What isnt great about the MBP

When leopard comes out I'm going to purchase my first mac, the Macbook Pro. I have been doing a lot of research, and I'm sure this is the best choice possible. However, I would like to know any problems/ annoying quirks that current MBP owners have had with their computers.

Please post anything (small/large) that has caused you a heartache or mere annoyance while working with your MBP.

 

It gets hot.

 

Ok... to what degree, and when is it especially noticeable? Both while plugged in and working off the battery, or only with the battery? Details.

 

It's noticeable when it's on your lap, as tables do not feel pain. Then again, most powerful notebooks like the Macbook Pro get hot as well.

 

Well, heat could become noticeable when its on the table if the keyboard/palmrests heat up.... This situation ever popped up?

 

http://www.oreillynet.com/mac/blog/...?CMP=OTC-13IV03560550&ATT=MacBook Pro andcons

 

The MBP does get hot because its mainly designed for passive cooling as opposed to high fan speeds which bring in noise.

You might not want to wear shorts while using it, but jeans is fine, and obviously putting it on the table is fine.

And Lithus uses a G1S .

And regarding the "Whine" issue in the article that Lithus stated, the MBP has been updated twice since then (Core 2 Duo, and then to Santa Rosa), and the Santa Rosa MBP users I know all say they have no whine issues at all, it seems its been addressed and fixed by Apple already.

 

should ask this in the ASUS forum..........get a lot more responses.

One thing that will surely pop up is the lack of 'interesting' design in the macbook and lack of green lights

 

The case is strong, but it is prone to denting, and Apple does not offer accidental damage protection. If a drive fails, it is more difficult and sometimes more expensive to replace than in other notebooks (if it's not under warranty). It is difficult for a user to upgrade the hard drive. The screen only opens about 135° (same with Macbooks).

 

helpful, but that review was based on one of the first versions of the macbook pro. Heat, yeah thats been pointed out. Noise, from what Ive heard this is no longer an issue with the Santa Rosa refresh.

sorry to shoot down your link, but its a year and a half old.

 

Well, I can't think of many things except
- Con: USB ports support one bus powered device at a time.. unless you have a powered hub I suppose to daisy chain everything together. Of course this may actually be typical of USB, but you also only have 2 usb ports
- Pro you have one on each side.. well it's a pro if you like that sort of thing

To make up for this, the MBP is the only laptop with 6 pin firewire 400/800 which means you can bus power firewire devices on the go, all night long. No need for an ugly pcmcia/pci-express card. +++

 

Yeah, Ive been considering buying a usb hub for all my usb needs
If you think about it usb hubs are much more intuitive for someone who plugs and unplugs their notebook computer anything more than rarely. It simplifies plugging back in to a mere power cord and usb hub connection.

 

If you want one that looks as nice as a Macbook Pro, I suggest the Moshi Cardette (yeah, it not really a USB hub) or Podera Luxe.

 

How'd you know? Was it the picture, or the sig? Anyways, the article was just the first thing off of Google that explained the heat problem. I didn't intend it to show any other problems, and am sorry if it caused confusion.

Lol. I've had first hand experience with quite a few laptops, but I'm sure the Asus section would have helped as much as this section would have, except there would be a lot more "get an Asus" responses.

Same as above, sorry.

 

My top list of things I don´t like the MBP for.

1. Resolution (1400x900; 1680x1050 would be far better)

2. Too less USB ports (3 or even 4 would do much better)

3. No HDMI (not a major thing, because DVI is available, but it´s premium and newer TFTs will come with HDMI mostly)

4. Hdd sizes of 120/160 (2,2 Ghz/2,4 Ghz version) Gb; 160/200 Gb would be more up to date.

5. You are forced to let a certified Apple technician do a HDD-change in order to be perfectly safe concerning your warranty.

6. This is MBP related, but not an exclusiv problem of the MBP: When upgrading to 4 Gbs you are not free to use 64-bit Windows, because driver support is a joke. So what you have to do is go for a 32-bit Windows instead which will only support 3 of your 4 Gbs of RAM. It´s annoying...

 

I would like a docking station. I have no desktop and use the MBP connected to my monitor. I use almost every port coming out of it and it can be a hassle plugging it in and out.

 

Heat, graphics power and price are the three cons.

 

heat. you can't sit naked in the lotus position, balancing your notebook on your lap, and charge it at the same time.

the upside of this would be that the MBP is dead silent.

some comments on the other posts: it doesn't whine, 1440 is plenty of resolution and IMHO a toss-up vs. 1680. 1680x would be better in some situations but it would also probably be too small for comfortable viewing. I find 1680 OK for 15.4" screens - I have a laptop with that configuration, actually. But things are already very small, and the MBP has a 15" screen so it might end up being just too small. My 1680x Acer is also bigger in all dimensions than the MBP, and heavier - it _feels_ beastly next to the smooth, small, elegant MBP. And the MBP is more powerful, too

hard disk is not easy to replace - this is indeed a pain. however, you only do it once. it's not something you do every other week. I have done it, it's not rocket science. I wish it was easier but - whatever.

