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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > How is your MBP after a year of usage?

How is your MBP after a year of usage? (Page 2)
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pyrite
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Sep 13, 2007, 12:21 AM
 
I'd have to say I'm not overly impressed by the overall impression of this thread. It seems there is only a minority claiming to have a problem-free MBP after 1 year of use. I expected more from the Pro.
My GF's C2D Macbook is the mac I use most (I'm waiting for a flash-based MB/MBP or a next-g Mac Pro for myself), and it's been flawless for its first 9 months of use. It does, however, see minimal use when compared to the figures you guys are throwing around... probably 2-3hrs per day on avg. I've wanted a Pro for a while now, but now I'm having second thoughts...
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pjosborne
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Sep 13, 2007, 02:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by pyrite View Post
I'd have to say I'm not overly impressed by the overall impression of this thread. It seems there is only a minority claiming to have a problem-free MBP after 1 year of use. I expected more from the Pro.
Hmmm. Given that the OP wanted replies from people who use their machines heavily, and given people tend to complain when things go wrong (see my earlier post about my own MBPs issues) my impression is that overall reliability must be pretty good due to the low number of posts in this thread. I know other people with MBPs who have had a problem free first year.

We have a MB and a MBP in our house and I vastly prefer using the MBP (better screen res, better keyboard (personal preference I know), backlit keyboard and ambient light sensors). Despite all the issues I've had I'd still go for an MBP over an MB next time.

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The Placid Casual  (op)
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Sep 13, 2007, 03:20 AM
 
Yep, I will say I was after impressions from people who use their machines a lot more than average...

I can say on a very positive note that my Mother has a MBP, she uses it for email, and web browsing, maybe 2-3 hours a day. It is an original 1.83 cd machine, and has been impeccable. No issues, looks great cosmetically, and still going strong.

For me, the problems come when you cross the boundary in to the 'heavy use' area.

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The Placid Casual  (op)
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Apr 21, 2008, 09:10 AM
 
To raise this thread from the grave...

Mark me down for another dead Magsafe :/
     
Zeeb
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Apr 21, 2008, 09:37 AM
 
Ah well, since this thread has been resurrected I might as well chime in. My 2 year old MBP is used only about 4 hours per day and rarely leaves my apartment--except to go to the applestore for repairs. The optical drive, logic board, and camera have all failed -- applecare turned out to be a good investment after all. The upside is that if I experience one more failure during the year I still have the extended warranty I will have a good arguement for getting a replacement.

I still like the machine and enjoy it. There are a few minor scratches here and there but nothing too bad. The screen is excellent with perfect uniform backlighting(which is more than I can say for my new LCD tv) To be fair, the gateway laptop I owned before I got the mbp developed a bad power connector after 2 years--which of course was connected to the motherboard forcing me to buy a new computer since it was out of warranty. The whole reason I got the gateway was because there were physical stores I could go to at the time and avoid the hassle of UPS. Circuit City and Best Buy carried only the most out of date laptops at the time so those were out of the question. That was the only reason I got my first mac, by the time the gateway broke down all their stores had closed--but there was a shiny new applestore that had opened up in the meantime.
     
SierraDragon
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Apr 21, 2008, 06:37 PM
 
My 17" MBP is 1.5 years old, used daily, transported daily in nothing but a thin Incase sleeve. Before that a G4 PB. Neither 'book had any of the cosmetic or performance issues described by the OP.

A coworker beat up a TiBook pretty good with jewelry which sounds like what the OP may have done.

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Cold Warrior
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Apr 21, 2008, 06:39 PM
 
15" MBP (in sig) since October 2006. Still going strong. Knock on wood.
     
The Placid Casual  (op)
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Apr 24, 2008, 04:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by SierraDragon View Post
A coworker beat up a TiBook pretty good with jewelry which sounds like what the OP may have done.
I'm a guy, and not into my jewelery, not wearing rings or anything like that. In fact, I even make sure I take off my watch every time I use the machine so as not to cause scratches.

The marks on the hand rest are 'pitting', definite corrosion.
     
AppleOptionFour
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Apr 25, 2008, 02:06 AM
 
MBP C2D 2.2 (Summer 2007)

About 9 months of use. Frequently play WoW, about 3-4 hrs a night --> Graphics chipset died.

Should this be expected? Probably not, but hey....I do play a lot. Good thing logic boards are free for the first year.
     
moep
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Apr 25, 2008, 06:13 AM
 
I own a 17" 2.33 MBP, 18 Months old with 688 load cycles on the battery.
Quite happy with it, but i do feel that it's not quite as sturdy as my previous 17" G4 Albook which I used for over 2 years.

