[fisherKing]

so, after all my whining about the new macbook (the screen, no firewire)...i bought one today.
2.4g, 4 gig ram. i needed a new notebook, and wanted small & light.

been on it six hours, and here are some first impressions...

the screen is ok; am getting used to it. altho it is not as good as the MBP screen, i'm not actually sitting next to a pro comparing; i'm just working (installing apps, moving files, etc).

it's bright enough, and i'll adapt. i redid the display profile, and am happy enough.

runs fast, not too hot. like the backlit keys, and the trackpad. have worked this mac hard today, it is keeping up.

a brief edit: colors are def a little washed-out on this screen (a shame...) but will live with it...

love the size (altho not as good as my 12" powerbook); still, thin is nice.

overall, am happier than i expected. one thing: apple offers this with logic express pre-installed.
logic express recommends a firewire audio interface...apple needs to think about this! i really wanted the apple-recommended, built-for-logic Apogee Duet, but it's firewire.

anyway, just a brief rant (to get me out of work mode for 5 minutes...)

[kylef]

Glad to hear that you liked it despite its flaws. I too have the 2.4GHz model (although only 2GB of RAM) and think it is great. As a recent 'PC-Mac switchover guy' none of the devices I used were connected via Firewire (and while an ExpressCard slot on the MacBook would have been great, size limitations) so the switchover was painless for me.

[Spheric Harlot]

Wow.

This is quite unexpected.

It *is* quite sexy when you see it in person, isn't it?

Good to see that you're positively surprised.

[Maflynn]

Congrats, I was sooo close to buying a MB over a MBP but the dual GPU sold me on the 15"

I love the form factor of the MB though, its a great computer, enjoy.

It is too bad that apple used a cheaper display panel on the MB and the colors are a bit washed out.

[fisherKing]

day 2... (i promise not to do this EVERY day)...

yeah, screen. it's the washed-out part that winds up disappointing me, more than the reflective quality of the screen...altho i've only used this so far at my desk. still prefer a matte screen, and my eyes seem to tire faster working on this mac.

otherwise, am good. am using a usb audio interface, and my external drives have both usb & fw. was surprised that my lacie portable drive powered from only the rear usb port (thought it would need both).

still, have to say this: would love to see firewire, and a better screen in the next revision (in which case my GF would get this macbook... )

[ghporter]

Is it "washed out" or is this an effect of adjusting the brightness too high? Maybe there isn't enough color saturation to support the level of backlight you have set?

Anyway, I'd run it by the Apple Store and see whether their display models are like this. If not, it sounds like exchange time to me.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Is it "washed out" or is this an effect of adjusting the brightness too high? Maybe there isn't enough color saturation to support the level of backlight you have set?

Anyway, I'd run it by the Apple Store and see whether their display models are like this. If not, it sounds like exchange time to me.

they're ALL like this: check out colors like orange, black... saw this at 2 apple stores, best buy, another apple store (it's nyc, and i walk a lot).

will enjoy using this mac all the same...

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Is it "washed out" or is this an effect of adjusting the brightness too high? Maybe there isn't enough color saturation to support the level of backlight you have set?

It's just plain lack of contrast.

You can calibrate it a bit, but that's just the way those display panels are.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

It's just plain lack of contrast.

You can calibrate it a bit, but that's just the way those display panels are.

yeah, calibration helped a lot, but...still not a great display. meanwhile...am happy enough with this mac, and am no longer envying my GF's 12" powerbook...

[freudling]

I am sure the screen is yards better than the 12" PowerBook's...

[polendo]

Originally Posted by freudling 

I am sure the screen is yards better than the 12" PowerBook's...

Sorry to interrupt. Im amazed of the quality of yesteryear´s Apples LCD. Right now I do have dual USB iBook G3, MBP (early 08) and Macbook (early 08) and in my humble opinion the iBook screen is awesome (less taking it outside) compared to the other two. Maybe I just haven´t calibrated them correctly. I would like to think the Powerbook screen is also great.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by polendo 

Sorry to interrupt. Im amazed of the quality of yesteryear´s Apples LCD. Right now I do have dual USB iBook G3, MBP (early 08) and Macbook (early 08) and in my humble opinion the iBook screen is awesome (less taking it outside) compared to the other two. Maybe I just haven´t calibrated them correctly. I would like to think the Powerbook screen is also great.

Really?

My 12" Powerbook's (Rev. A) screen sucked. I loved the machine, but the screen just...wasn't good.

