe research things a little more. I tried the iBooks at the Apple store several times before I decided to get one, that way you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

Yes, iPhoto sucks in some ways. If you are really a photo nerd you should get Aperture. It's like iPhoto only on steroids. There is a 1 month free demo as well.

I personlly like the magsafe power cord. I pulled my iBook off of a chair by catching the power cord once. But I hardly have any other thing plugged into it usually.

 

[ChickenSwartz]

5. omg i HATE the way iPhoto handles pictures.
if i import the pic into iPhoto, it saves it in data folder and originals folder and then if i enhance it, it saves it again in the modified folder
my camera is 6 megapixels so saving pics 3 times a piece is wasteful
when i import 512kb worth of pics into i photo it takes up a gig, then i need to modify each of them (i'm a photo nerd) so that's another 512kb

Open iPhoto's prefrences, 'command'+','
Go to advanced and unclick "Copy files to iPhoto Library folder when adding to library"
I assume you do want the changes saved, and there isn't an option for this so...

1. magport

this is one of the things i dispise about my macbook (white 1.83gHz).
whenever i have my computer anywhere other than a desk, the magport falls out all the time and i have to worry about situating it so that the cord will stay in... so annoying.

the point of the magport is that if you trip over a cord, the computer wont be pulled everywhere, but other cables plugged into the computer will pull it off anyway

If you are pulling on the power cord enough for the MagSafe to dissconnect then you are pulling to hard, this is preventing damage to your computer. If you really think it is coming out too easily take it in for repair.

Unfortunately Apple has not control over whether the industry will adopt MagSafe USB ports, etc., that would be cool, but the only thing they can change is the power cord and they did.

6.macbooks got better as soon as i bought mine.
i bought mine and the core 2 duos came out the next day it seems like.

Tis life with Macs? Sorry, I have nothing helpful to say here.

2. only 2 USB ports

Yeah, I agree, this is kind of rough. I went ahead and bought a hub and have been very happy with it.

3. only one headphone jack

I have never seen a laptop with 2 headphone jacks. You can buy a simple splitter for very cheap.

 

[Savings]

I find that if I'm using more than two USB ports at a time, I'm usually at a desk where I can use a hub.

If you need another headphone jack, there's a number of nice splitters that you can buy either online or at Radio Shack. A product called the Griffin iMic will add a second line in and out with a USB port if you need more audio interfaces.

 

[adrianblaine]

Open iPhoto's prefrences, 'command'+','
Go to advanced and unclick "Copy files to iPhoto Library folder when adding to library"
I assume you do want the changes saved, and there isn't an option for this so...

What he is getting at is that it saves the changes as a whole new file which eats up hard drive space like crazy.

Aperture is different in that it remembers what setting you applied to the picture and when you bring the picture back up it applies those settings. So you can have hundreds of different versions of the same picture (b&w, sepia, rotated...) and it won't be saving each version as a whole new file.

 

[alphaone]

1. I don't know what you're talking about.. the magsafe works perfectly for me; does exactly what it's supposed to do. Saved my macbook from falling to its probable death multiple times.

2. Never been a problem for me. And if for some reason you have more than 2 usb devices you need to use at once, usb hubs are cheap.

3. Get a Y-splitter if it's that important, they're also cheap

4. Use headphones, you'll get better sound anyway.

5. Yeah iPhoto does kinda suck in that way but the macbook is not at fault there.

6. Shoulda done more research. Everyone knew C2D's were coming, it was just a question of how soon.

That's just the opinion of another (mostly) happy macbook user. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

[extraextra]

3. only one headphone jack

What are multiple headphone jacks needed for?

 

[Shadow]

I dont think you realise just how many times MagSafe will/has saved your laptop. Take it from me, its a lot (for me, its several times a day).

 

[Savings]

What are multiple headphone jacks needed for?

If you're trying to DJ music off a laptop, you might want to be able to output the master mix to one output and preview cue the next tracks on headphones on the other output. In that case, I suppose two headphone jacks might make sense, but a multichannel audio interface would probably be better suited to the task, depending on what software you're using. Besides, it would depend on how the headphone jacks are wired, since the Powermac G5's don't let you output on both the front and back headphone jacks as different audio devices.

 

[scott523]

1. The magsafe port is working like a charm for my MacBook. However, if I try yanking on the cord lightly, it doesn't pull off and my MacBook moves a couple inches. It's a tiny risk but I never put my MacBook anywhere near an edge of a table.

2. USB ports aren't an issue for me since I'm no power user.

3. Why need another headphone jack?

4. Yes I do agree the speakers aren't that loud enough when I need it.

5. The iPhoto is OK for me and the editing features are mainstream enough to fit my needs (storing/organizing/viewing/some editing photos?).

