So I may be buying a macbook before the back-to-school sale season ends. Any macbook users here with a review? My concerns are the ones that have been swarming the web; heat issues, discoloration, etc. Also how well does it handle boot camp? Any reviews would be greatly appreciated.
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Macbook, any reviewers here?
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search the forum for macbooks. you will get multiple threads. pretty much every second post has been complaints about it in some way.
If you have the cash, student discount should help, the Macbook Pro may be worth looking into. If I had it to do over again I probably would have gotten the pro, the only thing stopping me from selling off my macbook and upgrading is a) the rumor of processor bump and b) the size. My black macbook has been the best laptop I have ever owned, but it indeed has had its fair share of problems, most of which have been resolved by now.
Well, let me say up front that I am bitter about my macbook and you should judge my comments accordingly. But you should also know that I am bitter because of the problems its had; I bought it with great joy and high hopes.
I know people are going to say that many macbook owners are happy and only the people with problems post. However, I can only speak to my experiences, and none of the problems my MB is having is unique to me. Also, regarding the whine in particular, it is my belief that it's on every single macbook, as I've never heard one without it. I'd bet 2 to 1 that people who say they don't have it just can't hear it either because it's too high pitched, or because they use bluetooth accessories, or because they don't use it in a quiet place.
My macbook had the discoloration issue, which apple, to its credit, fixed promptly. However, it also has a loudish whine, a moo, and it randomly shuts down sometimes (bad logic board). On a 2 month old machine, this is totally unacceptable.
Many things about my macbook are wonderful - the screen, the keyboard, the speed, the appearance, the isight and front row, etc. But in my 10+ years of owning macs, this is by far the most problematic one. I absolutely would not recommend a macbook to anyone until apple gets its quality control back on track.
I know people are going to say that many macbook owners are happy and only the people with problems post. However, I can only speak to my experiences, and none of the problems my MB is having is unique to me. Also, regarding the whine in particular, it is my belief that it's on every single macbook, as I've never heard one without it. I'd bet 2 to 1 that people who say they don't have it just can't hear it either because it's too high pitched, or because they use bluetooth accessories, or because they don't use it in a quiet place.
My macbook had the discoloration issue, which apple, to its credit, fixed promptly. However, it also has a loudish whine, a moo, and it randomly shuts down sometimes (bad logic board). On a 2 month old machine, this is totally unacceptable.
Many things about my macbook are wonderful - the screen, the keyboard, the speed, the appearance, the isight and front row, etc. But in my 10+ years of owning macs, this is by far the most problematic one. I absolutely would not recommend a macbook to anyone until apple gets its quality control back on track.
I also say this is the best laptop I've ever owned. Although the 165c that is still somewhere in my basement was pretty excellent, too. Maybe the MB is #2. After all, the 165c still works (batteries excepted) perfectly and it is around 13 years old.
We had to replace the logic board last week, and apparently the new one was also faulty, so it is back in the shop. It is hard to recommend the product when the major part is possibly a lemon. When it works, the MB is awesome. Mine occasionally exhibited the mooing and whining noises, but very quiet, usually unnoticeable. Compared to other computers, it is dead silent. The Tivo in my bedroom is louder, and I never notice it unless I want to, either. I'm not sure what most people are comparing it to when they complain so vehemently, a calculator? Maybe their's are just that much louder than mine.
We had to replace the logic board last week, and apparently the new one was also faulty, so it is back in the shop. It is hard to recommend the product when the major part is possibly a lemon. When it works, the MB is awesome. Mine occasionally exhibited the mooing and whining noises, but very quiet, usually unnoticeable. Compared to other computers, it is dead silent. The Tivo in my bedroom is louder, and I never notice it unless I want to, either. I'm not sure what most people are comparing it to when they complain so vehemently, a calculator? Maybe their's are just that much louder than mine.
i would say the first generation macbook is the worst laptop i ever bought and i've own dell, gateway, and sony, which are all running perfectly up too today. why do you ask?
i so far owned three macbooks and they all had problems with heat, not turning, dead pixels, lifedrive, and a bad logic board.
i so far owned three macbooks and they all had problems with heat, not turning, dead pixels, lifedrive, and a bad logic board.
happy macbook owner here 
I have a 1.83Ghz, 512mb, 80gb (soon to be 2gb ram)
It is, to me, silent. Unless i place my ear right up to it then i can here what i believe is the fan.
