Mac Book Pro; Mini Review
MacBook Pro. I hate the name. I mean, I really hate the name. Say it out loud and you’re almost guaranteed to mess it up. Despite its horrendous name, the MBP (as I will call it for the duration of this article), certainly has a lot going for it. Apple likes to awe the press with its internal tests that show that the MBP is 4x-5x faster than the current top end PowerBooks, but in reality, how many people can actually make an association between a benchmark score and how a machine handles in every day use. Yesterday afternoon, I set out to test just that.
Even 3 hours after its announcement, the MBP was still surrounded by a layer of press 4-5 people thick (its down to about 3 today). I patiently took my place in line, and began waiting. Now, no matter how patient you are, when the guy in front of you keeps playing around with the toy you want so desperately to fondle, all those laws against maiming and rioting start to seem a bit silly.
After about 20 minutes of standing around, it was my turn. Naturally, the first thing I did was shut the machine down. The first and best indication of how fast a computer starts up. We are all used to pressing the power-button on our respective Macs, seeing black, then grey, then blue, then the login screen/desktop. I think David Pouge of the New York Times described the boot process of the MBP best.
You know normally you see the Apple logo and the spinning circle on startup. On these things it’s more like; press the power-button, BLIP, and you’re up and running”
So the MBP passed the boot test, but I wasn’t done putting it through its paces. Jobs had noted the speed of Safari on the new machines, and he wasn’t kidding. I can say with 100% certainty that the Intel build of Safari is the fastest web browser that I have ever used, on any platform. Instead of bouncing in the dock and forcing you to wait, Safari opens a new window and loads a page almost instantly when you open it.
One program at a time is nice, but Macs are about multitasking. I went to the Applications folders, selected all, and double clicked. Now, I know this is far beyond anything that would show up in normal use, but just wait until you hear the results. After slowing down significantly for around 30 seconds, the MBP started working smoothly again. And I mean smoothly. If you have ever had 3 or 4 resource hungry applications running simultaneously, you will be all too familiar with OS X taking a few seconds to switch between applications. Not so with the MBP. Clicking around between applications produced instant results, new documents opened quickly, and pages “Scrolled like butta,” as Reverend Jobs would say.
I didn’t have a chance to play with the remote or iSight, but I think its safe to assume that they work, and not much beyond that. Gimmicky is certainly the word that best describes those two features.
I hasten to say that the MBP is the fastest Mac I have ever used, keeping in mind I have not yet had a chance to play with the Intel iMac.
However, the MBP doesn’t lack its down-points. The MBP looses two things near-and-dear to my heart, a PCMCIA slot, and FireWire 800.
First, lets chat about FireWire. Apple was the first major manufacturer to include Firewire standard on their machines. This was a good thing. Firewire is a terrific interface with advanced features and blazing speeds. However, not many people actually need 800 megabit/s speeds, especially at the premium they were running. Apple started killing Firewire with the nano, and soon it was gone from the iPod. However, I don’t see Firewire going away for good any time soon. FW400 will certainly be with us on consumer level machines for a good time to come, and 800 should reappear soon. My hypothesis is such: At this point, the Pro Applications are not able to run natively on the MacBooks. No Final Cut, no need for fast ports. I see Apple announcing 12 and 17 inch MBP’s along side native Pro Applications some time in March.
As for PCMCIA, Apple obviously knows something we don’t about the new ExpressCard. PCMCIA is obviously still the de-facto standard, and this says to me that there is a big influx of ExpressCards coming to the market.
A nifty new feature on the new machines is a re-designed power plug. Apple designers have finally conquered the ages-old problem of cord trippage. Everyone has a story about tripping over a power cord plugged in to their machine, with the result of the machine flying across the room. The new plug attempts to solve this problem by introducing a mechanism that you don’t plug in, per se, but clip on. The plug is magnetic, and when you get the adapter close to the machine, it clicks snugly into a small depression.
A few little notes about the new machine before I sign off:
- The MBP uses a battery with a similar form factor to the 17 inch PowerBook
- The Airport antennae have been moved from the sides of the display to the hinge below the display.
- The track-pad is now the same size as those found on the 17 inch PowerBook
Update: No, the Pro Applications (Final Cut, Soundtrack, Motion, etc) do NOT work on the MBP, and will not until Apple releases native versions of the applications sometime in March.
Gareth Potter on January 12th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Good stuff Dan – interesting to hear the good news that, despite the name – Argh, the name! – the machine is a nice piece of work. I shall be most pleased to see a 12″ model – with a name along the lines of, say, PowerBook Core – emerge in due course.
On another (pedantic) note:
It’s “loses“, not “looses“, unless the MBP set free the PCMCIA slot and FireWire 800 port. :P
michaelg73096 on August 12th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Macbook pro? How is that hard to say? =P
Arjan on January 12th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Hi Dan,
I have read your story and I can only conclude the MacBook is a MacBeauty. Start saving…
Arjan
David Appleyard on January 12th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Nice review :)
Martin MC Brown on January 12th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
IF you read one of rht erports (I can’t remember which) the reason that FW800 has been dropped in this recision is that they are currently using an all-Intel chipset (for speed of developerment, I expect).
Intel FireWire does not support FW800 (Intel pushed USB for a long time), so only FW400 is available.
I suspect on Apple’s Pro machines, where they will have more space and more time to develop a suitable mobo FW800 will make a return.
henrrrik on January 12th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
I very much doubt FW800 will appear as a built in connector on any intel based mac. It has failed to gain traction, eSATA II is cheaper and faster.
Carsten Rose Lundberg on January 12th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
Very nice review taking the conditions into consideration. To cheer you somewhat up PCMCIA and ExpressCard are not different technologies as you can read on TUAW
Enrique A Gomez on January 12th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
You forgot to mention something I read elsewhere today but had not noticed myself is the lack of S-Video out, and therefore composite. I’ll most certainly miss it, countless times I’ve hooked up my TiPowerBook to the TV to watch photos or movies, maybe Apple will come up with an alternative.
Nice review by the way.
Patrick Haney on January 12th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
The question I have that no one seems to be able to (or in Apple’s case, want to) answer is “what kind of battery life can we expect out of the MacBook Pro?
I know there’s a lot of speculation about the battery life and how Apple isn’t telling us because it’s not as good as the latest update of the Powerbook, but I’m not one to put much faith in speculation. I’d like hard facts.
Are we going to get 5+ hours out of our Intel-based laptops, or do we file battery life of the MacBook Pro under the same list as “Missing Firewire 800″ and “Lack of a PCMCIA slot?”
Chris Kelly on January 12th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
what we all really want to know is: was the Mac Startup sound present?
Jason on January 12th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I’m curious – did you happen to use a non-Universal app? I’m wondering how programs like Photoshop & Dreamweaver 8 will respond on the MBP
Ande on January 12th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Sounds pretty good that new MacBook Pro! And btw, i like the name :)
Giovanny on January 12th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Hey Dan, thanks for your first impression. I’m wondering the exact same thing Jason is thinking on emulated software running Rosetta. Specifically Photoshop and Dreamweaver (Jobs’ Photoshop part scared me a bit). Thx in advance.
Chad on January 12th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
S-Video is available through an optional adapter. It just isn’t included in the box. I believe this was the case for the final PowerBook model too.
Chris on January 12th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
Thanks for the preview! I was curious though, was it running hot, or was it cool to the touch? The current powerbooks can get quite hot under average use…I’m hoping these will be better.
Ryan Green on January 12th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
For those lamenting the loss of FW800:
#1 ExpressCard FW800 ports already exist for 54 inch, and are in development for 34 inch.
#2 for the vast majority of users, this is not an issue, since the bottleneck is not in the protocol but in the IDE protocol itself. FW800 is mostly going to be saturated only by RAID arrays.
Ger Nijkamp on January 12th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
I’m just missing one major flaw of this MacBook Pro in jour review: comparing to the latest PowerBook we have gone BACK form Dual Layer DVD-burners to (again) Single Layer DVD burning.
I really can’t understand which idiot has decided (sorry if that’s you, Steve) to skip that feature from a machine that’s labeled als ‘Pro’.
simon gardener on January 12th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
And its only 4 speed burning
what gives with this – i work in the dive industry on a safari boat and produce dvd of the trip on the last morning i have to burn up tp 15 4.4 gig dvds.
windows machines regularly pack 8 speed burners – what are apple thinking here ?
Mce do a 8 speed burner upgrade – im condidering getting one for my powerbook – so it got to be possible
Jesse J. Anderson on January 12th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Did I hear you correct… did you say this will not be able to run Final Cut or any of the other Pro Applications (Motion, DVD Studio Pro, etc)?? Seems like it should have ample power to do so.
Paul Greatbatch on January 12th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Yeah, I noticed the 4X burning and lack of dual layer as well. The battery life is probably a wash, but I’m used to keeping an adapter on hand for my 17″ Powerbook anyway. The Pro applications won’t be Universal until March. (Should we see some MacPowerTower Pros around then?) So we traded massive speed increase for 8X DVD burning, a modem, S-video, Firewire 800, and a modem. Just depends on your needs, I guess.
chris long on January 12th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
I can vouch for photoshop cs and dreamweaver 8 use. Performance is very acceptable, especially for us web guys, who may not necessarily be pushing PS to its performance edge. I use a dual 867Mhz MDD mac at work, and the rosetta performance of both apps on the Intelimac is highly comparable. Not bad for an emulator.
HEY STEVE – why don’t you just call the new line Intelimac’s…..Ya know, Intel+imac??!
Thats all you did with the PowerPC chips, PowerMac, PowerBook, etc. Processor + Brand Name is a good formula, methinks. BTW, No charge for that one. ;)
KenC on January 12th, 2006 at 10:18 pm
About battery life, I figured that Steve said, 4x more power per watt, and 4x to 5x more powerful; so a rough estimate would say, the MacBook uses the same, or slightly more power than the old PB. Factoring in the 20% larger battery, and I’m thinking the MB is going to be about the same or slightly longer in life.
Now, look at Acer’s website, and they peg their 8200 Core Duo at 2hrs with a 6-cell battery and 3.5hrs with a 9cell. Go to PC Mag’s website and they give the same Acer a 3:47 on their battery benchmark. A HP dv1000 with a CoreDuo got a 3:37 on the same test. For comparison, an HP dv4000 and a Dell XPS170 with the fastest Centrinos, got 2:28 and 2:34, respectively.
I don’t know how big the batteries were in the Centrino laptops, but since they were sporting the fastest Centrinos, one presumes these weren’t ultraportables, but professional laptops with large batteries. Even so, the Yonahs were significantly long-lifed, compared to them.
KenC on January 12th, 2006 at 10:21 pm
To answer the DVD question about dual-layers, I saw at Macbidouille’s website that the MacBook is thinner than the PB, just thin enough that there are no DL DVD burners to fit. Presumably, there are no 8x burners that fit yet, either.
mr kitty on January 12th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
what about the boot mechanism? the dev boxes shipped with a bios, not open firmware…. the loss of open firmware (and all the startup keys) would be the biggest tragedy of the intel switch
David B on January 12th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
Ryan Green – I think you mean millimetres where you write inches. ExpressCard comes in two flavours – 54 mm across or 34 mm across (both are 75 mm deep and 5 mm think if memory serves) See http://www.expresscard.org. Given that very large LCDs are only just now coming in 50″ diagonal sizes, I’d be happy that express cards are not 54 inches across.
Also – TUAW has it wrong. ExpressCards are not PCMCIA although the PCMCIA organisation stands behind both standards (PC Card and ExpressCard). The ExpressCard slot is simply a way of making a machine’s internal PCI-Express and USB 2.0 busses available via a small high-density connector. Not sure what interface PC Cards provide.
Also – all 12″ Powerbooks required an adapter to output composite or S-video – about 20 bucks from an Apple Store. There’s no reason why one wont work/be released for the MacBook Pro.
Finally – has anyone actually checked (via System Profiler) that the optical drive used by the MacBook does not support DVD-DL burning? At the moment all we’re going on is a spec sheet which doesn’t promote the feature.
Lack of FW800 is stupid on a Pro level machine and I fully expect it will be returned in some way to cater money-ed up pro mobile video editors.
Lack of modem on a portable is stupid – especially if you ever consider taking your machine outside the US or South Korea.
My take on this is that these machines have been rushed out ASAP to try to capitalise on hype, ability to deliver, etc. They are not the polished products that Apple is renown for. The MacBook and the iMac Core Duo are stop-gap measures until the really fresh machines are ready to be released. I am confident that they will usher in styling changes to all machines. FWIW I think that new designs will trend toward smaller and sleeker machines.
David
Armando on January 13th, 2006 at 12:29 am
Other things to add based on my talks with the Apple guys. They said that the MacBook Pro will ship with a DVI-to-VGA/S-Video adapter, so you’ll still be able to do S-Video out. Also, the reason for missing the DVD-R DL support, drive size. The DL drive is thicker and would not fit is the skinner case they were shooting towards. They are hoping for skinner DL drives. In regards to battery life, all the MacBook Pro on displayed at Macworld are prototypes, not the final ones. They still have further tests, especially battery optimization and such, hence no announcement on battery specs, but they should be reasonable.
henrrrik on January 13th, 2006 at 4:41 am
Ehrr. Why?
henrrrik on January 13th, 2006 at 4:42 am
“the loss of open firmware (and all the startup keys) would be the biggest tragedy of the intel switch”
Ehrr. Why?
close on January 13th, 2006 at 4:45 am
My concern: when closed, the MagSafe will be very close to the screen. Will this be harmful in the long term?
Robert Sharl on January 13th, 2006 at 6:51 am
Good stuff, but I think it’s short-sighted to describe the iSight and IR remote as ‘gimmicky’. I can’t wait for developers to begin taking advantage of these. Have you tried Delicious Library? Just holding your books and cds up to the camera and having it use the barcode to categorise them and pull up their covers is /wonderful/. I futz with my phone as a bluetooth remote all the time, and would switch to a line-of-sight remote that just worked for 90% of the presentations I do (where I can see my PowerBook). The idea of a computer that can’t see you will seem crazy in 3-years time (sooner to us Mac users).
Nate on January 13th, 2006 at 8:28 am
“the loss of open firmware (and all the startup keys) would be the biggest tragedy of the intel switch”
Ehrr. Why?
If you have ever had to deploy or troubleshoot a mac you’d know. I don’t see why apple can’t reproduce that functionality though in the new efi bios. I really get the feeling that this is a rushed product that will be updated as soon as they figure out that in reality it’s not a pro machine. Also they should have put in the larger expresscard. The smaller one can’t adapt for cf cards (total machine killer for photographers). Guess i’m waiting for revision 2
George on January 13th, 2006 at 8:41 am
Merits of the various technology aside. I am not impressed with the offering . Furthermore, from an economics standpoint, very disappointed at the price point reletive to the offering. This akin to paying a 10 cent per gallon premium for diesel over hi-octane gasoline. ( diesel is in fact cheapest fuel to make b/c of higher yields and least cost addatives)
I think I might wait for dell version at $999
Vicente Ribeiro on January 13th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
The new MacBooks processor are 32 or 64 bit?
