Best and worst things about Macbook [Archive]

ashjamben

Jun 11, 2008, 07:22 PM

the plastic cracks!

and not just the palmrests, my macbook has a couple of hairline cracks which look like they are caused by the heat. the apple store explained its just the 'lacquer' covering the plastic cracking and nothing they can do.

apart from that everythings pretty sweet. sometimes the fans go abit crazy on flash heavy sites, but i'm not sure if thats also a safari and/or other software issue

Bobioden

Jun 11, 2008, 07:29 PM

I am going to buy a Macbook soon, probably after the update

After What update? My thought is there will always be an update. If you need a laptop, buy it and enjoy.

I had the Blackbook and hated the greasy, fingerprint look it always had. I was constantly wiping it down, just so it wouldn't drive me nuts.

tkiss

Jun 11, 2008, 07:32 PM

After What update? My thought is there will always be an update. If you need a laptop, buy it and enjoy.

I had the Blackbook and hated the greasy, fingerprint look it always had. I was constantly wiping it down, just so it wouldn't drive me nuts.
The update with the Montevina chip set and aluminum casing. Anyways, I'm still about $900 short.

farmerku

Jun 11, 2008, 11:26 PM

I just recently purchased a Black Macbook and I can say that the advantages heavily out weigh the disadvantages. I bought the Black because I didn't not want to deal with the white surface that I knew would get dirty over a period of time. Though as a previous poster stated the black is a magnet for oily and greasy fingers and it does drive me nuts... but thats my problem :) I just picked up a box of travel electronic wipes and I giver a wipe down whenever I'm feeling anal. And I contemplated waiting for the update... just buy the thing now its awesome.

fewture

Jun 12, 2008, 03:59 AM

tkiss

Jun 12, 2008, 09:39 AM

Screen size and no graphics card.

These are obvious but I didn't really realise how important they would be until I got the Macbook (i have black penryn model).

I think the screen size is main issue for me. But otherwise it is so powerful I am amazed. I can run Ubunu, WinXP, and like 10 other programs (or more) in MacOSX and it feels normal (I do have 4gb)
Yeah, no one else has really brought screen size up. I saw one a few weeks ago when i was looking at what level to choose(low end, Medium, high end), and i was amazed at how small the screen was. It doesn't really bother me though. I actually like the screen small over some giant one.

The Menacer

Jun 12, 2008, 09:45 AM

I am going to buy a Macbook soon, probably after the update, and I was wondering what you think is the best feature(s) and worst feature(s) is of a :apple: Macbook.

How are we supposed to tell you what the best features are of a laptop that hasn't even been released?

tkiss

Jun 12, 2008, 09:47 AM

How are we supposed to tell you what the best features are of a laptop that hasn't even been released?
No, I mean of the current models. Sorry I didn't really clarify that.

The Menacer

Jun 12, 2008, 10:03 AM

No, I mean of the current models. Sorry I didn't really clarify that.

No problem, just making sure! :D

I like the MacBooks (and will be purchasing one this summer, actually) because they are a portable iMac. They are just about as powerful, and they are actually cheaper for most of the configurations. The battery life is pretty good, and it is lightweight for a laptop of its size. I think the MacBook is the most solid (performance and construction-wise) notebook that Apple has ever produced. Especially the current models.

leekohler

Jun 12, 2008, 10:13 AM

The glossy screen and lack of a video card. Other than that, they're awesome!

decksnap

Jun 12, 2008, 10:20 AM

The terrible TN panel.

BillyBobBongo

Jun 12, 2008, 11:14 AM

the plastic cracks!

I hear that! Dropped mine it at my local Apple store to have the 'palm rests' fixed (pesky magnets), at least they'll do it for nothing....I've just gotta live one week without it now!

Best thing about it....as soon as I get it out my bag someone always strikes up a conversation with me about it! I love meeting strangers....I've met some real characters through my MacBook!

*lights candle for MacBook*

I hope it survives the surgery!

The Menacer

Jun 12, 2008, 01:12 PM

The terrible TN panel.

I don't get why people complain so much about the TN panels. Most of the LCDs on the market today are TN panels, and everyone except Apple fans seem to get by...

