4th Unibody MBP reviews

F

ftbps

macrumors member
Hello all,

I went through 3 unibodu MBP return and now have the 4th one. I have noticed that all the uniobody MBPs have some kind of problems:
1. Loose battery cover (it might feel tight, but try tapping from below and yuo will hear a loose noise)
2. Some get into a bit humming fan noise.
3. Different display, some have 9c84 and some have 9c85.

I think apples quality has gone down. The classic MBP were so tough and betetr to handle. The unibody beels a bit delicate even though it is made of one piece. the display hinges are loose, batteryt cover loose....etc.

My first 3 MBPs had 9c84 display panel. I liked the panel. Little washed out, but very bright and good quality. My 4th one has a 9c85 panel and it was dull to bigin with. I used one of the calibration from thsi forum and it made it much better. But still the 9c85 display has less brightness than the 9c84 panel. If you reduce the 9c84 brightness by one level, this would be the maximum on 9c85.

I can live with this though, not a big problem. Another most important thing i noticed. I played same song to 2 laptops and my 4th MBP had less audio volume altogether. It also had the less bass effect then the 9c84 laptop.

Now this is something that makes me mad. Why would the sound quality be different and poor? I tried all different ways to configure. Looked into Itunes, and all other settings that I know. Did not find anything that could make the same sound quality of my other laptop. I know there are talented people out here who can help me. Does this mean my audio hardware is different, or my speakers are different or apple deliberately reduced the max volume and bass in my new MBP?

I would like to get the same audio quality, can someone help?

Thanks,
Bipin
 
ftbps said:
Hello all,

I went through 3 unibodu MBP return and now have the 4th one. I have noticed that all the uniobody MBPs have some kind of problems:
1. Loose battery cover (it might feel tight, but try tapping from below and yuo will hear a loose noise)
2. Some get into a bit humming fan noise.
3. Different display, some have 9c84 and some have 9c85.

I think apples quality has gone down. The classic MBP were so tough and betetr to handle. The unibody beels a bit delicate even though it is made of one piece. the display hinges are loose, batteryt cover loose....etc.

My first 3 MBPs had 9c84 display panel. I liked the panel. Little washed out, but very bright and good quality. My 4th one has a 9c85 panel and it was dull to bigin with. I used one of the calibration from thsi forum and it made it much better. But still the 9c85 display has less brightness than the 9c84 panel. If you reduce the 9c84 brightness by one level, this would be the maximum on 9c85.

I can live with this though, not a big problem. Another most important thing i noticed. I played same song to 2 laptops and my 4th MBP had less audio volume altogether. It also had the less bass effect then the 9c84 laptop.

Now this is something that makes me mad. Why would the sound quality be different and poor? I tried all different ways to configure. Looked into Itunes, and all other settings that I know. Did not find anything that could make the same sound quality of my other laptop. I know there are talented people out here who can help me. Does this mean my audio hardware is different, or my speakers are different or apple deliberately reduced the max volume and bass in my new MBP?

I would like to get the same audio quality, can someone help?

Thanks,
Bipin
Click to expand...

You mean the internal speaker? my first MBP has horrible quality from the internal spekaer, it turns out to be a defected one :(
 
ftbps said:
Hello all,

I went through 3 unibodu MBP return and now have the 4th one. I have noticed that all the uniobody MBPs have some kind of problems:
1. Loose battery cover (it might feel tight, but try tapping from below and yuo will hear a loose noise)
2. Some get into a bit humming fan noise.
3. Different display, some have 9c84 and some have 9c85.

My first 3 MBPs had 9c84 display panel. I liked the panel. Little washed out, but very bright and good quality. My 4th one has a 9c85 panel and it was dull to bigin with. I used one of the calibration from thsi forum and it made it much better. But still the 9c85 display has less brightness than the 9c84 panel. If you reduce the 9c84 brightness by one level, this would be the maximum on 9c85.

I can live with this though, not a big problem. Another most important thing i noticed. I played same song to 2 laptops and my 4th MBP had less audio volume altogether. It also had the less bass effect then the 9c84 laptop.
Click to expand...