Josh on January 14th, 2006 at 1:00 am
the Intel chips are 32 bit.
i was crushed to hear of the loss of PCMCIA slot because now i have now way of just snapping in my CF cards, i’ll have to resort to a cable which isn’t that practical on the go.
a couple other message boards are saying the Macbook’s battery life is 3 hours (running wireless internet)
Roberto on January 14th, 2006 at 5:17 am
Thanks for the performance review. Too bad about the rest of the machine’s features. It’s not like this dual-core thingy is going to make my Word docs type faster, is it… Which makes this Powerbook Duo Pro a really odd pro machine — it seems to be not quite here nor there.
Thanks, Apple, but no thanks. My Powerbook 12-inch is more complete than what you’re trying to pass off as a Pro machine here (nice try)… so I guess this is one sale you’ve lost for this round.
Should’ve listened to us fanboys and gone with the widescreen iBooks instead. Then maybe you’d have been left with resounding squeals of delight instead of collective thud of disappointed arses hitting the sofa.
Paul on January 14th, 2006 at 9:20 am
the new mbp blows…ppl should just wait for the next gen ones. That way all the bugs will be solved. What i really wanna see is a new tower, so at least if they screw up…i can always upgrade
Brady on January 14th, 2006 at 11:38 am
Nothing that Apple makes can ever live up to the wild speculation and dreams of dedicated Apple-philes. Yes, we all want something impossible for half the price with Firewire 1 billion and a built in mind reader but that’s not practical. This is the best Apple portable ever…period. I for one already have my order in.
Ste on January 14th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
Check out this idiots site.
Josh on January 15th, 2006 at 12:31 am
I’ve heard alot of speculation on this new macbook people praising it and other passing it off, waiting for next generation. But for me this is great, I love the machine. All I use my computer for asides from mail and internet is basically eiditing with photoshop for my photography and with the upgrade to the X1600 256mb graphics card, gig of standard ram and a dual core processor this makes it a dream machine.
Asides from my previous mention of the loss of PCMCIA, What were they thinkging, or do they know something we don’t. You can never be sure with Apple.
Unknown on January 15th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
well…der is a new mac book pro on the market as everybody knows…about there being a Firewire 400 instead of a Firewire 800, well mac hasalready taken out stuff for the intel based computer like final cut pro and other stuff like that..( with Rosetta) and its a possibility that these devices run on the Firewire 400
The good news is :- It’s a mac..we’ll really never know..
The bad news:- It’s a msc..we’ll really never know
Willjk on January 16th, 2006 at 2:07 am
Let us not forget what we have gained here in all of this now I can plug a mouse in on both sides of my computer 1 gig ram standard. these are cool everyone is talking about firewire 800 but who really uses that I never have had too. Some one mentioned usb 2.0 repacing it but remember hat FW400 is standard for DV cameras ie imovie I can understand why some one can’t run a pro app on their new machine to me that is apple telling us “if you have waited 4 years for a G5 pB and have the money in the bank buy right now and be the first kid with the new nintendo” But for me what is the point if it isn’t optomized to do what i need yet and I know I can wait a while.
does anyone know what the long term reprocussions of the intell chips will be on softwear I can’t imagine what adobe is going to do they just merged with macromedia and now this their programmers must be pulling their hair out:) or is this gonig to increese over all compatability with PC softwear adn their for increase avalibility and thus draw more people to use an apple?
Josh on January 16th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
at the WWDC in 2005 Jobs brought in the Head of adobe and he announced that Abobe would be one of the first onboard for the intel switch (of course there were banking on the the second/third quarter of 06 for apple to release them), so i’m gonna guestimate that adobe will start rolling out universal binaries around June. Lets hope, i need photoshop and well lightroom too.
imix on January 19th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
I cant wait for mine to arrive, work here is getting me one to play with…
I’ve never even messed with a mac, this will be my machine to learn it on.
perhaps i will convert….
and M$ vista will be able to run on it for any apps i need there.
ps, the magsafe connector will have no affect on the screen, or anything else, its a great idea.
february cant come too soon….
p5'werx on January 19th, 2006 at 9:45 pm
“and M$ vista will be able to run on it for any apps i need there.”
I am curious if this will be true. I am presently a PC user and actually very fed up with all the f$%&@ virus trouble i have had in the last few years-constantly re-installing..
Anyways, because i need certain programs which are presently only available for PC, does anyone see Apple making it possible to run PC software?
Speaking about the new MBP now. I am curious to see what the changes might be after the first ones come out? When might the new ones come out-8 months, 12?
Dan, thanks for your take on things!
p5'werx on January 19th, 2006 at 9:45 pm
“and M$ vista will be able to run on it for any apps i need there.”
I am curious if this will be true. I am presently a PC user and actually very fed up with all the f$%&@ virus trouble i have had in the last few years-constantly re-installing..
Anyways, because i need certain programs which are presently only available for PC, does anyone see Apple making it possible to run PC software?
Speaking about the new MBP now. I am curious to see what the changes might be after the first ones come out? When might the new ones come out-8 months, 12?
Dan, thanks for your take on things!
GF on January 20th, 2006 at 7:08 pm
Did you notice if the new MacBrook Pros suffer from the same “horizontal banding” (subtle yet noticable lines across the LCD display) as the 15” G4 Powerbooks? This is obviously important to many users who encountered this problem before. Thanks.
Josh on January 21st, 2006 at 11:50 am
They won’t, thats why they changed it to a 15.4 inch screen as opposed to the previos 15.2 and altered the resolution to a more standard 1440×900 instead of the unusual and odd 1440×960 which should cure the problem.
as for running PC software, i highly doubt it, actually i’m quite sure you won’t be able to, of course their will be a handful of people who will have hacked it and made it work, but thats about as far as i see it going. If you could, manufacturers wouldn’t bother making mac and PC versions which they still are for the few apps that were announced at macworld
Chris on January 24th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Ordered mine, and I can’t wait for it to arrive. =] So far it says Feb. 24th as shipping date. Got the 1.83ghz model :D
p5'werx on January 24th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
I have read some material to suggest that it will run WINDOWS VISTA OS, but no one will know until it is out and you are actually, physically able to put a CD into the drive and find out if it boots-? If not then there is the answer-!
I am however, a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the new MBP- i think i will wait and see what the next version brings, before dropping $3,000 Canadian for a subpar machine.
I am however strongly in favour of switching over to MAC from PC, but i will wait and see what happens in the next months.
p5'werx on January 24th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
I have read some material to suggest that it will run WINDOWS VISTA OS, but no one will know until it is out and you are actually, physically able to put a CD into the drive and find out if it boots-? If not then there is the answer-!
I am however, a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the new MBP- i think i will wait and see what the next version brings, before dropping $3,000 Canadian for a subpar machine.
I am however strongly in favour of switching over to MAC from PC, but i will wait and see what happens in the next months.
Willjk on January 24th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
yeah don’t think that jobs is going to currupt is machine with a bunch of windows stuff. I find it ironic that people who have never used an apple are callin gthem subpar however I do understand the veiw that it is lacking in some areas but we all need to realize that you can’t put a tower on you lap period. I’ve head of hacked versions of os10 for PC but I think that was just BETA test for the new chips that was hacked. besides I don’t think it would ever happen bc then gates would have to deal with another monopoly lawsuit.
what i’m really waitin gfor is for ox11 to come out not sure when but I think with the new chip sets and all it s a good bet that it will happen soon.
willjk
Josh on January 25th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
When windows releases Longhorn aplpe will release Leopard, steve said so at the 05 WWDC
Adam Michna on January 26th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
The issues with the Mac Book Pro seem to be minor. With lack of a PCMCIA slot and FireWire 800, The Mac Book Pro will have it’s own problems. People are so hyped up to see the minuses rather than noticing how unique and powerful it is, rather than realizing problems that arose from the production of the Mac Book Pro and issues concerning how it’s going to funtion in everyday use. Apple takes the time to go over each products longitivity, durability, and read comments about what the publics point of view is on it’s products. What most people around the office wonder is to what an Intel chip is doing in a mca in the first place and what kind of conflicts are going to occure with Mac software, like Final Cut Pro.
Coincidently, Apple states that the Intel chip sitting inside of its new Mac Book Pro is as fast as if it had two G5 processors in them. Huh.. Well if Apple said it, It must be true. Anway, Theres still no guarentee that for people, such as myself who film and edit, Final Cut Pro will handel way more efficently than a G4 Powerbook could, with no exceptions to even inconsistent self shutting program problems that Final Cut Pro ususally encounters on G4s.
One way or another, I’ll be there when it finally arrives and taking notes for myself on how it handles.
yv on January 27th, 2006 at 3:33 am
Re. running Winxx apps on the mac…
One of the neat things about the shift to intel chips is that it should be possible for VMWare to be ported to the new OS at some point. Assuming that this happens, you should be able to run MSVista or whatnot in a virtual machine…
All in all it looks like a nice machine. The loss of native FW800 will annoy a lot of the professional types that require that level of bandwidth to disk, and the loss of some vertical resolution will annoy a lot of folk who need every last dot… On the other hand, the DVI out handles 30″ displays. Not bad I say!
Sure… things that are useful to _some_ users are missing – modems, native FW800, native S-video out. On the other hand:
* it seems that S-Video/VGA will be handled as per PB12″ – with an external adapter
* Apple already ship a tiny little USB modem which costs a handful of dollars
* New card format notwithstanding, I daresay it won’t take terribly long for FW800 cards to appear.
Not that anyone really wants to shell out for extra bits on top of a laptop purchase… but hey, it’s not as if the machine is neutered by the lack of features..
ezzup on January 31st, 2006 at 3:43 pm
I just ordered the Intel MBP and was planning on using it with Final Cut – what will the issues be?
charles davis on February 1st, 2006 at 10:35 pm
FYI PowerBooks were PowerBooks long, and I mean LONG, before the PowerPC chip was ever dreamed up.
Long Long Long before. It was indeed a great Brand name, and Apple has committed the cardinal sin of Branding…change a known brand for the sake of changing a known brand.
Willjk on February 2nd, 2006 at 11:26 pm
yeah I just heard form a friend that 804.11N is due to come out by spring it is something crazy like 600MPS wireless and has like 10x the range anyone else heard about this.
the problem with windows vista is going to be the 7 differant versions that bill has planned how dumb is that home, home pro, buiniess, small B, large B, corprate server, and probable some free thign or some thing. I smell compartability issues although it will be cool to get more people convereted to apple hey jet buy an apple and you can have everything. oh yeah and it won’t crash.
but yeah I’m planning on getting a MBP this summer when the new HD DVD vs blue laser and the new wireless stuff comes out I think this year is going to be full oh technichal leeps, exciting
Willjk
Gt on February 6th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
The Macbook Pro is one of the best laptops i have ever seen.
snplatinum on February 7th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
will macbook pro be able to have mac and vista on the system so where you can choose what OS to run?
josh s on February 8th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Like most I am asking the question that hasn’t been answered, will Final Cut work on the Mac Book Pro?
RTM on February 13th, 2006 at 4:44 pm
I wish this portable could support a PCNCIA card — especially the ones that verizon national broadband access uses for access to its national high speec wireless service. Any idea if the MBP will eventially be able to support this — e.g., by some kind of usb or ExpressCard adapter to PCNCIA cards?
Rob P on February 13th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
No PC card slot, no firewire 800, less screen resolution, no startup keys,
this is MacBookAmatuer not Pro,
I’m usally the first in line for the new apple offering…not this time.
I’ll wait this one out until the add the “Pro” features.
Michael Rose on February 16th, 2006 at 10:12 am
I’m also hoping to see another firewire connection — 800 would be nice. I use my Powerbook for video editing and hook up a drive and a video deck to my laptop. Each one on a separate firewire port. A PCMCIA slot would at least give us a way to add more fiirewire power.
Meredith on February 16th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
I’m in the process of choosing a laptop for college for next fall. I’ve had so many problems with stupid Dell and Windows all together, plus I do a lot of filmmaking. Does anyone suggest I get macbook pro? I’m not too enthusiastic about buying something that just came out because there are always problems. Things that seem important are; memory (need quite a bit), several USB ports, firewire, DVD/CD burner, good resolution, and something that runs fast. If none of you suggest macbook pro, then what other powerbook do you think?
Mark on February 17th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
OK, for those who are asking about Final Cut. No it will not run on MBP. Or, not yet anyways. I believe the release date for Final Cut and Aperture and the other professional programs offered by Apple will be released for the Intel in late spring or early summer-ish. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple released it earlier. And as far as Vista goes (OK,Vista is a WORSE name then Mac Book Pro is by far. And!, if you look-up the word “vista” in the dictionary, its very ironic. By the way the definition is something along the lines of “A distant view or prospect”), There is an article on Apple’s website in their “news” section that briefly discusses this platform crossing. As I take it, Microsoft will be making their programs run on Mac, not the operating system itself. Which, hopefully, they’ll run natively so that you don’t have to buy special Mac version of them.
A regular web guy on February 18th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Now I love macs. I’ve had every version mac has come out with since I switched from my old Amiga. I am currently running a G4 tower, a Powerbook, an I just bought my girlfriend an ibook. So I am a devotee, but come on…
…why, after all this time investing over $20,000 in software to get where I am today, Apple is now making me do it all over again? Why, when you can get a PC that is already as fast as the “New” macs, would I continue down this path?
I don’t see it as a new mac. Because I can’t run any mac software on it! It’s not a mac, it’s a scam to make all us mac users unload even more money than we have been to get a computer that need all new software that isn’t even out yet!
By the time all you guys get the new MBP and the software to run your business on it, there will be a newer, better, faster one that needs all new softare again.
So it’s faster, other than that there’s no difference between it and the powerbook (I have virtual PC and it’s runs great!). It’s a hole to throw money in just so you can look cool when your at the coffee shop.
I hate to say it, but if apple is going the way of PC, I might as well buy a Dell, it’s already got the intel chip, and there’s tons of software already available.
Mac died with the Mac Book Piece Of Sh*t.
Phillip on February 19th, 2006 at 2:54 am
Hello,
I am not a mac user but I was planning on getting a 15in. powerbook. I’m wondering if that’s a good idea, I don’t know mac very well. Awesome intel and mac machine. I’ll probably still get a powerbook because it has been iterated so many times, it is tried and true.
Still a dual core laptop is very… exciting, especially mac.
-Phil
Ryan on February 20th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Do you think the powerbook g4’s will go on sale now as a result of the macbook pro? Also, I was curious to read anyones answer to merediths question about. Can anyone help? Thanks.
Chris Balaska on February 22nd, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Thats not all the macbook pro is missing….. it is also missing a modem. you can buy a usb modem for $50.If you can give updates on the specs and weight i would aslo like to know the price.
much ablidged
Chris
Singh on February 23rd, 2006 at 1:28 pm
I recieved my MacBook Pro 2.0Ghz yesterday. I am not sure if anyone else has experienced this but this thing runs very hot. underneath and near the back of the keyboard where the vent is its almost too hot to touch.
I hope Apple is not going to have problems with this thing running too hot this early in the game. I better get some AppleCare on it ASAP.
Thanks
Singh
kelly on February 23rd, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Hey Singh – Can you keep us up to date on the temperature issue with your new MBP?