The 15" Powerbook (1.5 GHz) that followed it was AMAZING in comparison.

The early 2008 LED-lit MacBook Pros' display quality blows any PowerBook clear out of the water, though.

The plastic MacBooks are chancy - depending on what panel you got, they're either pretty good, pretty so-so, or ****.

[polendo]

Spheric,
I´m believing to think that my MBP´s screen needs some serious calibration, since like I said.. in all truthness the MBP looks washed out compared to the dual usd iBook. You mention the LED early 08 MBP screen is quite better than any Powerbook.. do you have one? if do, did you calibrate the screen or just out of the box you found it pretty good?
If I had to rank them, iBook, MacBook (early 08) and then MBP matte (early 08).
regards

[gooser]

i've never owned a powerbook, macbook, or macbook pro, but i do own an ibook and i have to say this thread makes me feel better about it.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by polendo 

Spheric,
I´m believing to think that my MBP´s screen needs some serious calibration, since like I said.. in all truthness the MBP looks washed out compared to the dual usd iBook. You mention the LED early 08 MBP screen is quite better than any Powerbook.. do you have one? if do, did you calibrate the screen or just out of the box you found it pretty good?

Out of the box.

I spent a lot of time with both the Powerbooks and the MacBook Pros, and professional opinions seem to agree that the LED-based matte-screen MBPs even beat out the last-generation 15" Powerbooks.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Out of the box.

I spent a lot of time with both the Powerbooks and the MacBook Pros, and professional opinions seem to agree that the LED-based matte-screen MBPs even beat out the last-generation 15" Powerbooks.

the 12" powerbook screen sucked (i had the last-gen, and my ex had the 15"; her screen [I]killed[I] mine... my GF's 12" (1.33g) screen PALES next to the new macbook.

am watching a movie on the macbook. good picture, really..but i still hate the glossy screen.
am watching the movie, and watching my GF watch the movie at the same time... matte screens rule!!

[Hawkeye_a]

I too noticed the "washed out" look initially on my MacBook 2.4. It appeared washed out at all brightness levels.

So i went into System Preferences>Displays>Color and created a new profile with the "gamma" set to the "PC level" as opposed o "Mac level". The blacks appeared more black and overall the picture appeared less washed out.

Cheers

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

I too noticed the "washed out" look initially on my MacBook 2.4. It appeared washed out at all brightness levels.

So i went into System Preferences>Displays>Color and created a new profile with the "gamma" set to the "PC level" as opposed o "Mac level". The blacks appeared more black and overall the picture appeared less washed out.

Cheers

changing the display profile was the first thing i did when i got this, and it IS BETTER (but i still wish this had the same display as the pro, which is really great...)

my trackpad click is loud; anyone else? am trying the tap-to-click option...
otherwise, am enjoying the macbook.

[burdendds]

Originally Posted by fisherKing 

changing the display profile was the first thing i did when i got this, and it IS BETTER (but i still wish this had the same display as the pro, which is really great...)

my trackpad click is loud; anyone else? am trying the tap-to-click option...
otherwise, am enjoying the macbook.

You can actually adjust the amount of pressure required to make the pad click by turning the triangular screw in the compartment under the battery. Once you get the click "amount" to where you like it you can put a thin cloth (I used a piece of polishing cloth) between the pad and the battery to silence it.

Love this Macbook....

[polendo]

I will give it a try with a new profile using PC gamma setting.

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

I too noticed the "washed out" look initially on my MacBook 2.4. It appeared washed out at all brightness levels.

So i went into System Preferences>Displays>Color and created a new profile with the "gamma" set to the "PC level" as opposed o "Mac level". The blacks appeared more black and overall the picture appeared less washed out.

Cheers

I've done this on every Mac I've used. I've always thought Mac's looked washed out with the default display settings. I notice this every time I go to an Apple store. It's even more noticeable with the Leopard Aurora background.

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

So i went into System Preferences>Displays>Color and created a new profile with the "gamma" set to the "PC level" as opposed o "Mac level". The blacks appeared more black and overall the picture appeared less washed out.

I had a similar problem when I first switched to Mac. I use a color profiling software but Apple does come with their free version. It seems the problem is that Mac's default gamma is set to something like 1.8 whereas PC gamma is something like 2.2. This just means that Macs look brighter and more washed out. I profile my monitors to gamma 2.2

Even if you are not a professional in the digital imaging field it's a good idea to color profile your monitor so that you get better viewing results and this also increases the chances of everyone seeing the same thing on their computers. This is especially important when buying color sensitive items on the internet such as clothes.

