A pile of junk

[NT1440]

I agree with you. People ought to be more sympathetic to you rather than berating you. You should not have to go through all the hoops they want you to go through (even to the extent of redoing the thermal paste) just to get a decent laptop.

Mine was a total piece of unpredictable crap.

It was light however and I did not miss the ports or the internal drive but it should not have gone fan crazy and dropped cores periodically.

Many of those who comment their is "fine" seem to go on later to say that their fans spin up - but only when they should because they are doing something to push the machine and it's to be expected.

Total bs. Rationalizing of a bad product by fan boys.

Even if there are some good ones out there (and I doubt it because I think it has a design flaw either in the heatsink or the CPU or both) the rate of bad ones out there seems to be shockingly high.

I only thank my lucky stars that I traded mine in for a MBP. Apple was good to me about that.

Love my MBP. Silent. Fast. Not too heavy. Love Leopard (recent convert from Windows). Runs Windows in Parallels or Fusion just fine. The case does get hot at times (really hot!) but that's the price of no fan noise. I prefer it although I could use smcFanControl to have more fan and less case heat. Love my MBP. HATED HATED HATED my MBA. Would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a MBA that worked as it should.

Rev A = Total piece of crap because of one error in design - heat dissipation.

how in the holy hell does a fan turning on make a bad product?

 

[New2MacRU]

Wow

Hi Pagemakers,

First really I did not think you ranted but if you did it was a polite rant .

I agree with Clix Pix, Krevnik, dvince2 and especially TwinCities Dan--- strong suggestions / ideas. I also think it is a good machine but one person's junk is another's treasure. Unfortunately, the fan does not seem to be able to be modulated by the user directly and the noise will probably not get much better for you, unless its in the realm of what TwinCities Dan suggests. The good thing is if you continue to be bothered by it I am pretty sure you could sell it easily --- not the best thing I know but at least you would not lose all.

One other thing, this site and this discussion group / Forum is really a great site. I am not a 'typical' Mac user in that I do not know a lot about style, computers or even the Mac 'philosophies', still I have seen many people here really take a lot of time to explain many many things that people like myself would have just been lost on. I know you got a lot of 'personal' comments that did not seem to me all that useful. I think many Mac users are very committed to Mac and are 'passionate' about the product and the good thing is that many of these people will share this passion and help you out on the Forum. Yes, it is true that if you say anything that even remotely resembles a complaint and don't make it as sweet as molasses you are gonna have some people come down on you. Trust me you are going to have more instruction on how to properly phrase a complaint, how not to rant, how the very syntax of your wording was just not "Macish" enough --- then you will get the bit creepy ones that have quasi paranoia who will say "Humm must be a PC user" --- lol, its all fun. Its a bit of a double standard though because if you go to any positing and put something like "I love my Mac" you will get not one complaint that this statement does not have much to do with the issue at hand. However --- and the truly great thing about Mac people is for me, that for every person that says "hey cant you use your search like I do" you will usually have 10 people that do not care if you did or did not and will be really happy to share information with you. These people can literally be like "little life savers" with good information --- I mean like very good information, because Mac people seem to really want 'to know' and work to find out the answer. Really I find Mac people just 'get' that it takes a lot more effort to think of ways to insult people than to just help people .... and generally we all learn even more in the process, they just are kind of 'confident' that way. So whenever the negative comments appear just think of those commercials with the big bloated Windows guy and go on to the next answer more than likely at minimum you get a bit of useful information .... hey even those 'with it' Mac people can have a bad moment, dont take it too hard for the most part Mac Rumor Forum really seems to attract great people with a real love of Macs.

Again, I hope some resolution can be done for you and I will say that in most circumstances I have found Mac products to be really reliable and do pretty much what they say it will do with not much issue.


Good Luck !!!

 

[HotAir]

I agree with you. People ought to be more sympathetic to you rather than berating you. You should not have to go through all the hoops they want you to go through (even to the extent of redoing the thermal paste) just to get a decent laptop.

Mine was a total piece of unpredictable crap.

It was light however and I did not miss the ports or the internal drive but it should not have gone fan crazy and dropped cores periodically.

Many of those who comment their is "fine" seem to go on later to say that their fans spin up - but only when they should because they are doing something to push the machine and it's to be expected.