I was at the Apple store today and made a point to feel the bottoms of the new MBP for excessive heat – then I compared it to the Powerbook. There was little if any difference – if anything, the MBP was not as warm as the Powerbook. I wonder, though, what happens when you start running high powered programs…
Philip on February 24th, 2006 at 9:10 am
Hello,
I am on my way to the mac store. I still don’t know what to buy: A powerbook G4 or the MBP. I guess I will take the G4.
To the guy who already has the new MBP: How is it with the software? -The Photoshop and the Final Cut? That is very important to me…..
stephanie on February 25th, 2006 at 1:03 am
i’m in the same boat as some other folks whoi posted — i need to move up from my 3 year old i-book. i was planning on the powerbook g4, but am tempted to step up to the most recent model, although i do loathe and despise the name. i’m a writer and not a millionaire, so this purchase will need to do it for me for another 3 years. what should i do? please advise oh wise ones.
Robert Sharl on February 25th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Stephanie, I’m probably going to have to replace a PowerBook G4 12″ soonish, and on the basis that it’s been powerful enough for my needs, and that there’s no real sign of a 12″ MBP, I’m waiting to see what Apple do with the Intel iBook replacement.
All the rumours point to a widescreen 13″ white-clad MacBook that should prove a worthy successor to the 12 PB and 12/14 iBook alike. These machines have been way too close in all but price for ages now and, assuming Apple have finally gotten over the idea that consumer Macs can’t do monitor spanning, my next Mac will probably come in white.
Erik G. on March 1st, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Great article with limited time to test. I am a Final Cut HD user and will wait til the end of the year to see what happens. I would also miss the fire wire 800. It’s nice to know that the computer is fast but not compatible with everything I need yet. I can wait a year til my PowerBook warranty runs out and they possible work out the downs sides and possibly upgrade to a g5 chip. thanks!
P.S. Nice to know they’re getting back on the bicycle at Apple
Fungke on March 4th, 2006 at 10:23 am
Looking to get a new laptop over the summer…
perhaps a little later. i am am mainly a web and photo guy and i am looking to get a MBP. i run PC at home with a Mac Mini. I find the Mac not to be bad….i don’t have problems with file sharing and all at the moment…but i know that i will have trouble with fonts.
in any case, what do you guys think about Asus notebooks as opposed to the MBP?
nour on March 14th, 2006 at 7:37 am
I intend to get a laptop, will be mainly using it for graphics, 3D. i m a photograperh and soon will be turning totally to graphics..
i ‘ve been told that mac is more stable and more efficently performing than the PC/windows combination, but from what i been reading here [about this software issues that for each new mac i have to purchase new software..] it really scared me ..
in case i want to use the virtual pc to run applications and software i have for windows, will it perform great or i will have trouble doing so?
i really need an advice [i don't want to regret paying around 3,000 USD for headache]…
CATHERINE on March 23rd, 2006 at 7:06 pm
HEY I’VE NEVER HAD A LAPTOP BEFORE. YOU ARE RIGHT THIS MBP GETS EXTREMELY HOT, I WAS WORRIED AND THOUGHT THAT WAS NORMAL. EVEN AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT’S VERY HOT TO THE LAP. OTHERWIZE I AM A PRETTY HAPPY CAMPER AS A FIRST TIME LAPTOP USER. GOT MINE AT APPLE YORKDALE STORE IN TORONTO ONTARIO CANADA
HOT OFF THE PRESS!!
Kelly Lowry on March 23rd, 2006 at 7:38 pm
On the heat issue, I just wanted to mention that my boyfriend has a 15″ G4 Powerbook (bought about 4 months ago) and I have the 2GHz MBP and we’ve compared the heat output and I have to say that they seem the same. And still less hot than my Gateway PC laptop.
Also, on software running through Rosetta…I have the new PowerCADD 7 software (they haven’t yet come out with the update for intel Macs, but when they do, it will be free for those who have already purchased version 7)…anyway, without comparing scientifically, I and one of the software developers for PowerCADD (they happened to be based nearby) compared the speed of the software on my MBP to his G5 desktop and decided hands down that mine was running faster. I can’t wait to see how it does when the intel update comes out.
So, all in all, I LOVE my MBP. This computer was my official switch from PC’s, and I will NEVER go back!!
happy on March 29th, 2006 at 8:15 am
Yes, just want to say I’d like to buy a 12′ MBP.
Anyone knows when it is due?
Ta
Robert Sharl on March 29th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
There really might not be a 12″ MBP. There have been rumours of the 12″ being dropped from the line. For my part, I think there’s been too much overlap between the 12″ PB and the 12″ iBook for some time. I have a 12″PB and love it, but if it were my own money (and if I’d bought anytime in the last 12 months) I’d have gone back to the iBook, hacked the video firmware to handle monitor spanning and spent just a bit of the money saved on an external DVD writer.
Assuming that (i) Apple have gotten over the ‘consumer macs don’t span screens’ nonsense (firmware differences do not a Pro mac make!), and that (ii) iSight and Apple remote is now a part of the Mac platform in general, then I’d be happy to see a small, light, core duo consumer mac as my next machine. Yeah, silver is nice, but not worth $600 or so extra..
nour on March 29th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
thanks everyone for the replies.
i just read on cnet that photoshop performance on that MBP is not be conisdered thaaaat good.
well, untill Apple releases that update or fix or whatever that will match the non-apple graphic applications to the apple based ones regarding speed on the intel-processor-MBP, the question i’ve been asking around and found no answer for:
is it slower than the other PC-based laptops or is it “just not that 4x times faster” when it comes to photoshop or similar graphic applications?????
Sandy on April 1st, 2006 at 8:50 pm
I’m new to Macs, and considering getting the MBP. Does anyone know if the MBP supports current version of QuarkXpress 7, Photoshop, and Illustrator?
I know Final Cut Pro does not work on MBP, but do the others?
Would I be better off, buying a powerbook? I can hold off, on getting the Final Pro, until an update is released, but need to work with the other programs.
Thanks
Scott Shepherd on April 7th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
I love all the new and great improvements that have come with the Mac Book Pro. The one issue I have is difficult to overcome and I am considering returning my new laptop. The heat is terrible. As long as I run on batteries I can tolerate the heat. It goes to warm. If I can not hold my hand on the bottom of my computer for more than a few seconds what is it doing to the computer? I am concerned about the long term effect of so much heat. Last year I lost my one year old HP laptop due to extream heat. Like the Mac Book Pro the heat was enough to raise the temp of my blood, no kidding. I am very dissapointed. I spoke to mac techs and they have nothing to say. They totally plead ignorant of the problem. If it does not say anything in Mac News it is not a problem. I call the Apple store and spoke with a very nice lady. She said she answers 90% of all calls to the store and mine was the first she had heard of a heat problem. She encouraged me to bring it in and replace it. I am not the kind to do this so fast, however if there is a chance to get a Mac Book Pro that I can place on my lap without concern. I have a few more days before my 14 day period is up and would be interested in how others feel about the extreame heat. Again running on the battery seems to keep the heat down other suggestions. My brother loves macs and says if I increase the ram I could keep the processor from working so hard and hot. Why can’t mac support help with this?
Bill on April 13th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Did anyone notice this quote in the article:
I hasten to say that the MBP is the fastest Mac I have ever used, keeping in mind I have not yet had a chance to play with the Intel iMac.
Craig on April 14th, 2006 at 8:28 am
Well im going for the approach of, its an apple i have alot of faith in the company and over the last couple of years they have suprised me all the time! I think im going to order mine this week shame it cant run final cut pro? but thats what i got the G5 for im sure for all the problems its got there will be a perfectly good explanation or remedy!!!
ANGEL on April 16th, 2006 at 11:02 pm
Hey guys, i was wondering, does the MBP runs faster photoshop CS or dreamweaver 8, because i am a web designer, i have a powerbook G4, and i was thinking to switch to the MBP because i sometimes use 1 or 2 softwares only avaiable for windows, but i have my doubts with that stuff that theres no PCMCIA slot and that if you used for a long time it gets hotter, so, what u guys recommend me?…
ANGEL
Chris J on April 20th, 2006 at 4:55 am
Hey everyone I think your being a bit hard on apple here no FW800 c’mon how many of you complaining actualy use that bandwith (ok the guy with the video deck) it aint gonna matter with photoshop or any web design apps and yeah it gets hot its the fastest laptop in production today what you expect it to be cool to the touch? no modem? who uses dial up? no pcmcia? its ancient and needs replacing! and finaly in my rant most software is coming out with FREE updates for their apps to run on x86 chipsets and with these updates will come LOTS more speed I am currently saving for mine but damn its expensive but it is new!
All in all I think apple have delivered a good machine!
Its gotta be better than any windows based machine!
My only gripe is the name your asking for trouble if you call any machine “Pro”
Cheers
Scott Shepherd on April 20th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
Well I keep hearing about how great the performance is on the MBP and it is nice but lets get back to a major problem. Some of you have read my previous comment. I tried to be balanced. I researched for weeks to see if other owners had the same problem with too much heat and I found alot of comments. I called mac support and they side stepped my concerns. After one week I returned the mbp in hopes I would get one I could keep on my lap without getting very uncomfortable. It actually raises my blood temp. I am not one to return things quickly. If I had not been given hope by the following I would not have gone through unloading and loading another computer.
1. Comment quoted on a recent review from a Mac rep. if it is getting so hot that you can not keep your hand on the bottom it should not work like that and should be replaced.
2. Local rep in Atlanta Apple store. She said I take 80% of the calls here and this is the first I have heard of probles with overheating. Again she said if it is that hot it is not right and should be returned. Because there was some hope I went down the Apple store I bought the computer from the week before and was told by the manager that I would have to pay a 10% restocking fee ($190.00). I was not happy. The other alternative was to see the Mac tech in the back and have them confirm my problem with the heat. I checked with them and was asked to wait over two hours in line. I spoke with the manager and complained that the line was 2 hours long and then we would need to let the computer crank up for 15-20 min. so someone could put there hand on the bottom to see how very hot the computer got. I theatend to stand by the new Mac Book Pro demo stand and tell everyone what I have been through he treatend me with security and I said my first phone call would be to Apple. He let me hang around for 20- min before coming back to say he was going to override his policy and work with me. A week in Apple hell and I end up with another hot computer. I am going to keep it this time because like you I like the performace, however if you do not let Apple know how bad the heat really nothing weill get done. Good luck!
Phillip on April 20th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
Hey guys,
I posted earlier. I just got my MBP, and I am happier than I have been in a long time. Yeah I’ll agree it gets hot, but the manual (yeah, I read the manual) says that you can actually risk burns if you keep it in your lap for prolonged periods. Obviously, then it isn’t a freak chance that one is a “hot” laptop. Honestly look at the processor, with one that fast, and everything crammed in that tiny space, how else is it going to keep cool? It is going to be hot unless you cart around a ten pound liquid cooler. Besides, with an aluminum case, at least you know the heat means it is not ketting kept inside. I have a friend who had a Fujitsu with a P4 and it melted down.
Another note is that this is a FAST computer. Mine is the 1.8ghz and it plays Halo beautifully. I have never had a better performing computer, and I have a 3.0ghz desktop pc. The only thing I don’t like is, oh, there’s nothing. The price really wasn’t bad either for how good the computer is.
kelly on April 22nd, 2006 at 12:43 pm
yeah, phillip, i’m new to apple so i haven’t yet had to deal with them in the same way you have, but i’ve heard lots of complaints about apple support. is it really any different with any other computer company, though? geez, or cell phone co? my boyfriend’s 4 month old powerbook died spontaneously a few weeks ago, and he made the mistake of taking it to the apple store (seems things would have gone a bit better had he sent it to apple, at least that’s what he thinks). they told him it would be no more than 5 days before he’d have it back, so he didn’t make any arrangements to find a back-up computer – it took two weeks and daily calls and they were pretty rude about the whole thing. he lost work (=$) and missed some school assignments as a result. they were completely unapologetic and turns out it took so long because they kept misdiagnosing the prob (trying to do as little as they could get away with, when in fact the logic board and the harddrive had both gone bad).
i agree that the mbp gets pretty hot, but i have to say that it’s still better than my 1 year old gateway laptop. while they both get about equally as hot, the pc’s fan runs so loud it’s distracting! my solution: buy a lapdesk, like the one you might have used as a kid. it’s comfy and puts some distance between your bod and the hot computer.
Unknown on April 25th, 2006 at 12:56 am
As we all know, the new 17 inch mac book pro has released..reading reviews on the net and doing some research shows that this computer is impressive…
However, I suggest that people wait a little longer and see what’s in stock then..According to me, Apple is following a trend… The Powerbook G4 had a 1.67 Ghz processor.. the same processor became the lower end mac book pro, it got upgraded to 1,83 and 2 GHz making the 1.67 GHz obsolete.. In the same way, I believe that the 17 inch mac book pro (bad name..will just call it the pro) will come with better speeds in a few months to come…maybe like a 2.4 GHz..which believe does make a difference…
So all mac enthusiasts, i suggest you do it my way…wait for sometime and then go mac shopping as there will be even more improvements
jt on April 25th, 2006 at 5:07 am
my friend got a MBP he sed it heated up and started to burn his leg! he found out that the intel core dual over heats andd the machine cannot cool it down. Anyways thanks for the help it looks like a killer machine
JT
Unknown on April 25th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
ABout the heat, as everybody says, hopefully Apple geniuses could have redesigned the Macbook Pro in such a way that…i donno…it doesn’t burn your lap anymore on the 17 inch model that is…i might be being too optimistic…but look here…they instilled a firewire 800 because everybody wanted one. So anything could be possible!!!
Ginnie on April 26th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
After speaking with the people at apple, they expressed that the Adobe’s software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) will need to use “Rosetta” to run on the MBP (with the new Intel Chip), and will run okay. However, Adobe is planning a rewrite some of it’s software. These should be in the CS 3 series. These will be compatable with the intel chip and run full capacity.
As for using PC software on the new MBP…….Apple has made available a free download of “Boot Camp” beta (which you use instead of PC Anywhere). You will also need to install Windows XP that has Service Pack 2 for it all to work. When this will all happen……I don’t know.
paul from germany on April 27th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
just in case anyone is still reading this comment thread:
several people have stated that their MBPs don’t run that hot anymore after updating to the newest firewire (which also includes bios legacy support for EFI – enabling installation of win and linux via boot camp)
final cut, logic and aperture are available as universal binaries (for existing customers through a so-called “crossgrade”)
adobe lightroom beta is also available as UB.
gotta go my intel imac’s waiting…
cheers
paul from germany on April 27th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
did i write ‘firewire’ ??
that whole firewire 800 thing really got me confused…
of course i meant ‘firmware upgrade’
sorry ’bout that
Lee on May 2nd, 2006 at 7:15 am
I’ll stick to my Sony PCG TR3A. It may be small and may not be as fast as your Macs, but it’s never burnt my legs and it’s got longer battery life! And it’s super duper light to the max! And 3 years later, the battery life is still up to 4 hours even when I’m running Photoshop CS2 and Corel Painter IX simultaneously, among other applications, and my Intuos tablet is plugged in. By the way, if you do want to stick to your MBP, which I’ve sort of considered switching to, and the heat is your main concern, why don’t you invest in a notebook heatpipe? I got mine from tigerdirect.ca for just under $55 CAD 3 years ago. Check out BYTECC TD-3000 FANLESS HEATPIPE NOTEBOOK COOLER at http://www.ncix.com.
