Are you happy with your choice of apple?

I hate to make such a basic thread, but I'm curious as to how much you like Apple and their products? I really like their operating system (haven't really used it much but from my uses before) and the MBP as well. I just thought I'd get some input before I finalize my decision on Apple. It would be an XP user since it came out moving to OS X. I'm so used to XP and have mastered it (as far as what I needed out of it). I think I could easily adapt to OS X. I've used it before and enjoy it as I've said. I know boot camp always comes into play if I didn't like OS X as much as I'd thought. Basically what I'm looking for is pure feedback from Apple Computer users.

 

Made the switch from XP 3-4 weeks ago, and im very satisfied. Its not very hard to navigate through OS X if you are competent in the least. Ask questions and search here and you will find most answers.

Bottom line, just do it!

 

I'm very happy with my choice of the MBP. Since buying it, I've kept myself updated with the newest laptops out, and even now, I'm glad to say there isn't a laptop out there that I would be willing to buy, even if it were $2000 cheaper than the MBP - even if it also ran OSX. (that's mainly because they all have so many problems though, and it just so happens that the MBP's problems coincide with the ones I don't care about.)

The MBP is a good machine. I won't advertise its good points too much because Apple already does that ad nauseum. Suffice to say that it's thin and it delivers most of what's promised. OSX is a good OS. Basic software on the OSX is fine. Specialized software support is slightly lacking, but that's only if you get very specialized. Windows support is decent--far from perfect and stable, but most such solutions are in beta so it's to be expected. It's thin. It's pretty. The screen is nice. There's no flex on the 15" and a lot of flex on the 17" model.

Hardware is good, but that's not necessarily an Apple trait.

The MBP has issues. It's not perfect.
It gets hot. Aluminum conducts heat. It's not durable compared to certain laptops. Some people don't like the keyboard. Others have screen problems, although that's more of a defect than a design flaw that can't be corrected. It has limited port expandability. It's expensive. The warranty is expensive and doesn't offer accident protection.

Again, I'll repeat that no laptop in the world is perfect, and it just so happens the MBP's problems and the traits I don't care about just happen to coincide.

In other words, you'd get a better evaluation about how Apple products would specifically meet your needs if you list what you're looking for, what you can and can't live without, what you're willing to compromise on, and the range of your choices.

 

OS X is good, but not as good as Apple tries to make it out to be. I'm running XP on my Mac, but thats because most of my software (ie, games) are Windows only. The system itself, I am very happy with, since its very sexy and a pretty high standard of quality.

 

Put me down as a "pleased as punch" guy. OSX took a little getting used to, but it seems to be so much more stable than XP. In fact, the only problems I've seen on my MBP is in XP, under Fusion. Nothing unusual, just the same old hanging programs and slower performance. I'm in the process of cross-platforming my software to use XP even less. I give it a 10!

 

I'm 50/50 on OS X vs Windows. They both have their pros and cons. Your usage patterns will determine which you prefer.

 

I'm not really a switcher, more of a switch hitter. I've been a PC and Windows guy ever since the PC was born and that's not about to change. I've built countless of PC's over the years. OC'ing, liquid cooling...you name it, I've played with it. However, I recently bought an iMac and I am very pleased with it's elegance and simplicity. I bought it with the intention of exposing my kids to both world, PC's and Macs.

So I've been messing around with OS X and iLife for about a month now (haven't played with iWork, yet). For every day routine use, I must say that I've been most impressed. Utterly blown away at how intuitive it is to use. So much so, that I'm waiting for the release of Leopard to buy a MBP.

I'll still be using my custom built liquid cooled PC with the Extreme QX6850, Dual 768MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra in SLI, WinXP Pro, power and all. As well as my trusty IBM ThinkPad for now. But for some reason, I feel happier when I'm playing around on the 24" iMac. Must be the aluminum. But my Lian Li case is also aluminum so I don't know. I just feel more relaxed when I'm on the iMac. It's like I'm playing with a toy, rather than being on a computer.

 

I love my MacBook. OS X is amazing; its stable, its beautiful, it works well. And the MBP is an awesome notebook, with great design, tons of power and lots of nifty little features.

