Anyone esle unimpressed with the new MacBooks?

[9Charms]

I live in the greater vancouver area in BC, Canada. We don't have Apple Stores here, so everyone has to wait until their local dealer gets the MacBooks in. Well, mine did today, so off I went to see these new MacBooks.

After reading all the rave reviews on this forum and elsewhere on the internet, I was expecting to be wowed and drooling when I saw it. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it was pretty ho-hum when I did finally have a look. Granted, they only had the white one on display (apparently there were too many pre-orders for the black ones).

The inner case (where the hand rests are) seems to be made of the same cheap looking/feeling plastic that was the old iBook. Although unlike the iBook, it was quite solid and didn't depress when you pushed on it.

I don't look at the keyboard when I type so I wanted to see if it was really as bad as people have reported. And I have to say that it is awful for touch-typists. It reminds me of the old PC keyboard where you had to push really hard on every key and they all clicked loudly. Something about the arrangement is wrong as well. I made many keystroke errors on the MacBook, while on the MacBook Pro next to it, I made no errors.

The glossy screen is not that bad. You get used to the glare, and don't see it after awhile. But as a photoshop user, I definately won't be buying one of these!

All-in all it's a definite improvement over the iBook, but it's got a long way to go before it has me dumping my 12" PowerBook.

 

[Emperor]

I am a touch-typist myself but yes you are correct on there, the spacing could of improved but a few practise on Word gave me the go to get comfortable with it, its like learing to touch type all over again.
I however am impressed with the new Macbook due to its unique capability and how portable that it has airport and bluetooth which is useful.

 

[kevin.rivers]

I am. When the news got to me (not too long after they showed up that day) I thought about it, and decided to sell my Powerbook G4 befor it lost more value. I waited a few days and went to the Apple store. They look great and have some great features. But....

There is something about it that just doesn't work for me. It could be the glossy display or the integrated graphics. It could be the Heat, Moo, and whining issues. For whatever reason my conscious won't let me buy it, I have decided to concentrate my funds on a 20" iMac. I am going wait til the notebooks mature a bit, and when merom hits before I buy one.

So yes, I am dissappointed, but I am sure they are good for some other people. Just not me. I have faith that Apple will take care of the problems, and hopefully add a graphic and matte display option.

 

[jamdr]

I agree with the comments on the keyboard. It is really hard to touch type on it and it just feels uncomfortable in general. I also agree that the screen is fine and easy to get used to. I don't know if it's really an improvement over the matte screen, but it is fine for what it is. Even though I very much could use a dual-book machine right now, I won't be upgrading from my iBook until at least the next rev, assuming the kinks are worked out by then.

 

[Scarlet Fever]

i think the glossy screen does make it seem brighter. Its sitting next to my parent's MPB and despite claims that they are both as bright, my MacBook seems brighter and sharper.
The thing which impressed me the most was the speed of the thing! 1.83GHz as a baseline?! i think we are going to see impressive things in RevB MacBook Pro!

 

[hoopmastaflex]

Impressed

The only thing that I am not thrilled about with the MacBook is the "mooing" sound it makes. Maybe I'm blinded by the speed having come from an 800MHz TiBook but that is the only bad thing I can really say about the MacBook. I really don't mind the keyboard at all and I LOVE the screen compared to the screen on my TiBook.

The "moo" I'm pretty sure is caused by there being a temperature threshold where the fan spins up and the fan spinning up causes the temperature to drop below said threshold. The cpu then warms up again to the temperature threshold where the fan spins up and the cycle continues until the cpu is put under enough stress to where cpu is putting off enough heat to where the fan keeps spinning or the cpu temperature drops far enough below the threshold that the fan isn't needed. Using CoreDuoTemp that threshold seems to be at 65 degrees celsius.

I'm not sure if this is something that could be fixed with a firmware upgrade or not. The fan could just be hooked up to a thermister and there is no logic controlling it at all.

 

[cloudblood84]

i love my macbook never whines moos or anything...sucks to be you guys

 

[hoopmastaflex]

i love my macbook never whines moos or anything...sucks to be you guys

Thank you for this wonderful bit of insight.

 

[skubish]

I live in the greater vancouver area in BC, Canada. We don't have Apple Stores here, so everyone has to wait until their local dealer gets the MacBooks in. Well, mine did today, so off I went to see these new MacBooks.

After reading all the rave reviews on this forum and elsewhere on the internet, I was expecting to be wowed and drooling when I saw it. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it was pretty ho-hum when I did finally have a look. Granted, they only had the white one on display (apparently there were too many pre-orders for the black ones).