[fisherKing]

i will say this: no matter how i calibrate the screen, colors ARE somewhat washed out. i see this watching dvds (which are bright, clear...but the colors are not so deep). c'mon apple!

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by fisherKing 

i will say this: no matter how i calibrate the screen, colors ARE somewhat washed out. i see this watching dvds (which are bright, clear...but the colors are not so deep). c'mon apple!

You are not the first person to report this problem. It seems that the new Macbooks can't achieve the rich dark colors. It does seem like a step backwards which was a big complaint when laptops were first introduced. They couldn't achieve true blacks which helps to get the deep rich colors that a traditional CRT monitor could. It's not that the technology isn't there because other flat screen monitors can do it and the MBP is reported as better than the MB.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by EndlessMac 

You are not the first person to report this problem. It seems that the new Macbooks can't achieve the rich dark colors. It does seem like a step backwards which was a big complaint when laptops were first introduced. They couldn't achieve true blacks which helps to get the deep rich colors that a traditional CRT monitor could. It's not that the technology isn't there because other flat screen monitors can do it and the MBP is reported as better than the MB.

the mbp is much better; deeper colors, and less reflective. if only apple offered a 13" mbp (ie better screen, and firewire).

but again, am enjoying this mac overall...

[amazing]

Well, just try this for your movies--and you'll wince when you hear the suggestion--but just try it for when you're watching movies or doing non-color-critical work:

--set your color to Adobe RGB (you'll have to uncheck the box so as to show all the choices.)

You can always change it back when you need more appropriate color, such as with photos. Works much better than calibration for me...

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by amazing 

Well, just try this for your movies--and you'll wince when you hear the suggestion--but just try it for when you're watching movies or doing non-color-critical work:

--set your color to Adobe RGB (you'll have to uncheck the box so as to show all the choices.)

You can always change it back when you need more appropriate color, such as with photos. Works much better than calibration for me...

i WILL try this, but found a calibration online ("JC Display"...actually says "JC Diplay") that i tweaked a bit...works great overall...

[thechidz]

Originally Posted by fisherKing 

overall, am happier than i expected. one thing: apple offers this with logic express pre-installed.
logic express recommends a firewire audio interface...apple needs to think about this! i really wanted the apple-recommended, built-for-logic Apogee Duet, but it's firewire.
..)

yes yes yes! This was a huge middle finger to apogee I think and is why I will not be switching to the new model until apogee can recover somehow

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by thechidz 

yes yes yes! This was a huge middle finger to apogee I think and is why I will not be switching to the new model until apogee can recover somehow

apogee has said that there will be no usb version of the duet, just the firewire one... shame (and apple's issue, not apogee's).

[MacTheRiverRat]

Well I finally ordered a mac from the mothership. I ordered it Dec 2 . I watched it travel from SHANGHAI CN to ANCHORAGE, AK to MEMPHIS, TN and now sitting somewhere in the Fedex system coming to Little Rock over the weekend. Oh well I guess a few more days won't hurt. Too bad Apple doesn't have a store in Little rock yet. Rumors say that one is coming but in this Economy who knows when that will be.

10.4.11
900 Mhz
PowerPC G3
384 MB SDRAM
40 gig HD

to

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
250GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
SD 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)

Its a far cry from my old 128-k mac that's sitting over on the shelf in the corner with the rest of the model T mac's.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by MacTheRiverRat 

Well I finally ordered a mac from the mothership. I ordered it Dec 2 . I watched it travel from SHANGHAI CN to ANCHORAGE, AK to MEMPHIS, TN and now sitting somewhere in the Fedex system coming to Little Rock over the weekend. Oh well I guess a few more days won't hurt. Too bad Apple doesn't have a store in Little rock yet. Rumors say that one is coming but in this Economy who knows when that will be.

10.4.11
900 Mhz
PowerPC G3
384 MB SDRAM
40 gig HD

to

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
250GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
SD 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)

Its a far cry from my old 128-k mac that's sitting over on the shelf in the corner with the rest of the model T mac's.

What does this have to do with this thread?

[MacTheRiverRat]

Originally Posted by freudling 

What does this have to do with this thread?

Well I'm sorry ! i didn't know I was supposed to post 10,000 to 20,000 posts a year here! i've been reading MACNN for years.

