 "MacBook Pro Issue" | 2009-11-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: AJOCLNB599BS2 |
| I purchased this Macbook Pro 2.53 with 4GB DDR3 ram. A month later I noticed the processing speed slowed significantly and the cooling fan became lower. I took it in an Apple store nearby and I was told that the the fan works and there is nothing they can do about the noise. I asked them if they could replace it with another one considering it was only a month old, but I was told that replacement is never an option unless the computer is broken. I am very disappointed considering how much I paid for this computer. |
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 "The Price Difference: Worth Every Penny" | 2009-11-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1P1265NCFIUNM |
I think the best way to justify getting a higher end notebook like a MacBook Pro is to think about how long you sit in front of the computer each day. Most of us rely on our notebooks a lot more than a few years ago, and so if you get this kind of mileage out of a computer, doesn't it make sense to spend a couple hundred dollars more on it? We throw away money every day on useless junk, but a computer is such a necessity, doesn't it make sense to get a high quality one?
Speaking of high quality, a MacBook isn't just all hype and marketing. It's mostly in the engineering, and it definitely is well thought-out and flawless. The aluminum unibody is amazing and sturdy, and you feel the quality on every edge and laser-etched surface. The precision is astounding. The keyboard is tough and elegant, and the little features and attention to detail are marvelous.
The screen is a huge selling point for this notebook. It is absolutely stunning and vibrant. Not owning other LED screen products, this one definitely got to me a bit more than usual, and it beats the heck out of LCD technology, far and away. Viewing angles are great and the color gamut lends itself to an awesome amount of depth in images that I previously had not seen with such realism.
THE best feature of the computer's hardware is definitely the multi-touch trackpad. Never have I come even close to feeling that a touchpad was anywhere close to the ease and intuitiveness of a regular old mouse. However, Apple has truly done it here. In many ways, the trackpad is superior to most other pointer devices on the market, including mice. It's so large that you can move around the screen in one swipe no matter where you start on the pad. The multi-touch is a feature that is so easy to use and so useful, you will want it on every computer you own and ever use. The ability to start expose is fantastic, and so handy that you won't miss the Windows taskbar one bit. Also, the trackpad's surface is so smooth with its brushed glass finish, it's a joy to use.
Aside from all of the cool hardware features, the OS is fantastic as well. This is not a computer for gamers, and everyone knows that. The most I would play on this would be simpler games and RTS games. If you're a fan of graphics-heavy shooters, then you should be looking into easily upgradeable desktops or larger notebooks anyway, not a tiny 13.3" computer of any kind. If you're a moderate gamer but otherwise a user who wants lots of productivity tools, seamless multitasking, and apps that just work, this is a great solution to your woes.
I use lots of the packaged software that OSX has, like iMovie and especially Garage Band. I couldn't believe that such a powerful program would come pre-packaged with my Mac, but it totally blew me away. I record my electric guitar straight through the computer, with so many software loops, and not to mention with tons of apps loaded in the background. The interfaces are incredibly easy to learn to use, and the entire OS is just fun.
All in all, I don't understand all the complaints about the price premiums. If you can't afford a Mac, it's not even part of your discussion, so it's a moot point to argue against it anyway. If you can, it's worth checking out because of the quality of the product you get. Ultimately, $300-400 of a price difference isn't a whole lot when you think about how much computers are integrated into our lives. For such an incredible machine, it's worth that price premium, because in the long run, it's just a few cents a day that you're spending in order to avoid headaches with system issues, slowdowns, and time spent just stressing over why your computer isn't doing what it's supposed to. |
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 "Great computer, but flawed firmware for some" | 2009-11-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2BXEA6LXUDFC4 |
I've had a lot of Macs before, both desktops and laptops, and this is one of the best I've owned.
The display is crisp with vibrant colors. Some don't like the glare, but I find the brightness outweighs any issue with reflections.