Total bs. Rationalizing of a bad product by fan boys.

Even if there are some good ones out there (and I doubt it because I think it has a design flaw either in the heatsink or the CPU or both) the rate of bad ones out there seems to be shockingly high.

I only thank my lucky stars that I traded mine in for a MBP. Apple was good to me about that.

Love my MBP. Silent. Fast. Not too heavy. Love Leopard (recent convert from Windows). Runs Windows in Parallels or Fusion just fine. The case does get hot at times (really hot!) but that's the price of no fan noise. I prefer it although I could use smcFanControl to have more fan and less case heat. Love my MBP. HATED HATED HATED my MBA. Would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a MBA that worked as it should.

Rev A = Total piece of crap because of one error in design - heat dissipation.

Scott, you sure hang out here in the MBA Forum a lot for hating your MBA so much as I've read numerous times.

 

[archesdevil]

I think Billy Balmer pays people to whine in these forums.

 

[Stratus Fear]

I think the reason anyone in this thread got miffed is because unrealistic expectations by some users apparently means go into a forum and call the thing "a piece of crap." If you're looking for a flame war, that's the easiest way to start one. It would probably be better to go looking for help or advice rather than dumping on the product in a product forum. The latter just isn't smart.

It occasionally bugs me that the fans on the MBA run higher RPM more frequently than other Macs, but at the same time I realize it runs that way for a reason. It's thin. The heat and increased fan speeds are by design. It's a tradeoff for the thinness and lower weight of the MBA. Expecting it to act the same as a thicker (and obviously different) notebook is unrealistic. It's not the same as a MacBook or MacBook Pro, so if you want something quieter and cooler, then go get that MacBook or MacBook Pro that has more room to dissipate heat. Alternatively, accept that you can mitigate some of the disadvantages of the MBA by some methods that members of this forum have detailed, but if you're not willing to do those things and you still want to complain, you should have done more research and not bought one in the first place.

Consumer self-education is pretty important in buying something. If you aren't taking a thorough look at the advantages and disadvantages of a product, it's design and features before you buy it, you're probably going to have issues. You should figure out what you're willing to accept and what's right for you before your wallet comes out of your pocket. In this case, it's pretty obvious that the MBA is heavily weighted toward portability and not heavy workloads. It's obvious that this computer isn't going to work for some people at all and at the same time work great for others. This isn't "rationalizing of a bad product by fan boys," it's just simply the way it is.

I didn't buy my MBA to use as my main computer or for heavy workloads in a portable enclosure. The few times I do try to use it like that, I am willing to accept the fact that the machine was not designed for that kind of use and will be warmer and noisier when I run that kind of workload. Anyone else considering one should be aware of that. If anyone else got one and has a problem with this, it isn't that the MBA is a bad product, but it might be that you're not a responsible consumer. If running heavier workloads frequently is a must for you, then you should go buy something that fits that need. The MBA clearly isn't going to do that and you ought to figure that out before you buy.

Edit: Some of my wording is a little blunt. Before someone gets upset, this post isn't directed at anyone, just in general, so let's keep the flames at bay

 

[watermelon]

Feel better for that pointless childish tantrum do you?

Good well go crying back to mommy then.

I wish I was as cool as you were. Honestly, you must be a pretty cool guy!


Anyway, to the OP, I returned my air for a macbook
A macbook is like the same weight, faster, and doesn't have the fan problems.

 

[wolfie]

i really dont get some of the comments in here.

im most certainly not a fan boy and have a balanced perspective.
if you think the mba is a piece of junk, why dont u take a look at what yur making it do, and actually find out what your needs are, and then use a machine appropiate for those tasks.

my mba is utter bliss and i love it, at the same time I KNOW why i wanted the mba and therefore it performs how i expected it to with the tasks i give it.

 

[AdeFowler]

Yes I have other Macs, lots of them in fact and overall I'm happy, but this is an awful piece of kit.

I am a relatively new Apple convert and have only experienced Leopard and I have to say I am overall disappointed although part of me loves the OS.

Something doesn't add up here. You've been using a Mac for about seven months, you're disappointed with Leopard, but even so, still bought lots of macs since October last year. In fact Leopard's so bad that you rushed out and bought a very expensive Apple laptop.

