Just received an immaculate SR MBP - LOVE IT!

[CanuckMacDaddy]

Hey Mac Rumors Community,

I'm happy to report that yesterday I received a stock 15" 2.2 SR MBP with no dead/stuck pixels, yellowing, warped lid, gap in the hinge when closed or any of the horror stories that had me on edge as I lurked on these forums. It is a Week 30 Ordered August 17th with the new smaller power supply and Matte screen. I will post the LCD manufacturer as soon as I get home. I also got the free printer, iPod 30GB for $70 (pending rebates) and $200 off for the education discount.

Thank you for this great online resource and I could not be happier with my purchase.

For all of you other lurkers out there that are worried about defects, please keep in mind that although there are many defective units they do not make a large percentage of the overall production. As with most things, people tend to be vocal when there's an issue, but you don't hear many reports when things are working as they should.

I also purchased a Chrome Metropolis messenger bag and a Chrome sleeve. The Messenger bag is AWESOME and extremely versatile once you get used to the quirks. The sleeve is great in terms of padding and if you make use of the shoulder strap notches that are built in. This makes it an extremely low profile and lightweight way to transport your MBP if your planning on running on battery only.

If you are looking for a sleeve to throw into another bag, the chrome is not is the way to go as it is much more bulky than a neoprene sleeve. In addition, the guys at chrome put the logo on mine upside down which makes it look a little silly when right-side up on a shoulder strap.

I'm thinking I'll go techshell (cheap on eBay and more streamlined than speck) on the outside and apple peelz on the inside (good call?) . Any ideas on the best keyboard cover or if it's even necessary? Also thinking about getting it laser engrave with some artwork. Any ideas for where to get this done in Vancouver BC?

I think I'm rambling on a bit and I should probably get back to work. I just wanted to share my sheer joy with the rest of the community.

Thanks again for all of your input and I look forward to making more posts in the near future!

Cheers!

(Oh, and I did a side-by-side speaker comparison with my buddy and his 17" MBP and the speakers on the 17" are FAR superior in terms of volume and quality.)

 

[majordude]

I'm happy to report that yesterday I received a stock 2.2 SR MBP with no dead/stuck pixels, yellowing, warped lid, gap in the hinge when closed or any of the horror stories that had me on edge as I lurked on these forums.

Cool!

Is that the 15" or 17"?

I went with the matte too. Before I saw the matte and glossy side by side at an Apple store I was going to get the glossy. I'm glad I checked them out before I ordered online (I wanted a custom rig).

 

[macjay]

Is that the 15" or 17"?

The 2.2 only comes in 15.

 

[msharp]

Congrats.... Nice to hear that....

But it seems to be that I have to wait for another 10 days to get mine...

 

[blanknogo]

I just upgraded my 12" PowerBook to a 2.2 MacBook Pro (Glossy) and thus far it also seems perfect. Having it side by side with my PowerBook is so strange and it just seems like a monster, but I love it so so much.

I loved (and continue to love, despite it being so incredibly slow for my needs now) my PowerBook so so much and when I pulled out the new MacBook I actually felt a little bit sad (like saying good bye to a dear, dear friend). But the MacBook Pro is so good.

I went with the InCase sleeve/bag that works well as a sleeve and doubles as a bag if you need it to be. It seems pretty good, though I haven't really taken it out and about yet.

I really don't plan on getting any protection for the keyboard. I never did for my PowerBook and it is still flawless (as far as I can tell).

How do you find the heat and noise on the MacBook? Mine seems to heat up a tiny bit (expected) but it's definitely better than my PowerBook (which just goes crazy when it heats up). The bottom seems warmer than the PowerBook but the wrist area (most important to me) doesn't heat up much.

Oh, and how do you like the auto sensing screen backlight? It seems like everytime I reach for the keys on the right side of the keyboard it dims the screen. Really annoying.

