Any problems / issues with the 2011 MBP?

I am currently looking at a few laptops, mainly the Lenovo T420/T420s, X1, Samsung Series 9 13", and the MBP 13/15".



Right now I am leaning towards the Samsung and the MBP 13". However, I've read about the wireless issues the Samsung has, and I feel like I need a laptop with strong wifi connectivity, so the weak wifi on the Samsung would be the reason why I don't buy that laptop.

Does anyone know of any issues / problems the MBP 13/15" has?

 

I had some light bleeding in the lcd which got replaced under warranty. Otherwise the 15" has 3x3 mimo wifi antennas so it usually does better than the other laptops around me including airs.

 

There are some users, including me, who encounter wi-fi issues on the 2011 MBP models. I wouldn't say that it is a widespread issue but it does exist. Essentially the AirPort card (which is what Apple calls wi-fi) needs to be turned off an back on. I experience this about once every 3 weeks and it mostly happens after I bring my MBP out of sleep mode. It would previously happen to me right in the middle of browsing/downloading but, after one of the recent updates Apple put out, it only occurs after booting out of sleep mode.

I will say this though: the wireless range seems to be better than my other devices. I can take my iPad 2, 4G iPod touch, Droid X, Nintendo 3DS, HP netbook, and old Toshiba notebook all outside where I park my car and they lose my wi-fi network. My MBP still gets it and has a download rate of about 10Mbps (my connection is normally up around 18-24Mbps). This is all through 802.11g as well.

 

yah MBP as a whole have solid wireless (with exceptions) usually a reboot fixes them...

note on the T420(s) get used to backlight bleed... it's bad on all T series Thinkpads. I've yet to find an exception. a friend just got a brand new loaded T420s and the screen is junk compared to the MBP.

 

some people have had wireless issues (dropouts). If you get one and it has the problem, exchange it immediately or return and wait for the next OS update. Apparently the driver is a little finicky.

other than that, you shouldn't have any issues. If you haven't used a Mac before, expect a learning curve.

 

I have the dropout problem once in a while with my MBP... it's a bit annoying but it always reconnects right away and the range is very good...

 

I've been reading about issues with the Mini Display-port having problems with external monitors, especially at certain resolutions.
So far, users have not been able to resolve them. At least I've heard of none.

Perhaps someone here an provide enlightenment on the subject.

 

The only issue, if you can ever call it that I have with my MacBook Pro is the lack of peripherals that utilize the Thunderbolt technology....

 

seconded here

seconded as well andits driving me crazy after almost 2 months of contunual calls and support.

also I have issues getting a SATA 3 ( 600gbps ) SSD running in 2011 13" and 17" system freezes up or ust plain wont boot. yes I am aware of the so called replacement cable fix and will be trying that as well


as for wireless .... I have mine drop out occasionally as well to my annoyance, and range isnt as good as other machines ... and not as bad as a few I have had either

 

I have dropout issue on really rarely occasion but it alway reconnect immediatel;y. The biggest n only problem i have is that adobe flash would crash from time to time on safari. It so annoying

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't there two versions of the Sandy Bridge MacBook Pros? Ive seen quite a few new for sell that have only 2gb of ram and when I bought mine, only 4gb or 8gb was an option. It could make sense if at first they put out the 2gb/4gb models then, after fixing the issues with the display port and Aircard, they put out the new models with 4gb/8gb. Its weird hearing that some people have had issues with theirs while I've duplicated both of these situations countless times and never had an issue.

 

No, there aren't different Sandy Bridge releases for the 2011 MBP models. Apple has only released one line of SB MBP's in 2011. 2GB of RAM was also never an option with any of the 2011 MBP's. The ones you are seeing online are probably from people/companies who take out one of the 2GB sticks that Apple throws in. ALL 2011 MBP's come with 4GB of RAM (with 2-2GB sticks) and offer an 8GB upgrade option.

It is not strange that you haven't encountered any issues simply because these problems likely aren't widespread. That is why they are called bugs (or buggy performance). They aren't something that is going to be experienced by everyone and the majority of people will probably never encounter any of these issues. I have a SATA3 SSD in my 2011 MBP and I haven't encountered any issues. I also haven't come across any video/audio output abnormalities through the thunderbolt port.

 

How is heating on the new ones? Do they still burn up at the bottom with 5400 rpm drives like the older non-unibody ones? The fan is usually on almost all the time in the old one that I have seen.