 

[Sun Baked]

I can imagine what would have happened if he had bought one of the first New Beetles or the Ford Focus when they first hit the US.

 

[Pagemakers]

Guys thank's for all your replies, supportive or not.

To clarify, I came to Macs because I couldn't believe what a total pile of junk Vista was (is).

I came believing the hype, that this OS just works. I believed all of the Mac/Windows ads. I was sold.

I purchased a MBP on the day Leopard launched. I work for an airline and the MBP was just too big and have for my travelling needs. I took it back and swapped it for a MB. I was quite happy with that, but as soon as the MBA was released I sold the MB and purchased the air.

I can live with 1 USB port (just) and like everything about the air. What I cannot stand, is out of the blue the fans will start to run at full tilt when I am doing nothing. At the moment, all I have running is this forum. Maybe in 10 minutes my fans will be at 6900rpm or maybe they won't. It's that simple.

Yes I like Leopard but almost everything I do with is seems to generate bugs and crashes somewhere. I can't remember the last time a Windows machine ever fully locked up requiring a total power down. My Air has done it several times since owning it. Applications quite often crash. I can live with that because I believe Apple fix things quickly. I purchased 4 iMacs a couple of weeks ago (for my other business). They are great, don't really crash and I hope that the several bugs I have encountered get fixed in 10.5.3

I will take my Air back to the store, but like I have said countless times, I am convinced it is not faulty. I just think it is a poor design. To all those people to are having a go at me because I am complaining about the noise of the fans. Have you ever heard the Air's fans running at 6900rpm when all you are doing is say, typing a word document? It sounds like the machine is on its way to destruction. If it is normal to do that, than I have purchased the wrong product and it is not for me.

Re my comment about about the Air being quiet as I am typing this.....Oh here we go again, the fans are starting to speed up like crazy now currently 4200rpm and increasing.

I will sign off now because I can feel the irritation coming back.

I think the USB Ethernet is the culprit.

RPM 4900 now. I guess one core will shut down in a minute and then the thing slows to a crawl.

GRRRRRRRRR!

 

[Pagemakers]

...and here we go again. In the time it took me to write that post above, with only Safari open, my MBA is running at 6900rpm. CPU temp is 60C CPU idle 70%

 

[mac jones]

Some people are sensitive to fan noise.

I remember when the MBP first came out it was the same issue. It was all about heat and fans: "This thing gets so hot but when the fans come on the sound is terrible HELP!!"


Personally, I never hear the fans as I have background noise in the form of AC or other sounds.

I envy those who live quiet sound chambers. It must be bliss!!

Except for those nasty MBA fans!!!!!

 

[Pagemakers]

Since writing above I went to the shower (nice). I come out of the bathroom 30 minutes later and the Air is just sitting here doing nothing apart from being plugged into the USB Ethernet and the fans are still at 6900rpm.

I defy anybody to live with this bloody noise.

In fact it not just the noise....When the machine gets hot, one core shuts down the whole noise/hot/shutdown cycle is unforgivable.

 

[iMpathetic]

Are you using Safari?

This is going to sound stupid, but you may want to try using Camino as your browser for a while. I've found it's less CPU-intensive.

Hope this helps.

 

[wolfie]

while u think theres nothing wrong with the machine, ill argue otherwise, i have NEVER had the fans spin up past 2500 when just web surfing, ior typing a document.

NEVER.

infact i can watch a full length film and the fans wont go up.
im using wireless, regardless the machine is not designied to fan up the way yours does, so its faulty, many other macbook users will more likley have experiences similar to mine than yours.

 

[diabolic]

while u think theres nothing wrong with the machine, ill argue otherwise, i have NEVER had the fans spin up past 2500 when just web surfing, ior typing a document.

NEVER.

I have to echo this experience as well. If your fans spin up when you are just web browsing, something is definitely wrong with your MBA. Maybe you are using it on a soft surface with it plugged in? Mine runs hotter when it's charging, but the fans never spin up if I am just browsing the web and typing documents and emails.

 

[Scott6666]

Scott, you sure hang out here in the MBA Forum a lot for hating your MBA so much as I've read numerous times.

