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MBP- My first impressions JUNK!!!!

Its really pretty simple. Buy whichever makes you feel better. Refurb or new, either can come out either way. Money saved vs peace of mind of a new machine.

I have a 1.83mbp that used to be the devil to all mankind when it was released, but I have to say that it is a great machine for me, and I consider myself an advanced and powerful user.
 
Scottfire said:
Wow,
Not feeling too confident now after reading your replies. I think I will see how things go at Apple store tomarrow and that will decide if I go back to PC or not.
With my PC I was always battleing bugs virus etc but never in 6 years and many hours of use did I have hardware issues with my Dell. Hmmmmm......
Click to expand...

Bought a new Processor/Motherboard in the beginning of December for my PC Gaming computer, and it took me almost two months and about 6 windows reinstalls to get everything working properly. Hardware compatibility, software compatibility, various other things... PC's are FAR from immune... at the end of this escapade, I vowed to never buy a PC again...! Too bad we can't get Battlefield 2 to run in OSX ;)
 
This is why I am buying my MBP in a few days from CompUSA or the Apple Store and not online. I know defective units happen, but at least if I buy it from the store I can just take it back instead of having to ship it back and wait!
 
itsbetteronamac said:
While I am the biggest Apple fan there is, I to feel that their products are pretty sucky at times. (I am okay with this because my increased productivity makes up for the times it spends getting fixed) I have had more problems with my Powerbook/MBP than I can imagine. Problems in order:

1) Video Card Died within 12 hours of purchase
2) LCD White Spotting
3) RAM fried
4) Logic Board Died
5) LCD Color and Lighting Issues

*Given brand new MBP because of all my problems*

6) Keyboard and Trackpad Died (Replace Top Case Assembly)
7) Bluetooth Module Died

So all in all I feel your pain man. Don't get me wrong I love Apple. But their build quality sucks major booty some times.
Click to expand...

I am conseridering doing something about my PowerBook 12"

Similar to you, I have had a multitude of problems...

1) White spots on LCD
2) SMART status says HD failing
3) LCD opening and closing is very creaky and not smooth (replace LCD assembly)
4) get it back and problem still exists
5) large section of screen goes to a purply hue, LCD replaced again
6) now my head phone jack creates static
7) I had to reset PMU everytime I restart I have to reset the PMU, otherwise bluetooth doesn't work
8) case warping in a few spots

...I would consider a replacement (consider trying to get one), but I love the size of my 12" and I hate the MB, would only consider the MBP.

But even though I have had my issues, I still love this laptop.
 
Update:

A refresh and well rested Scott returns with a better attitude:

Hi guys, Sorry for my rant last night............
Firefighters on very long 48 hrs shifts sometimes get a little cranky..ha!

So, I get up this morning, call my little friends up at Apple and they tell me I've got a DOA and their sending me shipping labels etc and will ship me a new MBP overnight. Super nice guys, very apologetic and understanding.

Thanks again for not ripping me a new one last night, because to be truthful I was probably a little "out of line".

One thing I have to admit, it is really reassuring to know people like yourselves with level heads exist in these forums.

Oh, and I can proudly say that when something works good or someone gives good service I am always the first to start writting emails, letters or asking to speak to a manager. I can tell you how often staff appreciate it when I ask to speak to a manager to tell them their employee did awesome. One example of this, took a speaker back to Best Buy, it was out of warranty, person I spoke with was not able to make me happy in the end but was super nice and helpful. I asked to speak to a manager and he thought he was in trouble, he was surprise to find out I was complimenting him. The manager was so pleased he asked what my problem was, I told him, he said he was going to take care of me because he needed to reward good people with exceptional service and attention................my speaker got repaired UNDER WARRANTY

Thanks again for all your advice,
Scott
 
Scottfire said:
A refresh and well rested Scott returns with a better attitude:

Hi guys, Sorry for my rant last night............
Firefighters on very long 48 hrs shifts sometimes get a little cranky..ha!
Click to expand...

Gee, that is why i almost never talk to my brother! LOL!!

Thanks for the job you do and putting up with the crappy hours to keep us safe!

So, I get up this morning, call my little friends up at Apple and they tell me I've got a DOA and their sending me shipping labels etc and will ship me a new MBP overnight. Super nice guys, very apologetic and understanding.
Click to expand...

YAY!!!!!! But i'm still bummed for you it was DOA :(

One example of this, took a speaker back to Best Buy, it was out of warranty, person I spoke with was not able to make me happy in the end but was super nice and helpful. ...snip....
Click to expand...

