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Complaints about Macbook Pros?

T

TiMacLover

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 10, 2001
274
1
Clovis, CA USA
I have a Macbook right now, but am a bit disappointed by the overall construction and body design. I want to trade up and get a Macbook Pro. I think it offers so many small feature alongside more speed than my current Macbook. I want to get some actual user feedback to maybe some downsides of having a Macbook Pro, in respects to current models, most important the one I am interesting in the entry level Macbook Pro.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.
 
paul.b.davis said:
why is that? i noticed that my roommates MB can pick up the campus wireless (we live right across the street), but my PowerBook cannot, and it is frustrating since our internet was recently cut off...grr
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Most likely due to the fact the Macbook has a plastic shell whereas the Macbook Pro is metal. The metal's density hinders the wireless signal. Something like that at least.
 
To remove the hard drive in the Macbook is well easy, Macbook Pro on the other hand requires the user to remover 47 screws and other connections/leads.
 
MBPs aren't as easy to expand as MBs. Which is kind of odd since I would assume Pro-products would be easier since they would be more prone to upgrades. I still am preferring my MBP to my old MB though, although it would be nice to have a 13" MBP.
 
dogtanian said:
To remove the hard drive in the Macbook is well easy, Macbook Pro on the other hand requires the user to remover 47 screws and other connections/leads.
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actually its only 19 screws, but still a little extreme none the less, the memory is still pretty easy to upgrade though...
 
I have currently the 2.0 c2d macbook, 2.4 c2d mbp, and 1.67 pbg4

When I set each of them up in my apartment complex:
macbook gets 7 possible networks
pbg4 gets 3 listed
the macbook pro has 10...

I understand metal theoretically should hurt wireless signal, but these are my results from my kitchen table with all 3 right by each other.
 
HD is a PITA to swap.

Hinge doesn't go back further than about 120 degrees. I constantly find myself in a similar situation to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pQQWB3uZIs

I find myself constantly trying to hit the right shift key to type a capital letter, accidentally hitting the up arrow key and deleting a line of text.

Low resolution screen for a high-end 15" notebook

Internal speakers are not loud enough for use in a IT environment.

Sleep light is WAY too bright during the middle of the night.

The fact that the ports are all on the sides instead of the back is a minor irritation. On one hand, it's very handy with the way my laptop table at home is arranged. On the other, when it's sitting on my desk at work the cords running everywhere irritate the piss out of me. I think I'd prefer most of the ports in the back with a couple of usb ports on the side and possibly the power connector. It would be nice if the macbook had two power connectors, one in the back and one in the front. Of course currently the hinge design limits this possibility but the hinge design is one of my complaints anyways.

The magnetic catches are a great idea and add to the sleekness when the laptop is open. However, it causes un necessary warping on the outer edges of the screen because of the tension. This could be fixed by going with a all magnetic latch like the macbook or by adding two extra latches on the outer sides of the pro.

more usb ports. Seriously. I paid $900 for my older dell and it has 4. Friend paid $1300 for his dell and it has 6. Paid $600 recently for the wifes new HP and it has 3. Two? You're serious? $2000 notebook and two USB ports? It needs 4 minimum. Prefer to keep one on the right side at least for mouse but the others can go on the opposite side or something.

Card reader. I mentioned the other computers in the paragraph above so I won't recap. All of those computers can at least read sd cards. The hp can do memory sticks. Again, a $2000 notebook and no memory card reader? I was forced to buy an express card reader (a belkin, btw.. don't buy it, it sucks).

Aluminum case scratches easily. Bought a plastic cover for it. Although the plastic macbooks aren't any better.

Loves: Backlit keyboard, LED-lit screen, battery life, magsafe connector, t7500, 8600m, 2GB (but big whoop the $600 hp came with 2GB of RAM), firewire ports (hp and dells have these too though).

Wouldn't trade it for anything right now but will definitely trade up in january if the refresh fixes some of these problems.
 
harmonica01 said:
I have currently the 2.0 c2d macbook, 2.4 c2d mbp, and 1.67 pbg4

When I set each of them up in my apartment complex:
macbook gets 7 possible networks
pbg4 gets 3 listed
the macbook pro has 10...

I understand metal theoretically should hurt wireless signal, but these are my results from my kitchen table with all 3 right by each other.
Click to expand...


That's an interesting result, I no longer have a macbook to compare, but my general experience is that the macbook and MBP would pick up a similar number of networks (maybe a few more on the MB), but that the signal would be stronger on the MB (up to double the signal strength)
 
First, i have to say that this computer is amazing... SO man things thats great about it.

but there are a few things that I think it lacks...
1.) needs more usb ports (yes I use them both up quickly)
but i guess that can be solved with a hub, one more thing to need to have
2.) lacking hardware w/ the express slot; I need a soundcard for this thing and im having a lot of trouble finding one... i'll prolly just settle with a firewire soundcard/audio interface, which is fine.
3.) not as powerful as I thought it would be. I'm running Logic 8 and it hickups a couple times, where as my AMD desktop would be smooth with logic 5 in windows... also a few of my audio programs run buggy especially with the sound drivers for windows...

