My little rant: Selling my MBP.

[Carlsen]

I have never heard of any laptop lasting 6.5 hours on battery alone unless its one of those fat external battery packs.

The 9-cell isn't external. Although the last three cells stick out of the back of the laptop.

Like this:
http://static.flickr.com/94/248594912_8eb6efbf87_b.jpg

Doesn't bother me though. But I guess thats a personal matter of preferring portability over looks.

 

[deadpixels]

your pic is so Uglllyyyyy, it made me puke if you like that, you deserve to go back to the darkside

 

[thejadedmonkey]

WTF, dude?! Is it big or do you love it because of the screen size? make up your mind, will you?

I like the larger screen size, but hate how large it seems. My old laptop was 14.1" and didn't feel so huge at all.

On my MacBook, if I drag two fingers on the trackpad, it scrolls. If i do a two-finger tap on the trackpad, I get a right-click action. I find this far more intuitive and ergonomic than a physical scroll wheel and a right-click button.

I configured this behavior under System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Trackpad.

If your machine has this option as well, perhaps it could alleviate a few of your issues.

-Drew

thanks, and I've done all that.. it's just much more annoying having to learn a new way of right-clicking when every other computer I've ever used (even the macs I own) have a "real" right click.

That's the thing. There IS better hardware on the PC side (more choice, better build, better GPUs, easier upgrades, more durable, less heat etc etc), BUT what good is good hardware if the software is making you want to pull your hair out??? I used a wonderful thinkpad T40 (I love the hardware, keyboard, size, durability..), but windows XP was terrible and I spent more time troubleshooting ridiculous problems in a few months than I've spent in 12 years as a mac owner. I won't ever try that again, even if the hardware on some PCs is tempting.

Wish Apple would get its act together and produce new laptops that are worthy of the operating system.

If your XP install just works for you, like it did for me.. you really start to look at the hardware of a mac a lot more thoroughly, and start to see the flaws (like lack of SD-reader, keyboard that my fingers slip all over, etc.)

I call BS on that.

I just looked it up on Google. Go down to battery time and read 3.6 hrs. Not 6 1/2 hours. 3 and half.

http://shopping.msn.com/Specs/shp/?itemId=572665367

Look up the 9 cell batteries... 2 hours on a 3 cell battery is more then doable.. it was doable 3 years ago.

 

[Subiklim]

All these problems I'm hearing about are making me scratch my head. I bought my first intel machine last April, an iMac c2d, which ran beautifully until I sold it a few months ago. My second was a Black Macbook in June, again NO problems whatsoever. Everything worked as advertised, and even ran a bit cool! Then my sister got a Macbook, which also has no problems at all, fit and finish was perfect. Then I got a c2d Macbook Pro in January, machine is absolutely perfect, lid fits, NO problems, certainly not any of the above-mentioned issues.

Everyone is making this seem like you're in the majority with these problems. You're not. You're just more vocal.

 

[schmintan]

ive had my MBP for about 2 weeks now and as impressed as i am, there are some things from a physical perspective that are just downright annoying, and for such a high priced product, they shouldnt exist:

1. the casing around the screen is not fitted to what i would call perfection, there are gaps, and it is noticably wider on the bottom than the top due to these gaps. very annoying when you notice it for the first time.

2. the base sags ever so slightly in the middle, under the trackpad when on a flat surface. i fixed this by getting some adhesive non slip pads and sticking one right in the middle. i shouldnt have to do this though.

3. when closing the lid, i have to put more pressure than i would like on it. maby this is me just being fussy but hey, its an expensive product. it should be perfect!


4. this is my 2nd MBP, as the first on i got 3 weeks ago had about 6 - 10 pixels stuck on bright blue. very annoying when typing a document as they are very visible when on a white background. this shows an issue with quality control.


I havnt used Mac OS long enough to judge it. sure i find a lot of shortcommings, but this is prob because i am comming from a life of windows and its just taking time to change my frame of mind, so il reserve judgement for when im more confident, however one thing i think was enormously helpful in windows thats absent from Mac OS is the address bar. it helped me use a pc without a mouse. this is completely impossible ( at least at present ) on the Mac.