- I have tons and tons of those black dots on my left palm rest. The dots actually resemble the shape of my palm. I've had the same issue on my powerbook, but not nearly as significant. These dots aren't dirt, they are small pits caused by acidic skin and sweat. Apparently some people simply have acidic skin, some don't. Some of the dots on my MBP's palmrest are roughly 0.5mm deep so I actually get stuck in them when moving over the surface with a fingernail.
- the silver paint below the spacebar and the surrounding command-buttons is gone. I didn't use any solvents to clean it, it happened from everyday use.
- my first Magsafe broke after about 6 months, the second one is holding up fine due to the connectors.
- the little rubber feet on the bottom have gone AWOL. (why can't they just use flat ones like the new macbooks have!)
- the case has a significant dent to the outside just above the latch button.
- superdrive had to be changed 2 months ago as I could no longer burn CDs or DVDs. DU and Toast reported a laser-calibration problem if i remember correctly. I have Applecare though.
- the right palm rest above the superdrive isn't completely flush anymore (it's about 0.5mm above the plastic frame. happened when my mbp fell from the table while in my kensington bag )

most of these issues are purely cosmetical though, I'm very pleased how the machine is holding up for the amount of (ab)use it has to deal with.
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Eriamjh
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Apr 25, 2008, 07:28 AM
 
My 1.83G CD MBP needed a new battery after 13 months. Luckily, a secondary warrantee covered it. Otherwise, perfect.

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DKeithA
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Apr 25, 2008, 07:43 AM
 
My 15" 2.33 MBP (18 Months old) has been my sidekick the entire time I have had it. In other words, he gets used anywhere from 10-12 hours a day (8 hours at the office and another 2-4 at home at night). The screen is noticeably dimmer, which is my number one complaint; everything else is nearly perfect. I'm planning to upgrade to another maxed-out 15" MBP once the Montevina chips are in use.
     
naphtali
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Apr 25, 2008, 10:37 AM
 
The good news is there's a lot of stuff to protect your keyboard, trackpad and wristpad.

I've learnt my lesson with scratches and pitting on my old Al PowerBook, so I've got the moshi wrist and trackpad overlays, as well as a silicon cover for the keyboard.

They are all replaceable, so that should keep things nice, shiny and clean
     
ATC Ken
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May 2, 2008, 10:01 PM
 
I recently bought a 15" macbook pro to replace my aging G4 iMac and iBook. I now use my laptop as my desktop primarily but still want to travel with it. I'm concerned about getting scratches on my "baby" when I travel - specifically when I have to place it in the bin at the security checkpoint. TSA usually won't let you put anything else in the bin (rest your MBP on a sleeve, etc.) so you have to lay your laptop in there "naked". Any suggestions to avoid scratches in this situation? Bottom protection?

I know I can get the invisible shield bottom portion but looking for something less expensive that the TSA will let through.

Ken
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Simon
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May 3, 2008, 06:20 AM
 
Stop worrying. You're MBP has feet. That's your "bottom protection". My MBP sits in these TSA bins twice a wek. Still looks like new. You can place it in there and take it out yourself too. Nobody but me touches my MBP when I put it in there. As long as you place it in there carefully (just like you put your MBP on any table) you'll be fine.
     
Zeeb
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May 4, 2008, 08:23 AM
 
Originally Posted by ATC Ken View Post
I recently bought a 15" macbook pro to replace my aging G4 iMac and iBook. I now use my laptop as my desktop primarily but still want to travel with it. I'm concerned about getting scratches on my "baby" when I travel - specifically when I have to place it in the bin at the security checkpoint. TSA usually won't let you put anything else in the bin (rest your MBP on a sleeve, etc.) so you have to lay your laptop in there "naked". Any suggestions to avoid scratches in this situation? Bottom protection?

I know I can get the invisible shield bottom portion but looking for something less expensive that the TSA will let through.

Ken
Since the bin itself is plastic it won't scratch your MBP--I've gone through that process many times. The few air travel scratches I've got on mine occurred when the laptop came into contact with the buckle on my safety belt. I was being as careful as I could, but the belt just grazed across the side of it and left dark scratches--errrrr.
     
The Placid Casual  (op)
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May 6, 2008, 08:02 AM
 
A new update on my ever suffering MBP... it comes with both happy and sad news.

Well, the happy first. In my previous posting, I related that yet another Power Adaptor had died... And very happily, Apple decided to replace it out of warranty as I had had so much trouble. I have to say they were really efficient, and more than speedy in delivering it.

Ooook, on to the not so good. I had a CD come in from a client, put it in my drive to take some code off, and instead got the 'you have inserted a new CD' option box. I tried 4 other CD's (genuine software), and got the same message. The disks all worked fine in my other Mac and a friend's PC. DVD's work fine, but the MBP will not not read any CD I put in the drive. Joy. (I'm guessing the CD reading/writing laser in the drive is to blame).

