Swad Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I thought I'd start this thread for everyone who has gotten either the new MacBook or the MacBook Pro to share with us their thoughts on the laptops. This will help all of us who are considering getting them. What we'd like to know: Heat Screen quality Keyboard quality Build quality (case strength, material, construction, etc) Technical problems (whine, moo, etc) Speed Things you love... Things you hate... Things you wish Apple would add... Any pics/benchmarks you'd like us to see Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacSpaces Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I thought I'd start this thread for everyone who has gotten either the new MacBook or the MacBook Pro to share with us their thoughts on the laptops. This will help all of us who are considering getting them. What we'd like to know: Heat Screen quality Keyboard quality Build quality (case strength, material, construction, etc) Technical problems (whine, moo, etc) Speed Things you love... Things you hate... Things you wish Apple would add... Thanks! i went down to my nearest forbidden fruit store today and started to play around with the macbook... maybe is the store lighting but the screen looked awful colors looked dull and not vibrant like my hd widescreen hp laptop, i even tried to set the colors straight and calibrate it nothing it improved a little bit not a big improvement-rearding heat issue i know the computer been on the whole day but it felt really cool no heat issue so far that i noticed and i was messing around with it for like 1hr... the build quiality to me feels somewhat cheap .... why doesnt apple just f***ing add a bult in media reader & 2 mouse button? i know i know system preferences,mouse & keyboard blah blah i did that but still the hwole feeling just felt wrong whats up with apple and 1 button mouse? one thing though that damn little som mama {censored} is fast... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollfaster Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 As I posted in the macbook release thread, here are my impressions of my new macbook (white 2.0ghz): Heat: Yes, it is warm when plugged in, but so was the ibook. The warmth just is in a different place now, the center of the keyboard, as opposed to the wrist-rests on the ibook. Screen quality: The glossy finish is interesting, I haven't decided if I like it or not yet, it will depend on how it looks in the Arizona sun here (it's been raining, or I would have tried it already). I would actually say, sitting next to my dell 2405fpw, that the whites are brighter (i.e. better contrast). And the brightness is an order of magnitude better than the 12" ibook I just sold on ebay. Keyboard quality: Sure it looks different, but the construction of it is much improved compared to that piece of {censored} onesey in the ibooks. Build quality: looks and feels just like an ibook when closed. The magnetic latch is a great improvement over the mechanical one (that I had issues with, it would overshoot and subsequently not latch sometimes). Speakers in the back sound fine, and looks better without them. Technical problems: maybe heat? Too early to say, but I think they'll have taken care of some things since the MBP release. I don't really think of it as a 1st gen in terms of problems, the MBP took care of that. *Ah I just thought of one, I keep getting disconnected from my osx86 box when transferring files over the network. No idea what's up with that* Speed: boot up is faster than my osx86 box (AMD X2 4200+). Surfing is snappy, I haven't done any benchmarks or anything, but as a replacement for my iBook, it far outpaces the old one. Things I love: Magnetic latch, magsafe power, the ability to RUN WHILE LID IS CLOSED (nice for wardriving), keyboard, sleekness and style, iSight, new airport chipset (MUCH better range, I see 2x the nets I saw with the old ibook in the same spot). Things I don't like: Size, I would have preferred a 12", but oh well. Things I wish apple would add: everyone's going to say better graphics, but I would have loved a pcmcia slot, those things are damn useful (though they probably would've used pccard express). But, you can't expect that out of the lower end model from apple. If any issues arise, I'll be sure to post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted May 17, 2006 Author Share Posted May 17, 2006 Thanks for the info guys! Keep it coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INFNITE Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Heat - it gets warm, but it doesn't get uncomfortable or anything like that. When it's running on battery, the heating is reduced Screen quality - nice and bright. I don't need the glossy finish. Keyboard quality - pretty solid. no complaints. love the backlighting on the keyboard Build quality (case strength, material, construction, etc) - aluminum casing, which is extremely solid. the lid is not perfectly flat though so when its closed, there may be a very tiny space between the lid and the main body. Nothing much to complain about just an observation Technical problems (whine, moo, etc) unlike others, my MBP shows no signs of strange noise or anything like that, except when magsafe is disconnected, there is a low volume whine sound, which i don't normally pay attention to. Speed - fast as f***! boots up in 35 seconds, and i can open a ton of programs with little to no lag. I do wish more programs were universal though. Microsoft Office is laggy (especially Powerpoint, which is almost unusuable) Things you love... almost everything, magsafe, isight, frontrow, etc etc Things you hate... Rosetta speed Things you wish Apple would add...more ports on this sucker Any pics/benchmarks you'd like us to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericsondr-MBP2.0 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Well... other than frying cajones, I'm happy with mine. Almost the same specs as infinate except I didn't upgrade the HDD. I've simulated a full system load with a tool I found and monitored the temperature up to 86degrees C. Pretty hot business. Apple says under 100 is to spec and intel says under 120 is fine. So I guess it's ok... just really hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgrimes80 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Great laptop, has the performance, and the quality I expect with exception to this new heat concern... have a look- CLICKY BTW, that is under full load... it's gotten hotter but I get quite weary of letting go till it levels off. Screen is perfect in non-direct sunlight applications... the difficulty in the sun is normal though. Keyboard quality is okay, size and use is great but I wish the keys felt like they were held on a little better <- but it does make for a better typing experience Case strength, I haven't dropped it (yet) but it certainly FEELS like it would survive a fall, but I don't count on it. Technical problems - other than running PPC apps @ significantly reduced speeds...and heat - none Speed, incredible for a laptop... I love this thing to death... Hate is such a strong word... I wish Apple could add direct XP compatibility instead of dual boot/virtualization... doubt it'll ever happen though. A longer lasting battery; it's much better than previous models, but I want it to last at least 5-6 hrs of basic use. And a sleek two button option for use in those necessary evil XP apps. Two button is nice is OSX as well... <control> <click> here's a pic of my devotion/faith to this company Clicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Wow jgrimes, you really should get a repair on that unit - 100C is way too hot. Glad to know you're happy with it though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgrimes80 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Mashugly, I did take it to an Apple Store, I was bombarded with Apple's reknown customer service, but I didn't want another one unless the problem has been address. According to them, my MBP doesn't have a problem. So I'm still using it, just backing up everything every save... I really don't care, as long as it works. I know several Apple hardware employees (Cupertino) and I started getting on the phone asking questions [to people I trust]... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Huh - when I checked it yesterday I didn't think that the specs... http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html ...went as high as they are set today. Did they change them or did they always say: Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phi Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Has anyone already get the Macbook /Pro with glossy display?? If yes, how's the experience? I ordered yesterday a 15" 2,16 with glossy, but now i'm not sure. For me photo editing is at the first place, then video, and i don't know whether this nice glossy displays draw colours nicer as they are (what is not good, if you want to print). Any experience would be helpfull! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgrimes80 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Phi, they are really good in the dark! and it's not quite as sensitive to direct sunlight... It's not terrible, it really goes to preference... After playing in environments with a notebook with it... I stay indoors when it comes to a +1k piece of equipment, I'd stick with the matte... Huh - when I checked it yesterday I didn't think that the specs... http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html ...went as high as they are set today. Did they change them or did they always say: Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C) that's environmental requirements... in which the computer can operate... Operating Temperatures is what I had posted Apple say under 100°C is within spec Intel say under 120° is within spec Rule of thumb for desktop PC is 75°C though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 that's environmental requirements... in which the computer can operate... Operating Temperatures is what I had posted Apple say under 100°C is within spec Intel say under 120° is within spec Rule of thumb for desktop PC is 75°C though Good call. It's still a little bit higher than a few benchmarks that I've seen. But if you're happy, that's all that counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgrimes80 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 It really not the "heat" that bothers me, it's the effects heat has on the computer... I've been happy as hell with every Mac I've owned w/ exception to the PPC Mini (I think I was a little hopeful for 600 bucks) Quite frankly, I don't think people realize that top notch stuff has top notch consequences. MBP's are professional laptops, not some family computer. Professionals don't give a damn about noise and "uncomfort" as longs as the thing is stable and it performs. During standard use, you're not going to see high temperatures. But doing the kind of multi-tasking I do, I readily hit delays maxing out the CPU, but I don't care; it's anticipated. I'm tired of the complaints about too hot; these things aren't technically supposed to even be on your lap... these complainers need to get in the habit of using hard surfaces, perferably wood or glass, like you're supposed to. These things can idle at 100°C for all I care. The way I see it is they want the fastest laptop around, but it MUST be comfortable on their lap; want the brightest display around but want the battery to last forever. Why don't these poeple just ask for the moon? This is why I think a more variant model line would serve Apple some good. Have a long lasting "comfort" model for the basic user, the current professional-like ones because these folks who just want a basic computer are forking for an incredibly unecessary computer. Hence, they feel screwed. For me, these computers are easily worth 5-6k (especially now with XP/OSX; hopefully coupled nicely in the next release OSX) These laptops have proven themselves to me time and time again and continue to impress me more and more with the capacity to do more in less time. Plain and simple, the MBP performs comparably to the iMac... these things aren't desktops... if it performs as good as one, I say "What's the problem?" Macs users have tendecy to stay Mac users... Maybe I'm the ignorant one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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