Ginnie on May 2nd, 2006 at 9:51 am
I read on another blog that someone open his MBP and found that the thermal paste had been applied incorrectly – he replaced it all and now says his MBP runs much much cooler. He said the thermal paste can make a difference on a CPU/GPU. Apparently, a glob of messy thermal paste was obscuring the heat sensors inside the machine. This meant that when the Powerbook got hot, the sensor didn’t pick it up properly. Instead of “locking” the heat inside, it helps transfer the heat (to a heatsink or in this case a heat pipe) outside of the machine. It means the heat doesn’t get trapped inside the motherboard/casing part of the laptop. The heat now transfers much more reliably to the actual heatpipe which is made of copper which conducts heat much better than, aluminium. They also mention that the heatpipe has it’s own temp sensors which would control the functioning of the cooling fans which, when active, are very effective at moving the heat from inside the heatpipe outside of the case. So It is dissipating the heat correctly (more efficiently) with the use of the fans and heat pipe. The heat is being “blown” outside. The case and innards remain cooler. Macs are sorta unique that they used a heat pipe to dissipate the heat (and reducing noise). I get mine tomorrow. I hope it all turns out well.
Ginnie on May 2nd, 2006 at 10:44 am
Interesting site about MBP………….home.sc.rr.com/mixedbag/MBP/Welcome.html
Kirby on May 3rd, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Kirby likes :)
Phillip on May 4th, 2006 at 1:30 am
Wow, that’s interesting about the thermal paste! I don’t really want to open my computer though, and anyway it doesn’t seem bad enough. I did notice that if I set it to better battery life (even plugged in) it stayed nice and cool. Of course, that wouldn’t be practical if you were doing something intense with the computer, but the difference surprised me. I also noticed that a little airflow around the cmputer makes a big difference too. It seems it gets really hot if the air is still. With a heat pipe it should work excellent though. Question: is the MBP thinner than the powerbooks and iBooks? At a glance it seems so, but I don’t have one to compare.
Jason Collins on May 8th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Hi
Bought a Macbook pro 15.4 Widescreen 2.16 – a treat to myself.
DO NOT BUY IT
*it runs too hot
*bought with 100GB Hard Drive – only 75GB of actual space
i could list more, but im never going back to Apple
Not pleased from beginning to end
kelly on May 9th, 2006 at 2:52 am
i can’t help but reply to this one…i’ve had my mbp 2.0ghz since march, and yes, it runs hot – but hands down, it’s the best computer i’ve ever owned (and the first mac i’ve owned since 1989…so glad i made the switch back).
Phillip on May 9th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Do you know how much it would cost to buy all of the bundled software seperately? Probably more than the computer. Jason, about your memory comment. I agree, it would be nice to have more than 75 gigs or so, but you have to realize that formatting and OS X take up some of the space, plus all that bundled software like iMovie, iTunes, Garageband, iDVD, iCal, iPhoto, iWeb, Safari, QTplayer, iChat, and photobooth. You have a 100gb harddrive, however, all the software takes up space. Apple isn’t going to give you a bigger hd so that you have 100gb free space. If your only other complaint is the heat, I don’t know why you’re disappointed. The only laptops thinner (and that’s allways a reason to buy apple) are despairingly slow, small screened, or secret government tech, that would cost thousands of times more than the MBP. I don’t mean to defend Apple too much but did you read reviews before you purchased the computer? Oh, just an idea, you could get an external hard drive. Unwieldy, I know, but still, if you really need all that space it is an option. I edit video, so I’ll probably have to do that myself.
I agree with Kelly!
Digital Equity on May 9th, 2006 at 10:47 am
I just want to say that I am grateful for the gracious tone that everypne’s been using in this blog so that, even when we completely disagree with someone else’s perspective, it’s said without heat or flaming. As one who is waiting on the sidelines to see whether I should jump in and get the new MBP, everyone’s diverse comments have been very helpful. Thanks!!
Ginnie on May 9th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
I just received my MBP. I have always loved a mac. This is my second mac. Yet, my first mac laptop. Mine does run rather warm. However, I just found out from out tech. at work that a duel processor (with its high speed) must run hotter than a conventional single core processor. We just have to choose between heat and speed. This applies to a PC as well as mac. I am going to give mine a try and see what happens. At least I won’t get a virus…….
kelly on May 9th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
I know I’ve already mentioned this in previous posts, but Ginnie is right about choosing between heat and speed. My PC laptop runs just as hot if not hotter than my MBP, but on top of that, the fan is SOOO loud it’s embarrassing. At least the MBP is nice and quiet…
Janet on May 10th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
I ordered the HUGE one. The 17incher. All or nothing with me. This will be my very first mac. Anyone who is anyone, and has a lick of sense seems to have a mac. Hope I will love it. It will be here in 1 week! I will post a reply as to how I’m doing with it. Thanks for all the helpful hints I am picking up here on this site.
Alfanan on May 11th, 2006 at 5:10 am
I would be really interested in hearing your opinions about the 17″. I’ve been reading about it a lot, but still am hesitant to place my order. First hand experience would be greatly appreciated.
michael on May 12th, 2006 at 11:15 pm
I am thinking of buying a MBP, so I am reading about it to make up my mind as to whether it’s worth it or not.
Now my concern is that I am suspicious of Mac-enthusiasts, because most of them do not strike me as reasonable people. It seems to me that their faith in Apple is more similar to a religion, rather than an objective evaluation of reality.
For example: Steve Jobs has been saying for decades that Apple computers run faster than PC’s. This is a joke to anybody who runs intense computation on their machines: I have access to top of the lines iMac’s in my laboratory, and when I simultaneously run a computational model that takes a day on a PC, two days later the Mac is still struggling with it. And it’s same RAM, more-or-less same specs. No excuses. But it’s all right with me if Apple enthusiasts want to believe Jobs, it doesn’t bother me. I am not a Windows, a Linux or a Mac fan. I have used all of them in the past for different reasons, I just go with what seems objectively best at the time that I consider my needs.
Now the word that matters is “objectively”. If it was the case that Apple computers were faster than PC’s as Jobs used to claim, why has he decided to switch to Intel? Suddenly, Steve Jobs tells us that Intel Mac’s are 5X faster than normal Mac’s. Mmmmm… interesting. Is he bullshitting now, or was he bullshitting before?
The one thing that really strikes me and worries me about Mac fans is that they seem to worry very little about these objective failures of Apple to deliver a trustable message. Windows users do not blindly believe in Gates or in Windows, most of them approach Windows with skepticism. The question of whether Windows is better or worse than Mac OS is a different one. It may well be the case that Mac OS is better than Windows. But this does not mean that one should believe in Apple as if they were Moses.
I would like to read an objective message from somebody who recognizes that Apple have mistreated their costumers in several ways over the past few years. Take the shuffle, followed shortly by the nano (I bought both, as well as the second generation iPod). That was a joke. Any other company who did something like that would lose the respect of most customers. Not Apple: it is as though Apple customers can be told x one day, the opposite of x the next day, the opposite of the opposite of x the next day again, and finally be charged out of their nose. No matter what you do to them, they’ll still come back and let you charge their credit card.
I have owned several computers in the past, including Mac’s (and I am very familiar with all versions of Mac OS, including 10). Now I have a ThinkPad, and it is the best machine I have ever had. I am considering buying an Intel laptop from Apple, but not until I hear some balanced comment that does not ASSUME that Apple are better than others. That’s a myth. All they want is swipe your credit card once, twice, n-times, until you let them do it. Can anybody provide objective reasons for buying a MBP over a ThinkPad? Forget about the operating system, that’s no issue at this point of merging and ThinkPad’s are perfect for running Linux anyway. Also, ThinkPad’s are over-engineered: mine is 3-year old and still looks like it was when it came out of its box. They are as sturdy as hell. In comparison, when I put my hands on a PowerBook it feels like I am touching butter.
Richie on May 15th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Ok, so people hate the name because of the word pro? Just say the Macbook. Not the powerbook, the MACBOOK! It’s either pro or not.
Anjellic on May 20th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
Michael -
I have had similar accessibility to blazing fast machines on all three platforms, and though I have not run 1 day long torture tests as such, my experience has lead to the Intel version of Tiger as being much quicker than Windows (referring to launching Office, Photoshop, Doom3, and similar other applications…compared Garage Band to Cubase). The quickness derives from the Mac OS using the CPU to handle some video actions in addition to the video card, but that’s just one small part of it of course.
I even went so far as to install the x86 hacked version of Tiger on my Centrino M 2.0ghz laptop, dual booted with Windows XP SP2. Needless to say, the hacked 10.4.6 version of Tiger runs faster and more smoothly than Windows runs on it’s own platform.
To boot, Windows even runs better on the new MBP than it ever has on my native machines (with the exception of a 3.4ghz overclocked beast with watercooling).
Objectively, I have found the MBP to be a much more solid machine, natively with OSX and with XP. I will still run both OS’s, as XP does have quite a few more apps available. And that is part of the beauty of the MBP and the new Intel line. I love my MBP.
Will on May 23rd, 2006 at 11:16 pm
Problems with the MacBook Pro.
I was very excited when i got mine on Sunday, but after numerous late hours messing around with it since then, it seems that it is far from being the perfect machine.
Problem 1:
A major problem is that the left USB socket is low on power and cant run a lot of external devices. When there are only 2 usb sockets, this presents a major problem, as it means you can only run things like a mouse, or a usb card reader, etc on the left. and the right is needed to run external HDDs or External disk drives. I have a lot of high-powered peripherals, so this makes it extremely annoying.
Thinking that this was a problem only with my Mac Book pro (15 inch, 2.16GHz model), i took it to the apple shop in Ginza Tokyo (which is where i am) to get it fixed. It was something that they couldnt fix, and when they tried running high powered devices off their demo macbooks, they found the same problem. So, it seems that this is something that is wrong with the general hardware, and apple arent telling people about it…
I even bought a 4 in 1 usb peripheral with AC adapter, to see if adding power would help, as well as plugging in my external HDD. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. but yesterday, i left my computer on and found that my HDD was constantly cutting out; about 3 times in 1 minute (which is not going to do my HDD any favours)…
Problem 2:
Having never owned a mac before, I thought that to have something like bootcamp, which enables you to run windows as well, would be the perfect solution. Use the more stable mac for work and regular documentation, and the windows side for some power gaming. However, although it does run Windows natively, there are a number of things that dont quite work. I dont know if this is a good comparison, but i see it as like taking all the components out of a toyota and putting it into the body of a ford; the engine will run and the car will go, but you can be sure that half the buttons wont work!
For example, plug your headphones in on windows, and you will still hear the music blaring out the laptop speakers. Kinda defeats the purpose of headphones.
More annoyingly, the system doesnt understand power save mode, and even if you set the screen to turn off after 1 min of inactivity, it will still be on. If you want your computer working on all night, such as downloading (erm, important stuff), then it will do it, but the screen will also be on all the time, which i am sure will moderately reduce the life of the screen.
And also to be expected, but equally irritating is that you cant do half of the windows shortcut commands because the keys on the keyboard are different. (i know, i bought a Mac, so i cant really complain about that). Also, I could buy a microsoft USB keyboard, but will it even run on my left USB socket? hmmm….
I know that my gripe about running windows is not very valid as Boot camp is a beta version and they have a disclaimer saying they are not responsible for anything that happens on the windows side. However, when all the stores in Japan have installed bootcamp on their mac books to sell the product, I find it quite disappointing.
Oh, Oh, Problem 3:
I forgot about this until now. spur of the moment add. But since i am a windows-gen baby, i have a lot of files in windows format, like WMV, WMA, etc, as well as divx, etc etc etc.
So when looking for applications, i find that some of them dont yet work for Intel based macs. So, flip4mac wont work, which is a pain, and half of the video files i have i can no longer play.
Okay, enough griping. I think I might take my computer back to the store and get a Sony Viao SZ instead…
Will on May 23rd, 2006 at 11:35 pm
oh forgot the purpose of my above rant. do the US models have this USB problem? or are the Japanese MacBooks (which are supposedly identical), cunningly actually being made on the cheap in China? If any of you have time to check out your USB socket and post up a follow up comment, then that would be great!
Cheers
Will
Phillip on May 23rd, 2006 at 11:50 pm
Well this probably isn’t any help, but my MBP is American, and it charges my iPod fine, but I don’t have anything high-power to test with. I use a bluetooth mouse and that helps with the lack of USB ports, but with my printer plugged in, and my modem, I can’t plug in my iPod. I agree, annoying. I hope there aren’t those compatibility problems (headphones, sleep etc.) in the Leopard release of Boot Camp, because I was planning on using Windows a little.
Alfanan on May 26th, 2006 at 6:28 am
I DID IT !!
I just bought the MBP 17”. To hear my thoughts about it, click here.
alex on May 27th, 2006 at 11:26 am
well, i have a powerbook G4 and its brilliant, it does get quite hot and i sumtimes find that i get small electric shocks if i don’t keep it on a flat surface but other than that its great. i would have preferred to have the intel on it, but after reading th reviews it doesn’t seem worth it. I’ve been a windows baby all my life, but after getting a mac i don’t think i can ever go back, I even have friends at school convinced that these things are the best thing since sliced bread. and im only 15 by the way.
Anirban Chakraborty on May 27th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Hey…im a musician and i work on a lot advertising films. I have just bought the MBP after giving away my powerbook but the heat issue is really alarming. It really really gets hot. Does apple have a solution for this? Does anyone think i should rather sell this one too and go for better and powerful PC laptop? any suggestions? I have spent a lot of money specially living in INDIA to buy this MBP….i dont know if i should really regret!!
michael on May 30th, 2006 at 12:23 am
Well, after having read these various comments I have made up my mind that I will NOT buy the MBP. Thank you Anjellic for your response to my previous message, but let’s be realistic: the heat issue alone would be enough to hold back on shelling out 3,000 dollars. My ThinkPad never, I repeat never has a heat issue. I leave it on for days no end, it’s as cool as when it’s off. And it’s 3 years old. I would recommend ThinkPad’s to anybody, I have never met a single person who is not fully satisfied with them. The X series are so light and well-designed that there is virtually nothing to be done to improve them at this point. A friend of mine just bought the latest model, and when I asked him about heat he didn’t even know what I was talking about.
My next laptop will be a ThinkPad X. At least I won’t end up in hospital with leg burns. And the USB issue mentioned above, Phillip, is not simply ‘annoying’: it is scandalous. It is scandalous that Apple charge what they charge for this junk.
Apple: nice try. Maybe next time. And maybe next time make sure that you proof-test your hardware before swiping people’s credit cards back and forth across the counter. I am sure the credit card reader has been proof-tested pretty darn well.
richie on May 30th, 2006 at 1:14 am
I don’t think I would ever opt for a thinkpad. Mainly because it’s a windows machine. They’re harder to use and all my great programs are already on Mac. If you want a cheap price in computers, Apple offers are actually beating the competition, just take a look at the Macbook line.