ZiggyPastorius

Jun 12, 2008, 01:20 PM

I don't really know of much besides just normal computer issues, like the fact that even though it is a Macintosh computer, it still has little bouts of app crashing and stuff. Not nearly as bad as Windows, and the good part is that the whole computer doesn't become useless when an app crashes. Overall, the system stability is amazing, and it's been the best laptop I've ever owned. I haven't had any case crashing issues, and in terms of fan, it's the quietest laptop I've ever owned, and the quietest of what I've heard from other people in the school.

jeremy.king

Jun 12, 2008, 01:20 PM

Coming from an original MBP:

Best

price
hard drive accessibility
heat (or lack thereof)

Worst

No backlit keyboard

LowMach

Jun 12, 2008, 02:29 PM

best: size, speed
worst: viewing angle, sharp edges where my arms rest

color means nothing to me, but money well speant does so i opted for a white one with the extended warranty. with that said if they were the same price then mine would be black with finger prints tyvm.

hexonxonx

Jun 12, 2008, 02:41 PM

I am very happy with my my BlackBook.

Only annoyance is the fingerprints but even then, I don't go wiping it off very often.

Screen is almost perfect. It's not as bright as my MacBook Pro but the fact that it is a glossy display makes the colors and clarity stand out. Sometimes I prefer to use my MacBook over my MacBook Pro, yes the display is extremely nice on the MacBook.

It did take me a few weeks to get used to the keyboard on my black Macbook because, well, it was so black. The keys were kind of hard to read in low light because of all that black. I did buy the Apple wireless keyboard to go along with it and that helps quite a bit and the wireless keyboard is identical to the MacBook keyboard.

QuantumLo0p

Jun 12, 2008, 02:47 PM

There is no small macbook in the lineup.

tdhurst

Jun 12, 2008, 02:55 PM

Vster

Jun 12, 2008, 03:01 PM

No backlit keyboard, and integrated graphics. If it had dedicated graphics I'd steal my wife's MB :eek:

hexonxonx

Jun 12, 2008, 03:04 PM

I will be upgrading from my 12" powerbook here in the next few months.

Questions:

Do the fans run often? Mine do on flash heavy sites and sometimes when it's on my lap, but it's not too terrible.

I get about four hours of battery life with everything turned on. Macbook gets...?

I love my matte screen. How much (if at all) will i hate the glossy?

Sounds like the PowerBook and the MacBook run about the same. My fans will kick on during flash heavy sites as well, all my Macs do. It's normal.

Not sure about battery life, I have not run mine on battery yet, I rarely do.

Gloss screen isn't as bad as it seems it would. I rarely find that it shows reflections and often times I sit on the couch with a lamp behind me.

decksnap

Jun 12, 2008, 03:08 PM

I don't get why people complain so much about the TN panels. Most of the LCDs on the market today are TN panels, and everyone except Apple fans seem to get by...

Well you have to understand that I've been using Apple computers for something like ten years, and these TN panels are by far the worst screens I've had to use. That's all.

ki2594

Jun 12, 2008, 06:02 PM

i hate how people complain bout the white surface. Your gonna eventually clean even if you have black. Probably clean more actually with black. IF your macbook actually does start getting dirty, just get liek a mr. clean eraser and wipe it down thats it!

mavfan11

Jun 12, 2008, 06:20 PM

my experience has gone from very good to bad pretty quick.

I've never been one to buy extended warranties. I've owned 3 Dells, and a Lenovo (all laptops) and two Dell and one Compaq desktop over the past 10-12 years and never had a problem with any of them other than a vertical line issue on the screen of a dell 9300 I purchased 3 years ago and Dell replaced the screen for w/o charge even though I was a full year past the warranty expiration (I read that some Macbook Pro owners with the 1900x1200 17" screen like my Dell's also had this problem but Apple only fixed it for those with Applecare.

In the eight weeks since my 1 yr Apple warranty expired on the Macbook I purchased in April 2007 my disc player has died and my battery has burned out. I've tried many of the solutions to reset the batter that I've found online but the battery symbol just has an X inside it on the toolbar, it dies seconds after I disconnect the battery, and the coconut app says it's charge is something crazy like ten times what it's supposed to hold. I can't say I won't ever buy another Apple computer but just judging by what's gone on in my own personal experience it's the worst in terms of hardware failures.

sbornia

Jun 12, 2008, 06:39 PM

The terrible TN panel.

