I want my MacBook Pro back but I can't do it, here's why ...

I love Apple as a company, I really like the Mac OS, I treasure my iPhone, so much so I turned off my Blackberry because I wasn't using it ... I am an Apple fan, not a "basher" ..... but ...

(yes, there's always a 'but')

Since I bought an returned my 15" MacBook Pro a while back it's been bothering me ... the reasons I returned the notebook may be a little different than others ....

My hands on experience and opinion sure is different than what some Apple lovers claim, so it's time to get it off my mind.

I returned my MacBook Pro because of what I call 'design flaws', they really missed the mark in some area's ....

- the edge of the computer is so sharp, (unfinished), in front of the mousepad where the groves are they are two very sharp points ... both totally unnecessary, it won't of cost a penny extra to smooth the edges ever so slightly when they're cutting the aluminum ... a minor flaw? that depends whether or not you rest the palm of your hand along the edge while you're using the touchpad when surfing or whatever, in a short time you'll see a red line etched in your palm, maybe it's not a big deal to most, but for sure it was such an easy thing do improve upon, why not do it, no extra cost or time, just smooth the edge instead of leaving it sharp and unfinished.

- usb ports - they're too close together and there's no need or benefit from it whatsover, poor design.

- screen - it's not great, whether you like glossy or not isn't even the point, their antialiasing is the problem > blurry, again, so easy to solve.

- lack of ports, HDMI, SD etc, what Apple can't affort to pay the HDMI royalty's? ... come on ... Apple is a leading cutting edge company right?, the notebook is premium priced right? so litter the thing with ports, make EVERYONE happy, again pennies in cost per unit ...

- the thing is slippery to hold on to, plain and simple, and after spending a premium dollar on the product you have to spend more money to buy some stupid skin or case to solve the problem.

- heat, yes heat, contrary to posts I read before I bought mine, when on your lap it runs a lot hotter than apple fan boys on here admit, the T500 I use is cold on the lap compared to the macbook ... well, when you cut from an aluminum block you turn it into a heat sink, if your design lacks venting and room for insulation, which it does, then you're going to get excessive and unnessary heat.

I'm am so surprised there aren't more posts about this, the love of the OS is great enough I guess that these major design flaws are ignored. Each one is so easy and inexpensive to almost instantly solve it's beyond rediculous that it hasn't been done.

In my opinion these flaws are serious enough there should be a group or petition, (lol) out there boycotting the product and demanding a true premium well designed computer for the premium hard earned dollar YOU'RE spending.

Apple you can do better, much better I'm surprised and confused why Apple didn't do better when they so easily could have.

After all, wouldn't EVERY ONE of you MacBook owners like a notebook with properly finished edges, room so all your usb devices can plug in without buying a usb extender, a crystal clear screen, cool and comfortable on your lap, easy to grab and carry, not slippery, and a whole lot more ports including HDMI and card reader slots ... hell I'd bet you'd all pay even more than the premium dollar you paid ...

I'll watch Mac's closely, everything mentioned above will likely come 'someday', then I'll be first in line, but in the meantime I need a computer that works, it has to have FUNCTION as well as form.

Yes, I'm a huge Apple fan, but their Engineers suck and could of done a much better job................

Peace.

 

Sharp and Unfinished would generally indicate severe bleeding from continued use. Funny......I haven't noticed any blood from using my MacBook and it has the exact same corners and such, although in a slightly different position. I don't see any need for "improvement" as I don't see anything wrong.

The blame doesn't fall solely upon Apple.......blame the manufacturers of your USB dongles which are larger than a normal cable. If you don't be mindful of the size of the dongles you buy, then you have only yourself to blame. Again, no design flaw here......personal preference perhaps, but no flaw.

Personal preference. Some people tend to be more anal.

Why bother putting an HDMI port on a machine which will never come standard with a BluRay drive? Absolutely pointless.....just like throwing every possible port you can into a machine. I certainly wouldn't be happy with this.....so please don't say that "EVERYONE" would be happy with a port littered computer. If I wanted one, I'd buy a Dell.

Further, ask people who bought a laptop specifically because it had an SD card slot on it, and you'll get a large percentage of them coming back saying they barely use it.

There are a lot of laptops which are slipper to hold on to. Don't like it, buy some sort of cover. Simple solution.

