pls help: newbie needs some advice regarding MBP

[rickmeistah]

hello

i'm a newbie from asia and i will be going to the states for the holidays for a vacation and probably for a future purchase of a MBP i'm not quite sure if it's good decision to buy one right now because i've read issues pertaining to MBPs?

thanks in advance!


ricky

 

[skyrider007]

Everything Apple in the US is cheaper than anywhere in Asia, so my recommendation is if you're gonna be there - buy whatever machine you want that they have available during your visit. I just love shopping in America.

In the UK, Apple products can be up to 35% more expensive in the US. This applies to most electrical stuff (i.e. Bose, UK mark up is like 40%!!!!!! ).

 

[Neutral Gamer]

Loughborough!

In the UK, Apple products can be up to 35% more expensive in the US. This applies to most electrical stuff (i.e. Bose, UK mark up is like 40%!!!!!! ).

I hear you skyrider007, I bought my 17" MBP from America (well actually my friend bought it for me) and it worked out a hell of a lot cheaper (as long as Customs don't stop you at the airport!).

The funny thing is, despite the saving, I stil feel I spent a LOT on the laptop compared to other manufacturers. But then you have to pay for quality hey!

P.S. Loughborough, nice one mate! I wonder how many other MacRumors members reside / go to University in this great town ...

 

[skyrider007]

You must have saved loads of money with the 17" MBP! I wish they do HI-REs screen on the 15.4" screen.

P.S. Lufbra's a boozers uni and the town is quite crap, lol, love it here tho

 

[alienurbanite]

Actually...

Most of Apple's products are cheaper in Hong Kong because of the lack of taxes. The HK dollar is also pegged to the US dollar so you don't have the same currency issues as you would for other Asian countries...

 

[Neutral Gamer]

You must have saved loads of money with the 17" MBP! I wish they do HI-REs screen on the 15.4" screen.

P.S. Lufbra's a boozers uni and the town is quite crap, lol, love it here tho

I saved well over £400 but with the exchange rate being what is now, I could've saved a lot more! With the exception of the '@' and ' " ' keys being the wrong way round I'm pretty happy with my purchase.

P.S. Yeah, the town doesn't have anything special (nice size though) but as long as there's bars and alcohol what more would one want! Haha.

 

[rickmeistah]

actually, i've canvassed places already in HK and in the Phils. The prices are way cheaper in the states!

the only thing holding me back is the problem regarding keyboard usage in the MBP.. though i'm not sure if the keyboard problem is present in the pre-installed MBPs...


any pre-installed MBP owners around? care to share some light?


thanks!

 

[vanmacguy]

actually, i've canvassed places already in HK and in the Phils. The prices are way cheaper in the states!

the only thing holding me back is the problem regarding keyboard usage in the MBP.. though i'm not sure if the keyboard problem is present in the pre-installed MBPs...


any pre-installed MBP owners around? care to share some light?


thanks!

Hi there, I'm not really sure what you mean by preinstalled? I bought my MBP and it came with Tiger (10.4) and I have had no problems whatsoever with anything. The keyboard is flawless.

Cheers.

 

[rickmeistah]

Hi there, I'm not really sure what you mean by preinstalled? I bought my MBP and it came with Tiger (10.4) and I have had no problems whatsoever with anything. The keyboard is flawless.

Cheers.

thanks for the reply!

what i meant was the MBPs that come pre-installed with Leopard (new macbook pros with leopard) a lot of people from apple support forum say that the moment they upgraded their MBPs from tiger to leopard, horrible things happened like keyboard not working every now and then, wireless config loss after waking up the MBP, laggy performance after waking up the MBP from sleep, etc..

 

[scienide09]

A new OS is always a little buggy when it goes into mass release.

Apple will have their people working on a software update as soon as the major issues are identified and their causes determined. If you can buy while in the US and save some serious money, it's worth the hassles until a patch is out.

 

[vanmacguy]

thanks for the reply!

what i meant was the MBPs that come pre-installed with Leopard (new macbook pros with leopard) a lot of people from apple support forum say that the moment they upgraded their MBPs from tiger to leopard, horrible things happened like keyboard not working every now and then, wireless config loss after waking up the MBP, laggy performance after waking up the MBP from sleep, etc..

Ahh, I hadn't heard of those problems. As I'm still running Tiger for now and with my MBP coming with Tiger preinstalled, I can't help you regarding those concerns, sorry.

It sounds like you will save a lot of money by buying from the US, and like another poster said, I'm sure Apple are busily working on a resolution to the issues you mentioned.

Good luck.

Cheers.

 

[skyrider007]

actually, i've canvassed places already in HK and in the Phils. The prices are way cheaper in the states!

the only thing holding me back is the problem regarding keyboard usage in the MBP.. though i'm not sure if the keyboard problem is present in the pre-installed MBPs...


any pre-installed MBP owners around? care to share some light?


thanks!

Apple prices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo etc. can't be cheaper than the US(base price).

 

[rickmeistah]

yep! :d
thanks guys!

i just hope apple fixes these problems asap


cheers!

 

[cptpower]

As far as all the issues with MBP's that you've read about, I've found in the past (not necessarily with Macs, but with pretty much all consumer products) that the only people who make their voices heard are those that have problems.

While that isn't a bad thing, it can be daunting to people who are using forums such as this while shopping around.

I just want to let the OP know that, while there are some issues with MBPs, the majority of units that Apple sells are in great condition. I'm sure that is the case, because otherwise, I find it hard to believe that they'd be such a solid company.

As for my own machine, I just bought a MBP about a week ago. Upgraded to Leopard as soon as I opened it, and it has been running beautifully ever since (and pretty well non-stop as well ) Its a great machine, and if you save a bunch of $$ by purchasing it in the States while you're on your trip, I highly recommend to do so.