Mac Book Pro

[Mofo]

so finally I was going to buy the Mac Book Pro 15" with (2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive), but I was cheking reviews in Amazon, and then in Wikipedia I came across with some issues; this are the ones that worry me the most ;

-There have been numerous reports of unsatisfactory display quality in the Macbook Pro 15", including uneven backlighting, grainy display, very narrow viewing angles, and failing backlight

-French rumour site Macbidouille posted an article claiming that Apple had temporarily stopped the production of the Macbook Pro probably in response to the display issues.

-Display color depth in models of the Macbook Pro has been revealed to be limited to 6 bit (screen models 9C60, 9C61 and 9C62, corresponding to latest 15" and 17"), resulting in color banding and inaccurate gradient rendering

This really worries me since I'm going to be working with a lot of graphics, photos, designs, renders is there any other laptop you would recommend me or should I wait it out until they get the newest version and maybe this issues will be solved, any advice would be greatly appreciated, its $2000+ bucks!! so I really don't want to regret later on buying this model

 

[Liesje]

I only do PC laptop repairs and diagnosis, but since I sit next to the other hardware guys and the Mac guy, I will say I have noticed far more Macs come in with display/back lighting issues. I think in 5 years I've only seen on PC come in with a display problem not caused by the person dropping their computer (and yes, I've also seen my share of dropped Macs).

I do a fair share of web design and digital photo editing, but it's mostly personal projects and nothing sensitive enough for the display to be top quality.

 

[Mofo]

Is there a model or brand that you would recomend me?

 

[Liesje]

I can't make any recommendations based on what you do. You need a very high quality display and graphics card. Those are two things I've never paid much attention to since any computer built in the past 3 years will do the things I do.

Maybe talk to others in the industry and see what models they are using?

 

[kramwest1]

What about stepping down to just a regular Mac Book? Have you heard if they have any problems?

I've got several Macs and need to upgrade from a last generation Titanium to a regular Mac Book.

Since you said you will be working with graphics, etc., I know a bigger display would be nice. But, if the regular Mac Books' displays are fine, the only other difference you give up is some processing speed, which is not that important for Macs IMO. RAM is far more important for Macs, so if you go for one, get 2GB of RAM. Also, with the difference in price between the regular and the Pro, you could get quite a nice monitor. Just a thought.

Mark

 

[Mofo]

What about stepping down to just a regular Mac Book? Have you heard if they have any problems?

I've got several Macs and need to upgrade from a last generation Titanium to a regular Mac Book.

Since you said you will be working with graphics, etc., I know a bigger display would be nice. But, if the regular Mac Books' displays are fine, the only other difference you give up is some processing speed, which is not that important for Macs IMO. RAM is far more important for Macs, so if you go for one, get 2GB of RAM. Also, with the difference in price between the regular and the Pro, you could get quite a nice monitor. Just a thought.

Mark

well the mac book apparently has its share of problems, shit I was so excited that after two months I was finally buying my freaking laptop and now I don't even know what to buy

Issues
Some MacBook owners complained of discoloration that appeared on the palm rests of their MacBooks,[9] which Apple has acknowledged as a manufacturing problem after a few weeks, offering to replace that part of the casing.[10][11] Apple has issued a Knowledge Base article regarding this issue.[12] This issue is unique to the white MacBooks.
Another problem reported by some MacBook owners is the uneven illumination of the MacBook's glossy display. In reviews by computer magazines and websites, the display was sometimes criticized as having too narrow a viewing angle (particularly in the vertical direction), unsatisfying color saturation and below-average color contrast, compared to other glossy laptop displays.[13]
Some users have also reported a flickering backlight on their displays. The cause of this flickering is still unknown, and Apple have yet to take a position on this issue.[citation needed]
Many MacBook users have found a number of the keys to be unresponsive, with the standard up, down, left, and right arrow keys being the most notorious. Apple has offered to replace or fix the keys at any Apple store

 

[Liesje]

If you're most worried about the display, I'd do what Mark says and go with a cheaper computer and just buy a really good monitor display to use for work.

 

[onebloodonelife]

well the mac book apparently has its share of problems, shit I was so excited that after two months I was finally buying my freaking laptop and now I don't even know what to buy

Issues
Some MacBook owners complained of discoloration that appeared on the palm rests of their MacBooks,[9] which Apple has acknowledged as a manufacturing problem after a few weeks, offering to replace that part of the casing.[10][11] Apple has issued a Knowledge Base article regarding this issue.[12] This issue is unique to the white MacBooks.
Another problem reported by some MacBook owners is the uneven illumination of the MacBook's glossy display. In reviews by computer magazines and websites, the display was sometimes criticized as having too narrow a viewing angle (particularly in the vertical direction), unsatisfying color saturation and below-average color contrast, compared to other glossy laptop displays.[13]
Some users have also reported a flickering backlight on their displays. The cause of this flickering is still unknown, and Apple have yet to take a position on this issue.[citation needed]
Many MacBook users have found a number of the keys to be unresponsive, with the standard up, down, left, and right arrow keys being the most notorious. Apple has offered to replace or fix the keys at any Apple store

I've got a MacBook, and it has none of the problems you wrote about. The discoloration issue was mainly in machines that were assembled in week 1 through week 27 in the first version. They're now in the second version, which has had no discoloration problems. The flickering was also a problem with the first version. All of my arrow buttons, and all of the keys work flawlessly, and I play Tetris on a regular basis, so the arrow buttons get good use out of them

As for the MacBook Pro, I believe all of the grainy display issues are associated with the matte display, so if you don't mind a glossy display, you should have no problems with it.