In short, personally I feel that what Windows should have done, OS X did.

 

A lot of people were a little skeptical about switching over to the Mac OS before Apple started incorporating Intel processors into their computers. Before the intel chips, there was no "good" way to run PC software on the Mac. Now, it's easier than ever. Because of that, there really are no "bad" reasons to get a Mac - i.e. it can do everything a PC does, and then some.

You're paying a lot for quality. If you have an acer laptop next to a Macbook, you can clearly see and feel a big difference, both in terms of the bundled software and the build/design of the machine.

I "partially" switched last January, with an iMac, but since August I've ditched my Dell laptop in favor of a MacBook Pro - and haven't looked back! I have gone completely Mac now, and see no need for Windows.

Don't be afraid to get one...and if you don't like it, you can just run windows on it. Or, if you prefer, but it from somewhere like Best Buy (which has a very liberal return policy) so that if you change your mind you can just return it (the apple store will make you pay a dumb restocking fee).

 

Don't really care about OS religion, I use OS X, WinXP and Ubuntu Linux on a regular basis. I only got the Mac (my first experience with OS X) around 6 months ago. Some things seemed counter-intuitive, many of those issues turned out to be a better way of working.
The main thing for me is that I seem to worry less about keeping the mac running than the XP box. I am/was a professional at fixing XP, and my home machine is immaculately maintained, yet it can't be run for more than 3-4 days without a restart (in proper use). I had to restart the Mac after 45 days of never shutting down or restarting. The Linux box is also stable, but less productive (good networking, though). Linux also has pretty cool graphical goodies, you can set the desktop environment to "seriously cool" with surprisingly low hardware requirements.

My MBP just works so nicely though. Everything (except a card reader, surprisingly) built in and works properly. I like being technical enough to dig into the system, and having a machine where I don't have to...

 

Oh wow, I appreciate all the feedback thank you all so much! Does anyone know of any upgrades coming to the MBP anytime soon (As far as graphics)? I kinda wanted to enter the gaming world on a notebook and thought Boot Camp would be good for gaming and when I want to edit videos or music I could reboot with OS X. I feel like the 3,000 is fully worth it if I buy a 17" MBP but at the same time if I wanted to game at desent settings why not spend 3,000 on a Sager 9261. Then again it's bulky and huge without OS X. I'm tossed up. Thank you all for your feedback it's really got me leaning toward a MBP.

 

As far as graphics cards go, the MBP is currently using the top card for a 15.4-inch notebook (8600M GT DDR3), so there's nothing to update it with until the graphics manufacturers release something new.

Well, if you're looking at the 17-inch MBP for gaming mostly, I think getting a Sager as you said may be better. The 15.4-inch MBP is top of the line, but if you're actually looking for the most powerful 17-inch gaming powerhouse, its not the 17-inch MBP.

 

Yeah I understand what your saying but I'm thinking about it right now. I won't be doing intense gaming really. Or will I be..I'm so undecided. Basically if I ever want to start gaming I want something that will be able to handle well. I guess that's the only way I can put it.

 

Yes. Irrelevant

 

Overall I am satisfied.

I am a long time Windows user, but over the year I have grown to Apple notebooks and software. I would never buy a Mac Pro / iMac, because of lack of customization, price, and overclocking.

I originally got a 17" Core Duo last year (sold), Asus A8Js (sold), Asus V2Je.. (sold) now have 15.4" 2.4 ghz MBP.

Even though there are a few things I don't like about it.. I think it's the best notebook available. You can't beat the performance, size, and battery life to other notebooks.

Some things I like about it.

-OS X
-Design/Looks
-Backlit LED screen (colors are great in OS X, but can't get my OSX icm profile to load in Windows XP)
-Power brick / Magsafe connector
-IR remote

What I don't like or wish it had.

