 "A Stable OS Wins for Me!" | 2009-11-13 |
| - Reviewed By mygotta |
I have been a PC user for about 6 or 7 years, mostly because it was cheaper and utilized more business logic. But when I noticed my PC starting to fizzle out, I knew I needed to upgrade my computer and decided to get a laptop - and to further it, I went with a MacBook. I was hesitant, but went with it. I purchased the Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-Inch Laptop MB991LL/A.
So it has now been a year since I bought it, so I think it gives me a fair appreciation of the Mac instead of my initial knee-jerk reactions. Of course, upon using it, I was trying to do all the controls of a PC on a Mac, which is like trying to text on a rotary phone. I dont know if thats a fair analogy. Some of the ways that the Mac was set up seemed alien at first. Everyone talks about how easy it is to use and how great it is, etc. But I was skeptical and almost disliked it at first. The OS functioned differently, I had a hard time finding items. Mac seemed to have folders already in place for everything, most of which I was unfamiliar with. All of the programs seemed to want to commingle with each other, which was also weird.
But as I got to play with it more and more, I realized the brighter side of it. The best part of the Mac that I have found versus the PC is the stability of the OS. I have probably needed to restart the computer about 10 times in the past year, and thats all due to either an installation or just to refresh the system. The system has NEVER crashed. Whereas the PC, it would be standard operating procedure to crash once a day. The fact that the Mac OS is that stable speaks volumes! While there is always room for caution, I dont have to be as paranoid about spyware or any deadly viruses. Where the PC, you are seemingly an open target for every website.
The track pad on here does take time and effort to get a handle. Its quite sensitive and the space is small to work in. Its not ideal to do any graphics work, but moving around on the internet and the system is very easy once you get a gist of the controls. Be careful of your finger placement thought, it picks up the subtlest touch - even when your other hand is seemingly out of the way! I preferred the right click on the left bottom side than the default right bottom side. It still needed practice to use the double click within the same area you are moving your cursor. But its so much easier than older Macs that have a button to click. At least, when I use someone elses Mac and there is a button to click, I am ill-adjusted to that form of tracking. But if you get this now, there are system updates that fix some of the hardware issues concerning the tracking.
Adding media, such as printers, cameras, scanners is very simple. Its literally plug n'play. Very nice and compatible with most stuff. And it knows what to do with the content as well - or you can direct it once and it takes it from there. It was unfortunate that my Epson R300 printer is not compatible. This did not mean I was unable to use the printer, it only meant that I cannot tell which color is out of ink when it did run out. So thats something to be on the alert.
The major flaw that I have found, and I wish they would work on it, is Safari. While its a good browser, its the one program that crashes on me the most. It also seems to lag more than any other program. Initially, scrolling up and down would set it off and the timer would come on. Now, I watch a lot of hulu and they introduced the new tabs with pre-destined web pages with pictures, it will invariably crash. I understand that its a conflict with the Flash program - but still, you think its been taken care of by now. I like Safari, but I think its time to push the browser technology one step further (IMO).
So after a year of using the MacBook, I have found that A) I love the traveling with a computer!! B) It is a super-stable system. If you are thinking of getting a Mac, my best advice is to look at them and see if you like the design, the look, etc. It might help to know someone who has previous knowledge of how to navigate well on the Mac. Also, be patient in your transition. Don't expect everything to be as smooth as creamy butter at first because it wont. Its gonna be frustrating because you will want it to perform and function like a PC and it will resist that.
Keep in mind that I don't feel that there is a strong "Mac vs PC" competition as they both perform well. I do believe the Mac edges out Windows in terms of OS. Design-wise, Mac may also have the edge. But we are also at the stage of technological advance where its coming down to preference and fashion. While there is more available for Windows, it also comes with a boat load of spy/ad/mal/ware. So Mac, in my mind is more secure. On the other hand, there were programs I enjoyed on the PC that are not available for the Mac - so there is a sacrifice! I am not a Mac addict, but I do appreciate the products they do release as they are high quality stuff, which you will pay for. So take that into consideration. I do recommend this MacBook or any of their laptops primarily because of the OS. To me that is the bottom line for the computer. Mac has shown they are a very stable system, on top of looking great!
It cost quite a bit for this lap top and I am happy with the purchase I made.
(as an aside - the Snow Leopard OS upgrade does make small changes that seemed to affect 3rd party hardware. I noticed my Cannon digital camera could no longer be read once I upgraded. Although I assume some of those kinks will eventually be ironed out, it is a little on the frustrating side). |
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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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 "MB Pro standard - good but not great." | 2009-11-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A20U1W8KREMO3P |
I recently bought the new MB Pro 13 inch. Having used the White MB (Late 2007 release) in the past, the differences between the two in terms of quality are immense.
The White MB I owned was a poor quality product, the polycarbonate body was prone to cracking, it suffered random hardware failures for no reason and the screen on it was horrible - pathetic viewing angles and color reproduction.
On the other hand, the MB PRo feels like a high quality product (externally) The Unibody construction process has resulted in a computer that feels built to last. These are the features that make it a compelling purchase.
The LCD screen. It is glossy and that can be a problem in some environments but if you use your notebook regularly instead of connecting it to a external monitor, it really is a very good screen. The MB Pro screen has a 60% greater color gamut and it beats the MB screen easily in terms of black levels, color depth and accuracy. It's great for watching movies or viewing and editing photos.
