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Did all these things happen with the original MBPs and with the PBs???
- Thread starter ntsapp3
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First off, few people post "My MBP has no Problems!" as a thread. It's kinda of like how you don't see that many healthy people lying in beds at a hospital.
And as far as I know, rev. a. and sometimes rev. b. hardware will always have more problems than a later version.
And as far as I know, rev. a. and sometimes rev. b. hardware will always have more problems than a later version.
Quit looking at stuff that makes you sick.
You're more likely to get a perfect MBP than not.
FWIW, the last model of PB that Apple made (where the only major change was the fact it shipped with a new, hi-res screen) had problems with (drumroll, please) the new, hi-res screen.
Good question. Please note that this post is not down-playing any of the issues that others have experienced, but as someone relatively new to Macs (2004) and having owned both a PB and MBP, I think I can comment (lately I feel that I must tiptoe on this board).
1. Heat - my PB was hot (especially on bare legs), my MBP is perhaps slightly hotter. This is subjective. I note that people are looking at their temps of the processor to determine if something is wrong on not, but my take is this: metal is conductor of heat, the PB & MBP casing effectively transfers heat from the internals to the ambient air. Some may find the case hot.
2. Uneven lids - my PB lid was uneven, so is my MBP
3. Whine - when set on "highest" for processor, my PB whined - annoyingly so. After all the posts I have listened very carefully to my MBP and sometimes I think I might have it ,other times no.
4. Screen - the MBP screen is MUCH better than my PB. They both have a very minor degree of uneven lighting from a "cold start", but not noticable when in use. Again, I only noticed this after reading stuff here.
5. Latch - both have been perfect
My perspective: my primary purpose for buying a Mac is not to look at it and admire it (although I DO appreciate the thoughtful design and aesthetics), I bought one to USE. None of the issues above in any way interfered with how well this machine performs and allow me to get my tasks done. As informative as MR is, I sometimes regret reading stuff here, as then I scrutinize and try to find fault with what I have, which may preclude enjoying it.
Another consideration is that people who are unhappy with their MPB post about it, those who are satisfied do not. If you are looking for more objective measures of quality control (what % are faulty?) you are better off looking at Consumer Reports or Customer Satisfaction surveys (where they have a denominator). My understanding is that Apple has typically performed well on these.
I also have experience with Apple when a problem does occur. The power supply & logic board went on my iMac G5. Replaced expeditiously with good customer service.
1. Heat - my PB was hot (especially on bare legs), my MBP is perhaps slightly hotter. This is subjective. I note that people are looking at their temps of the processor to determine if something is wrong on not, but my take is this: metal is conductor of heat, the PB & MBP casing effectively transfers heat from the internals to the ambient air. Some may find the case hot.
2. Uneven lids - my PB lid was uneven, so is my MBP
3. Whine - when set on "highest" for processor, my PB whined - annoyingly so. After all the posts I have listened very carefully to my MBP and sometimes I think I might have it ,other times no.
4. Screen - the MBP screen is MUCH better than my PB. They both have a very minor degree of uneven lighting from a "cold start", but not noticable when in use. Again, I only noticed this after reading stuff here.
5. Latch - both have been perfect
My perspective: my primary purpose for buying a Mac is not to look at it and admire it (although I DO appreciate the thoughtful design and aesthetics), I bought one to USE. None of the issues above in any way interfered with how well this machine performs and allow me to get my tasks done. As informative as MR is, I sometimes regret reading stuff here, as then I scrutinize and try to find fault with what I have, which may preclude enjoying it.
Another consideration is that people who are unhappy with their MPB post about it, those who are satisfied do not. If you are looking for more objective measures of quality control (what % are faulty?) you are better off looking at Consumer Reports or Customer Satisfaction surveys (where they have a denominator). My understanding is that Apple has typically performed well on these.
I also have experience with Apple when a problem does occur. The power supply & logic board went on my iMac G5. Replaced expeditiously with good customer service.
I'm now on my fifth macbook pro this year (three rev A) and 2 rev B, the last two in two days. Before that I had powerbooks since the mid-90s. Because of this, I'm very familiar with Apple products and quality and how it has evolved over the years. because of the problems with macbooks/macbook pros this year, I've BECOME incredibly picky with everything on a new computer. I look at every detail and get annoyed with even the smallest of imperfections. Part of the problem is that I
ve been reading all the mac forums and that makes you obsessive even if you weren't before! Having said that, the last generation powerbooks 15" seemed to mark the beginning of poorer quality apple laptops. Believe it or not, I had two of those too and they both had defects that I couldn't live with (non-charging battery, large dent in the shell, horizontal lines on the displays). They were also the first powerbooks to be made in China as opposed to Taiwan, the latter of which generally produces more consistently high quality electronic products. I had the generation before that too and it was flawless in every way.
Out of all the problems I've had, NONE have been of the nature that I couldn't use the computer at all. The worst, in my opinion, was the crazy heat generation of the first generaiton of MBPs - the other problems were cosmetic, noise-related or display-related. Except for the heat issue, Apple tried to fix the other issues and when they couldn't, they gave me my money back or swapped the computer for a new one. My point is, you will most likely get a good one (as in no MAJOR faults) and, if you don't, you can easily return it for a replacement or money back. I became embarrassed having to return so many, but then I remembered that it really wasn't my fault and it is Apple that should be embarrassed!
I just picked up a replacement MBP at the Apple Store this morning- it seems 99% perfect and I think that it will be a keeper unless something unforseen happens in the next 14 days. Does it have the best screen I've seen? No, but it IS better than most powerbook displays in terms of brightness straight on. Viewing angles were better with the old 15" powerbooks, but they were MUCH dimmer too. But, taken as a whole package (hardware and OS/software), it's hard to see how you can beat this. Just relax and you'll be fine....
ve been reading all the mac forums and that makes you obsessive even if you weren't before! Having said that, the last generation powerbooks 15" seemed to mark the beginning of poorer quality apple laptops. Believe it or not, I had two of those too and they both had defects that I couldn't live with (non-charging battery, large dent in the shell, horizontal lines on the displays). They were also the first powerbooks to be made in China as opposed to Taiwan, the latter of which generally produces more consistently high quality electronic products. I had the generation before that too and it was flawless in every way.
Out of all the problems I've had, NONE have been of the nature that I couldn't use the computer at all. The worst, in my opinion, was the crazy heat generation of the first generaiton of MBPs - the other problems were cosmetic, noise-related or display-related. Except for the heat issue, Apple tried to fix the other issues and when they couldn't, they gave me my money back or swapped the computer for a new one. My point is, you will most likely get a good one (as in no MAJOR faults) and, if you don't, you can easily return it for a replacement or money back. I became embarrassed having to return so many, but then I remembered that it really wasn't my fault and it is Apple that should be embarrassed!
I just picked up a replacement MBP at the Apple Store this morning- it seems 99% perfect and I think that it will be a keeper unless something unforseen happens in the next 14 days. Does it have the best screen I've seen? No, but it IS better than most powerbook displays in terms of brightness straight on. Viewing angles were better with the old 15" powerbooks, but they were MUCH dimmer too. But, taken as a whole package (hardware and OS/software), it's hard to see how you can beat this. Just relax and you'll be fine....
Yeah, there's no Apple stores here either. If they are an authorized Apple reseller / repair center, the same rules "should" apply. My logic board was fixed at a reseller, and because it was still under warranty there was zero charge. Call your local reseller and find out.
I know what you mean. U.S. customers are lucky in that way. Don't worry too much - despite my experiences, I do believe that most people get perfectly good computers. Don't the resellers you have supply in-warranty repairs?