6. I bought the CD MacBook 4 days before the C2D MacBooks came out and my first MacBook turned out to have a dead right speaker. Therefore I returned then exchanged it for a C2D MacBook (for free b/c of defect).

I don't regret switching one bit, but I hope I can run Windows Vista when it comes out (for some games I had to give up when switching).

 

[stevento]

another thing i hate about iPhoto is how it creates a new roll if you're only adding one photo at a time and to find it finder you have to remember what what roll its on.

 

[MaaseyRacer]

My advise is buy a PC.

 

[toontra]

another thing i hate about iPhoto is how it creates a new roll if you're only adding one photo at a time and to find it finder you have to remember what what roll its on.

I used iPhoto for about a month when it first came out (many years ago) and absolutely hated it. It's one of those consumer-aimed apps which assumes stupidity on the user's part and does everything under the bonnet, meaning you have little control over your files. I was ending up with duplicates, useless labels and "rolls" (please, we all know that this is digital photography!)

There probably are ways around this using add-ons and manipulating the preferences, but that kind of defeats the purpose of the supposed user-friendliness of the thing.

I soon ditched it for IView Media Pro, and now use this in combination with Adobe Bridge. These two, along with many other photo apps, allow you complete & easy control over your files linked to the finder (as every app should do).

 

[the Western zoo]

1. I love the MagSafe!! One morning I was kind of in a hurry and almost tripped over my power cord... I got goosebumps all over and thought for sure my MacBook was gonna fall on the floor and break in to a tousand pieces, but in stead there was just a snap sound and the MagSafe disconnected! And ever since I have just loved it!

2. I have my printer connected to my AirportExpress so the only thing I need USB for is when I occasionally update my iPod otherwise I never use the USBs but I guess 2 may be one or two too little...

3. What do you need more jack-outs for? Seriously? Get an Airport Express and wire up to your stereo wireless!! The powercord is pretty much the only wire I have plugged in...

4. You are so right!! They are not at loud enough at all!!

5. I hated iPhoto so much that I deleted it... But then again I am not a photo entusiast... I love the feature in iTunes though!!

6. ...

 

[Obake]

I've had my MB for about 2 weeks now and totally agree with you on most of your points

1. i kind of like the magsafe. it works both ways which is pretty cool i think and the light(s) on it are a quick way to see if its charged.

2. yeah, only 2 usb ports is limiting. but i kind of knew this when i bought the MB

3. i went on a 3 week trip around japan with a friend with a HP dv1610tn laptop and the 2nd headphone jack was a god send. we watched movies together on the plane, trains and buses, but mostly plane because there wasn't much else to do see. so i can totally understand where you're coming from on this point.

4. i don't use the speakers much, and most if not all laptops have terrible speakers, and speaker placement. (except again the dv1610th, it has speakers at the front edge of the laptop. yeah, i should have bought a dv1610, but i still love my MB )

5. i SO hate iPhoto too. i'm a serious photographer and can't find a program that I like. i use breezebrowser on the PC but theres nothing like it on the mac.

Viewing photos straight from Finder is pretty difficult as well. First there's no thumbnail view (or is there and I haven't found it?). and when i double-click an file it brings up Preview. if i want to view the photo before or after this photo i have to close/minimize Preview and double click the next photo. I could "select all" and then open Preview but i don't know why it doesn't do it automatically. and even when i do that the photos aren't sorted in order sometimes.

6. products getting updated/superseded is always a problem. coming from a photographer's point-of-view its even worse. there's a new digital camera released every 6months lately, all with new features and better performance. But my trust EOS 10D still works me fine do little home work before purchase and this can lessen the hit.

most of these problems can be overcome by purchasing 3rd party products (but we shouldn't really need to, some should come with the MB):

2. buy a usb hub
3. get a splitter
4. buy external speakers or hook up the MB to a 7.1 surround system using the provided optical digital output (like what i do )
5. find alternate software that you like (harder then it sound though )

edit:
forgot to add, one thing that really annoys me about my MB, its the limited viewing angle of the screen. i hate it.

 

[Gee]

another thing i hate about iPhoto is how it creates a new roll if you're only adding one photo at a time and to find it finder you have to remember what what roll its on.

You can move photos out of the 'roll' they get imported in and combine them with other rolls if you like. Personally, if I have three cards of pics from the same place, I drag all the pics into one roll.

Second thing is you can rename rolls as well, you don't have to leave 'em as Roll 230 or whatever. So after combining my three rolls above, I then rename the roll to the place where I took the photos. That way, you can easily find stuff using the search. RTFM

 

[michaelsaxon]

The only thing I consistently don't like is the sharp edge that runs along the top-- it should be more rounded for comfort's sake.