I am happy with my mac, but im just outlining things that i think could be better

 

[yojitani]

All these problems I'm hearing about are making me scratch my head. I bought my first intel machine last April, an iMac c2d, which ran beautifully until I sold it a few months ago. My second was a Black Macbook in June, again NO problems whatsoever. Everything worked as advertised, and even ran a bit cool! Then my sister got a Macbook, which also has no problems at all, fit and finish was perfect. Then I got a c2d Macbook Pro in January, machine is absolutely perfect, lid fits, NO problems, certainly not any of the above-mentioned issues.

Everyone is making this seem like you're in the majority with these problems. You're not. You're just more vocal.

I agree, though I also think a) the new intel machines are not as well made as previous ppc machines. Perhaps now that apple is selling more computers, they are taking less care with QC. and b) Apple portable computers really aren't that good. While I've seen very few problems with apple desktops, the kinds of problems I've seen with laptops have been unacceptable - logicboards and batteries. I'm not sure anyone makes good portables, though IBM's Thinkpads used to be pretty strong.

Still, I love my macbook

 

[schmintan]

I think it's stupid to think that it is unacceptable to have a logicboard replacement or whatever within 6 months. It is a mass-produced electronic, and also it's a first generation MacBook Pro, and Apple always has issues with first gen products, but they are the best when it comes to trying to resolve customer issues.

There are many many many pc's issues, and the manufacturer's do not bend over backwards like Apple does to please their customer. They will repair, and repair, and repair a computer quite often before they will replace it, and it's hard to get them to agree to replace it.

il happily argue with this point. the amount of help you get from apple is directly proportional to how loud you shout. i had a dell, it got some dead pixels, and within 24 hours a technician came to my house replaced the screen as i watched, and done a great job. with apple, i had to fight and convince them that 10 bright blue stuck pixels in the centre of my screen of a 10 day old MBP was unacceptable, then they tell me they dont collect laptops in Ireland so i would have to transport it myself to a service centre ( not easy when its over 20 miles away, only open during my work hours, and i dont have a car). after arguing i decided just to return it for a full refunt as it was within the 14day return policy. i have a new MBP now, but i dread the day something goes wrong with it. apple are less than obliging, and their applecare costs over 100 euro more than dell's 3 year call to the house and repair, or if they cant repair onsite, they will courrier it away to be repaired. only for dell laptops have not been as good the last year or two , id happily have another one. the only reason i am giving apple a 2nd chance is due to people here telling me it was a once off on apples part and apple are generally great. this is still to be tested, but currently i have low expectations of apple.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

this is still to be tested, but currently i have low expectations of apple.

Don't take this wrong - but often a persons expectations reflect their experience. I'm not guessing you are going to have a good Mac experience - you don't come across like you WANT to have one.

Hopefully you DO have a great one with the 2nd computer.

And, LOL, since i'm ragging on you - in American English the word for "I will" is "I'll" not "Il". And apparently while i can't spell worth beans, this one bugs me

But, i seriously do hope you have a great experience - something I wish for everyone when they buy a new computer. Computer problems suck.

 

[Stowaway]

Bummer

Hey Carlsen, this is really unacceptable. You are unfortunately not alone in your experience with hardware. I've read countless articles and had numerous personal encounters with poorly built MacBookPro's and MacBooks. Most recently my girlfriend purchased a MacBook and within 3 days it stopped working almost completely. It would randomly shut off, sometimes it wouldn't power back on. Finally, it stopped powering back on. Fortunatley the Apple store swapped it out with a new one that actually works. I think you may be on to somethine about production, I'm starting to wonder if Apple hasn't made some dramatic change in their laptop production or quality control.

On the upside, though, I will say that I have been a mac user since 2001 and have had my fair share of ups and downs. I'm a 3D Animator, editor, and videographer, so I run some pretty heavy apps. My newest machine is from the last gen of PowerBooks before the MBP replaced them. So essentially it's the same set-up as yours, just a fraction of an inch thicker. As far as externals go, my keyboard is assembled beautifully and I've not had any issues with the trackpad, etc., though scratching is an issue.