It does get a little hotter than i would like but it doesnt bother me too much. Mines sits at about 65C most of the time unless i am doing anything intensive it reaches its mid 70C.
I love the keyboard.
No discolouration and i have had the Macbook since the 3rd of July. I havent stopped using it since
I have a 1.83Ghz, 512mb, 80gb (soon to be 2gb ram)
It is, to me, silent. Unless i place my ear right up to it then i can here what i believe is the fan.
It does get a little hotter than i would like but it doesnt bother me too much. Mines sits at about 65C most of the time unless i am doing anything intensive it reaches its mid 70C.
I love the keyboard.
No discolouration and i have had the Macbook since the 3rd of July. I havent stopped using it since
semi happy macbook user here. I have the black 2.0ghz one upgraded to 2gb i got from newegg.
The only real thing that I dont like about this notebook is the fact that is has the "moo". I have heard half of the macbooks are effected by this issue as apple uses two fan manufactures the ones that dont moo have quiter sunnon fans in them.
Then I also had the whine but I was able to get rid of that by doing an os x software hack by replacing one of the usb system files with a different version. I dont have the link but mayby search for whine and usb and u might find it.
Oh the macbook does run pretty hot and can cause sweaty hands but its normal expecialy for intel based laptops. I have friends that have dells and they are even worse. So its not something to worry about. If u are realy parinoid about posible heat damage then go out and get one of those laptop coolers as they seem to help somewhat. Your millage may vary though. Other then that moo issue its a great notebook.
The only real thing that I dont like about this notebook is the fact that is has the "moo". I have heard half of the macbooks are effected by this issue as apple uses two fan manufactures the ones that dont moo have quiter sunnon fans in them.
Then I also had the whine but I was able to get rid of that by doing an os x software hack by replacing one of the usb system files with a different version. I dont have the link but mayby search for whine and usb and u might find it.
Oh the macbook does run pretty hot and can cause sweaty hands but its normal expecialy for intel based laptops. I have friends that have dells and they are even worse. So its not something to worry about. If u are realy parinoid about posible heat damage then go out and get one of those laptop coolers as they seem to help somewhat. Your millage may vary though. Other then that moo issue its a great notebook.
QCassidy352 said:
The above comment doesn't make sense. I don't have the whine at all. So what, if I don't hear it because the frequency is too high...that means I CAN'T HEAR IT. I also have no bluetooth accessories (what does this have to do with it, anyways) and I use it in quiet places (in my bedroom, on my deck, in my den).
If an owner doesn't hear it, its kinda dense to say they can't hear it because its too high pitched.
Sometimes people are wayyy too anal about these things. I've owned mine for over a month, and the only thing I've actually experienced so far is the moo and I heard that the first few days I owned it...haven't heard it since. I've owned many other laptops also, Toshiba, Dell, and HP...this Mac is quiet as all hell. When I turn on my Dell after using my Mac for awhile, my wife actually complains about the noise it makes (the Dell, that is). I don't hear my coworker (who has a MBP) complaining about the things that MBP owners complain about here either. I don't hear my other coworkers who own G4-based Macs complaining about anything that this board does. I think its really the forums that are the issue.
My thoughts are, if you don't like Mac, don't use Mac...return it if it can't be fixed (but don't gouge Mac by continually exchanging trying to get a 100% perfect Mac) and at least TRY to be objective about things. My Toshiba had issues but I beared with the problems and got it serviced when it needed it...same with the Dell. Sometimes, crap happens.
