Any of you considered getting MBP but ended up getting the black MB?

[PDE]

I started with a nice, perfect powerbook G4 15" 1.67 and then went through multiple units of

macbook pros 15" first generation (heat, whine etc)
macbook black (peeling case, loud adapter hiss, loud squeaking hinge etc)
macbook white (flickering display)
macbook pro rev. B 15" (warped, bulging aluminum, terrible display quality etc)
Macbook pro 17" 2.33ghz (great solid machine, acceptable display, but cumbersome size)


Now I've decided that I never want another aluminum macbook pro. I'm tired of the various issues with these machines and at this point I am pretty sure I will never be satisfied - you might be. I'm now back to using a black macbook together with a large samsung 215tw display and I'm VERY satisfied. The macbook has plenty of power for everything I need to do, including photoshop and lightroom. It's a great size to carry around, the display is nice and evenly illuminated even if I prefer matte, love the keyboard and the ability to swap the hard drive easily. Great battery life and great wifi range! In short, I'm satisfied with this machine for now and will wait until Apple re-designs the MBP and revises them a few times before I get my next machine.


The only thing I really don't like is the smudging. I thought it was better than the one I had last year, but it really isn't. However, I use a moshi palmguard for the palmrests and trackpad/button and that looks and works great.

Just my experience. If I could have my old powerbook back with an intel processor and great battery life and wifi range I would prefer that over the macbook. However, I feel that the switch to a thinner case caused lots of unacceptable issues (more fragile case in certain places, more limited tilt in the display, hotter surface temps, slower superdrives apparently etc).

 

[johnmartin78]

I walked into the Apple store with the sole intention of getting a MBP.And walked out with a black Macbook.After getting close to the MBP it just seemed too big for me to use as a laptop.Also I didnt the wifi antenna being inside an alluminium case.And the fact that I could at the time go with a loaded Macbook for about 1k dollars less than a base MBP was also a big seller for me.

 

[richard4339]

i did the opposite. i originally planned on getting the mid range macbook however after a lot of consideration i eventually got a C2D, 2.33 15" MBP.
The main reasons for this were;
screen size
graphics card - for aperture use and casual gaming
power

i have not regretted this, i have a friend with a macbook and the size differences are not that great. i find the screen on the macbook pro much better as well as it being a much more powerful machine.

i hope this can help you in some way

Same here. I was originally planning on getting a BlackBook, but ended up with the MBP, and haven't looked back =)

 

[00hkelly]

Same here. I was originally planning on getting a BlackBook, but ended up with the MBP, and haven't looked back =)

definatley. Today i had to convert some video (something which i never envisaged doing) but i was definatley glad for the power which my mbp had.

 

[Edwin the Elder]

I chose the black MacBook

I'm unpacking the Black MacBook right now.

I chose it because:

well for one thing, the MacBook was at the upper range of my price limit

apart from that I prefer the look of the black MacBook to the MacBook Pro

The screen size was a bit of a toss up. I really would prefer soemthing right in the middle - 14".

But I preferred the MacBook keyboard.

 

[Edwin the Elder]

well after all of 1 day experience these are my findings on the Black MacBook:

1. Overall this is a good choice if it's not your main machine. I have a G5 iMac as my main machine, so I'm happy.
2. I woud find the screen size too small for extended use but it's fine as a pure laptop.
3. The speakers and amp are really weak - I can't get much volune even out of my headphones, so I hooked it up to my Apple Hi-fi and problem was solved.
4. It's plenty fast for me - even with the standard 1 gig RAM.
5. I was afraid I would hate the glossy screen but so far I have been pleased - however I have only used it in my home where I can close the curtains to cut the glare.
6. The mouse tracking pad gets greaasy really quickly.
7. Front row is great.

So my overall conclusion - it's a realy neat and portable laptop but I wouldn't want it as my only computer.

 

[Chimaera]

well after all of 1 day experience these are my findings on the Black MacBook:

1. Overall this is a good choice if it's not your main machine. I have a G5 iMac as my main machine, so I'm happy.
2. I woud find the screen size too small for extended use but it's fine as a pure laptop.
3. The speakers and amp are really weak - I can't get much volune even out of my headphones, so I hooked it up to my Apple Hi-fi and problem was solved.
4. It's plenty fast for me - even with the standard 1 gig RAM.
5. I was afraid I would hate the glossy screen but so far I have been pleased - however I have only used it in my home where I can close the curtains to cut the glare.
6. The mouse tracking pad gets greaasy really quickly.
7. Front row is great.

So my overall conclusion - it's a realy neat and portable laptop but I wouldn't want it as my only computer.

For the most part I agree with you - the laptop is certainly fast enough to use as my only computer, but if I was using it in such a fashion I'd definitely buy a bigger screen to plug it into.

The speakers are rubbish, but then all laptop ones are - I rarely use them, instead plugging the macbook into my computer sound system if I'm working at my desk or into the AV rig downstairs for FrontRow stuff.

