Disappointed by the Macbook Pro: my experience

[sjshaw]

First revisions are always a pain. I'm still thisclose to buying one, though.

 

[Kaiser Phoenix]

I just wanna say I am so glad that I didn't listen to any of the crying, complaining and nit picking that goes on any boards or reviews dealing with the MBP.

I am very happy with my MBP. Ive read people complaining about screen tilt, magsafe, and various noises. All where blown WAY out of proportion or to be put simply just an opinion.

My advice after this whole expierience to all you is to never buy anything. Just stick with your old outdated machines for the rest of your life.

Spend that money on food to stuff your dumb whining cry holes instead.

laters.

I agree with you to the extent that YES, the complaining is way overblown. However I also have to add in that if you buy a product, costing well over 2000-3000US, you would at least expect it to:

1) Not "whine" and im pretty sure not ALL computers do that, heck my desktop is near silent with the AMD. Some people wanna record using their MBPs and they dont want unwanted back ground sounds!
2) Expect it to at least build it properly if it doesnt function properly (not ALL the MBPs but the ones with screen and whine issue). I know the lid thing is very minor and not everyone has it. But the lid not closing properly is pretty annoying, it doesnt feel as solid and this has been happening since many of the previous PBs and I would have expected them to sort it out by now.

Thats what I think anyway, I mean it is a PRO machine right?

 

[slyydrr]

Do you want a good computer or a head turner?

If you need to turn heads so desperately I suggest some cosmetic surgery down there *cough cough*

Not only will it turn heads WHERE IT MATTERS, it is functionally useful too!

I hate quoting people to point something out, but I have to in this case. If by some chance I misinterpreted you, then I apologize in advance, but anyway here goes...

You say this as if the MBP isn't a good computer... Yeah it has a few "flaws" that some of the users are experiencing, yet doesn't every machine? I'd like to just say that I don't have the whine, my MBP hasn't caught on fire yet, my keyboard is perfectly aligned, and the lid on my MBP closes to perfection. It's quick, gets the job done, and I bought it KNOWING that the Universal versions of some applications weren't out yet, and wouldn't be for a little time to come yet. That doesn't change the fact that it's still a great computer and is functionally useful to boot.

All in all, I love my new laptop, and don't regret purchasing it one bit. I also haven't looked back and thought "Aww shucks, I shoulda gotten the PowerBook."

Anyway, just thought I'd throw in my $.02!

 

[Music_Producer]

I agree with you to the extent that YES, the complaining is way overblown. However I also have to add in that if you buy a product, costing well over 2000-3000US, you would at least expect it to:

1) Not "whine" and im pretty sure not ALL computers do that, heck my desktop is near silent with the AMD. Some people wanna record using their MBPs and they dont want unwanted back ground sounds!

Hey buddy, a computer like this, DOES cost well over $2000. There's no other way it can be made for cheaper..well yeah, just take away the isight, bluetooth, superdrive, etc etc. The 'whine' that everyone complains about is a software related issue, which I am sure will be taken care of soon.

Furthermore, I don't think you can compare the macbook's whine to your desktop.. DESKTOP? I have an AMD laptop.. and when the fans start, hell it sounds BAD. So you should compare a laptop to a laptop.. not to a desktop.

We do recordings with our mbps.. but we don't use the mbp as a microphone We connect firewire interfaces.. which then have condenser mics, etc.. blah blah blah.. and the noise really isn't an issue at all. you can't hear it, atleast I can't. I don't have an MBP yet, but my colleagues do.. and they don't hear the whine either.

I think its also that these complaints are due to the fact that everyone gets more sensitive to the smallest of issues, especially when they have paid a lot of money for it. People, this is a pro machine, so if you're not using it professionally.. its bound to hurt when you spend so much. and yes, you will then notice every whine, the sound of a cd ejecting, surface aberrations..etc.

Having said that, all the mbps i've seen as of now are perfect. Can't wait to get one myself

 

[dollystereo]

I love my whining MBP, and Im doing everything so fast now!
Is far better than my PB17", its faster, lighter, better display, better GPU, faste as hell! (faster than my dual core G5), isight, 14 sec startup, and whining noise.
What else do you want?
its lamost perfect

 

[Vagcmyevad]

My brother just got a MacBook Pro, and it's excellent . Except it has 3 annoying issues that are pushing us to return it for a new one...

1) Airport randomly disconnects. We've tried all software/firmware updates, but nothing helps this. Only happens when running off battery.
2) CPU whine (though this can be fixed with some utilities that turn on the iSight apparently).
3) Very, very hot! I used to own a 15" AluBook, and it never came close to being this hot (yes, I do realize the MBP is much more powerful; no, I don't think the heat is in an acceptable range)...