I am just wondering if I am the BRINGER OF DEATH to this MBP (all my 15+ previous laptops from Apple have been pretty much faultless), or this machine was made on a Friday afternoon by the person who brings in the coffee...
     
ATC Ken
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May 6, 2008, 11:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by Zeeb View Post
Since the bin itself is plastic it won't scratch your MBP--I've gone through that process many times. The few air travel scratches I've got on mine occurred when the laptop came into contact with the buckle on my safety belt. I was being as careful as I could, but the belt just grazed across the side of it and left dark scratches--errrrr.
Thanks Zeeb...puts my mind at ease. Going on my first trip with it this weekend so we'll see how my new laptop fares!
2.5 Ghz MacBook Pro, 2GB Ram, 250 GB HD...major upgrade replacement for my recently sold iBook.

1.25 Ghz iMac, 17", 768 MB Ram, 160GB HD, SuperDrive, Airport Extreme..still a great desktop machine!
     
forumhound
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May 12, 2008, 06:23 AM
 
not impressed with 8 month old 15" mbp. two powerbrick burnouts, one superdrive, and a logic board. but the machine did survive a 2 foot tumble to concrete with only a small dent. i just got the wife a macbook, and it just feels more solid, like oldschool apples. i think apple should redesign the pro line to be more rugged. i am in fear everytime i take the mbp to the field to do a video shoot. I did that for years with a sony Tr3 with no problems...sorta, the harddrive went cold on everest. but there is no way i can pack an mbp on a royal enfield and ride to lhasa with it...that would be suicide. maybe i will take the wifes mb next time
FD

ADDED: just noticed a battery bulge (outercover of bat coming off inner case at lip) when I went to pick up the logic board repair job. Applecare said it was covered, but would take a month to replace. insane!
( Last edited by forumhound; May 16, 2008 at 11:20 PM. Reason: add another defect!)

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May 12, 2008, 07:06 AM
 
My nearly one year old 15" MBP has been working flawlessly and no problems (knocks on wood). I use it about 6 days a week and between 4 and 10 hours a day
     
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May 12, 2008, 02:15 PM
 
I've had mine since last August, other than my HD failing a couple of weeks ago, I haven't had any issues.
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ghporter
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May 12, 2008, 05:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by forumhound View Post
not impressed with 8 month old 15" mbp. two powerbrick burnouts, one superdrive, and a logic board. but the machine did survive a 2 foot tumble to concrete with only a small dent. i just got the wife a macbook, and it just feels more solid, like oldschool apples. i think apple should redesign the pro line to be more rugged. i am in fear everytime i take the mbp to the field to do a video shoot. I did that for years with a sony Tr3 with no problems...sorta, the harddrive went cold on everest. but there is no way i can pack an mbp on a royal enfield and ride to lhasa with it...that would be suicide. maybe i will take the wifes mb next time
FD
I have to wonder, from your two brick problems, whether your electrical power grid is as smooth as the computer really needs it to be. Not that the brick is particularly sensitive, but rather that a few good spikes can really hurt it badly. So please educate me on how reliable and consistent your electrical power is. And have your problems surfaced at home, at work, while traveling to specific places...? I mean, if a pocket surge suppressor (which can be had for less than $20 here) would save you that much trouble, maybe it's something to look into...

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SurfSkateJeep
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May 13, 2008, 03:05 AM
 
I use mine for school everyday which adds up to about 70 hours a week with just messing around also. It is still the fastest computer I have ever had, I bought it in the middle of my Senior year in High school(January 2006). Still runs like a champ, the place where my palms go has some blemishes(speckles). 3 or 4 pixels are burnt in the lower left corner of the screen, Dropped the thing when it was open, landed on a tool box on the screen and scratched the top right corner. Windows and AutoCad run flawless too.

The pits on the palms: I took it in under warranty and the guy said it was the lotion I wear on my hands, I told him I have never put lotion on my hands, then he said it must be the cologne I where, I told him I dont where any, he then says I have something on my hands that is corrosive. Its only ont he left hand side really bad, which is weird. I am a clean person and dont know why this happens.
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Zeeb
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May 13, 2008, 10:46 AM
 
Originally Posted by SurfSkateJeep View Post
The pits on the palms: I took it in under warranty and the guy said it was the lotion I wear on my hands, I told him I have never put lotion on my hands, then he said it must be the cologne I where, I told him I dont where any, he then says I have something on my hands that is corrosive. Its only ont he left hand side really bad, which is weird. I am a clean person and dont know why this happens.
Pfft. Don't you just love the lame attempt to deflect having to make a warranty repair? That mac genius was determined to pin it on you and went through his whole pre-scripted list of reasons. I put lotion on my hands in the winter and I don't have pits on my over 2 year old mbp so I don't think lotion makes a difference either way. I also wear cologne sometimes and that hasn't corroded it either.