-Static/buzz noise in headphone jack (I have Sennheiser HD595s)
-Gets hot, 50c+ idle / 80c load.. fans noisy at 4K+ RPM
-Wish it had a docking station
-Card reader
-Another USB port.
-Networking in Tiger/OS X.. maybe I'm doing it wrong but it's just slow for me to mount a network drive.. in windows I just hit windows+E, type in address bar \\computername.
-Difficulty in swapping hard drive
-Can get damaged easily
-Mouse acceleration/buttons... specifically logitech.. i think its ridiculous I have to pay $ to get my mouse to function the way I want to (SteerMouse)

Anyway,

I do like OS X, it's very intuitive and fun to use, but I still do most of my work in Windows.

Photoshop and FCP are great in OS X, but the 3D industry is still primarily Windows.

3ds Max, Zbrush 3.0, Mudbox, and even Maya.

(The Universal Binary version of Maya still isn't as solid as the Windows version, also plugin support is a issue)

 

lets just say that i will NEVER buy another windows computer... and this is coming from a life long windows user even since MS-DOS! i love my macbook pro so much i recommend apple to my friends. os x is an extremely nice operating system. i thought i would miss windows but in fact i havent even loaded it onto my macbook pro and i dont think i will. so many nice freeware programs available for mac makes it more personable for you. theres honestly in my opinion no cons in buying a mac.... except maybe for the price tag... but since it has an intel chip you could load windows onto it if you wish.

 

Thank you all for the feedback I appreciate it!

 

I do JAVA / ADA software development on my Mac and love it. I just can't stand going to and using my test bed XP system. It feels so... primitive compared to OS X and Linux (I also use various distros).
But I'm happy. very happy. It's not a perfect OS, but neither is. I usually say each has their place. Windows for gaming, Linux for serving, and OS X for development (Eclipse FTW) and media work.

I just feel so freaking productive using my MBP. The work flow for me is great. Natural and smooth. Glad I switched. Will my next desktop be a Mac? Probably not. I can't afford a decently equipped Mac Pro and the iMac doesn't have a good enough (or upgradeable) video card.

 

i got a sour apple

it was delivered two days late, had two dead pixels in the middle of the screen, and now after sending it back for six business days, it's still in repair. by tomorrow it'll be seven, and all hell will break loose.

 

Count me as a vote for the Mac. I bought a used Pismo laptop 2 years ago, and it was the best choice. It had OSX Tiger, and it is the unit of choice for me. My desktop is Win XP, just because it's there, and paid for. I just bought a Panasonic Toughbook CF-28, because I need a tough Windows laptop. Apple's downfall, the trendy, wow-looking products, that can be idiosyncratic to deal with in the real world. I will upgrade to a 17-inch MBP, because I want to use Aperture with my photos, both digital and film-based. I asked a number of established photograpers what they used, and 4 in 5 said "Mac"!!

 

Try Lightroom. I, and many others I know (who are prof. photographers) have migrated over to Lightroom. They all say it's easier to use than Aperature and the workflow is much better.
Free trial on Adobes website if you're interested.

 

I have mixed feelings about my choice of going with a Mac.

I did receive good treatment from Apple when the repair center botched my repair. I ended up getting a new system out of the whole ordeal.

The MacBook is also really nicely designed. The battery life and wireless reception are fantastic. Even though the MacBook is plastic, it's built like a tank and, from what I've seen with my own two eyes, can take a lot more abuse than the MacBook Pros and come out just fine. I love the screen too. Especially now that I have one with even backlighting.

I was pretty disappointed with my first MacBook. The SuperDrive had issues out of the box (couldn't burn DVDs above 2x), the screen wasn't evenly backlit (right side was about 5% brighter, and the middle of the screen took about 3x longer than the rest to "warm up"), it had issues booting, and the keyboard squeaked.

The new system, though, is about as flawless as a computer can be. I do like it.

I only have a couple of personal issues, really.