+1

I'd really like to replace my G4 1.25ghz PB with a MB, but just can't pull the trigger given the washed out colors.

leekohler

Jun 12, 2008, 07:07 PM

+1

I'd really like to replace my G4 1.25ghz PB with a MB, but just can't pull the trigger given the washed out colors.

Calibrate your screen and you'll be fine.

okgo

Jun 12, 2008, 07:45 PM

Well you have to understand that I've been using Apple computers for something like ten years, and these TN panels are by far the worst screens I've had to use. That's all.

Yep ... they really are a let down compared to the older screens. I have an old g4 ibook kicking around that i've put beside both the MB and MBP and the ibook has a much better viewing angle.

tsice19

Jun 12, 2008, 09:57 PM

Cosmetics aside, the only actual under-the-hood problem with the MacBook is it's lack of video card. Other than that, it's just a MacBook Pro without extra features 99% of non-pro/consumer level buyers wouldn't ever need/use.

caktusaurus

Jun 14, 2008, 05:44 AM

Best:
- ships with OS X, the greatest OS on the market today.

Worst:
- horrible display, not fitting a machine in that price range.
- quality of plastic casing, plastic chipping off around USB ports for example.
- the flawed design of the display hinges, restricting tilting angles of the display.

martychang

Jun 14, 2008, 06:01 AM

Calibrate your screen and you'll be fine.

While I agree that the display is the worst thing about the Macbook, I also must highlight the undistilled truth of the quoted statement.

Calibration for a higher gamma(darker colors), and in my case a VERY slight tinge of blue makes the display look good, I was flabbergasted when I was done.

katielb

Jun 18, 2008, 05:18 PM

Best: speed, portability
Worst: becoming OCD about keeping it clean

Seriously, though. I've been in love with my MacBook since the day I got it and can honestly say I don't have any major complaints. :)

mixmacface

Jun 18, 2008, 05:46 PM

so, quick question?
is the only difference between the high-range macbook and blackbook the HD? i've look at technical specs, and from what i can tell (with the small amt of mac knowledge i have), the HD is the only difference. i'm looking to purchase this summer, and just thought i'd click on this thread, and since i didn't see my question answer, i thought i'd ask. :D

skye12

Jun 18, 2008, 06:04 PM

I love my new MB white 2.4. Fast, light, easy to transport and great
wireless performance. And at this price I passed on the Applecare,
willing to take the risk (since my 5 yr ibook is still working). I couldn't do that with a MBP because of its much higher price.

brisweeney

Jun 18, 2008, 06:15 PM

my first month of macbook ownership has been great!!!

a few things i thought would be better with a high end notebook were:

keyboard....i thought it would be a much softer button push, if you follow me...not so clicky?

and the disc drive. i assumed (wrongly maybe) that the cd drive would work like that of a car stereo drive for inserting cd's, i.e you put the first couple of centimetres of the disc in and the drive sucks it in the rest of the way, the macbook drive surprised me so much i thought it was faulty! you have to pusg the cd pretty much all the way in before it self loads.

but apart from that, no problems. i love os x, its smooth, easy to use and has some handy shortcuts, spaces, xpose, dashboard, and the preview system, which rocks!

im upgrading to 4gb of ram in a few days just because i was originally going to get a 4 gb machine, but there was a 3 week waiting list for it.

considering a screen protector and incase shell too. but so far my neoprene sleeve is doing a great job!

ive been truly converted to appledom now, after having iPods for a few years im taking the 3g iPhone step in july!

:)

Shackler

Jun 18, 2008, 08:45 PM

how dare you people insult a Mac.

Jokes, jokes. this stuff seems like a fair trade-off in my opinion. pros out way the cons.

eXan

Jun 18, 2008, 10:49 PM

My short review of my white MacBook after 1.5 years of owning it:

Best:

CPU
Keyboard
Easy HD access
Not significantly, but still smaller than MBP
Looks nice when closed and from the back when open :)
Good battery life (got 4 hours when it was new at almost full brightness with BT and AirPort on doing light stuff. Still runs at almost 4 hours after 124 charge cycles.)