 

[Mofo]

I've got a MacBook, and it has none of the problems you wrote about. The discoloration issue was mainly in machines that were assembled in week 1 through week 27 in the first version. They're now in the second version, which has had no discoloration problems. The flickering was also a problem with the first version. All of my arrow buttons, and all of the keys work flawlessly, and I play Tetris on a regular basis, so the arrow buttons get good use out of them

As for the MacBook Pro, I believe all of the grainy display issues are associated with the matte display, so if you don't mind a glossy display, you should have no problems with it.

I know these problems are not with all the models, but it's like the ipods; hit or miss, I had my Ipod for almost 2 years and it's never had a problem a friend of mine (well various) has change his ipod 3 times in less than 9 months.

thanks for the input, I probably will end up buying it, but here in Mexico in case I have any issues with the laptop (there are official distributors here in my city so I'll buy the 3 year guarantee) I was planning on buying it from Amazon or Bestbuy but if I come across with any problems it's going to be a lot of trouble sending it back to the States, the bad part is that it'll cost me like $300 bucks more

Thanks everyone I think I'll go today and buy it not that you really care but I'll tell you how things go

 

[onebloodonelife]

Definitely let us know how it goes I'd buy the 3 year Applecare too, just because you never know when something can go wrong.

So, are you thinking MacBook or MacBook Pro?

 

[Mofo]

Macbook Pro, it's just more what I need from what I've seen ih the specifications the applecare is like $300 dollars more, is it really worth it? I don't even know what it is exactly...

 

[onebloodonelife]

It basically extends your warranty from 1 year to 3 years, and your phone support from 90 days to 3 years. It would definitely be worth it to me.

Here's a link to the Apple site about it:http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=MA515LL/A

 

[Liesje]

I never buy warranties unless it's for a digital camera or a laptop computer. For one, the warranties I've purchased are all transferable and allow you to have work done even if nothing is broken. So if I sell my laptop when it's a year old, I can have the screen, battery, and keyboard replaced for free and transfer the remaining two years of the warranty to the buyer. My 3 year extended warranty was $130 and I can walk into any CompUSA store and have the comp. serviced as I please

 

[anitram]

One other thing I've noticed with MacBooks (and Pros) is that their wireless is not as stable for some reason. For example, we have wireless all over our law building and sometimes when it's spotty and goes down to a low signal, the PC kids will hang on, although surfing will be slow, but the MacBooks tend to drop offline entirely. I'm not sure what the problem is, they're fine the rest of the time, it's only when the signal becomes very weak that there's a problem.

 

[Mofo]

Hey guys I bought the Mac yesterday so far no complaints but it's gonna take me a little time to get used to the interface, since most of my life i've used Microsoft

I didn't bought Applecare but apparently I have 9 months to buy it, however I'll probably buy it next month

Ill probably continue to bother you with stupid questions but thanks for everything your comments and advice have been very helpful

 

[onebloodonelife]

One other thing I've noticed with MacBooks (and Pros) is that their wireless is not as stable for some reason. For example, we have wireless all over our law building and sometimes when it's spotty and goes down to a low signal, the PC kids will hang on, although surfing will be slow, but the MacBooks tend to drop offline entirely. I'm not sure what the problem is, they're fine the rest of the time, it's only when the signal becomes very weak that there's a problem.

When we used to steal internet from our neighbors I was able to be several feet away from the window and still get a connection, while my mom's PC laptop had to be right next to the window to even get the most minor connection.

Hey guys I bought the Mac yesterday so far no complaints but it's gonna take me a little time to get used to the interface, since most of my life i've used Microsoft
I didn't bought Applecare but apparently I have 9 months to buy it, however I'll probably buy it next month

Ill probably continue to bother you with stupid questions but thanks for everything your comments and advice have been very helpful

Congrats! And, yep, you don't have to buy Applecare for about a year...I forgot to mention that before.

The only other thing I could suggest is that if you find that you're doing very, very graphics intensive work and the computer slows down all the time, you should upgrade your RAM to 2GB. But, if you have no trouble, 1GB is the way to go, that's what I have in my MacBook, and I have no problems with it.

 

[kramwest1]

I'll second that vote for buying the Apple Care extended warranty. Of the 4 Macs I've bought new (we run a small, marketing business from our home), I've bought the Apple Care for each. I've had to use the warranty twice; both repair times have more than paid for all 4 of the extended warranties. Not to say we've had problems with our Macs, they have been fantastic. Both repairs came after about 3 years of heavy use.

Please do keep us informed, and thanks for the input on the regular Mac Book. I have to see how taxes go before I commit to buying one, but I'm looking forward to it.

And, I'll say again, DO upgrade your RAM. It's the key difference between Macs and PCs. Macs let a lot more info flow across the RAM to keep their functions fluid, so it really can be a noticeable difference. And, at least on the Titanium laptops, it's easy to replace the RAM yourself (I assume it's easy on the Mac Books, too).

Mark

 

[Mofo]

ok does anyone know how to open up .exe documents on mac?????????????????

 

[Liesje]

I don't think you can, you need Mac installers for programs. It actually much easier, you just download a single file and put it in the Applications folder and you're done, but Windows executables are designed to run on Macs.

 

[Mofo]

thanks Liesje ok...another dumb question why can't I see files what codec do I need I already downloaded a couple from DivX and ZyGoVideo but they don't seem to work for that particular format

 

[neutral]

What kind of files are you trying to view? I use VLC player and Flip4Mac (for WMP files), I don't run across much that won't play.


My MBP is arriving any day now, this thread is making me a bit nervous about the display. *crosses fingers* Congrats on your purchase!!

 

[Mofo]

oh sorry, I could swear I put Avi. files............theres some quicktime files that do open and some that don't...videos I mean