I used to be a Mac zealout, but anymore I simply look at my computer/OS as one of a number of possible tools. In my experience in both personal and professional situations with Macs (the studios I've worked for alomst all use Macs), the hardware has stood up to rigorous testing. Believe it or not, some studios I know still have one or two 10 year old machines that still run quite stunningly (for video and such). I myself still have a 6 year old machine that, for most things, runs beautifully. I use it mostly now to render when other machines are busy.

Right now I trust my Mac's for most things, but have had regular issues with my laptop crashing when running heavier applications. I don't like the way the mac freezes for a while when you get disconnected from a network. And for all the bragging they do about less crashing, they really need to fix the god damn beach ball.

I will suggest, though, Carsen, not to give up on Mac's just yet. I've been in both worlds for some time now and, despite the occasional issues, I have ultimately found my experience with macs to be very rewarding. They're always listening to customer complaints and trying to really build their machines around the demands of their users, which are quite varied and which makes the macs quite versatile. In the future I will probably be using a windows machine as well (if only running in bootcamp), simply because autodesk refuses to make the mac version of Maya 64-bit. You really did get a bad apple (pun intended) this time, and I'm inclined to think that in this production line there were far too many of them. But like I said, in the 6 years I've used them the overall experience has been very positive.

 

[chaosbunny]

Sorry, but those Thinkpads are far away from being reliable machines. They can have the same amount of problems as apples laptops. At the agency where I'm sometimes freelancing at they bought 2 Thinkpads in january last year for the boss and a manager. Both had to be sent back because of logic board issues, and the one the chief is using was recently in for its third repair. He prefers his old 500 mhz Titanium powerbook now, and the Thinkpad sits in the corner collecting dust. It has cost too much time and therefore money.

There is a certain failure rate with every company. And to say Thinkpads are oh so reliable and MacBook(Pro)s are not is simply false. You can get a lemon from every company, that's what the warranty is for.

 

[mikefly]

?

Its like Microsoft producing their own laptops and have it priced higher than what HP, Dell, Gateway offers with Windows. Microsoft laptops would flop.

Umm.. FYI - this is what IBM did -- the 'clone'. Not such a hypothetical situation after all.

Mike

 

[dadsgravy]

Well, everyone around here wants to kiss your but and tell you how sorry they are, but I don't. You still have windows love in ya and that's what makes your mac crappy. See, I have no love for windows and I would go through a million macs just to get that one that works. Because they exists. I'm using one right now.
I'm die hard pal! My love for apple can be compared to a Republican red neck justifying the war in Iraq. And I'll use whatever ignorant methods I can to slay my foe.
Apparently you have yet to get that creepy scout leader feel from Microsoft. Or maybe you have and you just like it. You do don't you.

To hell with all you others to. "I have my Hp and maybe when apple gets better"...Screw you! Cram that windows hunk of s*** up your A**! You have no love for the one true OS. I will smote you down with my justification sword! My the children of your children be born just as ignorant.

And one more thing before I head out to my DnD meeting, you're going to spend $2000+ on a computer because a corporation tells you their product is better? Are you just that gullible and susceptible to advertising? I love Apple, but at the end of the day they are out to hustle a buck like everyone else. I did my research before I bought and decided Apple was for me. It had nothing to do with their cleaver advertising.

Peace out, my cobblers done!

 

[AdamL]

I agree about the battery life. I'll have Mac Book Pro completely charged and it'll say about 5 hours of battery life. I don't do anything more than run Safari, iTunes, and Adium on a regular basis. After 10 minutes of using it the time will then say about 3 hours left. An hour later it'll be under an hour left. That's my only complaint.

 

[schmintan]

Well, everyone around here wants to kiss your but and tell you how sorry they are, but I don't. You still have windows love in ya and that's what makes your mac crappy. See, I have no love for windows and I would go through a million macs just to get that one that works. Because they exists. I'm using one right now.
I'm die hard pal! My love for apple can be compared to a Republican red neck justifying the war in Iraq. And I'll use whatever ignorant methods I can to slay my foe.
Apparently you have yet to get that creepy scout leader feel from Microsoft. Or maybe you have and you just like it. You do don't you.