I've been using my laptop most of the evening tonight on my lap, even encoding a DVD......it did get "warm" (which can be expected), but not as warm as you're making it out to be, and never did it get "hot".

You don't read more posts about this because they're non-issues, and they're certainly not design flaws.

Typical thinking......I don't get what I want, so I'm going to sue. You lost *ALL* credibility with this statement.

I have no regrets over a single dollar that I've given to Apple, and I'm willing to bet there are countless others who feel the same way.

Translation: Apple should be doing things the way *I* want them to be done.

Reiterating your personal preferences doesn't make them any more valid as an argument or make anyone believe they're design flaws.

Not sure what to say......Sorry that your preferences are so strict that you can't enjoy an absolutely amazing product.

Because you're an expert in the field and know ALLLLLLL the reasons why Apple made the design decisions they did.

 

@OP:

http://fgiasson.com/blog/index.php/2006/10/21/design_flaws_with_the_new_macbook_pro_in/

good reads of complaints and Mac bashing here on the said model already back in 2006. Surprised that you missed this before buying and returning your Mac. And whilst you said no bashing, your chosen words of "fan boys" can only mean an indirect way of insulting Mac users as a whole.

cheers ...

*I do hope that this thread gets closed*

 

exactly any criticism is bad criticism , also to OP just because you pay a premium doesn't mean you get a premium equipment in the laptop and did you cut yourself??, and how long have you had it for?

 

Everyone entitled to their opinion. I have my complaints with Apple too. They are awesome computers but there is a high expectation for the premium price so people will always find fault.

 

wow qhn .. that link was some good comedy... sheesh, the guy seemed to not know the difference in a Macbook Pro and a "MacPro", and seemed to use the word driver to mean drive... anyways...

to uniquestco, the points on the front of mine are not sharp. I can push and rub my fingers on them and no scratching of any type.

The USB ports seem fine to me. They are normal spec... havent had an issue with them being too close together.

You want it littered with ports that 2% of buyers will use? I'd rather not. Sound as bad as the people who were yelling and screaming how horrible apple was when they stopped using an internal modem just because 1% of people needed it and didn't want to have to use a dongle.

No idea what you mean by the screen, mine looks fantastic.

Slippery to hold? I have pretty small hands, and I'm definitely not strong, yet its never felt slippery in the least... have always been able to grasp it fine

HEAT... yes.. I'll agree on heat. There are currently some major heat issues Apple has yet to fix with the newer unibody macbook pros.... its quite annoying, and the only real work around is to reset your SMC every time you turn off, reboot, sleep, or switch video cards.... or just run SMCfanControl and manually watch and set your fan speeds. Often unless the SMC has been reset lately, the temps will get over 105C before the fans even attempt to spin up from lowest speed at all.

 

I'll be the first to admit I'M an Apple fanboy ... a HUGE Apple fan ... I love the company, the iphone, itouch, ipod, their Desktops no problem ... it's their notebook line that I have a problem with.

I should of said "MacBook fanboys" rather than Apple fanboys ...

Anyway, it's what I expected when I posted here, sure tear me up, this post is about the design of their notebooks, and where I think they could of done better, that's it, I certainly didn't type or list any 'lies' or anything untrue, google my points, I'm not the only one with these observations ....

Yes, I read lot's of positive and negative comments before I bought my MacBook, I decided the only way to know for sure what to try one, so I did, and my original post is my observations and thoughts of doing that.

Thank you.

 

I can find flaws in everything I want...even your username

OP:

It is not a problem,it was done on purpose,since it is used to display characters in the way that they are in real world.

So what you have basically done is collecting all "-" from different places and posting them here?

 

i dont get the point of such threads... does the world need to know why you didn't like the macbook? everyone has their own preference. i figured pumpkin pie was great from what others told me, and once i tried it, i thought it sucked... but you don't seem me frequenting the pie forums telling people to boycott pumpkin pie.

also, if you're cutting your wrists whilst typing then you are most definitely not typing correctly. not a design flaw... a flaw in your technique.

There are lots of silly things in your post, but i'll highlight a select few:

Ok. Enjoy your 2" thick alienware with 17 USB ports and four different ways to connect your monitor. I, and the other mac users around here, will enjoy toting our 1" (or smaller) notebooks that provide us with all the functionality we need in a small, lightweight and attractive package.


And this...

This is just ridiculous.

If you're in the spirit of nonviolent civil disobedience, I suggest you boycott this forum (and take your petition with you) to prevent from further heckling.