1. Why are you tapping on a batter cover that is tight? You are simply looking for a problem. It's either loose or it's not.
2. Fans make noise. They are probably using multiple manufacturers for fans. Even within a particular manufacturer they won't all be exactly the same. That's just how it is.
3. Both displays are very high quality. I have a 9c85 and I would never even need it at full brightness. It looks fantastic.

Bass? You are complaining about the bass in your laptop? Seriously?
 
It looks like rumour sites are just not for some people.
Is it actually normal for one to test more than one portable at the same time and choose which one is better? Can you really do the same with cars and such? "I think this engine sounds a bit different, this door is easier to close, can I try another one? Could you just switch the engines? Please?"
Come on now, does this not sound ridiculous to anyone?
 
i really think he has the right to complain bout the bass from his MBP

i mean this is suppose to be a premium TOP OF THE LINE product by apple in the laptop family... there is sholdnt be any room for poor quality control...

given that they are atleast considering returns to help assist the people receiving poor product...
 
Haha, the old MBP's being tougher than the Unibody ones?!

The unibody feels solid, previous MBP's are delicate and feel weak.
 
hate to say this, but Apple quality has been down for years - starting with the 190/5300 powerbooks in 1996 pretty much every laptop built by Apple has had some kind of major issue. I think the current ones seem relatively problem-free. The early 2008 macbook pro I have is the final outcome of a dozen replacements and many repairs and it's just barely up to snuff quality-wise.

Let's not romanticise the past - Apple has been cutting corners for many years and the current crop is no exception even if it does seem better than the previous models in terms of consistently. At least it would seem so.
 
svndmvn said:
It looks like rumour sites are just not for some people.
Is it actually normal for one to test more than one portable at the same time and choose which one is better? Can you really do the same with cars and such? "I think this engine sounds a bit different, this door is easier to close, can I try another one? Could you just switch the engines? Please?"
Come on now, does this not sound ridiculous to anyone?
Click to expand...

I have to agree.

I don't think Apple's quality has gone down - the expectations from their customers have just gone up - largely due to community portals such as macrumors where people pretty much complain about every tiny problem.

ftbps said:
1. Loose battery cover (it might feel tight, but try tapping from below and yuo will hear a loose noise)
2. Some get into a bit humming fan noise.
3. Different display, some have 9c84 and some have 9c85.
Click to expand...

... when I read something like that I can't help but feel sorry for Apple. I don't think any other computer manufacturer goes through the type of scrutiny that apple goes through.

I know a few people that own MBP/MB/MP's that have never read macrumors and have never complained about their Apple products. The perpetual complaining that leads to getting new computers makes those who would once not notice these "problems" suddenly jealous of those who receive a "perfect" machine. Their once "perfect" machine is suddenly imperfect in comparison to a machine of someone who's received 5 replacements.

I won't generalize and say all the problems that people post on macrumors are unwarranted, but I think there are an equal share of those that are and those that aren't.

.... But enough of my ranting. As long as apple is willing to cater to the "perfectionists" then I guess more power to them. Only time will tell how sustainable Apple's kindness really is.
 
six.four said:
.... But enough of my ranting. As long as apple is willing to cater to the "perfectionists" then I guess more power to them. Only time will tell how sustainable Apple's kindness really is.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? Do you really believe that? Perfectionists? Kindness? If you go to a restaurant possibly a restaurant with a good reputation maybe even a place that you already been to and have received satisfactory service from before but on this visit they server you a dish with a dead fly in it do you ask for a new one, do you refuse it and leave or do you quietly sit at your table and eat around the bug?

I think that the quality of Apple's MBP design has gone up but it seams that the quality control at their production facilities might have gone down this may be just a temporary problem that will be resolved as the most common problems with this new model get identified and the manufacturing process gets adjusted.
 
The quality of Apple products has gone down, you can feel the quality of the plastic or even the aluminum has get worse over time. Take the iPhone for example, the iphone 3G has a plastic bottom, and even the button feels much cheaper than the 2G one. You can reli feel it.
 
lscangus said:
The quality of Apple products has gone down, you can feel the quality of the plastic or even the aluminum has get worse over time. Take the iPhone for example, the iphone 3G has a plastic bottom, and even the button feels much cheaper than the 2G one. You can reli feel it.
Click to expand...