Here's to hoping Apple fixes these issues in our MacBook Pro! I've heard newer ones have some of these fixed...

 

[Kaiser Phoenix]

Hey buddy, a computer like this, DOES cost well over $2000. There's no other way it can be made for cheaper..well yeah, just take away the isight, bluetooth, superdrive, etc etc. The 'whine' that everyone complains about is a software related issue, which I am sure will be taken care of soon.

Furthermore, I don't think you can compare the macbook's whine to your desktop.. DESKTOP? I have an AMD laptop.. and when the fans start, hell it sounds BAD. So you should compare a laptop to a laptop.. not to a desktop.

We do recordings with our mbps.. but we don't use the mbp as a microphone We connect firewire interfaces.. which then have condenser mics, etc.. blah blah blah.. and the noise really isn't an issue at all. you can't hear it, atleast I can't. I don't have an MBP yet, but my colleagues do.. and they don't hear the whine either.

I think its also that these complaints are due to the fact that everyone gets more sensitive to the smallest of issues, especially when they have paid a lot of money for it. People, this is a pro machine, so if you're not using it professionally.. its bound to hurt when you spend so much. and yes, you will then notice every whine, the sound of a cd ejecting, surface aberrations..etc.

Having said that, all the mbps i've seen as of now are perfect. Can't wait to get one myself

Yeah I agree with you, though I just used my AMD Desktop as an example to further illustrate my point that my AMD Desktop which is actually near SILENT with the fans on and it is a Dual-core with 3 fans, is much more silent than an MBP. Thats it really.

I agree yeah, you will usually use FW devises etc to record but say you were recording a solo guitar with a microphone connected to an audio interface and ur MBP was mking all these sounds. It MAY not get recorded but it will sure annoy the hell out of some people!

 

[Music_Producer]

Yeah I agree with you, though I just used my AMD Desktop as an example to further illustrate my point that my AMD Desktop which is actually near SILENT with the fans on and it is a Dual-core with 3 fans, is much more silent than an MBP. Thats it really.

I agree yeah, you will usually use FW devises etc to record but say you were recording a solo guitar with a microphone connected to an audio interface and ur MBP was mking all these sounds. It MAY not get recorded but it will sure annoy the hell out of some people!

Well AMD beats Intel anyday.. so.. I still wish Apple had picked AMD instead of Intel. Everything just opens so much faster on an AMD than an intel computer. Its also a lot silent than an Intel proc..

True about the solo guitar thing.. for e.g. if you're in the bedroom with an MBP, a FW interface, a mic ..and..er..a guitar.. you will hear some background hiss. (or the 'whine' that mbps have) In my experience though, its usually the hiss induced by the microphone.. the singer's breathing (even if he's just recording guitar and keeping his mouth shut!), some random car driving by, etc. etc.

One solution, is to keep the computer a little far away.. but you would need a footswitch to control playback/record on the computer.

What I don't get is, that the 'whine' goes away when people launch photobooth? Or any app using isight.. and once you close the app.. the whine doesn't return.. so why is it such a big issue?

I mean, if I had that problem, I'm pretty sure I could live with it as it takes 2 seconds to launch photobooth and turn it off. Or does that whine remain all the time?

 

[slyydrr]

Well AMD beats Intel anyday.. so.. I still wish Apple had picked AMD instead of Intel. Everything just opens so much faster on an AMD than an intel computer...

This is kind of an ambiguous, and false claim. It's so hard to compare the two processors and have it stay true for more than a week. Depending on what you're doing, one machine will definitely be faster than the other. If you're planning on doing a lot of encoding, you're going to be better getting a high end Intel, whereas the AMD CPUs tend to be better for gaming. I know that Tom's Hardware is a rather biased site, and because of that I don't go there for any of their personal "reviews", which are more opinions than anything else, but their benchmarks are valid. Go there and look @ the benchmark scores and you'll see that depending on what you're doing, both Intel and AMD can both be the "top processor."

Like I said, I hate pointing out things like this by quoting other people, but I don't want people to be mislead either. Sure a top end Intel rig might cost a little more than a top end AMD rig, but if you're talking about sheer performance, the two are going to be neck and neck for the most part, each CPU winning in it's own grouping of categories.

 

[m-dogg]

mmm...cheese...

You've been waiting for a setup like that, haven't you!?!

 

[asencif]

Heat

Just wanted to post my experience when trying out a MBP earlier today at a local Apple Reseller. Just to point out that the model on the floor was 08, so probably anyone with 13 and above is better. Well let me say that the heat on this laptop was way higher than normal. Those that are saying they can live with it or just as much as my old PB, well I don't think is too acurate. There were a bunch of PB on the floor as well running the same apps and it wasn't even close on the amount of heat. For a portable anyone should be able to touch it above the F Keys...etc. I have read those saying just don't touch it there. That to me sounds unacceptable. I can imagine how it will burn me if I placed on my lap.