 

This is how you should have worded your original post if you weren't prepared for a once over.

Your observations and preferences do not equal design flaws.

 

I thought the edges were a bit harsh on my MBP when I first got it. It doesn't really bother me now as I have gotten used to it. The heat is a there but not as bad as the Dell I just got rid of. I usually only need to use 1 USB at a time anyway so that is fine. I like the mini Display port because it gives me the opportunity to buy an adapter for external display instead of limiting my choices to only one kind of adapter.

Any product will have flaws in design depending on who is using it, I think the MBP is fine overall.

 

I respect the whole you pay for quality idea when you buy a mac but the royalty you pay for the new macs is a bit outrageous IMO. I like them but I'd only ever buy one for the OS not the hardware.

These new macs are certainly not worth the price I believe but I would never bash anyone for buying one.

 

I couldn't disagree with you more.....but that's simply my opinion.

 

It's not a design flaw when someone has a preference for something other than what the product offers.

If Apple placed the DVD drive slot on the back of the machine so that in order to get the disk out, you had to close the lid......but once the lid is closed you can't access the eject button. THAT'S a design flaw.

 

When the new Macbooks came out I almost bought one since they finally ditched the integrated graphics but after looking around and seeing how much cheaper PC's have gotten and the performance to match the choice became easy for me.

See I wouldn't by a mac for high performance and I would rather spend the equivalent cash on a pc which provides a higher level of performance.

Though if I had some spare cash lying around and wanted a simple on the road or at home computer to get some work done I'd certainly buy a mac. Maybe even do some light gaming on it.

One thing I must admit though is that apple will go very far to make sure you are happy. The people at the apple store and even on the phone are very nice and rarely make any assumptions about their customers. The stories of people getting over 3 macbook pro replacements (that aren't refurb) are very interesting.

As for design I think Apple does a nice job but its nothing epic, its a little over hyped at first.

 

I didn't buy my Mac because it was a power horse.......I bought it because of OSX, and the design. The trackpad is absolutely amazing and really adds value in my eyes.

 

i like my Alienware M17 but prefer OSX for work and travel so about to purchase a Macbook Pro this week. This will be my third Mac and had no problems with my previous ones. Just wondering why Apple engineers never decided to include vents in the Macbook Pro models to help reduce heat even though the aluminum body is used as a heat sink.

 

I was referring to a design being flawed in a user's opinion. Perhaps I could have worded it better. I agree about the trackpad being amazing!!

 

Fair enough.

 

@ OP a lot of your complaints seem to stem from the form factor of the MBP. There isn't a card reader, or a bunch of USB ports on the MBP because there is simply no room to put them. Yes, if Apple decided to increase the thickness of the notebook to ~1.5 inches and increase the width and depth of the notebook by an extra ~.5 inches, then the notebook could accommodate the features you want. However, many users, especially the target audience of the MBP value the slim elegant design over the MBP over having an extra USB port. There isn't a perfect laptop that fits everybody. If the MBP doesn't suit you, just move on to a different notebook. Meanwhile, users who currently enjoy using their MBPs will continue to do so.

 

To solve you USB problem get a USB hub. It only has 2 ports so you will need a hub anyways. I got a 7 port belkin hub, great hub, need another one tho because it's full D:

 

But then there wouldn't be anything to complain about!

 

Well put...

 

another solution for usb problem



and card reader

http://www.amazon.com/EXPRESSCARD-34-5-1-Card-Reader/dp/B000M5FATY

 

again, my rants are sincere, and for example about the usb ports ... my 'point' is an extender or a hub shouldn't be needed as a solution because it shouldn't be a problem in the first place.

The Designers/Engineers knowing already that usb plugs (unfortunately) come in all shapes and sizes... they should of known enough to solve the problem in their initial design, had they done that this post wouldn't and the hundreds of rants posted online wouldn't be necessary ... > premium price warrants a premium well thought out design in 'every' respect, imo.

As I posted originally, I like Apple software and I love my iPhone and I miss the fact that since I don't currently have a Mac that I can't benefit from MobileMe syncing with my iPhone, and other software that works so well together.

I thought a lot before I made my original post, but all this typing on the subject again is making me miss Apple computers more and more .... so much so that I'm thinking I might pick up a macbook and try it all over again, or at least use it for some of my work and linking with iphone etc, that would keep my foot in the door so to speak.