The inner case (where the hand rests are) seems to be made of the same cheap looking/feeling plastic that was the old iBook. Although unlike the iBook, it was quite solid and didn't depress when you pushed on it.

I don't look at the keyboard when I type so I wanted to see if it was really as bad as people have reported. And I have to say that it is awful for touch-typists. It reminds me of the old PC keyboard where you had to push really hard on every key and they all clicked loudly. Something about the arrangement is wrong as well. I made many keystroke errors on the MacBook, while on the MacBook Pro next to it, I made no errors.

The glossy screen is not that bad. You get used to the glare, and don't see it after awhile. But as a photoshop user, I definately won't be buying one of these!

All-in all it's a definite improvement over the iBook, but it's got a long way to go before it has me dumping my 12" PowerBook.

Maybe it is because we knew what the macbook was going to be months ago. Integrated graphics, 13.4" widescreen, isight, front row was all known ahead of time. There really were no surprises. Personally, I think it is a great entry-level laptop.

 

[Deepdale]

Personally, I think it is a great entry-level laptop.

In my view, it is a solid replacement to a previous line ... with baseball season in full swing, I would say it represents a triple. Perhaps the home run will be the gift for those who wait for subsequent revisions. The issue that continues to come up is that of questionable internal quality control.

 

[macpastor]

i think the glossy screen does make it seem brighter. Its sitting next to my parent's MPB and despite claims that they are both as bright, my MacBook seems brighter and sharper.
The thing which impressed me the most was the speed of the thing! 1.83GHz as a baseline?! i think we are going to see impressive things in RevB MacBook Pro!

I agree with you on the brightness and clarity. I have my MacBook sitting next to my MacBook Pro and the MB is sharper, deeper in color, and whiter on the whites. I thought that the MBP looked good until I set the MB next to it and saw the difference. While the MBP still looks good, the MacBook looks awesome.

The white iBooks never were to my liking, neither is the white MB. But when I saw the black MB, I fell in love. It looks good, and makes every other laptop from Apple currently look 2nd rate. They hit a winner with the black. My only concerns are the grease and moisture from my hands making an indelible impression on the black keyboard and mouse. I am using an external mouse, but using the keyboard nonetheless. Time will tell if it keeps clean or not. If it doesn't, and it does stain up for good, I then will be unhappy, and switch back to the Pro.

 

[MovieCutter]

Man you people have short memories. It was no more than two weeks ago everyone was hoping for a Core Duo at the high end and were expecting a core solo at the low end. Apple gives you a Duos at all price points, and at speeds matching the MBP's and we're still unimpressed? Integrated graphics should have been a given, so that's no excuse, but sheesh people. This is going a bit far, falling into the Apple Product Cycle a bit now aren't we?

 

[Caitlyn]

I was actually pretty impressed with the MacBook to be honest. Being that it has almost the same specs as the iMac, but in a small casing and larger screen than the iBook did, it is a pretty cool machine. The prices are a bit much in my eyes. I mean, $200 extra for black paint and 20GB? But other than the prices, the MacBooks were very tempting to me honestly.

 

[QCassidy352]

Man you people have short memories. It was no more than two weeks ago everyone was hoping for a Core Duo at the high end and were expecting a core solo at the low end. Apple gives you a Duos at all price points, and at speeds matching the MBP's and we're still unimpressed? Integrated graphics should have been a given, so that's no excuse, but sheesh people. This is going a bit far, falling into the Apple Product Cycle a bit now aren't we?

bravo, well said! I mean, are you people freaking kidding me? we were fearing a core solo 1.5 for $1099 and instead we got a core duo 1.83. I thought *maybe* we'd see a 1.83 option on the high end, at $1500 or more, and quite possibly no higher than a 1.66 on the high end.

The macbook represents one of the best values apple has EVER had in a laptop, if not the best. The keyboard is a little unusual, but it's waaaay better than the ibook keyboard. My ONLY gripe is the integrated graphics. They are fine for most people but I'd have loved a BTO x1300 or x1400. Oh well.

Need I remind you that starting at $900 less than a MBP, these come with a 1.83 (or 2.0) Ghz core duo, 5400 RPM HD, 2 GB max RAM, DVI out, screen spaning and clamshell mode, isight, front row, and a BRIGHT beautiful screen? Honestly, I'm not sure what you people want. Go find a better laptop for $1099. I'll even forget the OS X factor; just go find better hardware for $1099 then come back and gripe.

