Has Apple solved the MB/MBP HD noise problems?

Hi guys,

Today, I visited the local Apple store, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Some comments, the most important of which is the first one:

1. I was not at all happy to see some of the MB's in demonstration being a little hot (not annoyingly so, though) and, much worse, producing considerable noise / tremble. The sales representative agreed that this could not be normal; and suggested that it must be from the hard drive. He appeared as if he had never been told about it before.

The problem was indeed very annoying. I was trying to type few lines in a document and each time I rested my palms, I could feel the tremble below them. It could not be ignored; on the contrary, it was very distracting.

Does this problem appear regularly?
Has Apple fixed it in its latest products?
If I end up facing it, what solution will Apple offer?


It was really dissappointing to end up observing this problem, as everything else looked more than fine.

2. I have certainly made my mind to buy a Macbook. Other than the problem I just described, everything about Macs looks cool.

3. With an educational discount of $50 / $100 that I have, it seems better to buy from the Apple store than from Amazon.com (or any other retailer). Although Amazon offers a $100 rebate where Apple store offers only $50, the Apple store also offers a $100 rebate for printers. It also offers an educational discount on AppleCare.

[As a matter of fact, I am banging my head against the wall for missing their earlier offer of an iPod. To be frank, I do not think I need any printer. At least, I can console myself thinking that I was not considering buying a Mac while their earlier offer was valid. ]

4. As a matter of fact, I am now thinking of buying the 2GHz white MB, for $1199, rather than 1.83GHz white MB. I may change my mind, though.

5. I am also thinking of getting AppleCare coverage for 3-year complete protection. I am worried, though, that next year I may leave United States. In that case, it may not be of any use.

That's all, the good and the bad. Please let me know of any information regarding the noisy / trembling hard-drive.

Friendly,

GK / Nosf.

 

I don't think that's a common problem, and I'm not sure it's even common with demo units. At my local Apple Store (Tysons Corner, VA) there are a ton of MacBooks and MacBook Pros (some of which seem to have seen a fair amount of abuse), but I haven't noticed any sort of problem with the HDD's producing noise and trembling like you described.

If you do buy a MacBook and have a problem like that though, Apple should fix it for you; as frustrating as it's been that the MacBooks and MacBook Pros have had a variety of problems, it seems like for most of them Apple has done a pretty good job of making things right, even if it does sometimes take a while.

Regarding the heat, I've noticed that it does seem to vary from demo unit to demo unit; just as an example, on one table at my local Apple Store there were 3 MBP's all next to each other; one of them was noticeably hot (although I would say I could still deal with having it on my bare lap if I had to do), while the others were running pretty cool. If you do have a problem with excessive heat though on a unit you buy, you should be able to get it taken care of as well.

But I wouldn't worry too much about this hard disk problem there; normally I'd chalk it up to the abuse that demo models take (one of the downsides I guess to Apple actually just leaving the laptops out for people to do whatever they want with, rather than locking them down like they do at CompUSA), but I haven't even seen that with other demo models, so it sounds sort of freakish to me.

Note that when you buy from the Apple Store, you'll have to pay tax; generally, the Amazon.com deals with the rebate plus no tax usually win out.

Note that you can also buy the MacBook from Amazon and buy the AppleCare later and still get the educational discount; you don't have to buy the MacBook itself at the educational discount to do that.

As I understand it, AppleCare is worldwide, so if you leave the US it shouldn't matter. Check with Apple on that though.

As it is, you can buy the AppleCare at any time before the 1st year warranty runs out, so you can wait til the last day or so until you know for sure whether you will need to buy it.

-Zadillo

 

Aye, what Zadillo said.
Funny though, I used to live close to Tysons Corner heh
Anyway, a lot of times, the demo units are older, first production units that may have issues and aren't sent in for fixes. They probably get banged around a bit. I've seen the same thing at Best Buy.
The HD in that unit is probably bad, and they probably wont' fix it until it goes kaput.

Get apple care. You can't really DIY fix a laptop if it breaks. Like Zadillo says, wait a while, you don't have to buy it off the bat.

The MB are pretty sweet. Couple guys in my college have just bought theirs and I got my MBP.

