[Norse]

This is my first time posting something after reading MacNN for about 2 weeks. The information is very good. My situation is I am looking for a new Notebook (not laptop because thats a rare find) I currently have a Toshiba that is about 8+lbs. Not very backpack friendly. I have always wondered what life might be like if I left the world of windows. I figured out that the programs that I use on a daily basis on my PC I can use on a Mac. However, I like games and video and photo editing so power is important. So why haven't I "made the switch"? It's because I want to make sure I buy something that I wont regret. I have been down that road already with that brick of a notebook I have now.

The Notebook I'm looking at is the MBP 15" with 256 vid and 512 ram (I plan on upgrading not with apple ram to save $)

Now heres the part that I'm most interested in. Every time I check here, I see only NEGATIVE posts. Once and a while some brave soul stands before everyone and says "my macbook pro is wonderful and was a great decision." This is a chance for all those happy owners to speak out and say something POSITIVE. I read a post that was nothing but some guy going on forever about how upset he was. Other post have stories of enough lemons to supply lemonade to the world! Thats life. It happens. NOTHING is perfect, I'm sorry to say.

I have visited the stores, talked to salesmen, owner, perspective owners, so I'm not walking into this blind. I know they get warm. That's just something we all will have to live with. And yes I know your powerbooks and ibooks ran cool and calm. Thats wonderful. I know what I might be getting into. I just would like some help with this transition to make a smart purchase.

Thanks for listening and helping me out!

[icruise]

Please don't just Macs by what you read here. Few people take the time to post that nothing is wrong with their computers. Plus, Mac users are the pickiest group of people in the world. That said, I think there have been some issues with this first generation of MacBook Pro. I wouldn't necessarily let that dissuade you from buying one. Just know what to look for.

[cla]

If I got a defective computer and knew my way around the internet, the first place I would turn to would be the major Mac forums (MacNN being (one of?) the largest).

I'm a three time 'changer' myself:
Mac OS 6, 7, 8, 9, Windows XP and Mac OS X.
Three months ago I switched back to Windows XP.

While sitting here comfortably in my couch on a Dell Inspiron 9400, the things I miss the most from Mac OS are the iLife apps and Adium (which has nothing even close to it in Windows terms).

In about two weeks I'm switching jobs and then I'm all Mac again. I'm looking forward to it, even though I prefer a customized Start menu in front of the Dock and the Sidebar (which I consider failures UI-wize).

Anyway, thanks for reading this. Not much of a help - all I really wanted to say is: welcome to the MacNN forums! :>

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by dflick

And yes I know your powerbooks and ibooks ran cool and calm.

Not in the least, as anyone with a later-model PowerBook will attest. The later PowerBooks had an aluminum case, just like the MacBook Pros, so they radiated lots of heat. Maybe not quite as much as a MBP (I haven't actually seen a MBP in person yet), but there were still just as many complaints about some of the PowerBooks.

Anyway, like I said, I don't have a MBP myself, but my boss bought the first 15" model right after they were announced. He's very happy with it. Congratulations on considering a Mac, and welcome to MacNN.

[Thraxes]

Just do what I am doing:

Ordering an MBP next week "yay for me". Getting the RAM and an external 2.5" Firewire drive from a local store... along with a tube of Arctic Silver

Next to the store there is a home-depot kinda place and I will be getting a nice new Toolset aswell - that I needed anyway for other projects.

You can see where this is heading of course.
If that thing is hothothot it will get screwed!
(and I know what is considered hot... I've dealt with quite a few laptops with desktop P4 CPUs in them!)

But do consider I have torn appart quite a few laptops in my day, almost all of them without any instruction or guide and they all survived. Couple that experience with the detailled instructions posted everywhere on the web - what could possibly go wrong!?
*famous last words*

I will make a sacrifice to the all-mighty murphy before I begin this disassembly though .

[mpancha]

Well, I don't have a MBP yet, I'm not planning on buying one until mid-late 2007 when the next generation MBP should come out (if history proves correct, it should be next year for rev2, maybe even later this year, and hopefully a rev3 in late 2007/early 2008). One thing I have found is that it takes Apple 3 tries to get things sorted out with all the kinks ironed out. Just my observation, don't jump on me if you believe otherwise.

If you need the laptop soon, and you're set on an Apple, the MBP is a great package.

If you're still deciding, I just bought my wife an HP Pavillion dv1000, weighs the same as a MBP (I checked), nice bright widescreen, and they've had remotes in them for quite awhile. Pretty solid machine for a PC.

As for the forum, the one thing you should realize, true not many people praise Apple, but you get the truth. That's one thing that you won't find in many other forums. Welcome to the forum!

[slffl]

Pretty much every product message board is filled with problems and complaints. I would either try one out myself (14 day return policy at apple stores) or read reviews from the major tech websites.

[flashboy]

don't know much on Notebook gaming, but if there are games you play often check and make sure they run Universal first.

can't give you personal experiences cuz I have an iMac but here are some links to read.

http://www.tuaw.com/category/macbook-pro/
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macbookpro.ars
http://www.macworld.com/2006/02/firs...look/index.php
http://www.macworld.com/2006/05/revi...bpro/index.php
(this link has 15inch benchmarks as well.)

good luck.