To hell with all you others to. "I have my Hp and maybe when apple gets better"...Screw you! Cram that windows hunk of s*** up your A**! You have no love for the one true OS. I will smote you down with my justification sword! My the children of your children be born just as ignorant.

And one more thing before I head out to my DnD meeting, you're going to spend $2000+ on a computer because a corporation tells you their product is better? Are you just that gullible and supseptable to advertising? I love Apple, but at the end of the day they are out to hustle a buck like everyone else. I did my research before I bought and decided Apple was for me. It had nothing to do with their cleaver advertising.

Peace out, my cobblers done!

classy. its open minded people like this that will make this world a better place ( sarcasm there if your too narrow minded to see it).

Im a firm windows user, but being openminded, i got a mac.i can see both have flaws, in some peoples opinions some have more flaws than others, but the point is, neither is perfect. being closed minded like this will never lead to progress. what if ( just what if) mac os became rubbish, and windows turned out to be better ( this is a matter of opinion, not a flame). would you stay with mac just because of your narrow mindedness. this applies beyond the mac/pc divide. this applies to tons of areas in every day life.

at least we know now that George Bush is on MacRumours, by the alias dadsgravy

 

[Cybergypsy]

All these problems I'm hearing about are making me scratch my head. I bought my first intel machine last April, an iMac c2d, which ran beautifully until I sold it a few months ago. My second was a Black Macbook in June, again NO problems whatsoever. Everything worked as advertised, and even ran a bit cool! Then my sister got a Macbook, which also has no problems at all, fit and finish was perfect. Then I got a c2d Macbook Pro in January, machine is absolutely perfect, lid fits, NO problems, certainly not any of the above-mentioned issues.

Everyone is making this seem like you're in the majority with these problems. You're not. You're just more vocal.

ow do you explain 4 bad macs in 6 months>>>>all bought new from Apple????? I never had a bad mac till the macbooks came out......... QC!!!!!

 

[Carlsen]

Sorry, but those Thinkpads are far away from being reliable machines. They can have the same amount of problems as apples laptops. At the agency where I'm sometimes freelancing at they bought 2 Thinkpads in january last year for the boss and a manager. Both had to be sent back because of logic board issues, and the one the chief is using was recently in for its third repair. He prefers his old 500 mhz Titanium powerbook now, and the Thinkpad sits in the corner collecting dust. It has cost too much time and therefore money.

There is a certain failure rate with every company. And to say Thinkpads are oh so reliable and MacBook(Pro)s are not is simply false. You can get a lemon from every company, that's what the warranty is for.

Indeed, all manufacturers have bad cases. I just think this particular product is flawed in so many different ways (electric, chassis, buttons, screen) that it's hardly a coinsidence. Of course, it -could- be the case. We'll propably never know.

Thinkpads can be faulty too. I just haven't had a faulty Thinkpad (besides a drive) yet, out of several. I may have been lucky - but it's hard not to let the MBP experience affect my decisions in the future. I'm not asking anyone to agree with me here, it's just a subjective opinion.

 

[Carlsen]

Well, everyone around here wants to kiss your but and tell you how sorry they are, but I don't. You still have windows love in ya and that's what makes your mac crappy. See, I have no love for windows and I would go through a million macs just to get that one that works. Because they exists. I'm using one right now.
I'm die hard pal! My love for apple can be compared to a Republican red neck justifying the war in Iraq. And I'll use whatever ignorant methods I can to slay my foe.
Apparently you have yet to get that creepy scout leader feel from Microsoft. Or maybe you have and you just like it. You do don't you.

To hell with all you others to. "I have my Hp and maybe when apple gets better"...Screw you! Cram that windows hunk of s*** up your A**! You have no love for the one true OS. I will smote you down with my justification sword! My the children of your children be born just as ignorant.

And one more thing before I head out to my DnD meeting, you're going to spend $2000+ on a computer because a corporation tells you their product is better? Are you just that gullible and supseptable to advertising? I love Apple, but at the end of the day they are out to hustle a buck like everyone else. I did my research before I bought and decided Apple was for me. It had nothing to do with their cleaver advertising.