I'd go 13" this time, and since they don't make a 13" pro and I've read the screen is much better on the Air than the regular 13" macbook maybe I'll try buying an Air on ebay or something....

I want make to work, I'm not at all a Corporate person, aka the guy in the suit on the Mac Commercial, lol, I'm a self employed entrepreneur much more in tune with the Apple concept.

It does for sure disappoint me and I'm sure many other people that glitches, design or otherwise couldn't be solved so a person in business doesn't have to fear they have to buy a PC aka Thinkpad / Latitude to get their work done ... it's doable yes, but not easy ....

Or to trade my x301 for a 13 MacBook or Air I'm not sure I could do it ... I'm miss some Windows features for work, to use it to compliment my work and for entertainment that's where I long for a mac ...

 

I kinda see what your getting at. But for the USB ports, mine are just fine. I can plug a Kingston DataTraveler and an external HDD in at the same time, no problem. I don't really see how that is a huge design flaw, based on how big the average thumb drive is.

 

The exact same comment could be said about the numerous companies building oversized USB plugs. They should keep in mind that there are notebooks whose ports are spaced too close to allow larger USB dongles.

Once again you're confusing your own personal preferences with the design choices made by Apple. Bottom line, if you don't like the product, don't use it, and don't complain that it's a "design flaw" simply because you don't agree with the design.

A "person in business" has no reason to "fear they have to buy a PC" to get their work done, they just have to appreciate that this is what Apple is offering and if they don't like it, they can look elsewhere.

 

You've completely missed the point, but that's ok, no worries...

 

its a computer.

 

It's a Laptop!

 

Interesting, you just lost all credibility, at least from me. First you start a thread about the missing ports or lack thereof on the Macbook Pro, poor screen quality, sharp edges and overly smooth surface which is why you returned it...and you felt the need to tell us for some reason???
Now you say you are considering a Macbook Air which has the same if not a tad bit better screen than the MBP, it has less ports and much less powerful and it cost on par with the Macbook Pro.
I always find it funny that when people question someone's rant especially when the rant is generally something negative against the Macintosh, the ranter will always tell us that they have an iPhone which they love as if to say "I'm still one of you guys, the Mac crowd".
Well, who cares that you love your iPhone, it's not a Mac, it's just another Apple product, that doesn't excuse senseless rants about the Macintosh just because you own an iPhone. Lots of Windows users use iPhones ya know.

 

So what's your point exactly? You want to slam a person who mentioned some things about a consumer product that they thought could be improved? It's okay to do this to any product out there, but geez do it to an Apple product and here we are, LOL.

Anyway, yes, I like Apple software, namely it's flow and simplicity, and I do like how the iPhone can work with a Mac computer and all the software, how that costs me credibility I don't know ...

In some ways I still wish I had one, for the reasons I just mentioned....

My wife is using an LG P300 right now, she'd grab my x301 in a second so I may just grab one and have some fun with it. (For the record I absolutely LOVE the x301) ... hey gadgets/electronics is my only hobby and a break from work ... its fun too..

Phil you out there, I'd like to hear from you ... you spent some time with an MBA and liked it right? What was your reason for selling it?

 

*this thread is getting personal. Factual and informative inputs are being thrown out the door*

*time to close it???*

cheers ...

 

No, the problem is your approach to the matter. You came out guns blazing talking up your preferences like they were the word of God, and anything you didn't like was a "design flaw". Now you have the audacity to whine when someone calls you out on your continued ignorant rantings??

Seriously......are you for real??

 

yes, yes I am ... word 'God' c'mon grow up, you can google every point I mentioned and find many people voicing the same concerns. they are without a doubt design flaws, why? because they are thousands of owners who mentioned these points to a much greater detail than I have, hell there's even instructions on the net on how sand the edges so they're no so sharp, lol.

Anyway, simple things they could improved upon and they didn't, for the premium price they charge no point should of gone unnoticed.

 

Just the point I was trying to make but you choose to ignore. The issue is with both your paragraphs here because in the end you end up contradicting yourself on post #26. You say that Apple charges a premium, the edges are sharp and it's got design flaws. Now on post #26 you are now interested in a Macbook Air which has the same sharp edges, only one USB port, one display port and headphone jack. It has way less features and power compared to the Macbook Pro but now you are considering buying one. None of that makes an once of sense. All this tells us that you were just looking for a place to start a senseless debate.
Don't worry I will no longer post here no matter what you say at this point because now I know what I am dealing with.