Hmmmm, are you close to the ocean by any chance? Perhaps the aluminum doesn't hold up as well if there is more salt in the air.
     
The Placid Casual  (op)
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May 13, 2008, 11:33 AM
 
Got around to taking some pics earlier...















     
BoingoBongo
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May 13, 2008, 11:53 PM
 
Wear and tear is one thing, but I really don't think an expensive professional computer should have these kinds of problems.

As much as it pains me to say it, my 4 year old Dell Inspiron has held up so much better than any newer Apple laptop that I or my friends have. Of course it wasn't as stylish to begin with, but at least I never felt the need to be concerned with the toll that regular, everyday use would take on it.

A laptop is definitely a place where form cannot overpower function.
     
forumhound
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May 14, 2008, 12:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by BoingoBongo View Post

A laptop is definitely a place where form cannot overpower function.
I could not agree with u more Boingo. The problem is that consumers pretty much have to choose right now, one over the other. ya can't always get what u want, so the old man said. hi hopes for the next gen of pro models...

ps. those pics above pretty much says it all...cheap form!

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BoingoBongo
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May 14, 2008, 12:42 AM
 
Yeah, I have very high hopes for the next generation.
     
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May 14, 2008, 01:00 AM
 
After a month mine has a dying Superdrive. Not surprising, my MB had the same issue just a few days after being out of warranty.

Mac has that timed perfectly... almost. This time the repairs are on their dime and not mine. Ha!
     
Aviv H
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May 14, 2008, 02:42 AM
 
My Macbook Pro is running hot as it ever has. Still runs like an absolutely perfect piece of machinery. I obviously treat her like she's my baby. But, it's worth it to here her humming and feel her burning my flesh.

But, while I was designing MacBlogz, it ran perfectly. MacBlogz.com was the latest huge project that I put the MBP through. It's a blog that I've developed to aggregate and organize a lot of recent and up-to-the minute content regarding Apple and the online community.

Check it out here... MacBlogz � Homepage
( Last edited by Aviv H; May 14, 2008 at 02:42 AM. Reason: Link was displaying oddly)

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Aviv H
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May 14, 2008, 02:43 AM
 
proper link here : MacBlogz.com

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RevEvs
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May 14, 2008, 06:43 AM
 
I have a Core 2 Duo MBP (2.33), I think it must be 18months old now? Its perfect, running fine, no issues!

As posted earlier, its unlikely people with no issues will post, peopel only tend to post when something goes frong..

also, if not already posted, you may be interested in this: MacBook/MacBook Pro Reliability
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forumhound
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May 16, 2008, 11:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
I have to wonder, from your two brick problems, whether your electrical power grid is as smooth as the computer really needs it to be. Not that the brick is particularly sensitive, but rather that a few good spikes can really hurt it badly. So please educate me on how reliable and consistent your electrical power is. And have your problems surfaced at home, at work, while traveling to specific places...? I mean, if a pocket surge suppressor (which can be had for less than $20 here) would save you that much trouble, maybe it's something to look into...
Thanks for that and u are correct, the power grid in Nepal, India, Sikkim, Tibet, and China is less then desirable. But all these failures have happened in the office while using behind 1) inverter, 2) voltage regulator, 3) surge protected powerstrip. I am afraid to take them in the wild here, but what's the point if you can't? I always carry my own powerstrip with me outside the office, but heck, its still worriesome that the bricks are that fussy compared to sony and acer bricks that i have never seen fail in over 10 years of living here. At least apple is good at replacing parts, but in this part of the world, all items must be returned to singapore and a new one shipped out on receipt, this process takes anywhere between 1 week to 2 months. It's hard to run a biz with this kind of support... most folks think we are nuts being an all apple shop now, and i am starting to think the same! (but hell, ya gotta love macs no matter how bad they perform, its the architecture that really makes them shine, not the build quality).

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kenna
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May 22, 2008, 06:32 PM
 
Thinking of a Pro purchase within the next two months.

Currently saved about half of what is needed.

I'm thinking of getting this as well whilst I will be travelling daily and living in two different locations starting from September. I am a neat freak when it comes to gadgets, for instance I have a first generation iPod Nano and my headphones still work perfectly, my girlfriend has gone through around 3 pairs in less than the amount of time i've had mine.

So i'm not overly worried about the MBP's durability but this thread makes me wonder.

I could get a MB Black and not really have any problems with using that. It would suit my course (Teaching) and would be fine for general usage. But I really want the bigger screen, better keyboard and overall greater machine.

Durability is a major concern though, its an intense one year course and I really need a laptop at all times, I can really do without technical problems, I really want a machine that will work perfectly for a year and from what i've read i'm uncertain the Pro is capable of doing that?