[dahcar]

I am a recent switcher. It took me about 4 months to pull the trigger, but I did when the MBP was announced and have no regrets. I use a pc at work, and everyday I realize how much more I like OSX. I got one of the first shipments of 15" MBPs in late Feb. Had it not been for this msg board, I wouldn't have noticed the slight whine in my computer, but it doesn't bother me. As for the heat, maybe mine runs cooler than most, because it's just a hot as any other notebook. It doesn't stop me from using it on bare legs. I am a very picky person, and this computer has exceeded my expectations. The only thing that I wish I would have done differently is gotten a larger hard drive. I know I can probably install another one, but I'm paranoid about opening it up. Besides, if you want to run windows that badly, you can dual boot with windows now.

Join us, dflick. The grass is greener on this side.

[Maggies Mama]

Hallelujah! Someone with an open mind about these machines, and the realization that the average poster here is not necessarily the average user (in terms of purchase experience).

I've had my MBP 15 for about three weeks. I am really enjoying it--with no complaints, no problems. Yes, it does run a bit warm. No, I don't have warped lids, or ill-fitting panels, or screen flicker, or any of that (mine is a Week 17 production machine).
For me, the MBP and MacOS have made computing FUN again. It's been a long time.
Sure, there has been some lost time, getting used to a new OS and some new programs. But it is truly fun stuff (IMHO)!
I say go for it (depending on how important the game programs are to you, and whether they are available for Mac. But, see more below).

Okay, now here's my mini-rant and story.
I've been on Windows since the early 90's (does anyone remember Windows 3.11? Then I went to Windows 95, Win98, W2K, WinXP. All of our machines at work are WinXP.
Have been intrigued with Apple/Mac for a looong time (remember the famous 1984 commercial during the Super Bowl? I don't remember the game, I remember the commercial. But I'm dating myself). Always had my laptops supplied to me--with Windows installed. And I use some software that is Windows-only.

So, I recently had the chance to make my own purchase. While I was still deciding, looking at Dell etc., Apple announced BootCamp, and I learned of Parallels. For BC, instant native compatibility with Windows apps! And let me tell you, Parallels is great. I highly recommend it to run any combination of VMs you desire. I've installed WinXP and the Windows-only apps into BootCamp and into Parallels. Both work fine. I would think that BootCamp would be perfect for any Windows-only games you want to run. Anyway, it's hard to explain, but it is just a more enjoyable experience for me, the slick MBP look and feel, and the OS, vs. Windows etc. Not that I'm knocking the alternative, they (Win, Dell, etc.) do their job. Again, for me, it's a user experience thing that translates to more enjoyment. Would I be writing like this about my WinXP system? I think not.

So, I say go for it! Take the plunge. Have fun.

--Dave
MBP 15 -- 2GHz -- 256 vcard -- 2G RAM

Originally Posted by dflick

This is my first time posting something after reading MacNN for about 2 weeks. The information is very good. My situation is I am looking for a new Notebook (not laptop because thats a rare find) I currently have a Toshiba that is about 8+lbs. Not very backpack friendly. I have always wondered what life might be like if I left the world of windows. I figured out that the programs that I use on a daily basis on my PC I can use on a Mac. However, I like games and video and photo editing so power is important. So why haven't I "made the switch"? It's because I want to make sure I buy something that I wont regret. I have been down that road already with that brick of a notebook I have now.

The Notebook I'm looking at is the MBP 15" with 256 vid and 512 ram (I plan on upgrading not with apple ram to save $)

Now heres the part that I'm most interested in. Every time I check here, I see only NEGATIVE posts. Once and a while some brave soul stands before everyone and says "my macbook pro is wonderful and was a great decision." This is a chance for all those happy owners to speak out and say something POSITIVE. I read a post that was nothing but some guy going on forever about how upset he was. Other post have stories of enough lemons to supply lemonade to the world! Thats life. It happens. NOTHING is perfect, I'm sorry to say.

I have visited the stores, talked to salesmen, owner, perspective owners, so I'm not walking into this blind. I know they get warm. That's just something we all will have to live with. And yes I know your powerbooks and ibooks ran cool and calm. Thats wonderful. I know what I might be getting into. I just would like some help with this transition to make a smart purchase.

Thanks for listening and helping me out!

[waxcrash]

Originally Posted by dflick

…This is a chance for all those happy owners to speak out and say something POSITIVE…

I use a MacBook Pro everyday for work and I love it. I run Adobe CS2 Suite (Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign), Flash 8, and MS Office and they all run fine. I just can't wait until all my apps are universal. The size and weight are perfect - I take it home every night and on business trips. My old laptop, a TiBook, got just as hot as the MacBook Pro.

However, I wish they would fix the screen:

1. Increase the screen viewing angle - to me the TiBook's screen has a better viewing angle.

2. Increase the screen opening angle - being able to open the screen only around 123° sucks.