You know the start of the thread stated " new macbook, first impressions"

[thechidz]

Originally Posted by fisherKing 

apogee has said that there will be no usb version of the duet, just the firewire one... shame (and apple's issue, not apogee's).

Oh I know that this is completely apple's bad I just meant I wont be supporting any of apple's new products until apogee is helped on this issue somehow

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by thechidz 

Oh I know that this is completely apple's bad I just meant I wont be supporting any of apple's new products until apogee is helped on this issue somehow

nothing will happen; mbp (and desktop mac) users will get the duet, and macbook users (like me) will use a usb audio interface.

am seriously disappointed with apple, but...prefer os x, so a mac is the way to go (and, again, am enjoying this macbook, despite it's flaws...)

[Proudest Monkey]

Overheard at Micro Center Minneapolis this weekend:

Guy "Those are the new MacBooks - they suck"
Gal "Why?"
Guy "They switched the screen and it does not have firewire"
Gal "If they switched the screen isn't that an indicator the market will go that way and everything will be like that? Might as well get used to it now instead of hanging on to nostalgic computers that won't be able to run new software?"
Guy "Well maybe, but I still prefer the older screen and firewire"
Gal "Aren't they talking about USB 3? Isn't that supposed to be faster than firewire? I think firewire is out, especially since PC manufacturers didn't pick up on it and the iPod abandoned it. I think Apple knows it's not widely accepted and just quit adding costs to computers with it."
Guy "I suppose so"

It’s not verbatim but a brief synopsis. I went there to check out some of the issues identified in these forums but I’m going forward with a purchase of a new MacBook after Christmas.

Anyways, I'd have to agree with the gal. I didn't chime in, but she made some valid points.

Thoughts?

[MacTheRiverRat]

Ok . Here's my take on new Macbook 13"
My setup:
Macbook 13"
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
250GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
SD 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)

Easy setup, track pad will take a little getting use too. I my self use my old imac mouse and it works great. Speeds are way,way faster that my older ibook. Ok so I'm a little behind of the learning curve of 10.5. I'm not a power user. I do a little web-page building with Freeway Express. Gloss screen I don't mind as long as there isn't bright lights behind me making a glare. So far no bugs and I hope it stays that way. There are still a lot of thing to figure out coming from a ibook 900 Mhz 10.4.11

Some programs I will have to look into to see how they port from 10.4 to 10.5 I may just get new programs as $ come's up. I did get the 2.4Ghz and 4SDram as new program will need these I'm sure.

So far IMHO it's a Home run out of the box.

[thechidz]

Originally Posted by fisherKing 

nothing will happen; mbp (and desktop mac) users will get the duet, and macbook users (like me) will use a usb audio interface.

am seriously disappointed with apple, but...prefer os x, so a mac is the way to go (and, again, am enjoying this macbook, despite it's flaws...)

well unless the new 17in mbp has firewire 400 they wont be able to make use of the duet either because dont the new mbp uni's only have fw800? and the macpro isnt really portable so there goes the main advantage of the duet...

[Simon]

Originally Posted by thechidz 

well unless the new 17in mbp has firewire 400 they wont be able to make use of the duet either because dont the new mbp uni's only have fw800?

FW800 is 100% compatible with FW400. All you need is an adapter plug or a 9 pin to 6 pin cable.

[MacTheRiverRat]

When I did get my Mac book via Fedex via China, Alaska, Memphis, Little Rock. When I did my first Software updated there was a bunch of downloads. I thought this came straight from the factory floor in China where someone was making sure that all US updated would be installed. Its no problem to download them. I guess they make a big batch of them and ship them when ordered. Also like the new keyboard compared to my old ibook. Boot up time 15 to 20 seconds.

[Cold Warrior]

Well I ordered a MacBook two weeks ago and UPS says they can't find the delivery address even though they deliver there every day.

UPS is the worst shipping company.

[MacTheRiverRat]

Man that's the dump's. After I ordered it from the Mothership I watched it travel on the Fedex site. It got hung up over the weekend from Memphis to Little Rock. I figured it was in the Fedex Little Rock terminal. I sure hope UPS gets their act together and gets your Macbook to you. I was waiting for Apple to open a store in Little Rock as some rumors have stated. I guess the current economic slowdown has slowed Apple plans for opening new store's.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

Well I ordered a MacBook two weeks ago and UPS says they can't find the delivery address even though they deliver there every day.

UPS is the worst shipping company.