I also missing losing my expose keys to the keyboard dimmer buttons. I kind of want to turn those buttons (and only those buttons) off so I can have my expose back.

Anyways, I hope I didn't hijack your thread. I thought my experiences fit in with yours so I just wanted to add that in. Hope you continue to enjoy your new MacBook Pro! I got mine with the iPod and printer as well!

 

[PhatBoyG]

I picked up the 2.4 15" last night and it seems to be pretty flawless so far. Mind you, it's my first Mac, but the screen looks good and I had no problems installing anything on it yet (BootCamp 1.4, BioShock, under XP).

It's a week 35 unit from a local Apple Store, pretty fresh considering this is only week 36.

 

[skyrider007]

Congrats on your new MBP!

I use Sonnet's Carapace as my keyboard protector. It's slightly cheaper than the blue iSkin cover but is made of the same material. The Sonnet's Carapace is transparent. Hope this helps!

Product Page here: http://www.sonnettech.com/product/carapace.html

 

[xpovos]

For the OP and anyone else with a recent build (what week is yours?) I'd like to ask a favor if it isn't too inconvenient. A short experiment:

Unless Apple has fixed this issue in recent weeks, your SR MBP will produce a lot of static in recordings made with a USB microphone while running on battery power with AirPort enabled, on any USB port that sits on the main logic board. (For 15" models, that includes the right-side USB port; for 17" models, it includes the right-side USB port as well as the left-side port that's closest to the Magsafe connector.)

If you have a USB mic or headset and a few minutes to do this experiment, that would be awesome, because weeks of Internet research about this issue have turned up nothing, even after Apple's engineering department was informed of it by a Genius at my local store (after I was, strangely and somewhat amazingly, apparently the first person on the planet to notice it).

Running on battery power (this is critical) and with AirPort enabled (also critical), make at least two short (~60 second) recordings on EACH of the computer's USB ports. If Apple has fixed the issue, all 4 (or 6) recordings will be nice and clean. Otherwise, at least 1 (and probably all) of the recordings on each port will have serious static, to the point that the recordings would be unusable even for informal "production" (or draft)---EXCEPT on the port that DOES NOT sit on the logic board. That one will be clean.

Any help on this?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. --- Not trying to jack a thread; just wondering if builds in recent weeks have addressed this problem. Keep trying to get a response directly from Apple, but they deny the problem ever existed in the first place, even when I show them my documentation. Unless it has been fixed, this issue affects ALL Santa Rosa MacBook Pros.

 

[j0n24]

Same here!

I'd have to second your sentiment! I got my 2.2 SR MBP (160gb hd) about 3 weeks ago and have had no issues. I was mostly worried about the screen yellowing that so many people encountered earlier in the summer.

I was really happy to see perfectly even backlighting, no dead pixels and no yellowing! (I have a LG LCD panel - glossy). I would have to say that my only beef is the noisy superdrive if you pickup the MPB while you have a Disc in. It makes a scratching sound (but no scratches so far). I don't consider this a problem because I always use the machine on a relatively flat surface. Neither my macbook or ibook g4 did this though...

Incidentally, I recently ordered two Dell laptops for family members and both had problems. One was DOA and the other had fit/finish issues (popped hinge etc). The service has been a nightmare... supposedly 24/7, but you can't speak with someone who can send you a replacement on the weekend or after 8pm Eastern on weekdays. I can't believe how far they've fallen since '97 -- the last time I bought a Dell. I've had 3 apple laptops and never had a problem!

 

[fbx]

What does the SR stand for in the OP's post, the SR MacBook Pro?

 

[dcv]

Congrats on your purchase, hope you enjoy it.

I used to use an iSkin keyboard protector (similar to that one pictured) on my old PowerBook but got rid of it after a while as preferred the feel of the keyboard without it. Don't think you really need one... unless you're clumsy with drinks etc

What does the SR stand for in the OP's post, the SR MacBook Pro?

SR = Santa Rosa, the current generation of Intel chips