 

[raster]

I was playing around with Macbooks last night at the new Apple store on 5th ave. (Not sure what all the hype was about with the new store, It is just an Apple store, but I was there around 1:00 am, a little drunk. The elevator was out of service???)
Anyway, as someone who has never used the lower end of a laptop line. I too was quite impressed by the feel and design of the thing.
When I first saw photos and heard about the glossy screen, I thought ... ugg...
But seeing them in person was much better.
Couldn't tell about mooing, or heat.

 

[2nyRiggz]

^I need to start hanging out with you....drunk on a weekday and going to the apple store....priceless


Bless

 

[raster]

^I need to start hanging out with you....drunk on a weekday and going to the apple store....priceless


Bless

Well, I'm moving close to Mecca... er... Cupertino (Actually San Francisco) in 3 days, and was out with my girlfriend. No work today.
She needed a new pair of headphones for her Nano.
There is a reason to be open all the time. There were about 100 other "shoppers" there at the same time

 

[Cedd]

Impressed

I vote for impressed.

I just got my Black Macbook this morning and I am very happy with everything about it - it has none of the reported issues and seems like a very fast machine. It is also my very first Mac (official Switcher as of today) and I think that it will bring many others into the Mac fold.

 

[shadowmoses]

I still don't understand how people can complain about the MacBook's, show me any other Laptop at the same price with a core duo processor,60gb HD, DDR2 memory, Bluetooth, Webcam built in and 13.3" widescreen display......The MB is like a portable Dual G5.

I'm not talking some crappy PC make as they don't compete with Apple's build quality and design (even then i doubt you could find a buget laptop with the specs of the MB at the same price). As for the cheap build quality your talking about I didn't notice it they seem far better built than the iBook's which were better built than anything i'd ever seen bar IBM Thinkpad's...


This is not fanboy talk its the truth.....

SHadOW

 

[kevin.rivers]

I still don't understand how people can complain about the MacBook's, show me any other Laptop at the same price with a core duo processor,60gb HD, DDR2 memory, Bluetooth, Webcam built in and 13.3" widescreen display......The MB is like a portable Dual G5.

I'm not talking some crappy PC make as they don't compete with Apple's build quality and design (even then i doubt you could find a buget laptop with the specs of the MB at the same price). As for the cheap build quality your talking about I didn't notice it they seem far better built than the iBook's which were better built than anything i'd ever seen bar IBM Thinkpad's...


This is not fanboy talk its the truth.....

SHadOW

People can complain all they want. If the Macbook suits you that is fine. However, I am not complaining here, but there are some things that I don't like about the Macbook which is keeping me from buying it this time around.

I am Apple through and through, however I will not be buying a Macbook until some or all the my dislikes are removed or an option is added.

 

[MovieCutter]

People can complain all they want. If the Macbook suits you that is fine. However, I am not complaining here, but there are some things that I don't like about the Macbook which is keeping me from buying it this time around.

I am Apple through and through, however I will not be buying a Macbook until some or all the my dislikes are removed or an option is added.

Good luck with that.

 

[Warbrain]

Personally, to me, I wasn't disappointed with the MacBooks, but I wasn't blown away, either. Sure, the Core Duo is a hell of a processor, but that's not enough of a reason for me to upgrade. I don't want the integrated graphics no matter how decent people tell me they are, I don't want to pay 150 bucks more for a black MacBook, I don't really need a glossy screen.

It's a nice computer, but it's just not for me.

 

[kevin.rivers]

Good luck with that.

Well thanks for your nice post. Not. Anyhow. If they don't fix what I want, I won't buy. I will buy a MBP. So, thanks for the luck anyway.

 

[MattyP]

I'm liking the macbook

I think the comfort with the keyboard depends on your typing style. When I used the macbook keyboard at an applestore in San Francisco (sadly I was sober) I waspleased to find how easy it was to use... But then my right hand is in a cast with two fingers exposed and I am right handed, so this presents a problem. The space between the keys made it easy for me to type so I was thrilled. Typing on a macbook pro was a chore in comparison. I'm kinda clutzy in general and the space between the keys seems to keep me from making mistakes.

 

[Core Trio]

Has anyone ever been into the apple store and heard a MB or MBP mooing or whining or anything? I own a PB G4 so i dont have these issues, all I know of them are what I read on here. All the display models seem to be working fine (aside from the fact that the MBP's are scortching hot). So are these problems actually alot more rare than they seem to be?