Apple laptops are also faster than the thinkpad series. A duo 2.16GHZ.
Macs also come with built in cameras. Why even think of upgrading to an external cam? Waste of space, especially when you need to be mobile. Also why buy a laptop with a built in modem port that you can’t rip out. Many of us do not use modems and those that do shouldn’t mind spending on a cheap adapter.
If you’re looking to top apple in performance, you might can try Dell XPS. But adding up specifics, Apple still comes out cheaper. Just tell me how i can cool down the laptop more.
michael on May 30th, 2006 at 9:17 pm
Richie – you can run Linux on a ThinkPad. In fact, if you look around you will find that virtually all Linux users (or at least those who can afford it) buy ThinkPad’s for running Linux. Have you ever asked yourself why that is the case? Maybe because they are excellent machines?
I don’t care about the camera, I need a machine that performs. I run C /Matlab programs on my machine, and it needs to kick ass if I want the outcome of a simulation to be available before the next conference. It sounds as though if I wanted to do that on a MBP I’d have to buy myself a pair of asbestos pants, and keep the phone number of the closest fire station at hand in case even the asbestos pants fail. No, thanks. Money is not a concern for me. I am willing to pay 3K or whatever, but when I pay 3K dollars I demand excellence, not a smoking piece of garbage. I am going to wait and see if Apple can fix this garbage to make into a laptop that’s worth what they are asking for it. If they manage, I’ll give it a try. Otherwise I’ll stick to my cotton jeans.
richie on May 30th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
Those machines are sometimes refered as the Stinkpads, maybe because they’re…. crap? More and more applications are coming out that utilize the camera to communicate, conference, use as a barcode scanner, the list goes on about how a built in camera becomes handy. No one cares about the camera? Trust me, it won’t be long before everyone else jumps on the same bandwagon. It’s just seems like a better piece of equipment to have verses the modem port.
So Linux as my personal computer would be the worst choice to make for anyone who isn’t a c/matlab programmer. Linux as a server is another story. You belong behind the scenes and not with the likes of normal everyday computing people. You’ll be happy with a cardboard box that can support linux. You’ll throw out all the great stuff as long as you can have a text editor and a compiler to program in. Now when you start thinking outside that box, you might see real and true excellence.
The Macbook Pro currently does not offer you the abilities to compute naked with a laptop between your legs. You’ll have to get a special add on to do that. But in my A/C cooled living room, it runs wonderful on my table.
They could have created a slot loading CD/DVD drive instead of the built in cup holder on the thinkpad. I also love how you can turn the screen, just in case you get too lazy to actually move the ENTIRE computer! The Integrated Fingerprint Reader claims it can safeguard you and protect you, but one email can easily unlock it’s security. I think the real comedy around here is you refering to linux-stinkpads as excellent!
michael on June 5th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
Now this really proves my point: Mac fans are never going to admit that Apple make mistakes, not even when they smell their own burnt flesh from under a MBP that has reached solar temperature.
I am not saying that Mac’s are bad. I have owned Mac’s in the past, and they are fine. But they are by no means perfect machines, as Mac fans would want us to believe. Richie, have you read some of the comments above? Are those people hallucinating the smoke coming out of their MBP’s, or maybe Apple screwed up this time? What would Apple need to do for Mac fans to admit that they screwed up, have magma sprinkling out of the in-built camera?
We have to be objective here: they are selling a machine that’s just a prototype, but they are asking 3K for it. Maybe they should have waited until it was fixed, before selling it. But of course, better 3K now than 3K later, or actually better 3K now AND 3K later because many people will have to buy the new MPB anyway when it comes out, despite having already bought the previous one (which they’ll end up using for grilling steaks in the kitchen, you can fit quite a few on the 17 inch version). However you look at it, this is a clear demonstration that Apple care more about profit than customer satisfaction.
Phillip on June 6th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
I’m not a Mac fanatic. You have to be reasonable; no smoke came from any MBP. I’m sure I’ve tried to say this in the past but I’ll recap. A computer as thin as the MBP with a processor as fast would have to have a very fast fan to cool it. Such a fan would not only deplete the battery quickly, it would sound like a jet engine. If you don’t like that, then you could opt for a quiet cold computer. A sound great, but where is all the heat going? It’s staying inside the case. My friend had a similar situation and his machine burned itself to a crisp. The heat has to go somewhere, and if it stays inside you wont have a computer in a week or so. Apple used an aluminum case to get the heat out of the computer without the need for a fan as I described above. I agree the amount of heat is uncomfortable but according to the laws of physics, it has to be that way. If anyone is treating Apple like a god, Michael, you are, because Apple can’t change the laws of physics and you expect them to. If you want a cool computer you don’t want a fast one. My MBP plays Halo beautifully. Someone previously mentioned a Sony computer that had good batt. life and was cool running, but you won’t get that computer to do anything amazing, trust me. It will not play Halo or a similarly taxing application. It all depends on what you need your computer for, and you shop accordingly. Like any computer the MBP has its advantages and disadvantages but like I said, there is a tradeoff. Speed is heat, buy what you want/need and live with it and stop blaming and complaining.
richie on June 6th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Michael, I have a 15″ MPB with two 2.16GHZ processor and there is absolutely no problems with it. I’m not scared about a little heat from the bottom of the laptop. Call it a man’s toy if you want. It’s pushing out TWO 2.16GHZ processors which has never been done in their laptops! And it’s doing it without a noisey fan in the thinnest case out. If 3K is too much for you, spend less. The b/w Macbooks run perfect. They have beautiful machines for under $1,000 that are not designed around heat distribution through the case. You’re obviously not ready for a man’s machine yet. And that’s cool. But if you’re gonna bitch about a lil heat between your legs, then maybe you got issues. Either go to Apple Support or see a gynecologist.
michael on June 6th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
I hope there are no women reading this stuff. Richie, before you tell other people they have got issues you may want to consider whether you don’t have some yourself. Just re-read your message, and you’ll see why.
I apologize to all the ladies from you.
Speed is not Apple’s achievement. You guys keep on conflating issues here. Speed is first and foremost Intel’s achievement. Apple simply buy the chips and stick them in. Laptop design is about integrating the chips optimally, within the constraints imposed by laptops. Whether you like it or not, this MBP is far from optimal, as you can read not only on this blog but all over the web. The laws of physics have little to do with this: those never change, yet laptops get better and better. There is still a long way to go before the laws of physics become a true limitation to inventive design. Also the goal of a good designer is to strike an optimal compromise, and this has not been achieved by the present version of the MBP. Maybe you two are happy with it, but this isn’t the case for a large number of customers who are complaining about the MBP all over the net.
It is very clear what has happened here, everybody recognizes it. Steve Jobs realized that the new Intel line was going to make it apparent to everybody that it wasn’t true that Mac’s were faster than PC’s as Apple had claimed for decades. Previously, Apple’s superiority in the OS had compensated for the fact that their machines were slower, but Jobs knew this was not going to be the case anymore with the new Intel chips. He is a smart guy, so he decided to switch to Intel. If what I just said isn’t true, why did he decide to switch to Intel at all? Anybody? If Mac’s were faster as they were, why switch to Intel? To make them slower? I don’t think so.
Now the issue is that Apple didn’t want to miss the train. They had to put out the new Intel line very quickly, and so they did it even though there were still some problems that needed fixing. They figured it was better to grab the market now and propose a fixed revision later, rather than being left out of the dual processor break-in because that would have meant a much harder catch-up later.
The matter of fact is, Apple’s superiority lies in the OS, not in the hardware. Their machines are not better than most others (I am not referring to the external appearance – that’s really a matter of taste), it is their OS that’s better than Windows. So the hope is that they’ll fix the various problems with the MBP upon revision, but for the people on this blog the relevant questions are when and how. Denying that there are problems with this MBP, or blaming it on the laws of physics, seems to me total denial.
richie on June 8th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Micheal, when you are around, there are no ladies. So stop pretending. I never said anything to offend any ladies other than you. But as a joke only implying that you’re complaining and bitching
If you think that all speed only comes from the processor, then you got it wrong. The speed of file transfers are effected, not only by the processor, but the rpm of a hard drive, the connection whether or not it’s firewire, USB, SCSI. The internet speeds are effected by the connection, the server, the browser, ftp program, etc… How about your cd burner, dvd burner, camera captures. All which ties into the operating system itself in order to run faster than the rest using the same processor.
I’ll also tell you that the switch to intel is more than just one reason. Apple could have possibly chosen other companies. Fact is Apple is using Intel processors now, and if Intel can keep their processors fast enough to handle the speed at which Apple improves their OS and hardware configurations. Apple’s superiority does not just lie within their OS. But it includes the unit as a whole. Their casings are just more than cases that look pretty but serve functionality. They’re more than just gimmicks like dell cases that glow on the outside. Or how about when HP decided to put a spindle on their computers so you could hold your extra CDS.
Did apple RACE to get their macbook pros? It seems their first batch of MBPs did not meet the expectations of some customers, but I for one purchased my MPB when they made the 2.16s standard on their 15″ and it’s a beauty! Even still the laptops meet regulation standards and will get better every year when as Apple updates the computer. There was a huge demand for new laptops and in looking towards the future, Apple wanted to make sure people had intel laptops rather than the non intel based powerbooks which will fall out of the realm of future compatibility.
michael on June 9th, 2006 at 12:20 am
Richie, your response is so moronic and uncivilized that I can’t even be bothered to waste any effort to reply to it properly. Good luck with your MBP. I will be waiting for the revision.
Meredith on June 10th, 2006 at 11:05 am
Would you two stop being idiots and arguing about it all! There’s no point to it. And there are women who read this, and I am one of them. I’ve researched a lot before deciding on MB pro 2.16 GHz. I always research every little detail before I get any electronic. If there are problems with it, then my apple care will take care of it or my college will fix it. You both make some good points about the MB and I’m keeping my eyes open if any problems occur. Thank you all for the input on this machine.
-Meredith
Ginnie on June 10th, 2006 at 12:07 pm
I agree with Meredith. Somewhere along the line the blog has become personal instead of informative. I also do some research before I buy any electronic. I had wanted a Powerbook for years and was planning on buying it in May when I talked to Apple and they said they were phasing them out and MBP was its replacement.So I bought a MBP 15″ 2.16 GHz. Like Meredith, I am keeping my eyes open for any problems.
Imad on June 11th, 2006 at 12:01 am
Great Review,
I have a question though.
It seems to me the only difference in the MacBook Pro and the MB is the video card and the harddisk. But i dont know about the other specs.
I am still debating if the MBP is worth the extra $500 (canadian) over the MB.
From what I gathered here, the MB, despite its inferior video card, is a very close match to its fancier friend the MBP.
as many users, my main applications will be photoshop as well as the MS Office bundle (mostly powerpoint)…..
Can anyone shed some light on what other great things the MBP would have over the MB to justify the huge price difference?
Thanks
Imad on June 11th, 2006 at 12:11 am
oh one more thing,
lets get back to the informative side of things as Meredith and Ginnie correctly suggested.
I will pose a technical question:
would a MBP running windows be a faster more stable machine than a comparable pc with equal specs (Sony, Thinkpad or Dell)?
would the pc running mac os outperform the MBP?
finally, software aside, what are the hardware differences that make the MBP a better faster more stable machine than a PC? I really dont know the differences in parts used and the quality of the machine produced when such parts are put together. I mean in the end just how different is a MBP from a Dell or a Sony Viao or a Thinkpad?
thanks
Ginnie on June 11th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Imad, I don’t have a whole lot to contribute on your question. However, I am a Mac fan. I also use the CS Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign). I have these on my Sony Vaio (my first PC 2 years old). I have been very happy with my Sony but it was time to upgrade. The intel chip in the MBP was a surprise. However, the 2 selling factors of the MBP for me were the fact I do not have to buy Norton to prevent a virus and the fact it had a duel processor that I could run OSX as well as Windows XP ( with the help of Bootcamp. Note: the CS3 series is being redesigned to run better on the MBP Intel computer. Right now ( CS and CS2 )it needs Rosetta……………according to Apple.
Imad on June 11th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
I just went out and got myself a MBP just a little over an hour ago…..and I am LOVIN it!
ill be posting an update with my impression in a little while…..but for now compared to my compac notebook this thing is actuall producing less heat and i played around with it quit a bit! it still runs a little warm but so far so good. As for the speed, its pretty fast, except that MS Office was VERY slow at loading. I fugure this could be because the system is just starting to be used so it may be doing all the startup check and balances..i dont know. and the keypad….WOW. very very nice. oh yeah MAC OS is very nice….i still need to get used to it, a few things from windows are missing, but im sure i will find their alternatives if a fiddle around a little more.
OK im off to play with my new toy….
Meredith on June 11th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Well, I am not impressed by Dell in the least. Few years ago I got a Dell Dimension 8300 for Christmas. Everything was working fine. Two months later it would shut down on me when I tried to play a DVD in the DVD drive. It also has a floppy drive but has never recognized a single floppy. I don’t know how many times I’ve re-installed the drive. I know floppys are out of date, but the thing has that drive for a reason. So I called Dell for their wonderful service. Try going step-by-step with someone you have difficulty understanding. After I thought my problem was fixed, I lost my internet connection. It would work fine in safe mode. Anyways, the thing doesn’t like editing software and some of the programs that came with the machine. And the great printer that was so cheap kills you with the $70 pack of 3 cartridge ink you can only get through Dell. Doesn’t tell how much ml is in each one. Dell has killed windows for me and I might as well be switching because of all the artsy stuff I do.
Imad, if you’re getting a PC, for godsake DO NOT get a Dell. I’m hearing good stuff about a few Toshiba laptops and Linux, but it’s not really a PC though. I don’t know much about Sony. Not a big fan of their electronics. I hope by now, Dell has gotten a little bit better, but I wouldn’t risk it.
Phillip on June 12th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Hey Imad, I bought MS office for Mac too, and I checked the system profiler. It says that office is a power pc application, not intel mac. I think it runs slower because it has to run with the rosetta emulator. I noticed that office lagged a little, and that is my theory.
Imad on June 12th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
yeah. thats a good theory! it is a little annoying. someone told me about the open office (or something like that) which is a shareware that is apparently faster than ms office. i havent gotten around to trying it yet. im too busy figuring out how to import everything from my pc to my new MBP. yes i think i decided i will leave pc world forever…..well if not forever then for a long time at least!
about the heat problem, yes i am noticing now that it is there. i compared it to my 3 year old compac notebook and the amount of heat and temp are pretty much the same, but on the compac it is located in an area that is about 3*3 inches. on the MBP the only area that doesnt get hot is a 3*3 inch area!!!!
to love player you should be very bad on June 14th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
Great post! I’m looking forward for more. curious is feature of white girl
Scott ESP on June 14th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
Well I have had my MBP for 2 months now. The first one I purchased was returned after one week due to heat, lots of heat, the kind that raises your blood temp and leaves you in a pool of sweat. I would not not have returned the MBP except that several Mac reps said most MBPs did not get soo hot that I could not leave my had on it. They said somthing must be wrong and I sould return it. Well after getting a real hard time from the Mac store in Lenox Mall near Atlanta I finally got a second computer only to find the heat issue was not any better. Like most of you I now had to make a decision as to speed vs heat. I like the speed, I like macs, so what to do. I priced the standard cool pads (29.00) and fond out they are very standard. While my MBP is wider the cool pads are not. I bought the cool pad which creates a very awkward handfulll when I want to set things down. The wire catches on things, my hand does not always catch the edge of both the computer and cool pad. Since the disingers know we can not keep the MBP on our laps ,why cant they come up with a low cost cool pad that fits the MBP? Why has it taken soo long? I have come up with lots of ideas/designs that would actually fit someones lap without the MBP slipping off. I am wirting for thoes of us that have decided to keep our MBP’s for all the right reasons. I would also like to hear more about the options of Bootcamp vs Parralles. Which is really better?
the NooB on June 15th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
I am considering purchasing a macbook pro would this be the right choice to go with for what I am doing?