Good Points: The speed of the MBP was very fast as reported and a pleasure to use for the more demanding apps, but for me the heat problem along with its price is not worth it at the moment. I didn't hear any whine noise, but I was in a very loud place. The slimmer look is better, however not an overall necessity for me especially if this is what makes one feel the heat more.

 

[Kaiser Phoenix]

I agree with the post above. I also went to an apple store and looked at the MBPs and they are HOT. I actually burned my finger almost! Im not kidding, they are way hotter than the powebooks and that bothers me!

 

[student_trap]

hey guys its been great reading all of the posts. just a little update to say that two more little problems that have become apparent with my girlfriends MBP:

1. the display flickers when on its lowest brightness setting

2. when the machine gets hot, it makes a 'whoop' sound a few times, which goes when the machine cools again (this is not the whine that people are talking about)

Just for the record, she waves the computer around to cool it when it starts whooping, and doesn't put the screen at the lowest brightness setting, and this is acceptable to her...she is happy with it.

But is it? £1800 ($3200) for a machine that needs to be waved around to stop it whooping?

[edit] she is also having airport problems since upgrading to 10.4.6

 

[whooleytoo]

2. when the machine gets hot, it makes a 'whoop' sound a few times, which goes when the machine cools again (this is not the whine that people are talking about)

Just for the record, she waves the computer around to cool it when it starts whooping, and doesn't put the screen at the lowest brightness setting, and this is acceptable to her...she is happy with it.

But is it? £1800 ($3200) for a machine that needs to be waved around to stop it whooping?

Weird.

I have to say, I've been blissfully happy with my MBP. I haven't had the whining problem, and certainly not this whooping problem! (Do you have a recording of this?) Once, after several hours of gaming, the fans did kick in on full power which was louder than I expected, but it certainly wasn't a whoop. More of a "brrrrrr" actually..

A laptop fast enough to play the quality games (Doom 3, Half Life 2, Far Cry) with most of the options cranked up. Never been happier!

 

[Whistleway]

I agree with the post above. I also went to an apple store and looked at the MBPs and they are HOT. I actually burned my finger almost! Im not kidding, they are way hotter than the powebooks and that bothers me!

any freaking laptop that is so hot just defeats the purpose of being a laptop. And I complain about ibook heat and folks tell me it is the coolest around . I wonder how you survive reportedly that much heat.

 

[whooleytoo]

any freaking laptop that is so hot just defeats the purpose of being a laptop. And I complain about ibook heat and folks tell me it is the coolest around . I wonder how you survive reportedly that much heat.

It doesn't bother me much (as long as the internals aren't being in any way damaged by the heat). Then again, I use my MBP mostly as a 'portable desktop', and this being Ireland, I rarely wear shorts!

 

[Codemonkey]

Have to chime in - overall a good experience

Hey,

I received my bare bones MBP about a month ago - and I have to say, I'm sill really impressed. Maybe you all are upgrading from PowerBook 17" or something, but my previous computer was an Snow iMac G3-600 - I needed this upgrade.

The MBP is warm - but not unbearable... I do use it on my lap often, and I can't stand excessive heat (makes me feel physically sick).

The MBP *used* to suffer from dropped AirPort. Since upgrading to 10.4.6, I can say that it's only dropped once, and I think it was due to the cordless phone being in use too.

The MBP MagSafe power adapter needs replacing - taking it in to the depot this Thursday. Problem: the springloaded pins aren't springloaded anymore, causing the MBP to not charge properly.

Oh, and it's faster than my dual Xenon at work. Honestly, this is the fastest computer I've worked on, ever. I'm a Web Designer/ Multimedia Developer by trade, and this is undisputably a complete desktop replacement for me.

Other likable features:
- The sound rocks... great tones
- The screen is very bright - almost too bright - most times I can't run it at highest brightness setting
- The laptop itself is very light... almost 2.3 lbs lighter than our Dell Inspiron 7000's makes a big difference if you're a road warrior
- Rosetta is amazing. Other than some up-front load times, I can't tell that anything is being ran through an emulator. Very cool technology

 

[student_trap]

Maybe you all are upgrading from PowerBook 17" or something, but my previous computer was an Snow iMac G3-600 - I needed this upgrade

this is one of my key points...if your upgrading from an old machine, like my girlfriend did, then this will be amazing, but from my powerbook, its not the step up that i genuinely expected it to be. And also, there is the point that a machine that cost so much should not have the issues that the mbp does, and so, i am only going to upgrade after apple has got to grips with this intel change.