They have taken care of the biggest complaint I had with previous gen Mac pro laptops - WiFi reception is excellent on the MBP.

graphics power is plenty - again at the same size and weight, you are not going to find any better. for a real gaming laptop you need a bigger case just to be able to cool these higher end graphics cards. stating the obvious: the MacBook Pro is not a high end gaming laptop.

I wish they'd used that precious space for FW 800 for eSATA or more USB ports. FW800 is a dead standard.

 

Probably not a big deal, but the USB ports are on opposite sides of the computer. If you have something like a USB harddrive with one of those splitters (one for data/power, one for power), it pretty much won't work. Which brings me to another minimal (yet arguably angering point), the USB drives must not be to standard or are exactly to standard and no more. I say this because my friend's will NOT run a particular USB harddrive without using both cords, but my both my brother's and my Asus (different models) power it up fine on 1 port.




No right click button. OOOOOO, sick burn. Sorry, had to throw that in there. Not a big deal for most, but... I don't like OSX, i'd be going to a linux or a windows if I bought one. It's even annoying in OSX imo. If you plug an aftermarket mouse in the OS it's right click capable?! they just didn't feel like letting me? Crazy talk.


The hardware itself is mostly pretty nice. I've envied for a MBP since they came out, but it follows apple's usual pattern for me. Love the hardware, just want to ditch the OS/Software.

 

Screen only tilts back so far. Not a deal breaker.
I hardly notice heat on my palms even when playing Oblivion, but that's just me. Maybe I am too much into the game. I have the 2.4Ghz 15"
Framerates are roughly twice what I had with my 2.33 Ghz MBP, but that was only a 128 MB GPU.
I usually play at 1280x800 wide screen.
Here's some movies of my characters I made in Oblivion:
Shwartzenegger:
YouTube - Ahhnold in Oblivion
Jatoya Jackson:
YouTube - Jatoya's World
Keanu Reeves
YouTube - Keanu Reeves for Oblivion

Sure you don't want to wait though? Has it ben 6 months since the last revision? If so a newer version may be just around the corner.

 

Heat on the lap can become excessive at times. Putting the fans at high levels makes it noisy so its hard to mitigate.

But the fact is the pros way outweigh the cons, i haven't experienced any significant issue(s) that would make me sell my MBP.

 

It is unlikely that a revision will come until the beginning of 2008, and I need a laptop now! My old sony k35's motherboard fried when I accidentally dropped it a mere 3 inches. So yah, but the MBP is powerful enough as it is right now. Im no hardcore gamer, but I didnt want the POS gpu of the macbook and a tiny screen.

 

The one thing I don't like about the MacBook Pro is the huge price. It's simply huge. And the upgrade prices are also huge. The price would of been OK for standard 3 year warranty. In my opinion, Apple should offer accidental damage coverage. I saw someone on YouTube complaining about Apple refusing to repair his MacBook because there were some spills on it (which according to him might of happened on the way to Apple). I'm not blaming anyone here as I don't know the exact facts, but there would be a nice option to have for an expensive laptop.
I like having a high resolution screen simply for watching HDTVs at their best. I'd like to have a higher resolution screen in the 15" model (maybe a 1920*1200), but can only get that in the 17" for 100$ more (which is not that amazingly great, since it's not a LED).
The prices...and the price difference between Europe and US/Canada. Even with the VAT applied there is still a major price difference. For instance, the parity is almost 1:1 (meaning 1US = 1EURO), but VAT is around 20% in most EU countries. Having to pay around 3800$ for the basic 17" model is stupid.

 

Huge price doesnt apply to me
My bro's teacher with an ADC discount is hooking me up with a MBP for 1600

 

Well, I know that there are some discounts, but those don't cut the price that much in Europe. I've edited my previous post with the exact price (in US dollars) we have to pay for a 17" model.

 

Guess Ill just have to be glad that i dont live in Europe

 

Yeah, u are indeed lucky alrite. Where I came from (Malaysia) a 17" MBP costs as much as 8 months of my salary accumulated man ... talk about not being able to eat anything in the process of saving it too ...

 

You know...I'm wondering...why can't they fit two HDDs in the 17" model. Alienware did it in their 9750, I think Apple can do it too. Or at least offer a 8700GT card, so it would really set it apart from the 15" model.

 

The two USB ports are just not enough, especially since USB does not daisy chain.

Otherwise, the DVI out, the bluetooth, the FW800, the microphone, and the iSight all keep it ahead of most PC laptops.

I'd also like to see a 1680x1050 screen option on the 15 inch. I just need more screen res to run my CS3 apps.

 

two reasons for a single HDD:

keeping it a 1 in laptop
keeping the weight down

kinda guesses, but seem like likely reasons to me.

 

1 did not make it thicker, so why would 2?

Don't put a second HD in there, they are not that heavy anyway. I'd love to have either a striped or mirrored RAID in there, or just 2 HDs if that was "MY" prerogative.