I think I have every right to hang out here especially as a counterweight to people like you. There are lots of newbies and prospective buyers that read these threads that need to have a balanced perspective.

I bought my MBA on the first day they were available (a Monday I remember). I waited 5 hours in the Apple store on the Saturday before on rumor that they would arrive that day). I bought the external drive, the case, a time capsule (later of course). I was as excited by this as anyone on this board.

That's why I was and am as frustrated with the product as I am. I wanted and expected it to be USABLE. I have 2 year old laptops that could handle video better than this thing.

It's a defective design and I will preach that until Apple fixes it; so I can buy another. That's why I am on the boards.

I have the macrumors page come up as one of my home tabs. I probably see the boards 5 times a day. I comment when I please.

PS I also don't comment on the MBP boards because frankly I have nothing to comment on my MBP because it's perfect (except it doesn't weigh 3 lbs).

 

[Scott6666]

how in the holy hell does a fan turning on make a bad product?

The fan can and should turn on but not be cranked to 6200 half the time. You should not have to have an eye on iStat half the time while you use it. There are several quotes on the board from people uninstalling iStat because they are obsessing on the fans.

They should turn on but be largely (not totally inaudible). I have 2 fans on my MBP. The spin at 2000 to 2500 ALL THE TIME. They are inaudible. This is what the MBP should be.

 

[Scott6666]

In fact it not just the noise....When the machine gets hot, one core shuts down the whole noise/hot/shutdown cycle is unforgivable.

You are right about that. When the core were shutting down and coming up, I could not even have iTunes running in Party Shuffle and surf the web or do email. The tunes would stutter every 15 s and the machine would freeze up about the same. Unusable. Would have to put to sleep and then hope it would restart with fans under control. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

BTW, yours does sound excessive defective even for an MBA. You should at least try an Apple store to maybe replace your MBA or try to get an MBP. Get a base MBP for $2k and add in the larger drive for $50 more.

 

[Scott6666]

while u think theres nothing wrong with the machine, ill argue otherwise, i have NEVER had the fans spin up past 2500 when just web surfing, ior typing a document.

NEVER.

infact i can watch a full length film and the fans wont go up.
im using wireless, regardless the machine is not designied to fan up the way yours does, so its faulty, many other macbook users will more likley have experiences similar to mine than yours.

I would like to visit your MBA and see if there really is a perfect MBA out there. Where do you live? I'll only take 30 mins of your time. Meet you at a local Starbucks.

NCGuy used to post that his machine was perfect. Then I notice he is cracking it open and replacing the thermal paste. Sorry if I don't believe you, particularly on the movie. You must have the volume up...

 

[wolfie]

want to fly to australia? haha

you tube the fans start to crank up after about 15 min, however it dont go all the way up, and ive watched 3 films, and none of them had the fans hit 6200.
however these flms were from the itunes store, so it could have been coded in a diff way than other ripping formats.

i have no problems with my air.

 

[Pagemakers]

I live in the UK although I am in Orlando typing this.

Does anybody have their fans go crazy when using the USB Ethernet dongle? I am sure that is half the issue.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I defy anybody to live with this bloody noise.

You know nothing about noise until you own a Power Mac G4.

Looks like a lot of you MBA owners have decided that Apple made unacceptable compromises to get the MBA so thin...

Time to start shopping for a thicker Mac, I suppose.

 

[netdog]

I am so disappointed with my MBA.

The fans run at full tilt whenever they want to.

It is noisy and it drives me nuts.

I am not making it work hard, not am I watching flash files etc. The machine is only running at 49C and the fans are running at 6900rpm.

For no apparent reason they speed up and slow down it seems at will.

I wish I had never set eyes on this beta piece of rubbish.

Why don't you get it repaired instead? Probably a good idea if you aren't going to return it.

FWIW, my MBA has no issues.

 

[mac jones]

You know nothing about noise until you own a Power Mac G4.

Looks like a lot of you MBA owners have decided that Apple made unacceptable compromises to get the MBA so thin...

Time to start shopping for a thicker Mac, I suppose.

I just like the weight and don't feel anything about thinness one way or another.

After using this for a while the MBP is a monster.

I imagine the next version will address the fan issue better.

Should be great.