I don't know.. I thought mine didn't have the whine, either (because I couldn't hear it), but if I lay my ear close to the MB, more specifically, close to the magsafe power adapter, it's definitely there.unixfool said:
Perhaps all he meant was that, to some users, it's not loud enough to be a bother under normal use, but chances are, their macbooks still have it.
They definitely all have it. It is a problem with the Intel Core Duo processor when run on battery. (if your whine occurs when plugged in, it is something else) You can get the same whine on a Dell or Sony Core Duo, if you modify XP to be more like OSX for processor usage. And you can get rid of it on an Apple if you boost the OSX processor usage, like the Photobooth and other workarounds do.
Whether you can hear it is related to the actual volume in your particular unit (not sure why they vary), and your ears. I hear things all the time that few others notice. Luckily for me, our MB's whine is very, very quiet. And, it's my wife's, I'm not the main user, anyway.
Maybe a Merom won't have this issue, and it will just go away.
Whether you can hear it is related to the actual volume in your particular unit (not sure why they vary), and your ears. I hear things all the time that few others notice. Luckily for me, our MB's whine is very, very quiet. And, it's my wife's, I'm not the main user, anyway.
Maybe a Merom won't have this issue, and it will just go away.
QCassidy352 said:
You should have bought a black MacBook. I have no whine, no staining, no mooing, NOTHING WRONG! yet... although, come to think of it, the charge of the battery seems to be running low quickly which is quite concerning. But other then that no problems. I am a picky, picky individual when it comes to computers. the first ibook i purchased had a slight creak in one corner that became evident when i typed...so i spent five consecutive days on the phone with apple customer relations demanding a replacment which they eventually gave in and did what i asked.
i dont have a review for my macbook, although i highly recommend a "Black" MacBook.
sorry bout the spelling
newbie macbook owner review
I just purchased a new white 2.0 core duo macbook last Saturday. I was so paranoid about buying because of all the horror stories I've been reading in these forums. While I feel sorry about all the problems so many owners have been experiencing, I have nothing but praise for my new macbook...so far. No whine or moo that I can hear. No staining or discoloration is visible...yet. The heat is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be...I use the laptop on my lap and it's not even that uncomfortable on bare skin. I love the damn thing and would recommend it highly...both thumbs way up! Once you go Mac, you never go back! I hope my good fortune with this machine continues and I hope more people discover that there is life beyond Windoze. I love OSX!
I just purchased a new white 2.0 core duo macbook last Saturday. I was so paranoid about buying because of all the horror stories I've been reading in these forums. While I feel sorry about all the problems so many owners have been experiencing, I have nothing but praise for my new macbook...so far. No whine or moo that I can hear. No staining or discoloration is visible...yet. The heat is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be...I use the laptop on my lap and it's not even that uncomfortable on bare skin. I love the damn thing and would recommend it highly...both thumbs way up! Once you go Mac, you never go back!
I hope my good fortune with this machine continues and I hope more people discover that there is life beyond Windoze. I love OSX!
haha, give it time...macdreamer said:I just purchased a new white 2.0 core duo macbook last Saturday. I was so paranoid about buying because of all the horror stories I've been reading in these forums. While I feel sorry about all the problems so many owners have been experiencing, I have nothing but praise for my new macbook...so far. No whine or moo that I can hear. No staining or discoloration is visible...yet. The heat is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be...I use the laptop on my lap and it's not even that uncomfortable on bare skin. I love the damn thing and would recommend it highly...both thumbs way up! Once you go Mac, you never go back!
just teasin' - though do keep your eyes open. problems didn't start up with mine until 3 weeks later, either.I bought a black MacBook (week 21) on July 1st and so far, I have been very happy with it. It's very fast, the screen is beautiful, the keyboard is comfortable (for a laptop) to type on, and it looks great. The bottom of the machine can get somewhat hot, but so did my PowerBook 145, P75 Thinkpad, and Compaq K6-333 laptops. Also, I notice a bit of a whine when the laptop is plugged in, but I have to put my ear right up to the keyboard to hear it unless the room is dead quiet. All in all, a great machine.