 

[interlaced]

The heat on mine has become unbearable. I can stand heat. Usually. But on my MBP, I can't even use the keyboard or trackpad because the entire top part of the computer is burning up. ...And this is only after about a half an hour of use.

 

[eVolcre]

The heat on mine has become unbearable. I can stand heat. Usually. But on my MBP, I can't even use the keyboard or trackpad because the entire top part of the computer is burning up. ...And this is only after about a half an hour of use.

Hi Marissaaa, (that's a lot of 'a' btw )

What model is it? It sounds like it's way way hotter than it should be.

Now, mine is going back, but for a different reason. I have a '14' model and the heat is not noticeable at all.

After about 3 hours of use, on my lap, the bottom does get hot but I can live with it. I put it on a pillow.

The top, however, is barely even warm. The area between the F keys and the screen is hot to the touch, but not so hot that I have to jerk my hand away. The area above the speakers is warm.

Keyboard and trackpad are actually COOL. Not even warm. And the where you rest your palm is the same .. no heat whatsoever.

I know some people are going to jump on you and say that heat is acceptable blah blah blah but from your description, and my comparison, it definitely sounds like yours is way hotter than mine. The way I see it, if it's THAT hot and others aren't, it's an ossue that needs to be fixed.

If they were ALL hot, I would buy into the 'normal heat' crap that the support reps and other *experts* on this board spout. But, if yours is hot and mine isn't , then there is somehting wrong with yours.

My specs are listed in the sig. It is the most powerful one they have so technically, mine should be really hot right?

eV

 

[sam10685]

to me, it seemed to crash more than my G4 powerbook.

 

[bimboles]

Studen_trap have you tried Windows on your Girlfriend's MBP?

I had to take my MBP back because I found that when I installed Boot Camp Windows, the screen flicker got a lot worse. Apple gave me a new one and this has had no screen flicker at all in XP or OS X.

It still has the Whine though so I will take it back again this weekend and keep going until I get a good one. I can do this because the Apple Store is not too far for me.

 

[student_trap]

Studen_trap have you tried Windows on your Girlfriend's MBP?

I had to take my MBP back because I found that when I installed Boot Camp Windows, the screen flicker got a lot worse

Really? thats strange, could it be a graphics card thing then? I haven't tried bootcamp on my girlfriends mbp yet, i tried last weekend, but she said:

"i just paid £2000 to get out of windows"

either way, it was good of them to replace it

 

[bimboles]

Really? thats strange, could it be a graphics card thing then? I haven't tried bootcamp on my girlfriends mbp yet, i tried last weekend, but she said:

"i just paid £2000 to get out of windows"

either way, it was good of them to replace it

Surely she wants XP so she can play HL2

 

[interlaced]

Hi Marissaaa, (that's a lot of 'a' btw )

What model is it? It sounds like it's way way hotter than it should be.

Now, mine is going back, but for a different reason. I have a '14' model and the heat is not noticeable at all.

After about 3 hours of use, on my lap, the bottom does get hot but I can live with it. I put it on a pillow.

The top, however, is barely even warm. The area between the F keys and the screen is hot to the touch, but not so hot that I have to jerk my hand away. The area above the speakers is warm.

Keyboard and trackpad are actually COOL. Not even warm. And the where you rest your palm is the same .. no heat whatsoever.

I know some people are going to jump on you and say that heat is acceptable blah blah blah but from your description, and my comparison, it definitely sounds like yours is way hotter than mine. The way I see it, if it's THAT hot and others aren't, it's an ossue that needs to be fixed.

If they were ALL hot, I would buy into the 'normal heat' crap that the support reps and other *experts* on this board spout. But, if yours is hot and mine isn't , then there is somehting wrong with yours.

My specs are listed in the sig. It is the most powerful one they have so technically, mine should be really hot right?

eV

I called Apple yesterday to complain about the heat because I really do not think it is normal. I guess the keyboard isn't that hot, but what it is is the entire area around the keyboard (speakers, BOTH sides of the trackpad, trackpad itself) as well as the underside. It gets much hotter than the range stated on the site. I spoke to a product specialist who said that he couldn't really judge the heat over the phone so suggested I take it to an Apple Store. WELL, I sat at the genius bar for over an hour (three geniuses LEFT immediately and never came back even though there were still plenty of people on the queue) but my MBP never got as hot as it does at home. WTF!? It is considerably cooler in the store than my house but seriously, what the heck. It got close to closing time (9pm) and the only "genius" just started helping the guy who signed up for a 7:30 appt. Anyway, I noticed that my MBP wasn't getting as hot and didn't feel like getting mocked by the already grumpy "geniuses" so I left. Not really sure what else I'll do now.

But honestly, it gets HOT.

I've actually gone back to using my 12" PB because that's way cooler.