Apple worth buying??

I am thinking about buying a 15.4" mac book pro. How is the build quality on these computers?? Is the laptop smooth running? Is it a reliable computer? I know that OSX is a great OS, but i am talking from a hardware standpoint. Also how is apple's customer service? Thanks

 

Apples hardware quality is top-notch and this isn't a biased opinion either just because I enjoy Apple products, its the truth, I have yet to find many other manufacturers that have quality that rivals Apples.

They are very sturdy and solid feeling, one of the reasons why all the ports are placed on the MB/MBP. The screens are the best I have ever seen on a notebook, my Macbook is glossy. For MBP you can choose between Gloss or matte.

It runs very smooth, very reliable, I can have it running nonstop for weeks on end without the need to reboot, this is due to Apples sophisicated memory management system (which windows lack, this is why windows get unstable after long periods of time without reboot) The OS X is geared towards home users, not a business setting, although it can be easily made to do so. Professional applications designed by apple and third party are phenominal.

Asustek builds Apples notebook lines, and they do an excellent job at it too. The MBP contains an Atheros Wifi card as well, for those who aren't in the loop about wifi cards, Atheros is basically the best card out there you can get, reason why is because of its outstanding range and connectivity, just last night for example I was half way down my block and I was still getting a signal, it probably could have gone even farther if I turned on "Interference Robustness"

Apples Customer Service is rated one of the best in the industry, it's not located in India, its all based in the States, so you're not going to be struggling trying to understand someone with a heavy accent.

As for MBP, right now heat seems to be an issue, the case can get VERY warm (some people say hot, depends on what you think is hot or warm) this is because it has its own dedicated GPU, which adds additional heat.

Comparing MBP to another notebook which has an active fan going all the time, the difference in heat is marginal (a degree or three). Most people say as along as you got something like shorts between your skin and your notebook, you should be fine.

Any other specific questions, please ask we are all here to help.

Cheers

P.S. Nothing is better than getting hands on experience with the product, check apple.com for nearby Apple Stores or Authorized Resellers.

 

Apple is 2 hard 2 use 4 me.

 

What part of it is to hard for you to use?

 

Well from PC 2 Apple. All the software is different so I can't find the softwares I wanna load. I got Macs at my school so I no from my experience.

 

different doesn't necessarily = harder.

it's just because you're not used to os x.

 

Ah i am not too worried about the different format in osx. I hear its much easier to use. Ex. if you want to delete a prog you just go into hd an delete the folder that contains all the software files. In XP you have to go to add/remove, then clean registry etc. Anyway, anyone use XP on their apple?? I know OSX is much better but i am just curious as to what its like?? you can run both OS with different partitions no? Does it affect speed or performance? Thanks

 

I know Cashmonee and Orgando something something (sorry can't remember your name) have tried XP on their macbook pro.

There are reports of having to remap your keyboard in Windows XP to make use of some keyboard functions, some trackpad features don't work, iSight doesn't work, and one other thing I can't remember. I do however hear it runs Windows XP insanely fast, but it also seems to run hotter with XP as well.

OS are installed on seperate partitions, but you can't run them at the same time in that case, its one or the other, only time you can run them the same time is with parallels.

There is a sticky in the Apple forum here on NBR talking about bootcamp and parallels, give that a look-see if your interested.

In any case, i think you'll end up enjoying OS X much more and won't even really care about XP at all. Also Codeweavers is currently making a program to allow Windows Applications to run on OS X, only the ones they support though. They reported that any virus that tried to execute under this program thats running a windows app failed.

 

xbandaidx is right I have tried XP with Boot Camp. Overall it runs well. I wouldn't expect to use it everyday, but if you need it from time to time, it will fill that need with some minor annoyances. In the end, I got rid of it. Not because it did not run well, but because I never used it. I found that OS X could do everything I thought I would need XP for.