Final Cut / digital video
After Effects
Dream Weaver
Flash
I run my computers pretty hard, hope the mbp can handle it.
Also, what’s the deal with these programs being native etc.?
what does this all mean?
Can I take a MAC version of photoshop and run it on the MBP as well as taking a WIN version of photoshop and run it on MBP?
or
does this mean i have to buy a whole new program of Photoshop that only runs on MBP?
Steve on June 15th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
HEAT ISSUES MAY BE RESOLVED!!
I have been following this blog for a good while attempting to decide whether to purchase a MBP or not?? I was concerned about the heat issue and had considered waiting on the next generation, but I can’t see that happening until the next generation chips (2.5ghz) are released by intel. I was able to find a site that has information concerning the heat, and it is a really easy thing to resolve.
What a HUGE goof on the part of Apple!! You may just need to remove a plastic strip from the laptop vent in the back. See details as follows:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/a…boo-178564.php
Cheers!!
Kelly on June 16th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Hi Steve – Could you please be more specific about where to find this info on fixing the MBP’s heat issue? I can’t find anything on that link you posted. My MBP’s heat doesn’t really bother me, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to fix it if I can.
I hate to perpetuate things, but I feel moved to say this to Richie: Your poor grammar, overt social ignorance, and egregious sexist attitude really took the wind out your sails. Let’s please keep these postings more civil and constructive.
And last, for anyone who is interested, I recently loaded Windows on my MBP using the Bootcamp software. Indeed, I did so much to my chagrin, but I have to be able to run AutoCAD for work and school. I have to say, if you prefer Apple, this is a much better option than owning 2 computers! I’m loving it. I think it even makes AutoCRUD seem more palatable!
Steve on June 16th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Sorry everyone, I pasted the wrong link. In short, look under the MBP monitor, and under the hinge, you will see a grate that my have a clear sheet of plastic blocking the holes. With a pair of tweezers, you can teeze this up and remove it which will allow the cooling fan to exhaust the air rather than having it come up through the keyboard and heating up the bottom. Try it….let me know if this affects any of you??
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/a…boo-178564.php
Sandra on June 17th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
I do not believe Richie made any sexist comment against women and I’m more of a girl than anyone I know. But I also have a sense of humor but also found no predjudice, sterotyping or discrimination towards women on his behalf.
Anyways, before this turns into a gender war and a cat fight… I bought a MPB and all these comments on heat issues associated with the MPB are quite ludicrous. The heat currently coming from the MBPs are no different than the ones coming from the powerbooks. Not all MPBs came with a plastic strip on the vents. One guy posted pictures on his blog and so far is probably the only guy who has had that funny experience.
Imad on June 18th, 2006 at 11:39 am
Hi.
Steve i checked and there was no plastic sheat on the grill.
As i said before, i would write my comments on what i have observed so far in my MBP, as well as asking if anyone came across these problems and what the solution was:
1. whine: i denied hearing that. but then one day i did…and now i cannot stop hearing it. it is a little annoying. but i can live with it. a friend of my took his MBP to Apple and they said that it was “within specs”! I dont like it. but i think i can live with it.
2. heat issue: i am noticing now that as i mentioned before, its not the degree of heat (as it is comparable to other notebooks ive used), it is the size of the area the heat reaches that bothers me….basically its all over the place. the most heat i sensed was on the metal right above the function keys.
3. this is a serious problem that has recurred with powerpoint: i made a full presentation on my MBP and it was very nice. when i opened it on a pc, the images that i had inserted were not recognized and some fonts were screwed up! i basically had to redo many of the images and re-insert them on pc a little under an hour before my presentation. it was not a nice experience.
4. again with powerpoint: i opened an email powerpoint attachement froma friend. what resulted was that it went to full screen mode then froze. the mouse did not work and the mbp seemed to have frozed. i licked F9 and was able to get the expose to show me that it actually was powerpoint that was not responding. to i had to force quit it.
5. three times now i was using the MBP and i was trying to put it to sleep and it was not responding. the computer was working and any application i open with it would work, but it would just ignore any attempt to make it go to sleep or shut it down. in the end i had to keep pressing on the power button until it shut down. it rebooted normally.
although i am loving every bit of my expereince, i am concerned with these problems. did anyone else have something similar happen to them. i am thinking of returning mine.
Ginnie on June 18th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
I have a question for Kelly. Have you had any problems with Bootcamp? Did it download alright? I am also glad that the MBP has the capability of running Windows XP as well as Mac OSX. Like Kelly said it is better than owning 2 computers. I was concerned with downloading Bootcamp because of it being a beta program.
Scott ESP on June 18th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
So Sandra,
I loaded my computer, downloaded to return it to the Apple store. Reloaded it again. Took time to let others know about the problem with heat only to have you say our concerns were not worthy, get real. If I can not keep my hand on the bottom of the mbp without having to move it, this is real. Having to purchase a cool pad is real. Maybe women have more insulation!!!!!!
Will on June 18th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
A Mac beginner’s answer to Imad and Ginnie.
Imad,
Macs and PCs have never been 100% reliable when it comes to compatability of programs. it is nothing to do with the computer being a MBP or not, it is just to do with a Mac and a PC version of the same application. At work, we have both Macs and Pcs, and often a word document or powerpoint document is sent from one to the other and when opened it looks different, or sometimes even just garbled crap, that i guess gets lost in translation from Mac talk to PC talk. I must admit, I am not a computer expert, so i cant explain the root programming problem, all I know is that I use both formats and it happens frequently, regardless of the computer.
Ginnie,
with regards to bootcamp. it works quite well and it does its job, which means that it definitely downloads and definitely runs windows. Is it perfect? Nope!
In summary, this is because you are running windows off a computer which isnt physically made in mind for it. It is made with Mac Os in mind (obviously) so there are a lot of minor problems that you will find will be a bit annoying, but you can live with.
I actually talk about this quite a lot when i first got my MBP, and it is posted in this site dated:May 23rd. I dont want to repeat,but you will get the idea if you read that.
—
To all,
about the plastic strip. If you look at the links and google it, you will see that this plastic strip is on MBs, but i havent seen it as an issue on MBPs. As everyone said, MBPs are hot. they are fast and they are built in an metal case which means the heat is bound to be all over the place. I hated it, but Japan is anal about giving refunds, especially APPLE JAPAN, so instead I bought a fan that looks something like this antec one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000YB7RQ/qid=1150683097/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/203-5462768-8692762
it helps a lot so that the computer isnt too hot to touch. But I am definitely keeping it off my lap… So “laptop” it is not.
Sandra on June 18th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Scott, so why are you putting your hand on the bottom of the mbp? I never said anyone’s concerns are not worthy, but if you want advice, the Apple support section for MPBs are a better place to find answers.
To break you off a piece. Universal Applications run better and more efficent on the MPBs. A universal app took 6 seconds to render on my duo 2.16GHZ what my other computer did in 53 seconds running with 1 processor at 1.86GHZ of the same file. Which is about more than 20 1/2 times faster utilizing 150% of my CPU. Apple lied when they said it was only 4times faster because I’m achieving results greater than they announced.
Richie was accurate when he said speed was much more than the processor, but to add to it, universal software takes advantage of the MPB capabilities. Are you running universal apps? You can run non-universal apps on intel based computers, but they will not take advantage of the processor. But you’ll be making it work more than it has to, which will create more heat.
You should seriously contact apple and use it’s support site if you have issues on the laptop. The heat is probably 1% of what your MPB can really do within the next couple years. It’s a shame that this blog hasn’t even made it past that point
Kelly on June 21st, 2006 at 12:18 pm
Ginnie – I did not have any problems downloading Bootcamp. It was actually quite easy. My only advice would be to backup everything on your computer beforehand and be sure to print the directions and get the proper firmware updates like they say (you’ll read this when you start the download). I made the mistake of going with the default partition size (it gives you the option to choose how much to allocate to each harddrive) and wound up with not enough space on my Windows side (I’m about to max it out and will have to start the process over again to increase it). And last, there may be a solution to this that I have not yet found, but I can’t seem to put the computer in sleep or standby mode when it’s on the Windows side…so be careful not to close your laptop without powering down when you’re working in Windows or else it really heats up. And please let me know if you figure out the answer to this. Good luck!
Ginnie on June 21st, 2006 at 6:33 pm
kelly……….Thank you for the information. I will let you know how it goes. The only reason I want to use Bootcamp and Windows XP on my MBP is so I can use my Microsoft Office. No reason to buy another version of it. As you know they aren’t cheap. I plan on doing all my web browsing and use of Adobe programs on the Mac side of the partition.
Will……….. Thank you for your Bootcamp information also. I realize there might be some problems with Bootcamp due to the fact it is a beta version. Also, thanks for the link to the cool fan/pad for the MBP. I will get one.
To all…..Yes my MBP gets hot but not hot enough to return it. I have watch 2 different movies (one being 3 hours long)on it while propted on a pillow and believe it or not no burn marks, smoke or flames!!! But the plug in charger got seriously hot……scary hot!! But I am still keeping it. specially now that I know where to get a fan for it.
Scott ESP on June 21st, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Sandra
Thank you for your advice. Apple support is the first place we should go with problems. I went to Apple support first when I realised I might have a problem. I had recently lost an HP laptop due to heat. It only lasted one year and melted the AC internal socket. Also had other heat related problems such as shutting down. I was concerned that the heat would hurt other parts of the MBP. I described my heat problem to the support tech by saying it was so hot I could not keep my hand on the bottom of the MBP without having to move it. He went on to say he was not aware of any problems regarding heat and simply set up a case number.
I see you are working with Bootcamp. I have been working with parallels. They have just completed their beta program and charge $40.00 to upgrade to the full version. It seems to be working ok. I am not sure of the pros and cons campared to Bootcamp. Will be reading comments to find out more.
Will on June 22nd, 2006 at 12:28 am
Kelly,
As far as i know, there isnt a way to put the MBP on sleep or standby when in the Windows side using bootcamp. Also, even the screensaver doesnt come up, and you also cant put the screen to sleep if you want it to do some processing/downloading for hours on end. Hopefully they will fix this bug with a new driver updates for bootcamp…
In addition, you will find that when you plug your headphones in, music will still play out of the computer speakers as they also dont have a driver for that yet either.
In summary, bootcamp does have its uses, but “BETA version” is definitely the operative word at the moment…
Will
Chris J on June 22nd, 2006 at 1:01 am
Actualy Will,
you can set the MBP to sleep when you close the lid it’s in the power options in windows also you can click the little monitor like item in the system tray and draging the bar right to the bottom to switch off the screen also the screensaver does work it sounds like somethings wrong with your installation if it doesnt!
to be honest what annoys me the most if the fact that the headphone socket works but sound still comes out of the speakers when I use windows!
Imad on June 22nd, 2006 at 10:17 am
I am using parallels and it is very good. I nevr used bootcamp but i am very happy with parallels.
Kelly on June 22nd, 2006 at 12:28 pm
I haven’t tried plugging in headphones on the Windows side yet, but that issue reminds me of my last PC laptop (a 1 year old Gateway). The music always played softly through the speakers when I had headphones plugged in. It may have been fixable, but I never bothered. So, somehow I’m not too surprised it’s happening on the MBP with Windows…
Chris J on June 23rd, 2006 at 11:52 am
Paralells doesnt allow you to take full advantage of the MBP hardware though as it runs “on top” of OSX eating up your resources so thats gaming out the window! I suppose its ok for office but I can run that in OSX and personaly I think its a better on OSX anyway but before people start ranting it’s just my opinion!
Meredith on June 23rd, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Earlier this week I received my MBP. I thought it would take a while getting used to because I have always used PC. This computer is awesome! It runs way faster than any PC I’ve used in anything. Also, I like how everything shows up on applications rather than search forever for a progam or feature. I did have a problem when I played a DVD, so I called Apple and was able to get hold of someone in only a few minutes. He told me what to do and why. The problem was fixed and I talked to someone who is actually in the country, compared to Dell. The thing does get quite warm on the bottom, so I always place it on a table. The thing is so simple that I might show my mom how to use it (who has problems understanding any machine). So far, so good. I am pleased with this.
-Meredith
Kelly on June 23rd, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Hi Chris – I made sure that I had the computer set to standby when closing the lid (because I thought I had already done that – that’s how I always had my old pc laptop set up), but it still will not go into standby when I close it. It says I need more harddrive space in order to activate the hibernate setting (space which I do not have)…but I thought that was different from standby. Any thoughts?
Also, I’m pretty sure I’m just going to have to start from scratch to do this, but does anyone know if I can increase the amount of space allocated to my Windows harddrive without reloading everything? I’m regretting going with the default setting of 5GB.
And last, has anyone using bootcamp figured out how to get the time to be set right on both platforms? One’s always about 4 hours ahead. This could just be a bug that will be worked out later.
Thanks!
fungke on June 23rd, 2006 at 10:43 pm
Hey Chris J,
since Paralells runs windows through a window, what would you suggest is good by doing this? would working on applications such as photoshop and dreamweaver be slow?
i know that these programs are available on OSX, but i am just wondering as i am not sure that i can fully adopt the apple way into my workflow.
Chris J on June 25th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Hey everyone,
Well where should I start…well with Kelly I suppose as you were first in line.
Stand by: the system shuts down your monitor, hard drive, and other devices, but maintains power to random access memory (RAM). Your open documents and applications are stored in RAM as if your system were fully powered
Hibernation: saves the contents of RAM to your hard disk in compressed form so you can turn your laptop completely off (as the hard disk stores info permanently unlike RAM before anyone says anything this info is taken from:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/features/fastresume.mspx
Either way provides a faster more convenient way to get back to what you were last doing however if you think about it the reason you cannot use hibernation is because in order to save the compressed file to your hard disk you would need the same amount space on your windows partition as the size of your ram i.e. 1gb (standard on MBP’s) that’s why! and it sounds like you are going to have to redo everything again if it’s any constalation I have also run out of space on my windows partition!
However I most likely think that it’s your windows build (I’m not talking about SP2) but the actual build of windows you have because my MBP does it no problem!
Fungke
Parallels is as far as I’m aware a VM (virtual machine) type software i.e. Mac uses its power to host a virtual windows environment so as you have Mac osx running. This in turn is bound to mean that it is slower than running it natively however with the sophistication of code nowadays it may run fine for what you want it to do. As I don’t use the programs you mention I do not know how intensive they are the best thing for you is to try both ohh and don’t forget Virtual PC which has been around for donkeys years!