Am I right in thinking this? This is my first plunge into the Mac World, I can't wait but i'll be disgusted if Apple's hardware sucks.
     
Randman
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May 22, 2008, 06:56 PM
 
My 17" has been the most problamatic of any Mac I've owned (which is quite a few) but I'd still say it's of a higher quality than many PC lappies.

This is a computer-generated message and needs no signature.
     
forumhound
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May 22, 2008, 10:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by kenna View Post
Thinking of a Pro purchase within the next two months.

Currently saved about half of what is needed.

I'm thinking of getting this as well whilst I will be travelling daily and living in two different locations starting from September. I am a neat freak when it comes to gadgets, for instance I have a first generation iPod Nano and my headphones still work perfectly, my girlfriend has gone through around 3 pairs in less than the amount of time i've had mine.

So i'm not overly worried about the MBP's durability but this thread makes me wonder.

I could get a MB Black and not really have any problems with using that. It would suit my course (Teaching) and would be fine for general usage. But I really want the bigger screen, better keyboard and overall greater machine.

Durability is a major concern though, its an intense one year course and I really need a laptop at all times, I can really do without technical problems, I really want a machine that will work perfectly for a year and from what i've read i'm uncertain the Pro is capable of doing that?

Am I right in thinking this? This is my first plunge into the Mac World, I can't wait but i'll be disgusted if Apple's hardware sucks.
Hi Keena! We must be kindred, I too an a neet freak and have a 1st gen shuffle that i still use and cherish. I am also big fan of keep it simple stupid. Just this month the logic board fried on my MBP while working in bangkok with my biggest client, so I took the timemachine backup of my MBP and went to the apple store and purchased a new white macbook (same specs as black one but smaller drive) and loaded the mbp timemachine backup and the 4 gigs of mem that i took out of the mbp. 30 minutes later i was back in business with the new box. inmo this is the #1 reason to own macs, little or no downtime is possible, no matter what happens (as long as u are near an apple store

The difference between the MB and the MBP as far as performance goes was unnoticeable, and I later tried everything before giving the new MB to the wife as a surprise gift. The project i was working on was FCP editing with some Adobe Photoshop/AfterEffects/Director work. The MB just whizzed thru that, just as the MBP does. But all my apps worked the same on the mb as on the mbp (entire Adobe master suite, Poser, Cinema 4d, Logic 8, Protools, and even Lord of the Rings).

I did miss the bigger wider higher res backlit screen while getting the work done, but that was it. I did not miss the keyboard however, as i prefer the MB keyboards...they feel more solid then the "pro" version. The mb keyboards have almost the same feel as the aluminum externals that i use and love. The MBP keyboard just feels cheesy. The mb in general feels like a solid brick, while the mbp, well, u've read the comments here.

So I was wondering when i got home why would anyone who was going to mostly use a laptop in clamshell mode hooked to external mighty mouse and external keyboard (like myself) would spend the extra bucks on an mbp...and the answer it seems - in my real-world experience - is: the higher resolution of the display chip in the mbp. Is that worth the xtra money? In my case yes. What about u?

Cheers,
FH

Dead MBP 2.2 4gig / New Aluminum iMacs / "Old" iPhones / 1st Gen Ipod Shuffle
     
Mike Pither
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May 25, 2008, 11:58 AM
 
I have an almost 5 year old 1.25mhz 15 inch powerbook (the first aluminium model) and is still in good condition. It gets used everyday and apart from a memory bank failure in the first few months has never given any problems, no cracking pitting, or breaking down - nothing. Guess I have been really lucky!
iMac DVSE 400 640mb + AL PB 15" with 1 gig + iMac 2,8 with 4gb + MacBook Pro 2,53 with 4gb
     
vexborg
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May 25, 2008, 03:41 PM
 
Works nicely - survied a drop to a tiled floor (due to cat chasing a fly), with only a tiny scratch on one side just next to the headphone port.

Harddrive is a bit more noisy now, but it all works!
The gene pool needs cleaning - I'll be the chlorine.
     
kenna
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May 26, 2008, 08:40 AM
 
Originally Posted by forumhound View Post
Hi Keena! We must be kindred, I too an a neet freak and have a 1st gen shuffle that i still use and cherish. I am also big fan of keep it simple stupid. Just this month the logic board fried on my MBP while working in bangkok with my biggest client, so I took the timemachine backup of my MBP and went to the apple store and purchased a new white macbook (same specs as black one but smaller drive) and loaded the mbp timemachine backup and the 4 gigs of mem that i took out of the mbp. 30 minutes later i was back in business with the new box. inmo this is the #1 reason to own macs, little or no downtime is possible, no matter what happens (as long as u are near an apple store

The difference between the MB and the MBP as far as performance goes was unnoticeable, and I later tried everything before giving the new MB to the wife as a surprise gift. The project i was working on was FCP editing with some Adobe Photoshop/AfterEffects/Director work. The MB just whizzed thru that, just as the MBP does. But all my apps worked the same on the mb as on the mbp (entire Adobe master suite, Poser, Cinema 4d, Logic 8, Protools, and even Lord of the Rings).