 

what is the battery life on 15in Macbook pro? There are several versions of it ranging from about 2 or 3 hours to 4 hours???

 

Well on a trip this weekend I left it on sleep for about 2:30 (full charge) and then remembered it was asleep, LOL. Turned it off and used it later that afternoon for about 2:45. I turned off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the keyboard light, set the screen to about half way. According to OS X I had another 1:55 before death. So stripped down for optimal battery I think you could get 4 hours fairly easily. Deffinitely three hours with everything set to normal no problem. I was viewing a video for about 20 minutes of that and listening to iTunes the rest of the time btw.

 

Remember that only the MacBook is made by Asus, not the MacBook Pro.

I have the MacBook Pro and I absolutely love the build quality!

Nothing compares to it really, the design is just beautiful and I have no problems with the sturdiness of the case. However, it has been plagued by the dreaded "whine" and "electric buzz" but if you have any of these problems, just contact AppleCare (look here).

I have both the screen inverter whine and the processor buzz, so I have to get a logic board replacement.

My trusty Desktop (WinXP based) is now collecting dust because I am preferring this notebook and the OS. If you are a first time user it will take some time getting used to it but you will master the shortcuts pretty fast!

I am easily getting 4 hours by just browsing and typing in a document. All MacBook Pro batteries are rated at 5500mAH.

If you are die-hard about a certain Windows application and can't live without it, I would give CrossOver Mac a chance. It lets you run Windows applications without installing Windows in Mac OSX.

I am now going to sell my desktop and pay the difference for the Apple Cinema 23" display

 

I love Apple's build quality.... but the battery life on the MBP is pathetic.

 

I wish Apple would offer extended battery options, I don't even know their reasons for not doing so. I'm assuming it has to do with size or something? However, aren't batteries getting small enough today at larger capacities anyways?

 

You kinda quoted me out of context. I used it for 2:45 and according to OS X had another 1:55 left. That's well over 4 hours. That's pretty good for a 15" laptop. With everything on you easily get 3-4 hours, also pretty good, at least in my opinion.

 

Yeah that is pretty good, I take it you did the battery calibration.

I know on my Macbook at full brightness with Wifi on and Bluetooth off, I get just under 4 hours (3:52) and lowering my brightness by half will easily give me about an extra 25 minutes, and half brightness is pretty good as well. I feel that my large amount of memory plays a part in battery saving, as the computer doesn't need to spin up the harddrive as much because of that large ram space I have.

 

did it really run that long afterwards?

 

Yeah, that falls in the same area as my Macbook, its all dependant mostly on the brightness of the screen, such if I run it at full blast brightness I get about 3:30 of time, which is a lot of time imo because I don't usually have the powercord out that long. Turning it down about half (which is still bright enough for me adds about 15-20 minutes, and lowest setting I over 4 hours.

All the brightness settings are acceptable for me to work on.

 

Im gonna state what many have said about the quality of the Apple laptops i.e they are extremely solid. I had a 12" Powerbook and over the almost two years of use it held up extremely well. I now own an IBM Thinkpad R-51 and although it's very solid but still i have to say i miss the quality of the powerbook that i sold some time ago. My goal is to definitely buy an Apple Macbook PRO soon.

It's not just the solid build of the Apple but the whole design which makes you realise that a lot of thought has gone into it's design that you just don't see in other laptops. Sony tries hard but still they miss out on a few things here and there, be it keyboard flex or LCD screen flex. All in all im pretty sure you will be very happy if you go for an Apple laptop. I was always a PC guy and actually bought the 12" PB for my wife but then i found myself using it more than her which often would make her mad!

 

Somehow I feel that after I get out of college and get married, I'm going to be that same way.

I have never owned a ThinkPad, and I know their reputation for quality is very well known among all, but its great to hear an opinion such as what you said. I can also vouch for that whole "how much thought they put into the design" I have owned two previous notebooks as well as one other one but sent it back after a few days, I decided I had more important needs for the money. Anyways I had a sony and a Dell, and the Sony held up for quite a while but slowly died, the Dell is still doing well.