Peace out, my cobblers done!

Heh, I really hope you wrote that in an ironic way.

I'm not asking anyone to apologize for anything, like you say (why should they?). I just wanted a debate on the build here.
Windows love? I hope you can see that I try and keep this as non-biased as possible. The arguments about build quality are based on my own experiences on these products. I didn't make the MBP issues up to have an excuse to sell a MBP with a financial loss. That would be stupid.

..and who is talking about advertising? You sound like you wanted to air some sort of opinion, but couldn't find anywhere to put it. So I guess this thread was the lucky one.

 

[Carlsen]

.

I'm glad you've had positive experiences with mac's. I'm sure they -are- great machines. Several of my friends own G4 powerbooks (12" and 15") and they wouldn't swap them for anything. Also, their machines have been going strong for years without failure. Like it should be.

 

[e12a]

3. when closing the lid, i have to put more pressure than i would like on it. maby this is me just being fussy but hey, its an expensive product. it should be perfect!


4. this is my 2nd MBP, as the first on i got 3 weeks ago had about 6 - 10 pixels stuck on bright blue. very annoying when typing a document as they are very visible when on a white background. this shows an issue with quality control.

3. Its spring loaded so when you push the release button the screen pops up so you have some sort of grip on the screen (if it didnt, i'd see a LOT more complaints). That is why it gets "harder" (comon, its not that hard) to close the last 3-4 inches. I dont know who said this before but you dont have to use two hands to open the laptop, but it is a two step process: pop the latch, and then open the screen (other than a macbook, what other laptop isnt? at least you dont have unsightly latches sticking out of the screen) If you're talking about too much pressure throughout the closing angle, did you hear about the 17"'s problem of not staying open while on the lap?

4. Dead/Stuck pixels can be present in any LCD. Hence the dead/stuck pixel policies in every LCD purchase, anywhere than just Apple. Stuff happens.

 

[schmintan]

3. Its spring loaded so when you push the release button the screen pops up so you have some sort of grip on the screen (if it didnt, i'd see a LOT more complaints). That is why it gets "harder" (comon, its not that hard) to close the last 3-4 inches. I dont know who said this before but you dont have to use two hands to open the laptop, but it is a two step process: pop the latch, and then open the screen (other than a macbook, what other laptop isnt? at least you dont have unsightly latches sticking out of the screen) If you're talking about too much pressure throughout the closing angle, did you hear about the 17"'s problem of not staying open while on the lap? and i find that two hands are necessary to open it.

4. Dead/Stuck pixels can be present in any LCD. Hence the dead/stuck pixel policies in every LCD purchase, anywhere than just Apple. Stuff happens.

well :

1.in my opinion, and i have used a few laptops, it takes more pressure than most to close the laptop. it almost feels like you are bending the lid slightly. i dont have to put as much pressure on it since i put a non slip pad under the centre of the base of the laptop to stop it sagging in the middle, but i dont think i should have to resort to this for such a "quality" piece of machinery.

2. I 100% agree. dead pixels can happen in any lcd screen. no arguement there. where i am not happy is how much arguing i had to do with apple to get the issue sorted. they wouldnt collect the laptop to bring it in for repair , even though i questioned this when purchasing the MBP and they said it would be collected and returned to me when repaired. it turns out they stopped doing this in ireland about 3 months ago, yet the sales dept apparently have not been made aware of this. im sure that falls unders something like selling a product under false pretences ( i duno, im not a legal guru), but it was definately a lie. dell support treated me fantastically. this is where i feel apple have to pull up their socks, treat customers a bit better. each support technician will tell you something different, until you argue with them , and then you get results. i dont like arguing to get what i was promised, considering the cost of applecare over other companies.

 

[dadsgravy]

Heh, I really hope you wrote that in an ironic way.

I'm not asking anyone to apologize for anything, like you say (why should they?). I just wanted a debate on the build here.
Windows love? I hope you can see that I try and keep this as non-biased as possible. The arguments about build quality are based on my own experiences on these products. I didn't make the MBP issues up to have an excuse to sell a MBP with a financial loss. That would be stupid.