The only bugbear I'm having is getting front row to work exactly as I want, but I'm getting there using some creative hackery and SwitchResX. If I ever get it working just how I like I'll explain what I did

 

[tjcampbell]

I wanted the blackbook, got the MBP and have been loving it!!! Well, until I was on a plane a few days ago and then it was really annoying. Unless you're travelling first class it is too big to comfortable manage. I think I'm going to keep my MBP as a home computer and get a blackbook (next revision) for the road.

 

[Sounds Good]

I wanted the blackbook, got the MBP and have been loving it!!! Well, until I was on a plane a few days ago and then it was really annoying. Unless you're travelling first class it is too big to comfortable manage. I think I'm going to keep my MBP as a home computer and get a blackbook (next revision) for the road.

I know this is an old thread, but it doesn't matter for this question:

Does the Macbook fit comfortably on a plane's tray table? I'm referring to regular Coach class, not First or Business class.

Thanks...

 

[APPLEFAN8]

nope not for me! I'm getting the black macbook the MBP s too expensive!

 

[Mistershark]

I had my heart set on the black MacBook for a while, but the MacBook Pro is just perfect for me. I am actually ordering it today (2.2 GHz, Matte, standard hardware config.).

 

[Sounds Good]

I had my heart set on the black MacBook for a while, but the MacBook Pro is just perfect for me.

How so? Why is it "more perfect" for you than the Macbook?

I am actually ordering it today (2.2 GHz, Matte, standard hardware config.).

Congrats!

 

[Johnner1999]

I'm in the "boat"

BMB or MBP?

I have a new BMB (black macbook) in my car still all boxed up from Amazon... I know I have issues but thats an other post.

I saw that the older MacBook Pro (2.16) is now only $1550 after rebate at some places -- and with no rebat the new 2.2 is available for $1850...

I'm not confused -- what should I do?



I use my macs for the following:

* iMove
* Final Cut Express
* iDVD
* Pages & Keynote
* web surfing
* iPhoto etc etc


I also have a 20" iMac that i use while at home -- but I really need/want/like being able to work anywhere.

 

[chex]

I would go with the old one

 

[Sounds Good]

Do the older MacBook Pros (2.16) have the LED screen?

If not, how much better is the LED screen than the older screen?

Also, what else is different between the new MBP and the old MBP?

 

[Johnner1999]

Do the older MacBook Pros (2.16) have the LED screen?

If not, how much better is the LED screen than the older screen?

Also, what else is different between the new MBP and the old MBP?

nope on the LED

besides the chipset (which I think is better at 800MHz vs 667MHz), also the video card is better.

 

[siurpeeman]

i did the opposite. i originally planned on getting the mid range macbook however after a lot of consideration i eventually got a C2D, 2.33 15" MBP.
The main reasons for this were;
screen size
graphics card - for aperture use and casual gaming
power

i have not regretted this, i have a friend with a macbook and the size differences are not that great. i find the screen on the macbook pro much better as well as it being a much more powerful machine.

i also went for the opposite. i actually owned a white macbook, and i considered getting another black one. i wound up, however, abandoning the black one and selling my white one to get a macbook pro. i didn't like the colors on the macbook's glossy screen (especially in ical), and i wanted a slightly bigger screen size. having a video card to better drive my external display also influenced my decision. so i'm a macbook pro owner and a happy one at that.

 

[Sounds Good]

having a video card to better drive my external display...

At what point does the video card help the external monitor? What size (or whatever)?

 

[iToaster]

At what point does the video card help the external monitor? What size (or whatever)?

Oh, maybe with that 30"er. I had a BlackBook as my first Mac, but alas it lost out to the MBP 6 months after its purchase. The MBP is really not that much bigger... a diagonal inch or so. You really can't compete with the MBP.

 

[Mrbill317]

My choice

Due to money , Im stuck going for the macbook. How does the video look on the black and white models. Does the white brighten things up some?

 

[siurpeeman]

At what point does the video card help the external monitor? What size (or whatever)?

i only have a 20" external acd, and i could definitely tell the limitations with the macbook, especially with exposé and dashboard. it was zippy with its own built-in display, but things started to slow down once connected to an external.

 

[feelthefire]

I was set on a MBP until I did some more mapping out of my needs and put the computers side by side in the store. I just wasn't as happy with the MBP size or layout so I decided to sacrifice the extra performance for a form factor I was happier with. I'm picking up my blackbook saturday night, as soon as I get the PO from my company to go get it this weekend. I think I'll be very happy.

I have a screaming fast 15" PC laptop so anything performance based I can do on that. And I'll use the leftover money to get me a nice LCD monitor for the MB.

 

[Mistershark]

How so? Why is it "more perfect" for you than the Macbook?

I will be using it mainly for video editing, so the screen real estate and better graphics performance made it just too enticing. I also want to use this computer for 2 or 3 years, and the MacBook hasn't even made the jump to Santa Rosa yet.

 

[Sounds Good]

I also want to use this computer for 2 or 3 years, and the MacBook hasn't even made the jump to Santa Rosa yet.

Ahh, good point. I wonder if they'll get a bump in October.

 

[Zer0]

for what you are planning to use it on.... black MB will be just fine.

As for me, wanted black MB and got black MB that apple logo on the black MB just looks spectacular !!