Worst:

Screen (a b s o l u t e l y terrible viewing angles)
No video card
Feels cheap
Gets dirty really fast (in like 1 week after full cleaning and yes, I wash my hands often)
Noisy when even under 30-40% load because fans run at full blast.
HUGE bezel around the screen
Audio-out not clean, with effect similar to "Rock" equalizer preset in iTunes, but not as intense.
Sharp edges

kabunaru

Jun 18, 2008, 10:54 PM

Screen (a b s o l u t e l y terrible viewing angles)
I agree on you there but calibration could help this somewhat. Search for "David's profile". It helped me on this.
No video card
I play Age of Empires II and Halo Demo on my MacBook. :p
Feels cheap
Debatable
Gets dirty really fast (in like 1 week after full cleaning and yes, I wash my hands often)
Maybe on the black one. :p
Noisy when even under 30-40% load because fans run at full blast.
Maybe it's just yours. :p
HUGE bezel around the screen
Don't care about it.
Audio-out not clean, with effect similar to "Rock" equalizer preset in iTunes, but not as intense.
Haven't noticed this on mine. :p
Sharp edges
Doesn't bother me. I hardly notice them :p

eXan

Jun 18, 2008, 10:58 PM

I agree on you there but calibration could help this somewhat. Search for "David's profile". It helped me on this.

I of course have my screen calibrated, otherwise I'd die from the washed outness. Calibration doesn't and shouldn't help viewing angles.

Maybe on the black one. :p

As I said I have white.

mosx

Jun 18, 2008, 11:10 PM

I play Age of Empires II and Halo Demo on my MacBook.

Try Unreal Tournament 3 or GRID ;)

Maybe it's just yours.

Thats nearly all MacBooks. I know if I get up to 40-50% on one core my fans spin up to 6200RPMs.

Anyway..

Best: Size and battery life. It is relatively small (though not much smaller than a good 15.4" PC) and the battery life is excellent (as long as you cut the screen brightness down to about 25%).

Bad: Optical drive isn't user replaceable. HEAT! All MacBooks and MacBook Pros get HOT.

Lack of dedicated GPU. Not only does this affect gaming, but it affects video playback as well. OS X doesn't take advantage of the GPU for video playback, but if you had Windows it would. However, since the MacBook has both OS X and no dedicated GPU, your CPU use will be higher than necessary when playing videos and they won't look as good as they would on Windows with a dedicated GPU.

The screen. While the screen looks good once calibrated, it does have the TN panel. It also has a 24ms response time, which means you get ghosting in everything from moving windows around to just even moving the cursor around screen.

Lack of standard connectivity like HDMI, VGA, DVI, S-Video (HDMI full connectivity not possible, others possible with $20 adapters), ExpressCard (full size, not just half like the MBP), memory card readers, etc.

Build quality. MacBooks are known to crack in various spots for various reasons.

Would I buy a MacBook again? Absolutely not. In fact, I'm considering selling mine now while it still has reasonable resale value.

daneoni

Jun 19, 2008, 07:16 AM

I just sold mine and got a 12" PB instead actually.

I didn't like/couldn't stand the sharp edges, i have big hands and constantly got scraped.

Having to clean it practically everyday wasn't great idea and was just too time consuming and loong

The screen was really subpar, it was washed out, had terrible viewing angles etc despite calibration

However its good points were:

Performance/price ratio

Easy upgradeability

Form factor/weight

Battery Life

Airport reception

nickf

Jun 19, 2008, 08:46 AM

I don't get why people complain so much about the TN panels. Most of the LCDs on the market today are TN panels, and everyone except Apple fans seem to get by...

I'd be amazed if any laptop purchased in this decade had a TN (twist nematic) screen. Surely they're all TFT (thin-film transistor) these days?

CyberBob859

Jun 19, 2008, 09:26 AM

I know it's been mentioned in passing a few times already, but to me, the number one advantage that the MacBook has over other laptops is the ability for the user to upgrade the hard drive.

I started with a lowly 60 GB drive, and upgraded to a 120 GB drive. (An extremely quiet Western Digital.) Now this is starting to get full and I'll probably get a 320 GB drive. I would've been dead in the water a long time ago if I didn't have this capability.

The ability for the user to upgrade the hard drive is the #1 advantage, IMO. It's a big pain for the MacBook Pro, non-existent for the Air, and very few Windows laptops have the capability.