I did miss the bigger wider higher res backlit screen while getting the work done, but that was it. I did not miss the keyboard however, as i prefer the MB keyboards...they feel more solid then the "pro" version. The mb keyboards have almost the same feel as the aluminum externals that i use and love. The MBP keyboard just feels cheesy. The mb in general feels like a solid brick, while the mbp, well, u've read the comments here.

So I was wondering when i got home why would anyone who was going to mostly use a laptop in clamshell mode hooked to external mighty mouse and external keyboard (like myself) would spend the extra bucks on an mbp...and the answer it seems - in my real-world experience - is: the higher resolution of the display chip in the mbp. Is that worth the xtra money? In my case yes. What about u?

Cheers,
FH
Hey ForumHound,

Great reply thanks!

Yeah well I must be honest, i've been after an apple computer for over a year now, was originally taking the plunge on a 24inch iMac, but then decided against spending all that money when the household had just bought a new desktop - windows though.

So now my course is coming up in September and I really want to take the plunge on an apple product. I figured as I would be buying the MacBook Black or a MacBook Pro, the MacBook Pro was the shining laptop as it had everything a Pro laptop should in my opinion, top notch screen and graphics card and was an all round performer. The MacBook however, lacks screen size and led lighting, plus I like the idea of the Pro having a huge touchpad (is it bigger than a MacBooks?) and also the look of the MacBook isn't as good as the Pro's in my opinion.

But again what it comes down to is money, I think the MacBook would serve me perfectly, but i'm a tech nerd in someways (as much as I dislike to admit it) and so I really want to take the plunge on the best laptop Apple has to offer.

However you've nigh on switched my opinion in one post I could just get the MacBook Black with 2GB RAM which I think would run perfectly fine. To be honest I think that would suit my needs perfectly, I just wanted to watch videos etc on a 15inch screen rather than a 13 inch, but I suppose beggers can't be choosers and I really could do with the cheaper option.

I'm thinking of using my girlfriends Student discount anyways, which would make it £860 for MacBook Black, apple remote and iWork '08. I'd possibly up the RAM to 4GB for the extra £100, but the difference between prices is quite small really, when you look at the MacBook Pro with apple remote and Student discount as £1116.90. But then again i'd have to purchase iWork 08 or MS Office for extra 100.

Ahhhhhhhhh I think i've changed my mind now Hopefully get MacBook Black in a few weeks too

Heres what i'm using it for: Web Browsing, watching DVD's, playing music, writing essays, planning my year as a student (intense course), day-to-day travel, photo editing and other norms. I do like a lot of programs running at one time. Would the MacBook Black cope fine with that?

I'm going to make a thread similar to this one about MacBooks. I'll be back!

What would you do in my shoes?
     
forumhound
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May 26, 2008, 10:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by kenna View Post
Hey ForumHound,

Great reply thanks!

Yeah well I must be honest, i've been after an apple computer for over a year now, was originally taking the plunge on a 24inch iMac, but then decided against spending all that money when the household had just bought a new desktop - windows though.

So now my course is coming up in September and I really want to take the plunge on an apple product. I figured as I would be buying the MacBook Black or a MacBook Pro, the MacBook Pro was the shining laptop as it had everything a Pro laptop should in my opinion, top notch screen and graphics card and was an all round performer. The MacBook however, lacks screen size and led lighting, plus I like the idea of the Pro having a huge touchpad (is it bigger than a MacBooks?) and also the look of the MacBook isn't as good as the Pro's in my opinion.

But again what it comes down to is money, I think the MacBook would serve me perfectly, but i'm a tech nerd in someways (as much as I dislike to admit it) and so I really want to take the plunge on the best laptop Apple has to offer.

However you've nigh on switched my opinion in one post I could just get the MacBook Black with 2GB RAM which I think would run perfectly fine. To be honest I think that would suit my needs perfectly, I just wanted to watch videos etc on a 15inch screen rather than a 13 inch, but I suppose beggers can't be choosers and I really could do with the cheaper option.

I'm thinking of using my girlfriends Student discount anyways, which would make it £860 for MacBook Black, apple remote and iWork '08. I'd possibly up the RAM to 4GB for the extra £100, but the difference between prices is quite small really, when you look at the MacBook Pro with apple remote and Student discount as £1116.90. But then again i'd have to purchase iWork 08 or MS Office for extra 100.