Having gotten most of my retail customer service experience at BB (i'm wearing my BB sweatshirt right now!) - i'm glad you were treated right. I worked with a fantastic set of managers that would do all they could to help a customer - esp one that was being nice in return. And you are correct - we rarely got positives told about us, so you probably made that persons day.

Here is hoping in a few days I get to read about it all working great!!!!
 
Mine's Fine...

>>...Nobody comes here to proclaim that they have a perfect machine...

Yes, the true nature of human beings: When satisfied, we just enjoy ourselves...but when we feel slighted/jilted, we get on the Internet and scream bloody murder.

For what it's worth, my 17" MacBook Pro has been flawless for me the past few months. Ordered from Apple with faster hard drive and more memory, I couldn't be more pleased...And I have been a dedicated IBM-PC person for darned near a quarter century.

I hope the original poster has an Apple store nearby. I am sure Apple will take care of his problem.

Clint Bradford
Riverside, CA
 
The only Apple I've had problems with has been my current MBP unfortunately. I couldn't resist and bought it when it was first released, and it worked for 6 months with no problems.

And then the problems happened.

Looking at the works list, pretty much everything has been replaced in it!

They had it a month.

When it was returned to me, it had a big old scratch on the lid.

And I've suddenly discovered that the Superdrive doesn't work.

So back it's going on Tuesday.

Yes, it's frustrating as hell, but even so, there's no way I'd want anything else!

Luckily, this time I do have a Mac Mini to use in emergency!
 
I think the key difference is how Apple handles it when you have a defective machine. My dad bought a Dell XPS (yes, I tried to get him to switch) and it showed up with some problems. He called them and they rushed him a brand new machine, which he had within five days, and he boxed the old one up and they took it away. There were no additional expenses and he didn't have to spend a long time on the phone or at some store.
 
FWIW, out of dozens and dozens of new Macs I have installed for customers, (could be over a hundred, I have lost count...) there has been one DOA, and one early failure (both of these were the first gen. iMac G5 with the power supply defect). Both were repaired or replaced under warranty with no hassle.

One customer 6 years ago had a problem with warranty on an iMac G3 when Apple couldn't supply the part for three weeks. One Mini from a local dealer that was purportedly new was a repack, and it was replaced.

Thats it.

Of course, there have been software and OS issues, but those I deal with on the spot.
 
Just in Time...

aquajet said:
These computers are sealed in a box. Do you really expect Apple to unpackage their unsold computers every time a software update is released, and then repackage the unit, and repeat as necessary for subsequent updates? I mean, you do realize how terribly impractical this would be, right?

----

Hopefully Apple would move into 'Just in Time production', or (near) zero inventory and the computer wouldn't be put together until it's actually ordered. It also allows the company to load the most recent updates on it, and use parts that came from their suppliers (i.e. Intel) very recently. Dell and Toyota are champions in this area. (Of course you sometimes need a minor update, there's always a little lag).

Of course the macs sold in retail stores wouldn't be the most updated ones tho.
Click to expand...
 
Some people will always have trouble with new, its inevitable. The bottom line is that most of the new machine (97%) are in perfect shape.. my MBP was when it got it and I have had no problems in the 1st 3 weeks or so. ;)

Just be glad that apple has great customer support. I have heard many Dell horror stories :eek:
 
Yea, I did find that a little awkward that I needed so many updates.
6 total....................
10 minutes to download, not too long but its still the point of getting a new machine and not having to go update it.

Maybe they need to label them "Some assembly required" ha ha
Scott
 
Scottfire said:
Yea, I did find that a little awkward that I needed so many updates.
6 total....................
10 minutes to download, not too long but its still the point of getting a new machine and not having to go update it.

Maybe they need to label them "Some assembly required" ha ha
Scott
Click to expand...

As opposed to the 65+ I just had to download from Microsoft for a WinXPPro install? And the 45 minutes it took to download and install it?

:D
 
Holy smokes 65..............
As I chuckle, hope everyone here is listening............
"dude, you need a mac"...there I said it, but if you would have asked me a couple of days ago when I discovered my DOA, I'd felt differently.

Was this a new XP set up or something....?

Thanks, I feel a lot better 6 updates vs. 65....thats a no brainer
SV
 
L3X said:
with all this being said, is the Apple Care worth it? or do most problems happen in the first 12 months?
Click to expand...

