Going to buy 15" MBP - anything I need to know?

Hi all!

I am going to buy a 15" MacBook Pro in the near future (a couple of weeks from now, I think). I am ordering from the Apple Online Store and I have decided on the following configuration:

Computer specifications:
- 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5
- 4 GB RAM
- 500 GB 7200 RPM harddrive
- Hi-Res Antiglare Display

Software and accessories:
- iWork preinstalled
- Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter
- Apple Remote

The price of this will be the equivalent of 2,700 USD in my country (Denmark) and currency (DKK).
I am about to throw my current DELL laptop* out the window, so I decided it was time to make the jump to a Mac.

I am getting a little paranoid (or maybe just scared) because of all the reports of dead/stuck pixels, backlight bleeding, freezing and so on. But I tend to believe this is blown out of proportion - just like the alleged problems with the iPhone 3GS (which I own and love) when it was just released.
Am I correct in thinking that these issues are not as bad or widespread as one would think when reading these forums?

Basically, I just want to know if there is anything I need to know before I pull the trigger?
Please comment on anything!

- Thanks!

* I got it from my school. I, myself, would never in my life buy a DELL.

- Thanks for your replies!
Keep them coming.

Hellhammer said:

First of all, get the 2.4GHz, you won't notice any difference.

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- I know I propably won't. But the difference in price is so small that it doesn't matter. It's about 23 USD between the 2.4 and 2.53, so I figured I might as well buy that one.
So unless there's some disadvantage with the 2.53, that's the one I'm going to get...

spinnerlys said:

Do you have any kind of Apple Authorized Repair Shop in your area, so if you run into any problems, they could handle it?

København should have something like that or even Århus if you're on Jylland.

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- That won't be a problem. There's a Humac in Aarhus and as far as I know they accept all Apple products for repair.

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Thank you all for confirming my intuition regarding the MBP problems!

Hellhammer said:

Yeah, they do. I asked when I bought my AppleCare from them (we have Humacs in here as well). I've always got good service from them, great reseller

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- Thanks for the info! But will they accept my MBP for repair without charge if I don't have AppleCare? (i.e. just the normal 1-year Apple warranty)
I am a little concerned about my options when using the Apple Online Store.

Hellhammer said:

Yeah, as long as you have warranty from Apple, they'll cover it, even if you didn't buy it from them. So 1 year without and 3 with AppleCare

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- Alright. Thanks. And you know this because you asked them, right?

brentsg said:

You'll have dead pixels, but it won't matter because the rest will have a yellow tint anyways.

The edge will probably slash your wrists.

The battery will likely explode and the Magsafe will prob burn down your house.

The MBP itself will run several hundred degrees C.

If you can manage to pick it up (with the heat and all) the hard drive will make a strange clicking noise.

The wireless reception will be terrible.

You will need to constantly worry about what GPU is being used.

All this is according to forum posts, of course. Mine is perfect.

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- Haha. Thanks for the laugh.

Yes, and authorized resellers like Humac who offer repairs are part of AppleCare, meaning that they do AppleCare (=warranty) repairs. It would be nonsense if they had their own warranty system and wouldn't be part of AppleCare

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- Yeah, I know..
But I wanted to make sure. I want my first Mac and my experience with it to be good. And since I am spending a lot of money, I don't think that's too much to ask.


Thanks for all your replies. I really appreciate it! And please don't hesitate to make more comments/recommendations.