Ahhhhhhhhh I think i've changed my mind now Hopefully get MacBook Black in a few weeks too

Heres what i'm using it for: Web Browsing, watching DVD's, playing music, writing essays, planning my year as a student (intense course), day-to-day travel, photo editing and other norms. I do like a lot of programs running at one time. Would the MacBook Black cope fine with that?

I'm going to make a thread similar to this one about MacBooks. I'll be back!

What would you do in my shoes?
easy, what i did: buy a white one and a plastic cover like this Apple Store (U.S.) - Speck SeeThru for 15-inch MacBook Pro to protect it inside that fancy bag and get attention. or maybe a clear one with the black MB, cause it's a fingerprint magnet...trust me....and i hate fingerprints. u can always replace the 160gb drive with a 250 if its too small later, then put the original inside an external 2.5 firewire 800 case and u are good to go for later on in life.

like i said, i would call myself a pro, but I don't consider the macbook pro a professional machine even though i am tied to one at the hip. we also have aluminum imacs and love those, but ya can't take that to school! so dont hit ur head on the wall too much, u cant go wrong no matter what mac u get really...well, maybe a mini would be silly...
cheers!

Dead MBP 2.2 4gig / New Aluminum iMacs / "Old" iPhones / 1st Gen Ipod Shuffle
     
kenna
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May 26, 2008, 10:59 AM
 
Originally Posted by forumhound View Post
easy, what i did: buy a white one and a plastic cover like this Apple Store (U.S.) - Speck SeeThru for 15-inch MacBook Pro to protect it inside that fancy bag and get attention. or maybe a clear one with the black MB, cause it's a fingerprint magnet...trust me....and i hate fingerprints. u can always replace the 160gb drive with a 250 if its too small later, then put the original inside an external 2.5 firewire 800 case and u are good to go for later on in life.

like i said, i would call myself a pro, but I don't consider the macbook pro a professional machine even though i am tied to one at the hip. we also have aluminum imacs and love those, but ya can't take that to school! so dont hit ur head on the wall too much, u cant go wrong no matter what mac u get really...well, maybe a mini would be silly...
cheers!
haha thanks FH, yeah I think I will chill and weigh up my options in a few weeks, I get a tax rebate this week and I should be able to afford a MacBook from 2 weeks today really, so I will be very tempted to take the plunge.

Do you know if apple will consider my student discount if i'm about to become a student? I have my time table and confirmation letter etc?

I think I just look at MacBooks as poor because they are bottom of the line, but as you say all should be looked at with respect because they are apple machines after all.

Do you know when WWDC is?

Cheers!
     
forumhound
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May 26, 2008, 11:19 AM
 
sorry keena, can't help u with any student discount details...have not been one in decades...but the thing about a mac, and i think i said this a couple of times, is that u can always recover from disaster easier then with a pc, and that's the beauty of the beast, at least in my case where disaster is always just around the corner...

Dead MBP 2.2 4gig / New Aluminum iMacs / "Old" iPhones / 1st Gen Ipod Shuffle
     
kenna
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May 26, 2008, 12:05 PM
 
True, I also like the idea of a wireless backup, to which I can always go back to.

Why are apples that much better than p.c's though? Do they do more regular back ups themselves?
     
forumhound
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May 26, 2008, 12:42 PM
 
Originally Posted by kenna View Post
True, I also like the idea of a wireless backup, to which I can always go back to.

Why are apples that much better than p.c's though? Do they do more regular back ups themselves?
Keena, its not just backups/restores usingTimemachine (which is so easy my dog could do it) its the fact that u can clone ur entire system on an external drive and then boot from it if you needed to...or restore from it...across different machines in the apple line. For example, say u had an imac desktop at home with a time machine restore on your external drive that u were carrying around with u on spring break along with with your laptop - maybe it also had some big files on it that u needed between the boozing and boffing - but you spilled beer on ur laptop and the harddrive fried but everything else worked. you could just boot from the external and it would be like running your desktop at home. Or if your desktop were close in application/data configuration, u could go to the beach Apple store and buy a new hardrive, replace the fried one, do a time machine restore of the OS to the new drive, and voila, ur desktop is now on your laptop. Or a dozen other scenarios like that! Personally, I had a critical mbp go south on me - the powerbrick died and there was no way to boot the thing, but I had a tm backup on an external as one would, so i just reinstalled that on an imac and 45 minutes later I was working again. U just cant do that on a pc...there is no way to transfer systems across hardware that quickly in the PC world. The only glitch in these cases was that some software (but not much) had to be re-activated using registration info and whatnot. But that's it. Cheers,
FH