 

[stcanard]

meaning you have little control over your files. I was ending up with duplicates, useless labels and "rolls" (please, we all know that this is digital photography!)

This comes up every time iPhoto is mentioned (although oddly I notice most people these days don't complain about iTunes file management), so I am curious -- I assume from your comments you are a pro and have special needs for management. What do you need to do that iPhoto doesn't provide?

From my point of view (consumer who wants to be able to find and group photo arbitrarily) iPhoto provides a far better interface than I have seen elsewhere. I have seen Picasa recommended, looked at it, the organizational aspects of it are subpar.

My organization scheme is like this:

1) All photos automatically get dates, and photo meta-deta tagged, nothing needs to be done there.

2) All related photos are grouped into a roll named "<event> in <place>" -- e.g. "Vacation in Harrison"

3) Keywords are tagged by important/recurring themes -- people's names, "macro", "wildlife", "boating"

4) 5 & 4 stars are the ones I consider framing. 3 stars are there for the story they tell, 2 & 1 are there because I want to think about if I can do anything about them

With that setup I find I can put any arbitrary set I want: Look at photos of my son's Christmas's over the years: keyword contains <name> and roll title contains "Christmas". What kind of macro pictures I was doing 10 years ago, keyword contains "macro" and date < 1996.

 

[Rapmastac1]

If you don't like iPhoto I recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, I got it for Christmas last year and I love it. They have a Mac and Windows version, sadly I only have the Windows version but it all works the same. It organizes your photos and gives you a great way to view and organize them, and plus, you get a somewhat slimmed-down version of photoshop, there isn't much you can't do in there that you can do in Photoshop. You can get this for about 50-80

 

[Cybergypsy]

Loved mine then sold it now using a imac g4(its sooo much faster then my macbook) now waiting to get another macbook Cd2...

 

[mkrishnan]

5. i SO hate iPhoto too. i'm a serious photographer and can't find a program that I like. i use breezebrowser on the PC but theres nothing like it on the mac.

Viewing photos straight from Finder is pretty difficult as well. First there's no thumbnail view (or is there and I haven't found it?). and when i double-click an file it brings up Preview. if i want to view the photo before or after this photo i have to close/minimize Preview and double click the next photo. I could "select all" and then open Preview but i don't know why it doesn't do it automatically. and even when i do that the photos aren't sorted in order sometimes.

If you're a serious photographer, have you considered Lightroom or Aperture?

Re: Finder thumbnails -> Go to your picture folder, make the view icon view (the leftmost of the three view buttons), select view options, check "show icon preview," and make the icon size suitable to your liking (e.g. 128x128).

 

[Eraserhead]

Loved mine then sold it now using a imac g4(its sooo much faster then my macbook) now waiting to get another macbook Cd2...

Since my Macbook when it had 512MB RAM was about as fast as my iMac G5 (2GHz) with 2GB RAM, I kinda doubt a G4 could be faster unless there was something wrong with the Macbook. Now I have 2GB RAM in the Macbook too it flies!

 

[Obake]

If you're a serious photographer, have you considered Lightroom or Aperture?

Re: Finder thumbnails -> Go to your picture folder, make the view icon view (the leftmost of the three view buttons), select view options, check "show icon preview," and make the icon size suitable to your liking (e.g. 128x128).

Thank you for that! I don't think I would have ever found that on my own

I've had a look at Lightroom and Aperture. Aperture is like iPhoto on steroids but it still retains some of the qualities of iPhoto that I don't like. Like how it saves previews of photos. Lightroom does this as well. Maybe I'm just not used to the file structuring of OS X programs yet.

I did a small test where I took some raw photos, edited and exported them and then deleted the originals after emailing the exported photos. Well I thought I had deleted them but I was looking though my photos directory and they're still there on the HDD, but not in the Lightroom program. Stuff like that annoy me, about any OS or program.

 

[mkrishnan]

I did a small test where I took some raw photos, edited and exported them and then deleted the originals after emailing the exported photos. Well I thought I had deleted them but I was looking though my photos directory and they're still there on the HDD, but not in the Lightroom program. Stuff like that annoy me, about any OS or program.

I think you'll probably have to face that this is just the future. Aperture and (AFAIK) LightRoom are both based on a database back-end model. They're made, like iPhoto on steroids, as you said, to hold on to your photos and log changes rather than only keeping finals.

I guess that the expectation is becoming that if you're really filling microdrives on your shoots (which especially people photographers working with models often do), then in the near future you ought to be getting into the terabytes in data storage space....

 

[aristobrat]

Maybe I'm just not used to the file structuring of OS X programs yet.

I'll think you'll find that most OS X programs are designed with the notion that the user WON'T ever be messing around in the file system.