Sure your sense of touch hasn't deteriorated over time? :eek:
 
Quality audio?

Get a pair of headphones or some speakers. Have you not noticed the size of the speakers on the laptop. There are not made for booming bass here. The speakers are there for convenience not because Apple thought they were kick ass speakers.
 
synth3tik said:
The speakers are there for convenience not because Apple thought they were kick ass speakers.
Click to expand...

I disagree - I went to Apple's technology update seminar (basically a big promotion for the MacBook Pro) when they were going round the UK last month with Adobe promoting CS4.

The Apple guy doing the presentation said these were high quality speakers with great volume.

Yeah, I know he's talking out of his arse, the speakers are not good for much and I agree with you completely they are just for convenience, nothing more.

However, it is Apple's promoting and potentially false advertising of certain aspects of their products that give consumers the wrong idea about the speakers. People get told by Apple that the built in speakers are high quality - and start imaging crystal clear sound with no distortion.
 
pnyc said:
Are you serious? Do you really believe that? Perfectionists? Kindness? If you go to a restaurant possibly a restaurant with a good reputation maybe even a place that you already been to and have received satisfactory service from before but on this visit they server you a dish with a dead fly in it do you ask for a new one, do you refuse it and leave or do you quietly sit at your table and eat around the bug?
Click to expand...

Are YOU serious?
How is that even a comparable metaphor? A bug in your food is clearly is something that would be universally considered an issue and a legitimate cause for concern.

A more comparable metaphor would be complaining about receiving one less carrot in your salad, or the chicken was cut in slightly larger pieces than your previous visit. Yes, it sounds ridiculous - and that is the feeling I often get when I read some of the non-issues I read here.

Like I said before, not all issues presented here are unwarranted. I am not suggesting that everybody haggles Apple, but your metaphor suggests that you think the problems here are all legitimate causes for return. That's fine, as long as apple is willing to cater to your needs.
 
svndmvn said:
It looks like rumour sites are just not for some people.
Is it actually normal for one to test more than one portable at the same time and choose which one is better? Can you really do the same with cars and such? "I think this engine sounds a bit different, this door is easier to close, can I try another one? Could you just switch the engines? Please?"
Come on now, does this not sound ridiculous to anyone?
Click to expand...

I think cars do have tighter tolerance and more consistent quality than modern apple products
 
ftbps said:
1. Loose battery cover (it might feel tight, but try tapping from below and yuo will hear a loose noise)
Click to expand...
Tried it, no loose noise.
2. Some get into a bit humming fan noise.
Click to expand...
Not mine.
3. Different display, some have 9c84 and some have 9c85.
Click to expand...
Not a "problem" per se. Mine has a 9c85 screen. I agree it was much better after calibration but see no use to go a click brighter unless I might want to rent my MBP out to a lighthouse ;)
 
Op

speakers on a machine that's built to be small and portable are going to have limits, if the quality is clear and the volume is slightly lower than you like, deal with it.

be glad that you can afford an Apple product, don't tear the thing to bits looking for imperfections. and as for brightness, the brighter the screen the less the battery will last.
 
six.four said:
Are YOU serious?
How is that even a comparable metaphor? A bug in your food is clearly is something that would be universally considered an issue and a legitimate cause for concern.

A more comparable metaphor would be complaining about receiving one less carrot in your salad, or the chicken was cut in slightly larger pieces than your previous visit. Yes, it sounds ridiculous - and that is the feeling I often get when I read some of the non-issues I read here.

Like I said before, not all issues presented here are unwarranted. I am not suggesting that everybody haggles Apple, but your metaphor suggests that you think the problems here are all legitimate causes for return. That's fine, as long as apple is willing to cater to your needs.
Click to expand...