The addition of a lighted keyboard is helpful, and the scrollpad is marvelous, very iPhone-like. I also like the addition of a SD car slot, although it does stick out a bit. One less thing to carry around, and you can create a bootable card, which is kind of cool.
Since lots of folks have extolled the virtues of the machine, let me explain where Apple stumbled.
This computer comes with a user-serviceable hard drive and memory. Check Apple's site; they have instructions for how to replace a hard drive or add memory. But before you slam in a hard drive, beware. Most of the new MBPs come with a firmware update, EFI 1.7, installed. On some MBPs this has caused problems when copying large files. Apple refuses to acknowledge the problem; indeed, EFI 1.7 supplanted EFI 1.6 because many users were adding SSDs and finding that speeds lagged behind what you'd expect with SATA II. But EFI 1.7 broke some computers, and users have been going back to Apple stores to get the firmware rolled back to 1.6. Which fixes the crashing, hanging behavior, but also means they don't get the advantage of SATA II speeds (you'd only notice such speeds with SSDs, not normal hard drives). I mention this because Apple's support has not been very helpful, and any switcher coming over would expect a modern computer to play nice with off-the-shelf user added hard drives and SSDs. Too bad Apple dropped the ball here, it mars an otherwise excellent product. |
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| "Loving this Macbook Pro So Far!" | 2009-11-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2QLOW9B6996BM |
| After decades in the PC World, this is my first experience with a MAC. I received my 13" Macbook Pro a couple days back, and I'm loving it! This computer is inherently easier to use, is super fast and looks and feels great! So far, no technical difficulties-- it was very easy to set up. The shipment arrived on time and in excellent condition. I would definitely recommend buying this computer through Amazon. |
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| "Great machine!" | 2009-11-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A31NEZW9SABO4I |
Tired of doing the computer exchange game? Searching for a good computer? Check out the Mac!
My wife and I have been Windows Pc users for many years, we have never tried the Mac systems before. We went to Best Buy to check the Mac systems out. Wow we were amazed. An Apple Sales Representative was showing us the systems.
We went home, did some more research on the web on Mac systems, read a lot of reviews and decided to purchase the Mac.
Went back to Best Buy, a sales lady came up to us (had a Geek Squad shirt on) she knew nothing about Mac computers! She went to get some numbers, came back with a list of prices. The New iMac 20" and warranty, plus many others! Totaling between $1600 and $1800. She said that they need to do some tweaking on the system for better performance (which was downloading updates) she said it would take 4 hours to do and it would take longer for you to do them at home, (took 30 minutes for all at home). Also installing the Snow Leopard OS and iWorks. She made it sound like the normal PC user could not do these things at home. Well needless to say, we turned around and walked out without a Mac! We was questioning our ability to work a Mac???
Did some more looking at the Apple website and watching the tutorial videos. We couldn't see how the Mac would be so much harder to work with. So decided to go ahead and purchase the MacBook Pro. We wanted to test it before purchasing the iMac for my wife.
We decided we were not purchasing our Macs from Best Buy! We found the MacBook Pro 13.3" 2.53 GHz. on the Amazon website for a good price, so purchased it with the Apple Care Protections plan. Price and shipping was good!
I am a truck driver and I use a notebook while away from home. Purchased the MacBook Pro to replace an HP Notebook. So glad I did! The MacBook Pro is lightweight, LED Screen is amazing, viewing is great! Great colors and picture! The sound quality, wow! (The Hp had a premium sound upgrade, the volume and sound quality was no comparison to the MacBook Pro.) Set up was a breeze and software updates went quick (lol). The Mac system is easy to learn and easy to use. We love the MacBook Pro so well that we purchased the 21.5" iMac for my wife, and she is so satisfied with it, she loves it! |
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| "macbook Pro" | 2009-11-12 |
| - Reviewed By ta_trader77 |
| Its really a good machine to work on. I love it. All of its components are really cohesive and homogeneously organized. |
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