The first is that there is really no equivalent for Nero on OS X. Toast just doesn't even come close. DVD Player is terrible too. It's ironic that iMovie and iDVD, as well as other professional video apps, make OS X the ideal platform for producing DVD video and video content in general. But that DVD Player keeps OS X years behind Windows when it comes to playing back that content. The difference between DVD Player and WinDVD, PowerDVD, Theatertek, even Vista's built-in decoder (if you have nVidia or ATI hardware) is completely night and day. Even on the GMA950, the difference is night and day. Leopard improves the image quality, but its still generations behind what Windows can do. DVD player lacks so many features. Most importantly of all, it lacks two crucial features. Proper video upscaling/resampling, and the ability to decode the LFE channel and play it back mixed in with a stereo signal. The video DVD Player produces is generally soft, with the colors washed out, visible compression artifacting and deinterlacing artifacting on interlaced material.. With WinDVD, PowerDVD, etc. the video all gets properly upscaled to the resolution of the display. If your GPU doesn't have video deblocking and enhancing features, the software will do it for you. Just look at how much better WinDVD looks versus DVD Player with and without hardware acceleration on an Intel GMA950. If you have a PureVideo capable nVidia card, or any of the DirectX 8 and above ATI cards, you get even more video deblocking and enhancement features in Windows. DVD Player also lacks power saving features, like caching the disc to RAM and shutting the DVD drive down.

I like DVDs, so as you can tell, that is all very important to me. I have to keep Windows installed for all of those times I want to watch a movie on my Mac.

I don't like that the MacBook doesn't come with a dedicated GPU. A person really shouldn't have to spend $2,000 to get a 128MB GPU. I personally feel that the MacBook Pros should start at 256, 512, and then a 768MB GPU for the prices you pay. The MacBooks should all include no less than a GeForce 8400M GS 128MB for the price you pay for the system. The iBooks had dedicated GPUs. So why can't the MacBooks?

My other issues are with Apple themselves. I really don't like that Apple is deliberately blocking people from using their own ringtones. Every cellphone I have ever had has let me use whatever I want as a ringtone. And a phone that originally retailed for $499 and $599 should be no different. Apple even went so far as to "go out of the way", as one developer put it, to block ringtones from being put on the iPhone from any source other than iTunes. That is ridiculous.

My second issue is with the iPod games. I spent $40 on iPod games and Apple is refusing to let me upgrade to the newest point revision (thats all it is). I've filed a BBB complaint against them. Yes I filed a BBB complaint over $5 iPod games. I don't like being ripped off no matter how small the amount.

Also, theres the issue with Apple locking out all video accessories for the new iPods that do not contain an Apple authentication chip. Apple basically just killed all 3rd party cables and video-related accessories just so they can make manufacturers pay them however much that chip and licensing fee cost. They had absolutely no regard for the people who spent a lot of money, hundreds of dollars in the cases of people who bought portable DVD players with iPod docks built-in or car head units that could pull video from the iPod.

Those 3 moves right there, in my opinion, kill off any positive treatment I might have received previously from Apple.

If Apple doesn't get their act together, as well as start offering MacBooks with dedicated GPUs for reasonable prices ($1299 SHOULD at least have a GeForce 8400M GS, or ATI equivalent), then I won't buy another Apple product. When something goes wrong with my iPods, 3rd party parts suppliers will get my money. Not Apple.

When I read the interview with the developer of iToner that said that Apple deliberately went out of their way to disable ringtones, and when iTunes customer support told me multiple times over the course of 2 weeks that they would not allow me to have what I paid for, that did it for me as an Apple customer. I am to the point where I am considering selling all of my Apple products and paying the termination fee to end my iPhone service.

I like my iPhone. It's flat out awesome. The iPods are fantastic products. I like my MacBook, minus DVD player and the lack of a dedciated GPU. OS X is nice too. But Apple's customer service and PR moves lately have been just as bad as Sony and Microsoft. And if I'm going to deal with Microsoft-like customer service and treatment, why not pay less and use Microsoft instead?

And I'm not the only one who feels this way. Check out the article over at iLounge and many of the forum/post responses at other Apple-based sites

If Apple gets their act straight, then I'll continue to be an Apple customer. But at this point, they're getting to be as bad as Microsoft is always made out to be, and they're acting far worse than HP ever did with my HP systems that had bad motherboards.

 

Interesting opinions there Sauron. I agree that DVD Player SUCKS.