 

This is exactly why so many posters are accusing you of being a troll.

 

Just because numerous people don't like a specific feature or aspect, doesn't make it a design flaw......it simply means a number of people share the same OPINION! You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Again I say, if you don't like aspects about the machine, or the premium involved, BUY SOMETHING ELSE!!! No one is forcing you to buy any Apple products.

We get it, you don't like the design of the MB and MBP line and you've voiced this several times so please move on as this broken record of yours is getting quite annoying.

 

I cleaned up this thread, let's try to keep it on-topic from this point forward. Thanks.

 

A step in the right direction; thank you.

 

Question - Are you allowed to criticize Macs if you actually own a Mac? Or is criticizing Macs just disallowed by the power of God? When Windows guys flame Macs, the Mac guys are quick to victimize themselves and flame back at the same time....

Owning an iPhone/iPod and stating support of Apple has almost become a disclaimer when criticizing Macs. Why is this even necessary?

(Disclaimer For the record, I own an iMac, an iPhone, and four iPods, so don't even think of accusing me of being anti-Apple.)

 

I think you're missing the point. This forum has been great at giving advice and being a go-to place for good information in a friendly manner by mac users who are also either current windows or ex-windows users; generally good unbiased information.

There's always been healthy debates but recently we've seen an influx of members who just post here for the sake of making useless arguments and spreading misinformation which really is counter productive, especially to new and interested windows users looking for something that might be better suited to them. This got to the point that it turned almost every thread into a mac vs PC debate which has been done to death and really serves no purpose.

This isn't about not being able to criticize macs, it's about keeping this place civil which for some people, evidently, turned out to be a little too much to ask. If you ask me, the most criticism of mac products happen to come from current mac users because let's face it, many of us are perfectionist and an@l about our computers.

 

+1. well said.

 

I think I'll put my money where my mouth is and go to Best Buy in the morning and buy the new MBA ... the wife will get the x301 for a while anyway and we'll see how it goes...

I'll enjoy the OS, the size I'm sure, I spend a lot of time replying to emails, writing, project management etc so it will get lot's of use. I'll have the T500 for my work horse, (for my manufacturing company's product development software and for video editing on the marketing end etc ...)

I just like Apple, they've done so many things right and one up'd the suits on a lot of occasions.

I hope I'll like using/typing/handling the Air, for the uses I described above I don't see any reason why I won't....

Any MBA owners out there, how do you like it so far? (I should ask that in a fresh post I guess).

This thread got lively, that's great People have lot's of opinions, that's what makes it fun !!

 

Wow. Another thread where Apple fanboys gang up one person asking a question or making a comment that does not exactly say Apple pwns.

Think Different? Nope. More like follow the (Apple) collective because resistance is futile.

 

Meh, my post was for the most part tongue-in-cheek. Well said though, I know what you mean.

But definitely true about the most criticism comes from Mac users, or at least, most relevant/informed criticism.

 

And yet another post from some Windows fanboy who can't help himself but to bash Apple and their users. Pot calling the kettle black?

Considering the OP went from bashing the MBP because his personal preferences weren't being met, to saying he's thinking about buying a MB which has the EXACT SAME DESIGN, to now saying he's going to buy a MBA which again has a similar design......the OP has lost ALL credibility for anything he says now. How can you believe someone when they're so fickle and quick to change their opinions?

 

I'm not really happy with my 15 inch MBP I think it's too big. I think I'm going to take it back.

*Edit* Okay I'm going to get the 17 inch MBP instead.

 

I see what you did there.

 

lol, with some posters you can't win .... you get slammed for trying and critiquing your purchase ... you get slammed for being positive and trying considering try a (different) macbook again ....

fan boy or no fan boy's here for sure you get slammed more when critiquing an Apple product than you'll ever get from anything else, LOL ... it's comical ... it's just conversation guys, not really a big deal, my points are sincere simple as that forgive me for gadgeting with mac products I guess.....

fact is you're making fools of yourselves, imo, I lost credibility for what, considering pro's and con's of a computer an it's OS, being willing to try it again so I can still benefit from some of the Apple features I do like, I said I thought their was design flaws in the MBP ... so I'm not allowed to try an Air ... some of you are silly defensive about your mighty macs ... it's WILD and amusing too !!