One thing I will say is Parallels is $49.99 whereas boot camp is free!
Peace Out
Chris J
Heather on June 29th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
I do not believe Merideth is a person, she comes from apple!
Chris J on June 29th, 2006 at 11:38 pm
Haha I thought that too another apple hand job!
Meredith on July 6th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
me, from apple?! thank you for thinking of me as a computer person, but i’m not even in college yet. i’m going this fall. heck, the only jobs i’ve had is working at a crappy party store, a chinese restaurant, and babysitting. that’s it. i just happen to really like my macbook pro. it’s a relief from dell and windows for me. if i was from apple i would know how to solve everyone’s problems. sorry to disappoint you, Heather.
-Meredith
Scott ESP on July 9th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
I was talking to a good friend yesterday. I told him about the heat problems with my MBP he said he had heard and that they had found out why. I was all ears. He said it was known that Apple had put too much thermal grease in our machines and that it backfired by holding in the heat instead of insulation. Can this be true? if so, how do we get into the computer or should we take it in? Love to hear, thanks.
Chris J on July 10th, 2006 at 1:31 am
Ohh my god Scott ESP first prize for the apple romours!
Why dont you submit that one to any of the apple based websites and tell them! I’m sure they dont know yet!
http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/01/macbook-pros-overheating-due-to-thermal-gr
ease/
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/thermal-greasy-apple-sics-lawyers-on-something-awful-171394.php
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=187
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2006/05/23/thermal-paste-question.html
http://www.appledefects.com/wiki/index.php?title=MacBook_Pro#Improperly_applied_thermal_grease
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2006/5/1/3804
I’m sorry I think I’m being a little teeny weeny bit sarcastic!
;)
Chris J
Robert Sharl on July 10th, 2006 at 2:10 am
Scott: While there’s some truth in the Thermal Paste story, it looks like things are a little more complex than they would initially seem. There is a lot of paste in there, by all accounts, and Apple’s service manuals specify what to many seems like an excessive application of the stuff. The result of this is that heat is transferred off the processor and out to the cooling system (including the chassis of the machine) at an aggressive rate. This makes the outside hot, but keeps the internal temperature down (trust me, it would go even higher without this effect). You really don’t want this heat sticking around inside, though the side effect is burned legs, or worse ;-)
The other way of cooling the processor involves the fan: It’s likely that Apple have had to trade off the external temperature against the frequency and intensity with which the fan kicks in. Again, a noisy fan much of the time would be undesirable for many (I’ll take some heat over nose and reduced battery life for example, as my PowerBook spends much of its time on a cafe table or a desk – YMMV).
Finally, some experimentation has happened with reducing the amount of paste in the MBP, but the results are far from conclusive. Temperature drops are fairly minimal overall. There’s a very good round-up here and I’ll include their summary for speed:
So would I take my MBP apart to scrape out the paste and reapply? Not on your life? Would I get it looked at if it were being opened up anyway and I was out of warranty? Possibly.
Chris J on July 10th, 2006 at 2:59 am
True very true great comment!
Chris J
moonman on July 14th, 2006 at 12:48 am
I noticed a problem with my 1 day old MBP. When it begins to warm up, the palm rest area above the disc drive begins to creek, feels like there’s a spring under it. When the machine cools, it goes away. I took it back to apple, after a little arguing with the manager, they gave me a new one, and it of course does the same thing. I have seen several people mention this problem on other mac forums. Apple care simply says, it’s cosmetic, sorry sucker. So, has anyone heard of a fix for this? Does anyone have the same thing going on?
Dave on July 14th, 2006 at 6:59 am
Nice blog everyone.
I am just trying to figure out what should I purchase for my son going to college this fall.
I have narrowed the search to two Notebooks.
The first is the MacBook Pro and after looking at some of the issues with the MBP I am starting favor the other Notebook which is an Acer TravelMate 8200 TM8204WLMi- XP Pro NoteBook Intel Core Duo T2500(2.0GHz) 15.4″ Wide SXGA 2GB DDR2 533 120GB 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon X1600.
I would guess they are similar it price and speed but any comments at all on what I should choose would be greatly appreciated. Especially by those who may have owned an ACER TravelMate close to these specs.
I have to admit the heat issue with the MBP bothers me but I do find the MacBook really appealing otherwise. I purchased a Dell laptop already and had to return it for being to slow and not happy with the video. I should mention in addition for wanting it for college he would also like to be able to play WOW(World of Warcraft?)on it.
I am hoping not to make another mistake and be reasonably happy with the next laptop purchase. This may not be the ideal place for a post like this but I would appreciate any comments. Good or bad. Thank-you.
Phillip on July 14th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Dave,
I’m afraid I don’t have information on the Acer notebook for you, but I play World of Warcraft, and it works great on my Macbook Pro. I do not have the fast version MBP but I have noticed little lag. Hope this helps! Good luck with your descision.
Eddie on July 16th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
ya seriously these suckers are hottttt someone mentioned above if u cant keep your hand under it it should be replaced, im going to call apple tomoro and do just that.
paula on July 16th, 2006 at 9:30 pm
help,
i am stuck in wondows. i have a macbook pro and installed Windows and now i cant get back to my mac desktop any help there.i am an idiot
Chris J on July 17th, 2006 at 3:09 am
Hello all,
Paula hold alt as soon as you switch on your computer and you will get the option to boot into OS X again then go into OS X and go System Preferences>Start up Disk and Select Macintosh OS X and reboot Voila! C’mon Eddie get the idea thats what half of this blog is about! Dave go for the mac it has several advantages 1.It run both windows and a superior operating system in OSX (no viruses no spyware=no crap)2.Looks Better/Better Design 3. Graphics are brilliant in half life 2 so no prob playing WOW then!
Keith on July 18th, 2006 at 6:51 am
hey guys, i was a powerbook g4 owner until someone stole it last week from my car. anyway, thanks to farmer’s insurance, i’ll be upgrading to a macbook pro, so i came to this blog to see how everyone likes/dislikes the product. seems like heat’s a big problem (for some). anyway, i have a simple, cheap, and hopefully safe way to cool the laptop. i used this technique while playing warcraft and had the laptop on my desk:
the first thing i tried was filling a douche/enema/heat bag full of cold water from the fridge. i placed it under the computer. it worked fairly well.
the second thing i tried was to freeze one of those small packs of “blue ice,” wraping it in a thin dish towel and placed it under the computer.
the third and best technique is to place the frozen pack of “blue ice” directly under the laptop. it cools it down quickly. every now and then, i move the “blue ice” around the bottom of the laptop to cool all the areas. the only thing that gets annoying is that the computer sometimes gets off balanced, but not a very big deal if you are creative and have small items to even out the computer. the bottom of the computer get slightly moist, but the moisture evaporates within seconds due to the heat.
i guess this solution is a little bit creativity, a little bit common sense, and a lot to do with thrift.
hope this helps people. you probably don’t want to use this technique in a starbucks, but on second thought, as soon as i patent this refreezeable lapdesk for the laptop, you just might see these all around.
i don’t work for apple, but don’t you think i should?
remeber, you heard it here first. keith
Keith on July 18th, 2006 at 6:57 am
oh, i was too busy being presumptuous that i forgot to ask: will ArcGIS applications work on the macbook pro? thanks, keith
Chris J on July 18th, 2006 at 7:41 am
Hey Keith welcome to the blog sorry to hear about your g4 mate but I’m sure that used to get quite hot aswell people have compared the two in terms of heat but do say the MBP is hotter. My expirence is that yes it gets hot but not as much as some people exaggerate to try and put people off any how to be honest I think it’s not the best idea on a computer to have moisture any where near it at all even if it does vaporise in seconds I see it like this my computer gets hot and fail’s ohh well time for a brand spanking new one from the apple store then thats why we have a warranty how many people’s MBP have actualy failed because of heat? hmmmm…..(long silence) yeah theres my point! I’m 100% percent sure that the program you mention will run as if it aint OSX compatible install windows ha!
Cheers
Chris
Astoth on July 19th, 2006 at 12:53 am
^alias…
Anyway, I was in london drugs the other day and instead of selling me a mbp right then and there the sales rep told me to wait untill mid August because the clock speed would be upgraded to 64bit on a re-release of the mbp instead of the 32bit clock speed of the febuary release. Is this true and should I wait till mid August to get my mbp?
deep on July 19th, 2006 at 12:54 am
Could some please give updates on the MB 13″ range
also regarding any heat issues and other problems ?
Chris J on July 19th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
There is no chance that a 64 bit mac laptop will come out this year if not next year! the rep was talkin some serious BS! this aint for blog for macbooks either try here:
http://theappleblog.com/2006/05/22/two-birds-one-stone-the-macbook/
Bye
Kyle on July 26th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
I’ve used Apples, and was never really that impressed. Everything the mac does I can do on my linux machine no problem, or on my windows machine. I’m lloking at a macbook pro since it can currently run XP, and will likely eventually run Vista (*ahem* if Vista ever comes into an existance in which we can buy it). But I like Microsoft. If I put as much money in a windows machine as the basic iMac, My machine (although bulkier than an iMac, but much better looking IMHO) would be much faster and more powerful. I’ve used the new iMac, I’ve used the newest iBook, the last PowerBook, and even the MBP. Compared to the Compaq (Yes, the lowline HP rip offs), they were all slow as dirt. We had dual 32 bit processors in 81 machines side by side by side in our computer lab. only 1 gig of ram. only a 250 Gb HDD. and yet, when I ran the exact same program on both systems (I was using a Java IDE), the Compaq ran much MUCH faster. So I whipped out my ancient (8 years old) laptop that was made for windows 98, had only 128 Mb of RAM, a 20 gb hdd, and the original pentium 3 (fully clocked to 800MHz). Not only did my laptop run cooler, it was nearly as fast. Now, an 8 year old laptop… keeping up with a brand new MacBookPro???? I mean, yeah it’s IBM, but come on…
merka on August 2nd, 2006 at 11:33 am
id rather have a some macnuggets
KS FKay on August 3rd, 2006 at 5:56 pm
Kyle,
I would love to know what you use your linux box for. They can make great servers and have the same computing ability that one can do on a Mac, but they do not make great Home and Office computers. The same dedication Apple puts into the art of making computers can be felt when it’s placed on your desk.
Our labs at school started off with 50/50 on windows and macs. But in one year they decided to put 60/40 in favor of macs. The new machines also took up less space with the computers built into the monitor. There were less wires and made the windows side of the room look very bulky. Big CRTs on the desks and a big computer underneath the desk for the windows. The Apple users had open floor space for their feet and space! Apple creates better working and home environments hands down.
Because the aluminum casing on the Macbook which conducts heat, I can quickly cool it turning the entire case into cold plate. And the built in camera rocks. I don’t have to decide whether or not I want to use the camera or not when I’m running around with my laptop because I always have the ability no matter where I go. I use camera in computing 10 times more than before, now that it’s built in and not in the way.
As an Apple user, I have no need to use any other computer. I tried to use other computers, but why?! I always recommended Apple to my friends and they end up loving their computers so I’ll keep on recommending Apple. You practically have to offer money to Apple users in order to get them to switch. But it’s still never worth it.
kelly on August 3rd, 2006 at 6:32 pm
KS FKay – How do you cool your MBP? I don’t understand, but would love to know how to cool mine off. Heat and all, though, I LOVE my MBP. As you suggested, you couldn’t PAY me to switch it out for something else. And I run AutoCAD on the “PC side” of my MBP. Perfect.
KS FKay on August 3rd, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Well you can either use a vornado fan which looks like : http://richielau.com/~whatsup/DIY/laptopcooler.jpg
or funnel the cool air from your a/c instead.
Will on August 3rd, 2006 at 8:19 pm
Are you kidding me? Have a huge fan blowing at it from behind? Not the most subtle, but I guess it does work. Alternately, invest in a notebook cooler. They are metal plates that you sit your laptop on and are designed to conduct heat away. It is better to invest in one with fans which will suck the heat out. I have one, and it makes a huge difference. There are lots of manufacturers around, so just go into amazon and type in “notebook fans”.
here are a few links so you get the idea:
Cooler Master NotePal Laptop Cooler:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009WPSEC/sr=8-8/qid=1154661215/ref=pd_bbs_8/102-3771857-1500139?ie=UTF8
Antec USB-Powered Notebook Cooler :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000BVYTV/sr=8-2/qid=1154661436/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-3771857-1500139?ie=UTF8
Kingwin Ultra Cool 3-in-1 Multi-Function Notebook Cooler Pad with 8-in-1 Card Reader / USB Hub
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007OT2TY/ref=pd_cp_e_title/102-3771857-1500139?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=172282
KS FKay on August 3rd, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Nah Will,
Those are only good on the road, if you are at home, you take that vornado! If you have one already lying around, then it will cost you next to nothing! It’s free and easy to set up. The MPB case was built to take advantage of it’s environment. It like it better in the summer especially because it cools me down too
KS FKay on August 3rd, 2006 at 9:48 pm
These are much better than those portable laptop coolers plus comes in hotter colors:
http://www.vornado.com/products/zippi/platinumzippi.htm
You can even put a small air purifier behind your laptop and feed it only purified clean air. Plus most of them suck the juice from your laptop’s batteries
Chris J on August 4th, 2006 at 12:20 am
Well my mbp is pretty cool and compared to some on the internet that I have seen only gets to about 56 degrees on average however if I leave it on my bed go into apps and open all apps then leave it for like 5 mins it peaks at 76 degrees sometimes I think people tend to exaggerate to make the blogs more interesting be to be honest I bought a cooler pad and I don’t even use it my mbp sits on my desk and is fine all of time its not like it gets so hot that it switches itself off or anything! then I think that WOULD be a problem but it doesn’t all apps run fine everything works ok so their is NO Problem so do people know what I’m getting at? Does your mbp switch itself off? Do the programs not work? Do you get lots of errors? if the answer (and be honest) is No to these questions then you are probably worrying yourself about nothing were using the latest dual core power guzzling 1 inch thick aluminium laptop ahem notebook! its not going to run cool the bottom of it is a part of the cooling system its one giant heatsink the hotter it is in a way the better its more heat that is being channelled from the inside of your computer!
chewy on August 20th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
Would MBP be good for autocad, 2d/3d cad? thanks.
KS FKay on August 20th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
I think Autocad is the PC version to Autodesk the MAC version of CAD. Someone tell me if Macs runs Windows better than a PC.
kelly on August 20th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
chewy: i’ve been running autocad 2005 2d and 3d on my MBP and it’s great. like running it much better on this machine than on my huge (albeit very fast) clunky, heavy Gateway laptop. on the heat issue (if anyone’s still worrying about that), yes, my MBP does get pretty toasty, but not as hot as my Gateway and not much hotter than my boyfriend’s G4 Powerbook (actually, he has now switched over to MBP and loves it too). the versatility this machine allows is worth every degree of heat it puts out. just set it on a book or a lapdesk if it’s too hot for you. i’ve often done that with other (all Windows based) laptops i’ve owned in the past.
chewy on August 20th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
Thanks for all the info Kelly! I’m a newbie to Mac.