But yes, i've noticed a lil bit of lack of performance on my sound programs.... I guess this has to do with the fact that the laptop needs to perform on low wattage. I'm no expert...


is there a way to Bump up the performance on this bad boy? Ive noticed trying to play tracks on sound forge/traktor/etc will make the sound hickup/freeze for a second... i dunoo

if anyone knows how to get some better performance out of this thing plz telll me :)

-mcbeats
 
well i had a few bad macbooks went to a MBP2.4 and sold it and going back to macbook, thought i loved the MBP Keyboard but didnt, also hated the latch(i have a bad right arm) and think i like the screen better on the macbook :) batt life sucks:(
 
One more plus for me in the Pro department:
Still available in matte! Don't even try to set that glossy **** in front of me.
 
I have a SR MBP, and here is an non exhaustive list of things I don't like about it:

1. Compared to MacBooks (and most PCs) the construction just feels cheap (although it doesn't look it).

2. Quality control problems with the screen not closing all the way.

3. The sound makes a loud hissing if you try to use any sort of low impedance headphones like earbuds. (its great with my nice headphones though).

4. The internal speakers are awful.

5. On the 15" there is no 1680x1050 screen available.

6. On the low end model you can't get more than 128mb of VRAM, so you won't be able to play most new games with high resolution textures (the video processor is still ok though, so you can turn other settings up to the medium-high range on most games).

7. No eSata port, so use of external drives will be extremely slow (compared to internal drives - I can download files faster than I can put them on my external drive).

8. Yellow tint problems - they're easy to ignore, but if you are a graphics professional they will be problematic.

9. Gets uncomfortably hot when you try to use it on your lap for extended periods of time, especially if it is something processor or graphics intensive.

10. AppleCare is absurdly expensive considering it doesn't cover accidental damage.

11. My keyboard began making really obnoxious and cheap sounding squeaking noises when I type after about a month.

I'm sure there are others I can't think of at the moment (or that are so obscure you wouldn't care - Apple's love of closed specs makes it hard to run Linux for example), but those are the biggies I think.

And as you can see, most of those aren't really that big. From reading that list you might think I hate my MBP, but to tell the truth there is no computer I would rather have gotten at this point. Its had its disappointments, but overall its definitely a good computer.

You might also want to check out the differences in the keyboards, even though it seems minor, its the thing you will use most on the computer, so if you can't stand the keyboard it would be a bad choice. If you love it, then thats just another point in its favor.
 
squeeks said:
15.4" SR 2.4ghz MBP - 4GB DDR2 Ram - 256 MEG VRAM - 250gb WD Scorpio HD
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Looks like you have the same setup that I will soon have. I have ordered the WD 250GB hdd as we as 2x2GB ram and will be purchasing the 15" MBP (2.4Ghz, 256MB vid mem version) from the Apple Store once I return home from Iraq.

So...matte or glossy? ;)
 
I was, and am still, a big fan of glossy. Loved it on my MB - made watching movies beautiful. However, for my MBP I chose matte because I'm going to be using this notebook for work more than pleasure, the colors are more accurate and its more work-environment friendly, I find.
 
brettanderson said:
My only complaint is that the wifi on the MBP can't pick up as many hot spots as the macbook can.
Click to expand...

paul.b.davis said:
why is that? i noticed that my roommates MB can pick up the campus wireless (we live right across the street), but my PowerBook cannot, and it is frustrating since our internet was recently cut off...grr
Click to expand...
I believe the aluminum causes interference, as users who don't use a grounder have reported feeling a slight electric charge.
Arsonic said:
Most likely due to the fact the Macbook has a plastic shell whereas the Macbook Pro is metal. The metal's density hinders the wireless signal. Something like that at least.
Click to expand...
Aluminum would be less dense than plastic, especially on the macbook pro, as it is larger but only marginally heavier, hence, less dense ;)
Marky_Mark said:
Complaints:
Hinge
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Yeah, it doesn't have the best flexibility, but the macbook pro's hinges are well hidden.
Marky_Mark said:
Weight
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It's pretty darn light for a 15.4" notebook. On top of that, it's only .2 lbs heavier than a macbook.
Marky_Mark said:
Too easy to ding
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Yes. Although I'd rather take the dings on a macbook pro than the case cracks on the macbook.
Marky_Mark said:
Screen res could be higher
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Well now you're just looking for a Christmas miracle!:p

OP, to answer your question, you will notice an improvement in some areas with the macbook pro, and a slight disadvantage in other areas. On balance, the macbook pro is better. Keep in mind that while the weight isn't too much more, the macbook pro does have a larger footprint, so factor this into your final decision.
 
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