Apple innovates, but they really don't provide options.

 

Graphics power? The MBP has the 8600M GT DDR3, which is the top line graphics card for 15.4-inch notebooks right now...the G1S has this too...

 

Yes, indeed. You are right. There's not much you can do to the 15" version.
The 17" version could do fine with 2HDDs and a 8700GT, but this would really make it perfect...so...
I bet there is space for a second HDD, since the Alienware 9750 isn't very think and it can fit two and I bet those two HDDs aren't mounted one over the other.

 

Hmm, the MBP is expensive. And the KB/M has some layout issues: the fn/ctrl keys are switched, there is no 'del' button (only the backspace 'delete' button), and there is only one mouse button...

Other than that, its essentially perfect.

 

The deal breaker for me is no easily changeable hard drive. Other things I would want are hdmi out to connect to my 26" viera hdtv, and a better graphics card for the 17" version, and led backlit display when technology allows for it.

 

heat and the screen tilt are my biggest issues. Heat can be dealt with and its not bad doing normal tasks.

the screen needs to go back farther. i find myself annoyed with this a few times a day.

 

Heat is fine as long as you don't put the laptop on a down comforter. The metal case kinda doubles as a heat sink, so, the fact that there is heat on the outside is good, it's heat leaving the inside.

I usually prop the rear of mine up on a a table about 1/4 inch to get some air under there. The advantage is that it is quiet. Fans go off on a Dell a lot more often. My MBP fans only go off if I'm rendering video or 3d.

I don't find the C2D MBP to be too hot.

I hear that the CD version ran even hotter, that might be bordering on too hot.

 

Isn't one of the selling points of a MBP that it DOES have a led backlit display?

And there are DVI to HDMI adapters, which would let you connect via HDMI.

And as for the heat issue, if youre using the laptop normally, like surfing the web, watching videos etc, I dont find that mine heats up that much at all. I can be in lectures taking notes, and have it on my lap no problem.

I doubt that they could "stack" two hdds on top of each other, because one of the whole poitns of the mbp is its thin size, and stacking two ontop of each other wouldn't exactly help that.

Im happy that mbp doesnt come with another internal hdd, because that would just raise the price, and I have a 7200rpm hdd hooked up with esata, and its really fast, and also lets me have a backup, incase something happens with my mbp. Also good for time machine when that comes out in a bit.

 

the screen (not even brightness and light leakage). the scratch and dent prone case (do they even anodized this?). quality control.

oh yes, like someone above mentioned, the screen tilt. but if that ruin the aesthetic....

OH HOW COULD I FORGET!!! MORE USB PORTS!!! AT Least 4 USB port! why do a 17" laptop only has one! there isn't much device out there that support Firewire 800 ports. so i don't think they need that.

LED screen?

 

The 17" version doesn't have the LED display. Native HDMI is always better, though I'd rather have both DVI and HDMI if possible or just HDMI with a HDMI to DVI cable.
I never said they could stack two HDDs one over the other, I just said that Alienware 9750 has two and it doesn't have them that way and it's still very thin (around 1 - 1.5"), so why doesn't Apple offer this option? I'm a space freak and I need tons of space (mainly tons of music, movies and games). I wasn't saying they should increase the price, but offer the option to have another one installed at the same price (with price cuts on the other models). Not all the people need two HDDs, but why not offer it? Raid0 is great.

 

The 17" mbp does not have an led display, it has ccfl. As opposed to the 15" version. And yeah, I hate adapters...lol

 

i dont find anything wrong with the ccfl screens though. plenty bright enough for all my tasks.

 

Right, but a LED would be better. I'm interested in a matter screen, since I hate having to go outside and just staring (and I mean really staring) to see something. I'm curious in the downside of using a matte screen inside compared to a glossy screen.

 

I'm underwhelmed by the design of the MBP. It looks rather ordinary like a PC laptop (Vaio, Dell, Compaq have similar designs in silvery plastic). I expect more from Apple. The MB in black looks much more stylish. You can tell it's an Apple from a mile.

Also, is real aluminum too much to ask for on MBP? The silver plastic looks rather cheap for something this expensive.

 

Eh? It is real aluminum, isn't it?

 

I've read that it is aluminum.

 

What are you smoking? You won't find much plastic on the MBP...even the display bezel is metal.

 

I tapped on it in the store and it felt like plastic and had a little flex in it. The texture definitely felt different from my Apple Cinema Display in aluminum.

 

Well, the MacBook Pro is according to many people made of aluminum, not plastic. I think the MacBook is different. I've played with one at the Apple store, but can't remember it's finish.

 

I agree that there should be a delete key and a second mouse button. It would make things a bit easier. I don't have an issue with the fn/ctrl keys since they don't function the same in Mac OS as they do Windows. Where typically the ctrl key is used quite often in Windows it isn't in Mac OS. The Mac equivalent to the ctrl key is the CMD key. I wish the CMD key was in the bottom left of the keyboard. The delete key is a bit of a moot point since you get the equivalent using fn + del.