The glass trackpad is a pleasure to use for navigation due to it's design. Unlike the old MB Pro trackpads, this is a single large glass trackpad with no visible buttons - the whole trackpad can be used as a button once it's configured in System preferences. Scrolling, clicking and dragging all happen effortlessly once you're used to it.
Firewire 800 is another addition - for media professionals who need a better and faster way to transfer data than USB 2.0
Bluetooth 2.1 - easy to transfer your phone data to the macbook by using bluetooth.
SD Card slot - finally Apple realizes that consumers may want a convenient way to download their photos or videos without using an external card reader. An SD card slot is built in - tough luck for Pro's who uses other card formats but something is better than nothing.
Backlit keyboard wth chiclet keys - good for typing in dark rooms and comfortable to use for long periods of time.
Built in battery - 7 hours of power as advertised by Apple, your mileage may vary but it allows you to be mobile for 5 to 6 hours. It's an Inbuilt battery so once it's exhausted, it's back to the Apple store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider for replacement. However, Apple states that the battery will hold 80% of it's charge for up to a 1000 charges which means approximately 3 to 4 years of daily use. So it should be a while before you have to go in for that battery replacement.
A few things to take into account before you make your decision -
Whatever you do, please buy the Applecare Protection PlanAppleCare Protection Plan - For Portable Apple Computers 13.3 Inches and Below. Apple's products are as prone to failure as any other PC and Apple sources components from other manufacturers just like any other PC maker. If something goes wrong with a Mac, and you don't have the Applecare protection plan, you'll be paying exorbitant fees for getting the hardware repaired. Keep in mind, APP only covers hardware failure - not accidental damage so it's still expensive for what you get but it's better than paying Apple's prices for repair/replacement parts.
You will also NEED to upgrade your ram from 2 gb to 4gb if you plan to do any image processing or video editing.
With the standard 2gb of ram, my machine starts to stutter the moment I try to open up a large image file and listen to music simultaneously. That's being cheap on Apple's part, considering a customer has just bought a computer for $1200 and it has only 2 gb of ram. This is not a netbook, its supposedly a "PRO" notebook. For the ram, that will be another 80 to 100 dollars.Crucial CT2KIT25664BC1067 4GB 204-PIN PC3-8500 SODIMM DDR3 Memory KIT (2GBx2)
If you're a datajunkie, the 160 gb that Apple includes with the MB Pro is woefully inadequate so factor in another 80 to 120 dollars based on the hard drive you may buy to replace the stock drive with
The MB Pro has a mini display port, you'll have to buy a MiniDP to VGA convertor or MiniDP to DVI convertor Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter MB570Z/A if you ever feel like connecting your MB Pro to a larger monitor - since Apple is nice enough not to include it with the machine it will cost you $30 more.
Your total cost would actually be $1200 + $200 APP + $80 RAM = 1480 dollars + applicable taxes. I'm counting the ram as a mandatory upgrade if you want to avoid a sluggish user experience.
Taking all of that into account, the machine is still good for me - it could have been great if Apple stopped diluting a supposedly premium product experience by being cheap. However, if you are buying a 13 inch MB Pro I would recommend buying the standard 13 inch MB Pro instead of the regular shoddy quality Macbook or the high end MB Pro 13 inch and upgrading it yourself. Works out to a much better deal.
Rumor Alert - In January or February 2010, Apple probably will be updating the MB Pro's with Intel's newest processors (the Arrendale series) If you can wait till then, you should. But if you do need a MB Pro right now, I would suggest buying the standard 13 inch model. |
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 "Okay, not impressed. Design flaws overlooked by fanboism" | 2009-11-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3TVZMFFTC1Z8P |
Okay, Apple redesigned its macbook pro line.
Pros:
-The aluminum body feels solid
-The keyboard feels right and is backlit
-The LED Screen is just superb. Some people complain about this but to me, it is just bright, clear and colors are outstanding.
-Battery life averaging at most 5 hours. Not bad but nowhere near the 7 hours advertised. Not a con bc the battery life is still excellent
-Bootup speed is superb. 20 seconds to boot up and less than 5 seconds to shut it down.
-Snow Leopard is fast and expose makes life easier.
cons:
-First of all, this is the bottom of the line macbook pro. If you wanna do any serious "professional" work here, you won't be happy. 9400M graphics card is mediocre.
-Snow Leopard is far from being stable. Plenty of compatibility issues, especially with Adobe products.
-Safari is a memory hog
-Heating issues. Aliminum dissipates heat better, so I wonder how those white macbooks handle the heat issue.
-Why on earth would the team design for the macbook pro line-up design a vent dissipating heat towards the screen. That WILL cause the premature failure.
-USB ports are TOo CLOSE TOGETHER. If you use a non-bluetooth mouse(which is recommended for a longer battery life) and want to use a flashdrive, you have to choose for one or the other.
-Minidisplay port. Really Apple? It doesn't even support audio at the moment so why replace the mini-dvi display? Or why not go the HDMI option?
-Glossy screen. Not a fan but if you adjust the brightness properly, it should be just fine.
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| "Best Laptop for its price" | 2009-10-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1NP78VYIMHCKK |
This Macbook is amazing in two different ways, one of which pc laptops have not really emulated yet.
1. Very advanced laptop. You can read about the specs on your own, but you can do whatever you need to do on this laptop. Amazing trackpad (it's so addictive).
2. Arguably the best laptop case out in the market. Seriously. Solid aluminum, pleasing to the eyes, durable (won't mess up like plastic), etc
Everything about this laptop is perfect. If you can afford it, GET IT!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
~college student |
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