Bob on August 22nd, 2006 at 1:59 pm
I would wait …
KS FKay on August 23rd, 2006 at 2:41 am
If you compare the MPB case design with the previous Powerbook(s), It’s quite amazing how the little differences are intelligent improvements. I don’t know how they can improve the design on the next one MBP. It’s just seems so perfect.
chewy on August 24th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
why wait bob?
Robert Berding (Saint Lucia W.I.) on August 27th, 2006 at 4:44 am
I received my Mac Book 3 weeks ago. It is the best laptop I ever had. You cannot compare it with my old I Book. Friends who are runing Dell and other brands are imazed!!!
Only windows media player is sometimes not running smoothly.
Daniel on September 1st, 2006 at 5:08 pm
Thanks for all the tips on here… and I guess I’m gonna buy a MacBook Pro really soon, probably in October. I’ll keep you posted about advantages and disadvantages! Hopefully Apple fixed some heat problems… we’ll see ;)
meaJ on September 8th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Hello everyone,
meaJ on September 8th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Hello guys
I’ve been reading everyone’s blogs here because I just purchased the 15in 2.16ghz and Aperture from Apple Canada this week and am waiting for them in the mail.
I am now concerned over whether Aperture will be apple to work on my MacBook and also whether Adobe Photoshoop (mac version) and other Adobe products will be okay as well.
I will definately be keeping an eye on the heating problems as that seems to be a huge cioncern for some.
I was just about to purchase a Dell laptop when after I customized it for what I wanted, only a grand more and I could get a macbook, and I did. I am hoping that I made the right choice, alot of you seem to be happy out there. I will be using mine maing for photography, website design, etc. I was hoping to be doing some film editing but I guess that will have to wait.
Thanks in advance for the reply!
Mea Jyn
bob on October 16th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
is a mac book pro worth the money and which is better mac book pro or a dell
bob on October 16th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
please replie to my last question
Chris J on October 16th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Bob dont take this personaly but are you stupid? is everyone stupid? ok so imagine your a car salesman and someone comes up to you and says ¨hey bob I’m thinkin of a car which one should I buy a lamborghini or a ford?¨ what would you answer? well it depends what your budget? what are you gonna buy it for? do you know how to use a mac? I mean c’mon this tthread is huge just look back through it and you will see that question asked time and time again but since you ask a question and you want an answer buy a mac ahem lamborghini they are expensive and you could buy four dells ahem fords for the money however they are the best machines I belive you can buy and the software is superb.
RTM on October 16th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
Chris J., couldn’t you have said the conclusion without the needlessly rude commentary? Life’s too short, dude.
Kyle on October 16th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
Actually, the Ford GT is the fastest production car (argueably, since there is still the McLauren) made even today. And is more expensive than some Lambo’s. So, your comment was irrelevant with your car experience. It makes a HUGE difference on what you are going to use your pc for. If you want to “check out that internet someday” and have a pretty little something in the corner, get a mac. If you want real power and aren’t just editing movies, pictures, and wasting money, get Vista. All the beauty of a mac, with all the power of a pc. Thanks again.
Chris J on October 17th, 2006 at 5:01 am
Ok I think you missed my point RTM how many times has that question been asked? Could he not have read the blog before commenting? Life IS too short to deal with people who don’t have a look around first I mean c’mon how many dell vs. MBP comparisons have been made in magazines/online laptop reviews? tens? Hundreds? Kyle you’ve been around this blog for a while long enough to know when I’m using a non literal analogy for a n00b like bob you must have read some of my stuff I’ve helped a lot of people out on this blog, I always try to be helpful and fair I think you’ll find I did actually answer his question however if I offended you bob I am sorry just at least do some googleing first before you ask amateur questions
Chris J on October 17th, 2006 at 5:33 am
On second thoughts Kyle your last comment is ridiculous what’s the OS (vista) got to do with the machine that’s running it? and I quote “If you want real power and aren’t just editing movies, pictures, and wasting money” hahahaha that’s crap for editing video you obviously need lots of power! Do you know how powerful my MBP is? I don’t think you do! Have you seen many dell laptops running half life 2 I don’t think you have! And check out that internet someday? He already has else how could he have been on this site? Try thinking first.
p.s I would rip you to pieces in a car knowledge quiz 2006 Bugatti 16/4 Veyron anyone? its only 48mph faster obviously you are stuck in 2005
Kyle on October 17th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
Because, vista’s absolute MINIMUM requirements are a gig of RAM, and a 40 gig hdd. Xp was only 5 gig hdd and 128 ram…
As far as the car… the McLauren isn’t even close to the fastest. The bugati is slow as well. That wasn’t really the point. Ford also released “The UFO” as a concept car a few years back, and it’s even hard to find on the internet. It was going to be the fastest car ever made, street legal or not. There is a small car that looks alot like a go cart that travels at over 300 mph, and is street legal. And costs 750,000 dollars. You know mainstream, and because of it, have no clue what you are doing mi amigo. Have you taken vista for a test drive yet? Since macs still can’t use 1 terabyte of RAM, and Vista can? hmmm… lookie there. The MBP overheats, can’t run older mac programs well, can’t run x86 well, and has only a few programs for itself. But yes, run right out and buy “cutting edge” (ha, compared to the intel hps that will have 8 cores coming out next summer, or even the 4 cores (like the mac quad) hp is releasing, as a laptop, this year).
Dell’s running half life two? hmmm… I’ve seen 45 or so in the last month. Maybe more, I lost count after about 40. And no, I’m not exaggerating. When I was working at the Georgia Governor’s Honors program this past summer there were kids with laptops more powerful than Apple has ever seen. I, personally, brought my work laptop, which is somewhere on the order of a 4500 dollar machine, without all the programs. about 1.2 milloin afterward. Thank goodness I don’t have to pay for it. Lessee, high def with DVD-RAMS, which btw, are an evil technology, with a 23 inch screen and a 200 gig internal hdd without the external one I keep with me. Yes, your mbp is SOOOO very impressive. Bah. The hp im on right now is better, and it’s 2 years old.
thanks again. And this will be my last pro-windows post for a while btw. It’s just… vista is so much better than xp, and so much better than anything apple has ever dreamed.
Kyle on October 17th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
PS: my 3 year old hp media center with showbiz 2 can do everything final cut 2006 can, and the entire machine with high def monitor, 180 gig comp with 1 gig of ram, 3-in-1 printer (the best hp made at the time) and 600 dollars worth of other software, only totalling 2500, is ALSO better than your crapple with finalcut, or any apple program, really…
Chris J on October 18th, 2006 at 3:46 am
Wow not a 40gig hdd and a whole 1gig of ram my god that will make windows machines a whole lot more powerful I mean c’mon my works machine has a better spec does that make it a powerful machine? I don’t think so
At the end of the day with the whole cars thing maybe you do know more than me maybe you don’t the point I was making, was that you missed the point I was not trying to talk about cars I was trying to highlight how his question was unreasearched and stupid he could have done some looking around before hand but he chose to be lazy anybody who can work out how to post on a blog must know how to use Google and could quite easily find out that kind of info. Mi amigo. And yes I’ve taken vista for a test drive and its shit like all windows os’s before it. It’s plagued with bugs already and do you know why? Because it will never be stable there are to many configurations of hardware for it to work out as opposed to Mac which if I have a problem with gets fixed quickly because several hundred thousand people have the same problem because they have the same machine and the same os with the same configuration and the same apps. And wtf has 1 terabyte of ram got to do with anything? get your tech head out of the clouds you would not be able to afford that amount of ram for a start and I cant think of a single app (maybe if it was being a server) that could use such amounts of ram so what’s the point? Your problem my friend is that you see numbers and specs but in the real world its just people using office on pc’s if you’re a creative (to coin an apple term) then you use a Mac. why? Because windows is crap it’s a swamp teaming with all sorts of nasty things whereas OSX is a sterile operating table in comparison. People who need to work creatively don’t want to have anti virus and firewalls running and start ending processes to free up ram you can do it, but why bother when you can just switch on a Mac and work without a second thought for what’s going on regarding system resources. You know it’s the truth. And to be honest I don’t care what machine you run and how much it costs I’m happy with my Mac it runs OSX for my music production software and can dual boot xp for my games I’m not playing catch up with technology there’s no point you can never EVER win 8 core’s or 2 doesn’t matter to me. I don’t think your 2 year old HP laptop stands up to my MBP and if it does then it’s a brick of a machine weighing like 9 pounds my MBP is about 6 pounds? (I think) and is 1 inch thin and a design classic. What are you talking about there are no apps for it? I have over 70 and they are all UB. cant run x86 well erm how do you figure that? It’s an x86 chipset hence it only runs x86 os’s/apps if it runs anything else it’s emulated. Showbiz 2? Never heard of it. Final Cut and Adobe Premier are industry standard, so the industry must be talking crap and you know best. As if
Ohh and my mbp doesn’t overheat you have obviously been taken in by the scaremongering also
Devvrath Khatri on October 24th, 2006 at 4:39 am
Ok i got a new mac book 2 weeks back
in the hope that even if I am paying twice the price of dell or etc I will be getting best OS and machine
but it turn out to be opposite.
1) MAcbook is slow:
when u run the macbook , they say that 512 MB or more is taken by Rossete or what ever , i dono why they say to make OSX compatible with intel , but its slower then window
I mean whats the point of having any operating system which is slower then window and that to mac
2) Heat :
i took a small 13′ stuff so that i can carry any where , in plane , in gardern , in meeting and what bull shit , it gets heated up so much that i cant keep it in my lap
infact now i try to keep it in AC or shut it down after some time so as to bring its temp normal, and right now i have not started any programing or stuff, its worst then having AMD processor.
3) battery
the charged batteries only work for 3 hours when you do nothing, the moment you start playing song or some thing then the battery start decreasing like an exponential function with negative power.
i wonder what will happen if i carry this stuff with me in plane and run my code.
in all i found that apple waste to much time and money just in decorating it like a women and not making it upto date with the user problem.
i guess the apple launch intel processor some time back and if they wanted they would have come out with a solution in less then 1 or 2 month.
also the heating problem is very old , it was there in G4 and now in mac instead of reducing it they have even increased it.
I am seriously upset with apple
if any one wants to buy my 2 weeks old macbook (2 Ghz,1 Gb Ram , 120 Gb Hard disk , white ) in 1400 then contact me.
dev@caltech.edu
Chris J on October 25th, 2006 at 5:45 am
awww you poor guy I am not even going to be sarcastic with you as I can bearly understand your comment I just hope that english is not your first language. to the point of this comment I see today that apple has swapped out the processors for core 2 duo increased the moemory to a max of 3gb and changed the superdrive from 2x to 6x there is also a firewire 800 port now peronaly I find this annoying but inevitable such is the price of keeping up with technology if anyone wants to have a winge about it all then do me a favour go post it on some pro dell/windows site. I cant be bothered putting you staight.
Chrissy K on November 15th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
I just purchased the macbook pro on apple.com; I received it via FEDEX late this afternoon.. SOOOO excited about my new mac! I open it, turned it on and already notice several problems:
1.the metal part above the button that actually opens your laptop was bent. It looks like it was pried open.
2. my button on my trackpad is “funky” on the left side.
3. I placed the laptop on my desk and looked at it at eyelevel; I found that it was bowing in the middle of the laptop! The little rubber nubs on the bottom of the laptop weren’t even touching the desk!
4. I placed a cd in to upload pics frmo my dell laptop and I found it to be very loud!
5. As I’m tying this, the laptop is on my lap and it is excessively hot! Like seriously!
I just got this 4 hours ago! How can things have gone so wrong? I though Apple was superior in quality? I have a Dell laptop (fairly new) and I purchased thsi Apple for personal/music production.
As soon as I got home from the office, I called Apple Care and I really don’t know which is better; Dell technicians that can’t speak English very well or snobby Apple technicians. Anywho, I called and told them the situation, I was on the phone for about 20 minutes total. They are sending me a replacement as soon as I ship this laptop back (which will be first thing tomorrow morning!). I’m also getting a $50 credit for this mess. I must say that this experience has been very disappointing. If Apple’s replacement has anything wrong with it, I’m done. I will request a full refund, and they can take their piece of shit back. They won’t get any of my business.
When I pay twice as much for a laptop, I expect twice the quality.
Thanks for reading, and I hope this helped.
ps. I will be posting an update when I receive the replacement.
CK
KEYWORDS: overheating mac book pro, mac book pro issues, mac book pro problems, defects with mac book pro
Ed on December 1st, 2006 at 1:10 am
Poor writing and spelling errors, rant about not liking the MacBook Pro name, and other comments make this reviewer less than credible. This reviewer does not have a clue how to describe technology, how do these people get hired for the job? This uneducated writer uses “looses”, rather than the correct word “loses”, and spells “Pogue” incorrectly as “Pouge”. The writer is unclear on the concept of accuracy.
erectile dysfunction on December 6th, 2006 at 1:39 am
erectile dysfunction . erectile dysfunction tabs .
Andy L on February 2nd, 2007 at 9:51 am
I order 3 Macbook 13″ white for my kids about 10 days ago and we love it. everthings work so good.
But see one problem, if look closely a above the isight the seam splited was crack open. look like glue are not stick together. u can put your finger nail in between and sliced.
I called the apple ..they asked me if i have apple care. wow..just got 10 days
clifford shirley on February 11th, 2007 at 8:59 am
How can I make my windows booted mac book pro see the intitgrated webcam so I can see and talk via messinger ?
san on March 2nd, 2007 at 4:15 am
HI,
Does anyone knows about software for mac book pro. when installing xp pro. ? like ethernet card, sound card, camara etc. would be much appricited ,thanks.
ThE bARD on June 2nd, 2007 at 5:25 am
WARNING:
IF YOU WANT A STRESS FREE LIFE AND ARE NOT INTERESTED IN TAKING ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES OR LEARNING TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION THEN DO NOT BUY AN APPLE COMPUTER PARTICULARLY A MACBOOK PRO UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES…..OVER 18 MONTHS APPLE HAVE GIVEN ME 4 REPLACEMENT LAPTOPS.
1ST Powerbook lasted 5 days
2nd Powerbook had flickering screen
3rd Powerbook had unexplained s/ware problems
4th replacement was MACBOOK PRO.(had to be returned as the memory card incorrectly correctly).
BEST FEATURES:
Overpriced
Safari memory leaks so you have to force quit browser.
Crashes – so you have to pull the battery out to switch off
They get unbelievably hot to touch
They are noisy – the fan comes on A LOT (not helped by safari memory leakage)
Mail preferences change – view etc
etc etc etc
ThE bArd
BO on October 12th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Date: Oct 12 2007.
Have the various problems with MBP been resolved….or should I wait , even longer, to buy one?
Thanks for you`re great contributions.
Bo
phillip on October 12th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Wow – some serious hate going on. I got my first mac – the macbook pro when it first came out. I’ve never had a single problem. I don’t know what that guy is talking about, “the memory card incorrectly correctly).” My experience with apple support has been pretty good too. Well you should play around with different computers and see what you like. As far as problems go… I’ve had none.