MacBook: Last few questions before buying

Hi,

Thank you all, for all your advice regarding the Macbook. I have learnt really a lot about it, by reading your posts. So far, it appears to be the notebook I shall buy.

Let me only ask the last few questions, on issues that came to my attention after reading the various threads:

1. Has Apple helped the customers who reported "random shut-down" problems? How has it treated the issue?

2. Does its white colour get dirty easily, as one would expect? People have also reported disatisfaction with the colour of the black Macbooks, no?

3. Can I keep the notebook plugged in for long time intervals (say, to be connected for over 24 hours, listening to internet radio), as I used to do with my old desktop?

4. What battery life shall I expect, while editing a text and downloading something from the internet (or while having many internet windows open and active)? Over 3.5 hours? People seem to report wildly different times.

5. Is it easy to transfer files to and from a Mac desktop?

Other questions that I had had have been answered. For example, the heat issue appears to be resolved. Similarly, for some other questions, I've better wait until I get the machine. No need to ask them now.

Thank you in advance for all your responses. I hope that other potential buyers may also benefit from them.

Best regards,

GK. / N.

 

I love the black, I just got mine.

 

1. Yes, I believe the most common fix is a new logic board. None of the newest ones should have that problem though.
2. I can't honestly say.
3. I don't really see why not.
4. I have heard in the range of 4-5 hours, but don't quote me.
5. Between Macs? Very easy. The easiest is to hook them up via FireWire and put your MacBook into Target Disk Mode. It turns your MacBook into an external hard drive. Only works Mac to Mac though.

Hopefully someone can answer some of the quesions I was a little unsure of. HTH!

 

Sorry for asking but what is a "logic board"?

Also, for curiocity's sake, does anybody know how old, in terms of the weeks in the serial numbers, are the "newest ones"?

GK. / N.

 

Apple calls the motherboard the Logic board. The current ones should be geting close to week 40 by now. Perhaps later.

 

My BlackBook picks up grease/prints/dust very easily. My place isn't that dusty so it takes a few days for it to be noticeable. Nothing wrong with the finish flaking. I've had the laptop for about a week and a half now.

I have mine charging / connected to my wifi at home, usually on IRC and occasionally to surf between rounds in Counter-Strike I put it on never sleep when on AC.

Mine reports around 4 hours with minimum backlight setting, no bluetooth or wifi while I'm busy typing notes in lecture.

If I fire it up to work on some presentations (with higher backlight brightness)/ hook up external projector, it'll drop my estimate down to around 3 hours. 3-4 is good for light usage. I close my MacBook between lectures, and can't remember the last time I rebooted/shutdown the thing.

Yes!

Bluetooth with my phone, Wifi when I'm at a hotspot at school, gigabit when I'm transferring with my main PC. It's very easy to share files with a Windows machine. USB keys work wonderfully well. I wonder if the IR receiver can transfer files like my old Thinkpad.


Hope this helps

 

Thanks Zoob, it does help a lot!

GK / N