No, DHL is the worst. UPS is just not so great at handling changes in volume, and right now they have LOTS of it. I try not to order anything I'm very anxious to get by some particular date (or "quickly") after about December 1 if UPS is the shipper. Their process is to hire temps during the rush for everything from sorting to delivery, and that means they screw up pretty frequently during the Christmas rush.

Deep breath... and another... Your MacBook will show up soon. Om..... Seriously, check with their central office and they should be able to fix things. I want to hear what you think about the new MB because we're looking at one in January.

[Proudest Monkey]

I vote for a tie for the worst 2 delivery corporations. UPS arrives at my office everyday and announces "UPS Delivery" when there is no one at the receptionists desk (as if we should run up there or something) and DHL was so terrible they are leaving MInneapolis.

Sidenote; why did you order your MacBook? BTO? No Apple Stores or Best Buy's or other shops?

Originally Posted by ghporter 

No, DHL is the worst. UPS is just not so great at handling changes in volume, and right now they have LOTS of it. I try not to order anything I'm very anxious to get by some particular date (or "quickly") after about December 1 if UPS is the shipper. Their process is to hire temps during the rush for everything from sorting to delivery, and that means they screw up pretty frequently during the Christmas rush.

Deep breath... and another... Your MacBook will show up soon. Om..... Seriously, check with their central office and they should be able to fix things. I want to hear what you think about the new MB because we're looking at one in January.

[MacTheRiverRat]

I ordered my Macbook via the Mothership via China,Alaska,Memphis,Little Rock. It was ordered o dark thirty on the morning of the 2nd of December which was Tuesday. It took 3 to 4 Business shipping days to get here via fedex. The weekend kind of screwed it up a little but it's sitting in front of me now.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Proudest Monkey 

UPS arrives at my office everyday and announces "UPS Delivery" when there is no one at the receptionists desk (as if we should run up there or something)...

Not to side track this, but at least UPS's main offices listen to customers and WILL make things right. Not so with DHL. And remember, YOU are the customer so tell 'em that you resent having their driver act like he's in charge. They do listen.

We now return to our regularly scheduled discussion of the new MacBook...

[fisherKing]

so i'm in week 2, and all is good. this thing is fast, heat isn't bad. the screen is livable (i still don't like glossy);
set it up so there's no light behind me, so no annoying reflections. bright enough (still wish color was better).

stable. light. backlit keyboard is great. trackpad is great (altho a bit too responsive)... will manage without firewire (altho giving up on my preferred audio interface, the apogee duet...sigh...)

i wanted small & light, and got it.

[amazing]

fisherking: how is the glossy screen when you take it to different locations where you can't control the lighting? the library? a coffee shop?

Thanks for the updates--and keep them coming!

[MacTheRiverRat]

I do think that there will be issues with the gloss screen if one takes his or her Macbook a different location ie library, coffee shop. I wonder if there is such a non-gloss screen would have been better from a glare standpoint problem issue. I only have 2 places that I use my ibooks/macbooks. Thats home and work. The keyboard and 10.5.5 is what I'm impressed about coming from a ibook 10.4.11 Ok so I'm a little behind on upgrading from time to time. So few or no issues porting apps over to 10.5. Even Apple works, 2003 Quicken are working fine. I do have the urge to go out and buy all new apps to replace the ones I have that will do the job just fine. I figure that buying spree will come soon enough for the latest and greatest bell's & whistles. Jezzz, I already have a wish list started on my desktop. Strange my dad brought a SE-30 and a laser printer, iomega drive for about $10.000 back about 1985/86 I think. I don't know if that the right cost but I do remember it was a arm & a leg. Still got the SE-30 collecting dust in my storage room somewhere.

[MacTheRiverRat]

I'm sure everyone's been to the Mothership and seen this!
http://tinyurl.com/3zomzw

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by amazing 

fisherking: how is the glossy screen when you take it to different locations where you can't control the lighting? the library? a coffee shop?

Thanks for the updates--and keep them coming!

waiting for my booq sleeve...only used this at home (desk, couch, bed).
as long as there's no light behind me it's fine.

if you go to an apple store, it's the perfect place to see what's wrong with the macbook screen..it reflects the lights in the store, and the color is not as vivid as the macbook pro's (whose screen is also less reflective than the macbook).

my beloved 12" powerbook (which, i have to admit, i am NOT missing), sucked next to the same-gen 15" powerbook screen, so i guess this is apple procedure...still...a shame...