When I got my Macbook (granted its not MBP) I was amazed by the quality and all the small things such as LED for battery underneath, sudden motion sensor, the ports all on one side, the quality of the LCD screen and no flex or anything. It made me feel like the money I paid for it was totally worth it! I'm only a college student and from how many hours I had to work for it (over 100) I felt it was one of the best investments I made, and not to mention the software! I feel like iCal, as well as the iWorks package is going to help me a LOT in school. I'm especially excited for Leopards announced products, because I already know I have use for them.

I think more of us need to post the good things that we like just as firestarter did, and our experiences with previous PC products before the Mac, just to help any future switchers feel better about the switch.

 

My macbook's battery runs out in a hurry (like, in a hour) whenever I watch a dvd.

Is that normal?

(this is my first laptop so I'm not that familiar with how long laptop batteries are supposed to last).

 

First off did you do the battery calibration that Apple recommmends?

Second make sure you adjust screen brightness on battery power, if you still notice very little time, its quite possible you got a bad battery.

 

OK...I'll bite.

Yes it's normal with any laptop/notebook that the battery expires faster when playing a DVD. You're using a motor to spin a disc and that draws more amperage than a resistive load like memory or a wireless card. If you get more than 2.5-3 hours when viewing a DVD consider yourself lucky. On any laptop.

You asked for other laptop experiences?

My first one was a Compaq Presario 2715US (same config as their EVO 180 business model). I loved it. I would still be using it except the mainboard power connection failed at the three year mark. Fantastic keyboard (VERY close to ThinkPad) and great sound from the installed speakers. Solid case and a "flex-bay" that has a DVD burner, 3.5 drive, or extra battery you could place in it. That was along with the permanently mounted DVD drive on the other side of the case. 15" screen (not glossy) and it woud fit in the smallest Targus messenger bag.

When it broke I got a Gateway w/ AMD Mobile Athlon 64 3400+ chip and 1gb of ram. 100gb HD (at 7200 rpm) and a 15.4" widescreen (glossy), and a DL DVD burner. It's a nice computer but the crappy keyboard ruins the entire experience. The sound also sucks from the built-in speakers. It's still a nice computer if you don't have to type on it very much.

I use a Dell 14" widescreen notebook at work and the keyboard is almost as bad as my Gateway. The sound is equally terrible too. I had to give up a four year old IBM T42 for it. DAMMIT! When the entire company switches vendors, you don't have any choice.

I bought a MacBook to play around with OS X. It's a 2mHz white W/ the 80 GB hard drive. I put the full 2 GB memory in it shortly after I got it. I also picked up the Logitech bluetooth mouse because I don't like all the ports on the left side. It works like a dream. I'm still getting used to the keyboard (this is only the 5th thing I've tried to type on it) and I'm still trying to figure out OS X. It's just a toy at this point. I'm not a "switcher".

It doesn't make any weird sounds but it does run hot on the bottom. I have an extra "podium pad" to keep it off the surface of whatever I'm working on. The wirelass capabilities are outstanding. I've managed to add numerous printers from the home network (all WinTel machines FWIW).

The sound from the installed speakers is VERY weak. You have to use powered speakers or decent headphones (or earbuds) to benefit from the good sound the MB does offer.

PM me if you have any questions...

 

This is an edit...The DVD drive and hard drive are inductive...the memory, video, and RAM are a resistive load.

Later...

 

I think that the memory and video are more capacitive loads since it's the clock switching that causes all the current flow... =p

Anyway I'm looking to find out if a MacBook would be a better buy than a Thinkpad R60. Both look very solid, but I have only a Thinkpad so I know nothing about the MacBook... Both spec packages in Malaysia don't offer anything better than a GMA 950, but the T series and MBP are beyond my budget so I have little choice.