Dead MBP 2.2 4gig / New Aluminum iMacs / "Old" iPhones / 1st Gen Ipod Shuffle
     
kenna
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May 26, 2008, 01:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by forumhound View Post
Keena, its not just backups/restores usingTimemachine (which is so easy my dog could do it) its the fact that u can clone ur entire system on an external drive and then boot from it if you needed to...or restore from it...across different machines in the apple line. For example, say u had an imac desktop at home with a time machine restore on your external drive that u were carrying around with u on spring break along with with your laptop - maybe it also had some big files on it that u needed between the boozing and boffing - but you spilled beer on ur laptop and the harddrive fried but everything else worked. you could just boot from the external and it would be like running your desktop at home. Or if your desktop were close in application/data configuration, u could go to the beach Apple store and buy a new hardrive, replace the fried one, do a time machine restore of the OS to the new drive, and voila, ur desktop is now on your laptop. Or a dozen other scenarios like that! Personally, I had a critical mbp go south on me - the powerbrick died and there was no way to boot the thing, but I had a tm backup on an external as one would, so i just reinstalled that on an imac and 45 minutes later I was working again. U just cant do that on a pc...there is no way to transfer systems across hardware that quickly in the PC world. The only glitch in these cases was that some software (but not much) had to be re-activated using registration info and whatnot. But that's it. Cheers,
FH
Thanks FH! Always good to hear more reasons to get a Mac!!! I'm thinking of taking the plunge on the Black MacBook I'll wait a few weeks and then have a hard think before going to the store and getting one Think i'll just take the 2GB RAM and concentrate more on getting MS Office and iWork, think i'll get both and then I can decide on which I prefer. Possibly get an external mouse and backpack so i'm fully fitted and ready for September

Thanks a lot FH just the advice I needed
     
Aron Peterson
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May 27, 2008, 03:35 PM
 
My MBP is in perfect condition but have to sell it as I have a computer at my new job.
( Last edited by Aron Peterson; Sep 28, 2014 at 07:37 AM. )
Web dev, Poe, faux-naïf, keyboard warrior, often found imitating online contrarians . My stuff : DELL XPS, iPhone 6
     
kenna
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Jun 15, 2008, 06:47 PM
 
I ended up going for the MacBook Black, I got 8% discount with Student Discount, very impressive as I didn't need to show them my acceptance letter or anything

I went with the BlackBook in the end as I felt it was more robust casing and that it was the obvious choice for throwing in a backpack and carrying to University everyday.

I maxed it out (4GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive) so performance should be good, I couldn't prove to myself that I needed the higher end graphics card for the simple things I do with a computer. Was a shame that 7200 RPM wasn't offered on the hard disk, but i'm impressed with Apples new prices on Ram, still expensive when compared to online stores but I figured i'd prefer everything in there Apple (not that its needed).

Anyways thanks for everyones feedback, I think I would have been happy either way.

Just hope I don't come into the problems noted here.
     
Simon
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Jun 16, 2008, 02:58 AM
 
Originally Posted by kenna View Post
Was a shame that 7200 RPM wasn't offered on the hard disk
Yeah, Apple only offers 7200 rpm on the pro models. You can of course buy a third-party HDD and install it instead of the stock drive. It's very easy to do on the MB. There are large and fast disks for not a whole lot at places like Newegg. If you're worried about your warranty you can have an AASP install the drive for you.

but i'm impressed with Apples new prices on Ram, still expensive when compared to online stores but I figured i'd prefer everything in there Apple (not that its needed).
On the MacBook the markup is not quite that horrendous as it used to be. Apple charges $200 for 4GB. The cheapest 4GB kit Newegg has is $80.
     
kenna
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Jun 16, 2008, 01:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by Simon View Post
Yeah, Apple only offers 7200 rpm on the pro models. You can of course buy a third-party HDD and install it instead of the stock drive. It's very easy to do on the MB. There are large and fast disks for not a whole lot at places like Newegg. If you're worried about your warranty you can have an AASP install the drive for you.

On the MacBook the markup is not quite that horrendous as it used to be. Apple charges $200 for 4GB. The cheapest 4GB kit Newegg has is $80.
Yeah I may try installing a third party HDD in a year or so Do external hard drives come at 7200rpm? And if so are they just as fast as having a hard drive internally? My idea is to have one external backing up my computer whilst another could be used as external storage (would contain majority of music etc)?

Yeah I couldn't believe the prices previously!! Was good to see them put it down, whilst its still overpriced i'd rather have everything Apple.
     
Simon
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Jun 16, 2008, 03:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by kenna View Post
Do external hard drives come at 7200rpm?
Most of them. Any decent 3.5" HD will be at least 7200 rpm.

And if so are they just as fast as having a hard drive internally?
A decent external 3.5" 7200 rpm HD hooked up through FW will be faster than the internal disk.
     
 
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