[Cottonsworth]

I'm glad to say that I am now an owner of a MacBook Pro 2.33 C2D 15" Matte! It's been a long ride for me (actually about a month) to finally upgrade from my 17" PowerBook G4 1.33. Originally, I planned to get a MacBook and move over to the MacBook threads but I don't fancy the way they act over there (just kidding). I did get a MacBook but it had so many problems that I eventually went with a MacBook Pro. So now, I can stay on the "Pro" threads and I wanted to post my initial thoughts on my MacBook Pro and for people considering getting one.

*Matte versus Glossy: This one really comes down to personal taste and you should check them out side by side. The reflection on the glossy is really minimal so that wasn't' a factor for me. While the glossy does produce more vibrant colors than the matte, what it came down to was displaying accurate colors for printing and eye strain. Matte has better color accuracy for printing, i.e. if you are editing photographs or anything else for print. But the biggest clincher was that I heard that glossy screens cause eye strain more than the matte. Since my eyes are sensitive, I didn't want to risk getting a glossy. Finally, there was been a very popular thread about the graininess or "speckles" on the MacBook Pro lcd, when compared to a PowerBook or MacBook. After close examination, I could notice the graininess or "speckles" but I would not have noticed unless someone pointed it out and it doesn't bother me at all.

*15" versus 17": Another concern was "downgrading" to a 15" screen after being lavished by the real estate of a 17" lcd. This ended up not being a big deal, the reality is that the difference between the two is actually only 1.6" since the 15" is actually a 15.4". What I really notice is the weight difference of carrying around a 15" compared to a 17". While a couple of pounds might not sound like a big deal, it really weighs you down when you have to walk around with it for an hour or so everyday.

*Airport: This is MUCH improved over the airport card in my PowerBook. Now I don't have to feel like a second class wireless citizen.

*Tips: I highly suggest for new owners to do a clean install of OS X when you get your machine and remove some printer drivers you do not need. When I originally booted the machine and did my Apple updates, it says that I had 93.11GB of available space. After doing a clean install and removing most of the printer drives (except for HP, which is probably the most likely printer you will run into if you need a printer drive on the fly, i.e. at work or school), my computer had 95.1GB of available space. So you get about 2GBs back!

*Gripes: I'm beginning to believe that Apple's quality control is going down. First, I had a lemon Black MacBook that went in for three repairs. Out of the box, my MacBook Pro has some uneven color issues with the LCD. It is not noticeable unless there is a solid color in the background. The latch seems to be a lot tighter, if not too tight. I really have to push down on the button hard to release the screen from the body and the screen seems to jerk back a little too rough for my tastes. After having nightmare repair scenarios with Apple on my MacBook, I'm just going to keep my machine as is. I don't want to risk them screwing anything up, so since my machine is running
flawlessly with the exception of the two points I just made.

*Conclusion: It is still a great machine and better than any PC made by HP, Gateway, Dell (yuck!) or anything else. I would highly recommend getting the Pro over MacBook. Besides the obvious larger screen, faster CPU, more memory, and MUCH better video card, I would suggest for me to weigh in the advantages of having a two firewire ports (especially the 800) and the expresscard slot and the expandability they will allow, especially in the area of fast, access storage. Bottom line is that I am very happy with my purchase!

Cheers everyone!

[mduell]

Originally Posted by Cottonsworth 

*15" versus 17": Another concern was "downgrading" to a 15" screen after being lavished by the real estate of a 17" lcd. This ended up not being a big deal, the reality is that the difference between the two is actually only 1.6" since the 15" is actually a 15.4". What I really notice is the weight difference of carrying around a 15" compared to a 17". While a couple of pounds might not sound like a big deal, it really weighs you down when you have to walk around with it for an hour or so everyday.

The 15(.4)" MBP has the same number of pixels as the 17" 1.33 PB, just in 18% less physical space.

[MrN79]

Originally Posted by Cottonsworth 

*Gripes: I'm beginning to believe that Apple's quality control is going down. First, I had a lemon Black MacBook that went in for three repairs. Out of the box, my MacBook Pro has some uneven color issues with the LCD. It is not noticeable unless there is a solid color in the background. The latch seems to be a lot tighter, if not too tight. I really have to push down on the button hard to release the screen from the body and the screen seems to jerk back a little too rough for my tastes. After having nightmare repair scenarios with Apple on my MacBook, I'm just going to keep my machine as is. I don't want to risk them screwing anything up, so since my machine is running flawlessly with the exception of the two points I just made.!

I agree with your quality control statement. The PPC versions were made sturdier or at least seemed that way, seems like the problems were minimal.

My new MacBookPro seems to have more cosmetic issues, fn keys not aligned properly, left shift key wobbles when pressed, things i can live with.