Yes. Particularly with a laptop. An LCD or a logic board replacement are so ridiculosuly expensive, it's worth the extra moeny you pay up front for the warranty. I'd rather loose $250 and not need it, than wish I had it and have a $700 replacement to pay for because my computer doesn't work.

Scottfire said:
Was this a new XP set up or something....?
Click to expand...

WinXPProSP2. 65 updates out of the box. Which they really need to roll up into SP3, but probably won't as Vista is due out to the general public here soon.
 
Hey Scott,

Have you gotten your new MBP in the mail yet or are you still waiting?
I'm just wondering about your impressions on the second attempt. Good luck!
 
Sorry to hear of the bad news Scottfire. Let us know when your next one arrives!

For me, firstly I *always* do a fresh install of OSX when I get a new Mac, to remove the extra programs Apple install, and all the extra language packs and printer drivers I don't need. That usually gives me an extra few gb back, but obviously means I have to then download all the available updates.
But all that rigmarole usually takes no longer than 30 minutes with just 2 reboots (one for the OS install, one for the updates).

I have found in the past that not having that extra cruft around also makes the machines a bit more reliable in use, but that might just be me ;)

Anyway I recently replaced my black CD MacBook with a 17" C2D MacBookPro, and both machines are/were great. My G4 Mac Mini is still going strong too.

The only problems I've had were with my old iBook G4. After a few months the keyboard letters began wearing off. Apple sent me a replacement to fit myself. Then after the year warranty ran out on it, I think the motherboard must have cracked or something, as it used to turn off if I pressed a certain point on the bottom of the machine. Apple wouldn't do anything as it was out of warranty and I had no AppleCare.

Now I buy AppleCare on laptops, as I think they're are just that little bit more fragile than desktops, so it's worth the extra for peace of mind.
 
I had an instance last night, I recently purchased the Bose TriPort earphones, and I plugged them into my ipod.

No Sound.

I started to worry, UPS is absolutely a pain, they require signatures for everything they deliver and they come when all my housemates and I are at school or work.

I plugged in my old earphones. They didn't work either. Uh oh.

Broken iPod or DOA earphones???

Anyway, just did a quick reset of the iPod and everything worked fine.

But I feel for everyone who gets DOA stuff, because you spend so much time waiting for it and being all excited about it finally come, and then you basically open up the box and get a turd.

Not fun.

Hope the replacement finds you quick, fellow firefighter!

(I volunteer for Avalon Fire Dpt, in Avalon NJ)
 
Update:

Fighting tooth and nail for my new machine.
Well, its been adventure so far, they say my machine will be here by this friday.
Called Sunday morning and they said I will receive return FED EX shipping labels via mail.
Called Monday morning; where are my labels so I can send you back this computer....."what computer"......no record of my conversation on Sunday. Support person say ok your in the computer, I'll send you labels to ship yours back, when we get it I'll overnight you a new MBP.
Monday afternoon, no labels still. Call Mac. Inquire about my labels so I can ship this back to you so you can ship my new over night........they reply why are you waiting on labels......thats what I was told I'd have to do.......nope, I just sent them to you........why couldn't the person do that this morning??........don't know.
So, I get the labels run to FED EX 45 minutes away. Once Apple can verify my tracking number, so I call them back when i get home.............here is my return tracking number...........now will you send me my computer...........yes, it will be there 24th we will send you tracking number so you can track your machine............ok bye.
Today, no email with tracking # so I call at 4pm.........hey where is my tracking number for my new machine..............uh, well, you need to send us your computer and I see you haven't done that yet............yes I did yesterday.................you got a tracking number............yes, called you yesterday with it..............not seeing that in the computer..............are you kidding me.............no.............Escalate this call right now..........Hi this is %#@%# I'm the manager..............this is what happend blah blah blah..........so sorry this happened sir let me do some checking into this, ok I see the problem, we are apparently waiting to send you TWO MBP..........oh yea, well if this is buy one get one free then I'll hang up now and you have a good day..............she chuckles..........
Apparently they where in the process of sending me two of them and Apple made the mistake of seeing them as one cancelled DOA and one being shipped, but both entries where new computers heading my way. She apologized for the confusion but said she would have to cancel both now and restart the process, this delays my computer til friday,
The good news: she cancelled the charge on my NEW Aiport Extreme (which doesn't ship til Feb 28) so...........I'm getting a new Airport Extreme FRee
Dang I love being an Apple guy............just wish I had an Apple Ha!
Did I mention its FREE.....
SV

SC68Cal.........hey brother.......stay safe and put the wet stuff on the red stuff.......343 Never forget!
 
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