Buying my MacBook this Saterday, anything I should know?

Hi Im going to college in a month and I'm getting my MacBook for college as I think it is the ebst choice, Ohh one question is if the iPod Nano mail in rebate for students works well, I mean is it fast and reliable?

Besides that please just tell me a little about my new toy!

 

obviously get the white one
(the black looks cooler, but costs $100 more)
i'd like a macbook.
just be careful, as some of them have been overheating.
check the back vent (some leave the factory with it covered by plastic)

 

Good advice, but its most likely the whole back vent thing has been solved within Apple themselves, but its still something to check regardless!

I agree with the white one, black is expensive, if your worried about white getting dirty that much just get InvisibleShield for it, I have it and it protects from dirt and stuff, to be honest I forgot to wipe off my hands after eatting and got ketchup on my wrist pad area, but thanks to the InvisibleShield there, I easily wiped it off.

If you do the iPod nano rebate its gonna take its usual 6-10 weeks for it to be processed and all. yes its reliable, it's coming from apple themselves!

If you do the submission online, it'll go even quicker because when you do that, they have you print out a paper with a barcode on it so when they get it in the mail they just scan the paper and look at your UPCs to verify and thats it. Now if you don't do the submission online, it obvisually takes an extra step because now someone has to enter all that information into the computer.

 

i wouldnt get it,since ive been eyeing one and was told not to get one due to so many problems.

 

You must certainly take a look at this first.

 

LOL! I haven't seen that video in forever! That is a great video.

I should tell you for the most part it is no longer the case. But funny none the less!

**EDIT** If you read some of the comments on his site you will see that it all did really happen. The whole reason for doing it was to poke fun at the current ad campaign (2004) that was claiming Apple's to be perfect. Funny, so does the current ad campaign. Also, note he was using Final Cut 3, which is way before it became the program it is today.

Still probably one of my favorite spoof videos of all time though. I really love it. Especially the way it made some of the Apple faithful get all up in arms!

Ice-Tea, I am sure you were posting this as a joke, if not, just to let you know the skit was a joke.

 

Yes.. don't ever leave it powered on your dorm room carpet as you may be held responsible for reducing a whole building to ashes ...

 

I had my Macbook for a while now, and I can definitely tell you I feel that there is a breakin period on new hardware, or 'burn-in' period as most windows users like to call it.

After having it run nonstop for a while it cooled down a lot, no longer is my macbook as warm as it was when i first got it. I think people tend to be extremely picky when they get a new toy, and notice little things like that as well, you get used to it as well.

 

Off coarse it was a joke, and yes it's ooollldd, but it still cracks me up every time

 

I can understand Break-in (As you claim most Mac users like to call it) on headphones, speakers etc.. but for a purely electronic device.. that too with regard to heating does not say much. But if you claim the same, then it may just be true.

 

Any computer that uses a thermal interface pad in-between the CPU goes thru a break-in period. It takes a couple days use for the pad to melt and for excess material to migrate out away from the point of contact between the two mating surfaces. Until the process is complete you can see random temperture spikes and just weird behavior. Thermal pastes behave in a similar manner but due to their reduced viscosity have a tendency to migrate at a faster pace.

 

Agreed. I noticed the same thing with mine; it was really warm at times when I first got it, but after a while it cooled down and is nowhere near as warm now.

I suggest you calibrate your battery (instructions on how to do this are in the manual) and run the Apple Hardware Test when you get your notebook.

 

Are you talking about cooling gels that are pasted between the CPU and heatsink? .. in which case you are saying that its the CPU heat alone that is overheating the laptop... I didn't quite understand, could you please clarify in a little more detail.

Thanks,

 

Thanks Ill make sure to do that!

 

When you get a new CPU this is when its most noticeable, when you take a CPU out of the box you will see on the heatsink which looks like a rubbery-like pad, this is the thermal formula in its first state, they obvisually can't add it as grease right away or you're box would come completely soaked in it.