..and who is talking about advertising? You sound like you wanted to air some sort of opinion, but couldn't find anywhere to put it. So I guess this thread was the lucky one.

Oh, there's no irony her Bud! As an Apple zealot and a high priest in the first church of Steve, it is my sworn duty to verbally eradicate all nay sayers. You are on double iwarning. If you choose to continue your slander against the one true OS, the itech gestopo will de-particleize your windows favoring existence.
And I have just now been told to tell you by three men that are under Steve, to tell you that there are no opinions, just solutions.

And Radndy Foreskin say's he's sorry you didn't enjoy your mac and that you should have taken your backsliding converting story to a windows board. Where you probably wouldn't have gotten flamed by an uber Apple geek jacked up on to much coffee and nothing better to do but be a D***!

 

[Carlsen]

Oh, there's no irony her Bud! As an Apple zealot and a high priest in the first church of Steve, it is my sworn duty to verbally eradicate all nay sayers. You are on double iwarning. If you choose to continue your slander against the one true OS, the itech gestopo will de-particleize your windows favoring existence.
And I have just now been told to tell you by three men that are under Steve, to tell you that there are no opinions, just solutions.

And Radndy Foreskin say's he's sorry you didn't enjoy your mac and that you should have taken your backsliding converting story to a windows board. Where you probably wouldn't have gotten flamed by an uber Apple geek jacked up on to much coffee and nothing better to do but be a D***!

Hehe, that's good stuff.

 

[Rod Rod]

Are you just that gullible and supseptable to advertising? I love Apple, but at the end of the day they are out to hustle a buck like everyone else. I did my research before I bought and decided Apple was for me.

Here's a tip to help your research: control command D, then mouse over a word. That will help you as you are susceptible to spelling errors.

 

[dadsgravy]

Here's a tip to help your research: control command D, then mouse over a word. That will help you as you are susceptible to spelling errors.

error! we only make one. Maybe two. or to. or too.

 

[snowmoon]

I've read the entire thread and there are a number of misconceptions.

1) People have unrealistic expectations of Apple hardware. You can't compare a P-M with a tumor for a battery to a C2D with a standard battery. The battery life on the MBP is in line with other manufactures with decked out 15.4" laptops. When on battery, turn down the brightness and enjoy 4 hours of battery life on a MBP doing "light duty" work.

2) Every problem that I or one of my Mac owning friends have run into has been quickly acted upon by Apple or our local Apple store. Even things as obscure as a small, barely noticeable, dust particle on the screen was taken, the entire screen replaced, and with a turnaround of 3 days. One good friend even works for a school district and let me tell you they have hundreds of Mac desktops and laptops with very few hardware issues.

3) Using other laptops requires using other OS's. The price I paid for my MBP is worth every penny if it means never having to reinstall windows even one more time. MS is so paranoid now that they treat their own customers worse than they treat the pirates. Pirating windows will lead to fewer headaches and wasted time than trying to follow the rule especially for those unfortunate enough like me to want to tinker, swap out hardware often, or have pre-SP2 product keys.

4) I spent months pricing out laptops and it's hard to find a equivalent laptop from a reputable OEM for less than the MBP once you get finished decking it out like the MBP is. Even if you do find one that can compete on price it still only comes with a half-baked windows OS, you can't even get them "naked" to run Linux.

5) Mac OSX is not Windows. "Think Different" is more than just a marketing slogan, it's true. You can't just buy a Mac and expect all your problems to be solved, you need to invest in the platform with a modicum of effort to learn the "Apple" way to do some of the same tasks that you are used to under windows. Apple even offers free classes at the stores to help people get a leg up on the platform. I was instantly more productive on the Mac compared to the PC, but for others sitting down with OSX the missing manual might be a good idea.

The person having trouble with support needs to be more aggressive with the tech people. I'm not sure if support is handled differently outside the US, but you need to bring up the issue with corporate.

My MBP is worth every penny that I spent and I expect it to be a workhorse for the next 3+ years.