I have a white model, and while it gets dirty, it definitely hides the fingerprints a heck of alot better than the Blackbook. Simple cleaning solves that problem.

Some people have complained about the screen, but I did what others have recommended and calibrated it, and I think it looks fine. I'm not bothered with the glossy screen, but others are. It's your choice - you either like it or you don't. The lack of a dedicated video graphics card doesn't bother me because I don't use it for professional apps or games.

The keyboard has a nice touch and feel, but it would've been nice to have backlit letters.

I'm hoping to keep mine going for another year or two if this machine runs Snow Leopard well.

heatmiser

Jun 19, 2008, 01:31 PM

Owned for six months.

good:

relatively small
looks nice
great keyboard

bad:

way too hot
unnecessarily expensive
poor screen (colors, contrast, viewing angles, resolution)
integrated graphics
average battery life
lack of sd card port

the two biggest cons are the heat and the screen.

i don't plan to replace it (unless it cracks or dies) for seven years. after going through six laptops last year, i'm curious to see how long i can bear to stick with one. overall, it's a decent computer, but if it broke down, i can't say for sure i would buy another. the heat and screen are a terrific letdown for a laptop in this price range.

priller

Jun 19, 2008, 02:08 PM

Fan noise when it spins up is the biggest thing I don't like. I don't find the heat an issue even after a few hours using it on my lap.

Battery life is the best feature imo, I get 5-6 hours compared to 2 max on my old laptop.

caktusaurus

Jun 22, 2008, 07:09 AM

I'd be amazed if any laptop purchased in this decade had a TN (twist nematic) screen. Surely they're all TFT (thin-film transistor) these days?

TN+ is the most common type of TFT display used today [wikipedia] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFT_LCD). Other types include IPS, MVA and PVA - which are featured in TV sets and high end desktop displays. All, except for maybe a few, of today's laptops use TN+ panels. The thing is that the MacBook features panels heavily subpar for its price range.

franzmueller

Jun 22, 2008, 07:21 AM

marold280

Jun 22, 2008, 07:48 AM

WHITE : Palmrests!!! mine are now a horrible beige colour and there is nothing that can get it off apart from that mr clean stuff which is only available in the us !

video card

multi touch trackpad =[=[

keyboard gets dirty quickly.

apart from that, everything else is absolutely fine! i love my macbook and is lightning fast even thought its the first model!

Scarlet Fever

Jun 22, 2008, 07:55 AM

Best
-speed
-price
-dead easy access to RAM + HDD
-looks brilliant
-feels sturdy
-amazingly thin

Worst
-the plastic keyboard case really isn't built to last
-doesn't make you a cup of tea in the morning

My macbook is two years old, and still going strong. For the price you pay, you get a hell of a lot. A dedicated graphics card wouldn't be of much use to a vast majority of consumers, so I really don't mind its omission for the sake of cutting costs.

iMav

Jun 22, 2008, 08:08 AM

While I agree that the display is the worst thing about the Macbook, I also must highlight the undistilled truth of the quoted statement.

Calibration for a higher gamma(darker colors), and in my case a VERY slight tinge of blue makes the display look good, I was flabbergasted when I was done.
I totally agree. I recently calibrated my blackbook's screen and was disgusted with myself for not doing it sooner. The difference is like night and day. I think the display looks beautiful now (where, before, I had always been disappointed with it).

nick9191

Jun 22, 2008, 08:15 AM

Best:
Speed
RAM and HDD easily replaceable
Upto 4gb RAM
Price
Excellent keyboard and trackpad
Recessed ports
Slot load drive
Webcam
Wifi far superior to that of the Macbook Pro.

Worst:
Palmrest area goes shiny after a while

If the screen is an issue for you then you shouldn't be looking at a consumer machine anyway, as you are a pro/power user.

BillyBobBongo

Jun 22, 2008, 08:21 AM

WHITE : Palmrests!!! mine are now a horrible beige colour and there is nothing that can get it off apart from that mr clean stuff which is only available in the us !

Pop into a hardware store and look for a chemical called Isopropanol (also known as propan-2-ol)! It breaks down the grease and will not damage the plastic. Be sure to get pure Isopropanol!