He is saying it take some time for that pad to melt and completely fill in the microgaps, most likely a day or two. It explains the odd temperature spikes you see sometimes, as differnet parts of the CPU get triggered for use.

Every new hardware component just like new cars have a break-in period (burn-in) I would say for a MB it takes about a week before the temperture starts appearing stable.

 

So I should expect, at least for the first few days, some high spikes of heat? It doesnt trully matter to me because I have a nice cooling pad I bought for my MacBook as well as a nice expensive case to carry it in. I'm not taking any chances with 1500.00 of my own money hehe.

 

Did you get APP for it as well or are you planning on purchasing that before the warranty runs out? I would recommend it, it gives a nice feeling that your new macbook is warrantied. if something goes wrong with LCD, you WILL be very thankful for having that. Ususally its reported that for any notebook the harddrive will fail first, even know its cheap to replace, but whatever.

I got APP mostly for the LCD screen among a few other things, but the LCD being the main reason. It's not I don't trust Apples quality, its just I like to be safe than sorry.

Yes, expect it to have strange heat for at least a week, you will notice after that, you're notebook will have stable temperatures and should run cooler.

When I first got my Macbook it was running in the mid-to-high 60s or low 70s, now after a burn-in period it rarely goes above 58, the highest I've seen is 63, both which are acceptable especially for a dual core processor.

 

Thats good to know because I would have gotten worried with 70's tempatures, but after burn in and having the cooling Pad I dont think I should worry. Also I will be getting the Extended Apple Warrenty plan but not untill mine is running out because I just dont have the extra cash untill I get out of my first year of college and work a few weeks of a summer job in order to get the warrenty. What else?....?

Ohh the trackpad on this notebook, I read and saw it was wide, how wide is it in relation to a normal trackpad because the TrackPad on this DELL INSPIRON 2200 is real small, and I hate it. I want something wider; and also how does the mod SMACK BOOK work incase you know?

 

I went ahead and measured my trackpad for you, since I have the macbook.

It measures 2" H x 4" W So yes its a wide trackpad, which I absolutely loved when I saw it. (measurement does not include the trackpad button; the button is 1" H x 4" W)

Thats good you're planning on eventaully getting APP, I don't know how long you are planning on keeping this, but if you sell it sometimes before the extended warranty goes out, it can be transferred to the new older, thus increases the resale value, even know Apples products already retain higher resale values than PCs do.

I'm not exactly sure when I'll be selling mine, I guess it depends on how far the computer industry is in a couple years time.

 

A couple of things, first off those dimensions sound GREAT and real appealing to me, sounds like Im going to be enjoying this notebook a lot!!!!

And the second thing is that I plan to keep this notebook through college and I got 4 years to go hehe, its my college notebook and I hope it lasts me that long!

 

It should be fine, although as each passing year goes by it'll become more and more limited in what you can run, but that applies for any desktop or notebook out there. However, for four years it should provide it fine. I feel confident that my Macbook will last that long, as long as I take good care of it.

 

Im not really buying it for gaming and or being "High End" I mean Sims 2 and HL2 will be more then fine to make my gaming needs met for the next 4 years, have you played sims 2? I can spend 4 years on one family hehe. Im mainly using it for a portable workspace, as in taking to class for notes, writting papers, that kind of thing. If I want something to last me 4 years tech wise Ill upgrade my Desktop, or eventually upgrade the 1gig ram to 2 gigs ram on my Macbook. I also plan on listening to a lot of music hehe!

 

The Macbook should be fine, quite honestly no one should use a laptop for gaming anyways, nothing can replace the desktop in that area. Sure some games should be fine for Macbook. I currently have 2GB of ram in my Macbook, it screaming fast.

 

Ya mine is mainly for college during classes or help studying nothign mroe really, sometimes I wil luse my Macbook to Play Sims 2 like I said but I bought it for the battery life so that it lasts during my classes hehe. Ohh on a side note i copied my invoice in the otehr topic incase your interested in what it said, I just hope this notebook comes soon or i will EXPLODE because Im dying to mess with it!!!!