 

I do kind of wonder if or why the store management would allow clearly defective or problematics units to stay out. I mean, the whole idea of the demo units is to show off what the machine is like to a prospective buyer. I mean, just looking at what Nosferatu said shows exactly why you WOULDN'T want to just leave them out there, cause it can give a really bad impression.

With CompUSA and Best Buy I just chalk it up to the fact that they don't give a **** that they seem to leave so many laptops out there are misconfigured or have major problems, but with the Apple Store they have control over the whole experience (the whole reason Apple even started the Apple Stores), and I think for the most part they would focus on making sure all of the demo units out there work well and are in good shape.

I guess it just depends. Again, at my local Apple store I've sometimes noticed a laptop or two left in some sort of bad state, or an iPod in a similar state, but for the most part they seem to be pretty good about making sure everything is in good working order.

-Zadillo

 

Yeah, but I mean, they probably never replaced the logic boards on them, even though they ned ot be.

Honestly, I'd be really surprised if they let anythign somewhat defective stay on the floor at the one in tysons. I mean... I rarely go there since it's so upscare (well, at least the galleria is).
BTW, which tysons is it in? The Galleria or the other part?

 

It's in the main Tyson's Corner Mall (the Galleria is the other mall, the one that is pretty upscale).

Not to say that makes a big difference here; the store at Tyson's Corner is still a flagship for Apple (I think it was one of the first Apple Stores actually), and they seem to generally do a good job of keeping most things in good shape.

 

Thanks Zadillo,

Your replies have always been very helpful. Just a few remarks:

The tax is really an issue. It turns out to be slightly over $90, almost equal to the value of the free printer. Since I do not need a printer (having access to a standard printer at my school and not doing any digital photography), Amazon.com appears to win...

In addition, Amazon.com has just made available (with the $100 rebate) the 2GHz white Macbook, which I am thinking to buy. So, another point in favor of Amazon.

Actually, the AppleCare coverage is worldwide; and for $185, it appears to be a good deal.

I am also planning to have the warranty extended for an additional year, with my credit card. This will be either s 2nd year or a 4th year, depending on whether I get the AppleCare package.

If I buy AppleCare later, let's say next May, will the credit card extend the warranty from 3 to 4 years? Or it will simply extend the initial 1st year to a 2nd year, which will be of no use?

Let me finish by saying that I want to buy the white 2GHz McBook. There are only two issues that make me sceptical:

- The Core 2 Duo, used by all other manifacturers I've checked.
- The Random Shutdown's problem, that Apple has not acknowledged.

We will see...

GK / Nosferatu

 

Apple has acknowledge the random shutdowns actually. As for Core2Duo, who knows. It is only a matter of time.

 

Actually, it was not really noise that one could hear, with the music in the store. It was just a perpetual tremble, as if there was a machine operating. One could feel it each time he would place his hands on the notebook. Indeed, very distracting.

GK ? Nosferatu

 

Has it done so? I didn't know. So, a machine built in the 40+ week must be safe?

The only reason I am interested in the Core2Duo is future-proofing. I wish to keep the notebook for 3-4 years, so, a 64-bit processor seems worth getting.

[In fact, I am quite conservative. I kept an old custom-made desktop for over 5 years, until it broke down, even though it looked like belonging to a different age. Partly, because of a sense of attachment...]

GK / Nosferatu

 

As has been pointed out in another thread, the futureproofing issue is probably moot when it comes to the MB, or just about any other PC laptop in its price range as well. By the time any laptop that you buy for around $1000 today becomes hampered by software requirements, it will probably be hampered regardless of whether it has a Core Duo or a Core 2 Duo in it.

From a futureproofing standpoint, the more significant hindrance is going to be the Intel GMA950...... even if you stuck a Core 2 Duo in a MacBook, by the time we get to a point where any software might really benefit from it, the MacBook would probably be deficient in other ways.

I do understand the temptation to "futureproof" as much as possible, but with laptops at this price point, you're just not going to be able to do much. Honestly I think it's better to buy a $1000 laptop that does what you need it to for the next few years, and then buy another $1000 laptop in 3 or 4 years that will have the advances that have been mainstream by that time.

 

I actually don't know that many people these days anyways that don't get a new computer every 2-3 years anyways, anyways if your looking at the MB as a college notebook for the next 4 years, you really don't have to worry about it because it'll do just fine for that purpose.