But um... I hope they don't ever put dedicated graphics cards in the macbooks, and so do many other people. Dedicated graphics == shorter battery life. Most people I know who went with the MB over the MBP wanted the extra 1-2 hours that they could get out of it compared to the MBP.
But I do hope they make a 12"/13" MBP :-D

I also wonder how long it will be before Apple gets sued for something like including Safari or whatever in their OS, much like MS.

But I may change some of my opinions with Apple when I call next week to get my laptop fixed. I'm wondering if they will refuse to troubleshoot my system because I dont have applecare, even though I'm under a year. Last time I talked to them (when my power adapter was smoking and had to be replaced) they hinted that they weren't really going to trouble shoot my issues, even though it's primarily hardware related.

If they force me to buy the Apple care, I'll be pissed. Not that I won't be buying it... but I don't want to have them be like, oh you have to buy it before we can help, even though you're still under warranty.

But at least I can get ahold of Apple... unlike Sager when my video card went bad. Last time I buy one of those POS.

 

I second the choice of lightroom. It's amazing.

 

Id never go back to Windows. Switched about 2 months ago.

 

My answer can be found here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=173244

 

I’m back on the Mac bandwagon, but, I’m no fanboy of either. I have been using PC’s the last four years now after Apple ticked off thousands, and me!, of loyal Mac owners with the flawed B&W rev.1 machines. I really don’t want to go there, but for the here and now, Apple has really improved over 1998!

Ironically my Dell E-1705 has been the best of the lot. Fast, easy to repair/upgrade and $1,360 delivered. I’m on my second one, LOL, the first was DOA! The secret with Dell is you better have “Dell at home” like I have Apple Care for my son’s new MacBook.

I grasped the importance of using drive images on my old “Fat Mac 512”. This has carried over to using programs like “Ghost” on the PC, which has let me quickly repair many hopelessly hijacked machines. I hope the Mac never needs junk like McAffe or, gasp, Norton!

I can now finish my old iMovie projects!

 

Yes apple stuff rocks and yes their current stance on customers as thieving scum sucks.
This hardware lock in philosophy (iphone etc.) will damage them.
Sad because the products are really nice (if a tad pricey)

 

Well the iPhone and ancient Macs are a bit off topic but I just love the fact that Steve used to rip off little old AT&T, lol!

"a half taped-over toy-whistle included in every box of Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal was able to reproduce the 2600 Hz supervision tone used by the AT&T long distance telephone system. After reading about it and later meeting with John Draper, Jobs and Wozniak went into business briefly in 1974 to build "blue boxes" that allowed illicit free long distance calls."

 

I just checked back on this expecting nothing new and I get a load of information. Thank you Sauron for taking the time to type that. I appreciate everyones feedback, it's really changing my mind as far as choosing Apple for my next notebook.

I'm looking for 1080p playback on a non washed out screen lol. With a dvd player that supports either HD-DVD or Blu Ray. I'll be doing video editing as well as some gaming. MBP's I'm sure are great notebooks for some people more than others. I love OS X but I think I'm going with a Windows based notebook this time around. Thanks again for all the feed back! Keep it coming if you want I like to hear everyones own personal story so I get a feel for their customer support.

 

Not sure why you think Apple would refuse to help you.

You do have AppleCare; when you buy additional AppleCare for your machine, it simply extends your coverage from the initial year of warranty to 3 years. There isn't any difference though in the coverage/treatment. That is, within your first year, there would be no difference in the service you would get from not having purchased additional AppleCare to having purchased it.

 

I agree with what zadillo said...AppleCare doesn't offer any better service, just longer service. You're talking to the same representatives whether you have AppleCare or not; AppleCare just extends the same support for two more years.

 

Again, just to be clear, AppleCare is the name for everything. You get 90 days of phone support and 1 year of warranty coverage with the included AppleCare; when you buy AppleCare, you're simply extending that to 3 years of phone coverage and 3 years of warranty coverage.

 

Yeah count me down as I love Mac. I got my macbook right before school started and even though I complain sometimes about not getting WCIII to work on here or being able to play UT3 when it comes out, I still love my macbook and it can handle anything I throw at it. It's beautiful, it matches my iPod, I don't have to worry about viruses, and it was a great purchase and I hope to upgrade to Leopard around Christmas.