I agree no metaphor is perfect but what I was saying is that the issues brought up by the OP can be universally considered as legitimate reasons for exchange and you seam to disagree with that.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree as I can not fathom how a loose battery door and/or humming speakers can be considered non-issues on a brand new computer.
Clearly Apple did not intend for the speakers to hum or for the battery door to be loose so if they do/are then they are de facto defective and Apple seams to agree as they replaced OP's system based on those issues. Apple's "kindness" as you've put it or OP's "perfectionism" has nothing to do with any of this.
 
pnyc said:
I agree no metaphor is perfect but what I was saying is that the issues brought up by the OP can be universally considered as legitimate reasons for exchange and you seam to disagree with that.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree as I can not fathom how a loose battery door and/or humming speakers can be considered non-issues on a brand new computer.
Clearly Apple did not intend for the speakers to hum or for the battery door to be loose so if they do/are then they are de facto defective and Apple seams to agree as they replaced OP's system based on those issues. Apple's "kindness" as you've put it or OP's "perfectionism" has nothing to do with any of this.
Click to expand...

I guess we're both speculating on the severity of the issues. Obviously you're assuming that the looseness is obvious and the "humming" of the fans is worse than spec. I obviously am making the assumption (largely from what he has written/how he wrote it) that the issues are not nearly as prevalent as you may have been lead to believe. Neither of us have actually witnessed either event, so I guess that is where our opinions diverge. It is also where my opinion of the OP's "perfectionism" and apple's "kindness" is derived.

But like you said, we can agree to disagree.
 
With all respect, I am no Apple apologist (my last MBP was awful, FW should never have been removed the from MB, the mini is far too neglected and overpriced, the matte option needs to return, Leopard through 10.5.3/4 was awful, etc.)

ftbps said:
Hello all,

I went through 3 unibodu MBP return and now have the 4th one. I have noticed that all the uniobody MBPs have some kind of problems:
1. Loose battery cover (it might feel tight, but try tapping from below and yuo will hear a loose noise)
2. Some get into a bit humming fan noise.
3. Different display, some have 9c84 and some have 9c85.

I think apples quality has gone down. The classic MBP were so tough and betetr to handle. The unibody beels a bit delicate even though it is made of one piece. the display hinges are loose, batteryt cover loose....etc.

My first 3 MBPs had 9c84 display panel. I liked the panel. Little washed out, but very bright and good quality. My 4th one has a 9c85 panel and it was dull to bigin with. I used one of the calibration from thsi forum and it made it much better. But still the 9c85 display has less brightness than the 9c84 panel. If you reduce the 9c84 brightness by one level, this would be the maximum on 9c85.

I can live with this though, not a big problem. Another most important thing i noticed. I played same song to 2 laptops and my 4th MBP had less audio volume altogether. It also had the less bass effect then the 9c84 laptop.

Now this is something that makes me mad. Why would the sound quality be different and poor? I tried all different ways to configure. Looked into Itunes, and all other settings that I know. Did not find anything that could make the same sound quality of my other laptop. I know there are talented people out here who can help me. Does this mean my audio hardware is different, or my speakers are different or apple deliberately reduced the max volume and bass in my new MBP?

I would like to get the same audio quality, can someone help?

Thanks,
Bipin
Click to expand...

It does not sound like you're listening to these laptops side by side. Are you? Can you point to demonstrable differences? It is worth reiterating that our own biases, whatever they may be, make us impartial observers to a lot of stuff. I presume you're at least playing the same song through the same program with the same settings.

The same question applies to the displays. Are you looking at them side by side? The differences may exist, but I admit that a lot of this sounds like hyperbole without some reasonable evidence.

I do agree that Apple's quality control has trended downward in recent years. I also expect the most problems in Rev. A equipment of a new design. I don't normally buy Rev. A gear, but after feeling the quality of the new MBP, which coincided with yet another catastrophic failure of my Jul 2007 MBP, I am happy to have upgraded. I think I completely disagree that these new machines are less tough than the old ones. Just handling them is different. The old ones flexed under their own weight with one hand; these are much more resilient. All of the port openings are reinforced greatly. The LCD is more protected. With no latch, there are even fewer points to snag. No unreasonable gaps associated with multiple piece casings. Etc. etc.

I am also pretty fortunate, from reading on here, that I appear to have a very good build of the MBP. It's unclear what the exact distribution of bad laptops is to good ones. Not saying it cannot happen, but statistically I'd be very surprised if someone got 3 straight replacements that were all of poor quality.
 
People who are totally anal about their Apple products should try a made in Japan laptop. Perhaps for some people, build quality is more important than having OS X...
 
sorry for my ignorance but what do you guys mean when talking about "UNIBODY MBP"

Thank You
 
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