Apple does an excellent job making sure that any OS X upgrades and such will run at very good speeds, typically its reported that every new OS X release, is actually faster than the previous, it could be due to refinement of code most likely, as OS X has been around for years now.

 

Hey,

You actually seem right. In 3-4 years, a $1100 notebook is likely to be obsolete independently of whether it has a Core Duo or a Core 2 Duo. And, indeed, it will most likely be so because of the rest of its hardware. Sigh...

So, I shall admit that future-proofing is not an issue. I am still annoyed, though, by the thought that Apple may introduce the Core 2 Duo processor in a week or two, just after I buy my MB. After all, customers seem to care about it; and when every other manifacturer can offer this more advanced (but not more expensive) processor, Apple will be at a disadvantage. And Thanksgiving is not too far away...

[By the way, I do not believe that Apple will introduce the Core 2 Duo selectively, to few models only. Again, this would make little sense, when competitors use it at both the higher and the lower price lines. Indeed, it is not thought to be a special feature, is it?]

My other question, regarding the Random Shutdowns has been better addressed in some other trend:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=76832

It seems that I should not worry, as long as I can get a machine built after week 35.

Last weekend, Amazon.com went temporarily out of stock of white MB's. A day later, new stocjk appeared available. So, I guess that they must be selling some of the latest built units.

I may buy tommorow or on Tuesday. If not, then I will certainly wait for a while. I will let you know if I come to a positive decision.

Thanks,

GK / Nosferatu

 

I think the reason that Apple might keep the Core Duo in the MacBooks and use Core 2 Duo in the MBP might be more about product differentiation. In Apple's case, they need to offer some tangible benefits to people who pay the premium for the MBP. Right now the MBP costs significantly more, but if you don't need a dedicated graphics card, expresscard slot, etc. there isn't much reason to pay more. Apple might see the Core 2 Duo as a product differentiator.

This would be sort of like how Apple has kept the Mac mini with the Core Duo, and the iMac was upgraded to Core 2 Duo.

This is just speculation though.

I would say at least wait til Tuesday; if Apple is going to issue a product update, they generally do it on Tuesdays. Although actually, if you're ordering from Amazon.com, there's no reason to wait; by the time you get it you would know if something was going to be updated imminently, and you could just return it without opening it.

And yeah, you shouldn't need to worry about getting an older unit; the MacBooks have been selling extremely well, so most any stock is going to be new.

But either way, even if Apple does update with the Core 2 Duo, it probably just isnt' going to make a huge difference with the existing MacBook; unless you're doing a lot of video encoding, etc. you probably won't see much of a difference in general (and if you are doing that, it would be worth looking at an MBP anyway).

 

Well, again, other companies do not seem to differentiate along this line. But, as you wrote, we can only speculate...

I did not know about Apple's obsession with Tuesday...

As for ordering, if I do so by Tuesady, I will use Amazon. They appear to hane a nice return policy. I will have to pay return shipping though...

True, I seem to worry only for programs that may be available in 3 years from now... A bit ridiculous, I must admit, since it is unlikely that I will have a good use for them. And as you wrote earlier, they will require a better graphics card (and possibly more memory than 2MB), anyway...

[And I seem to forget that I was happy using Win95 until late 2005; and then, I was complaining for needing to use WinXP...]

Thanks,

GK / Nosferatu

 

Yeah, it's definitely true that the other PC manufacturers don't seem to have quite as much of an issue with differentiating from their low-end and high-end offerings. I think perhaps some of that is because Apple has been sticking to the MacBook Pro form factor that does limit some of the things that can be done (with the 1" thick chassis, they can't differentiate the system with a much more powerful graphics card, for example).

Although, from looking at other PC laptops in the $1100-1300 range, it seems like there are still a number of Yonah systems there (and even a few Pentium M systems).

But anyway, you're right, given the price differences it isn't that big of a deal. I think though that some PC manufacturers at least will continue offering Core Duo for a little while at least (I noticed that Dell offers both Core Duo and Core 2 Duo as configuration options on most systems, for example).

It's just that Apple I think struggles more to differentiate the Pro and non-Pro lines. It's really more of an issue on the pro-line though... the MacBook itself is pretty much in line with other systems, but on the Pro line I think Apple needs to come up with some new things to really make it stand out more and be easier for people to justify the purchase.

-Zadillo