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Buy or avoid?

U

Ubundows

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 2, 2008
78
0
I'm currently undecided about whether to risk buying one of the new problem laden 15" macbook pros and buying one of the sturdy but less portable imacs.

Would any more experienced mac users buy one or would they wait for the new imacs?

Whilst I don't need portability, the imac's much higher specs make up for that, it would be nice.

But not if it means going through returns, since my folks are buying me this mac for christmas and I don't want them to loose confidence in Apple and refuse to buy future products from them.
 
The new macbook pro's are not problem-laden. Contrary to what you will read on these forums, the MBP is a safe purchase. You are only reading about the computers with issues on these boards, people with no issues generally don't post about it. Buy with confidence. My new unibody macbook pro is perfect, loving it.
 
I agree to say the new MBPs are problem laden is untrue, but to deny people are having problems is also untrue. I think the issue as our friend above says is that the people who are having problems are more vocal than those who received a perfect machine.
I purchased a 2.4ghz MBP and I have done all the checks and lived with it for a week and a half now, it is great, absolutely no problems.
Although for the same money you could buy the top end iMac which I also own and is also a fantastic machine, if portability is 100% not an issue go with the iMac.
As for iMac updates, there will always be a newer machine than yours soon enough, pick one and stick with it :)
Happy Macing
 
As for macbook pro vs iMac, I would advise that if you can afford the MBP, get that. I was also trying to decide between the two, and even though I don't *need* portability, I realised that I didn't want to lose the convenience of being able to pick up my computer and take it to a different room, or to a friend's house etc. I have an external display on my desk when I want to work with more screen real-estate, but I'm finding that the MBP's screen is just gorgeous and I quite like using it on it's own.

I can't go back to purchasing a desktop computer anymore, decide what is more important to you: convenience/portability or cost. I say cost rather than performance because an iMac is essentially a notebook with a big screen, and cheaper (yet immobile).
 
I think that the people with problems are posting far more than those with no problems. If you buy the unibody MBP and have issues, Apple will do it's best to make it right. I picked up mine on the day they were released and admit to having three freezes in the three weeks that I've owned it. I believe that it's a software issue and will be corrected shortly. If you are that concerned, I would suggest buying a previous version MBP and save a great deal of money. Macmall has the previous MBP 2.4 for $1450 and Apple refurbished are $1350.
 
Haven't you people ever waited a little while before buying? wait a few weeks, until apple gets this **** solved. Stuff like this happens to all first run products.
 
You know it's really hilarious. With every new notebook Apple releases if you base it off forum notes, every single one is problem laden. Look, there are always going to be people who get DOA computers. There are always going to be people with buyer's remorse. There are always going to be issues that develop mid product cycle. There are always going to be owners of previous models that are jealous of the new model, can't afford or justify the new one so they bash it to make themselves feel better.

The current MBP is an exceptional machine. If you are in the market for a laptop go for it. If you want to save some $ the discontinued models are a great deal at clearance prices.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
You know it's really hilarious. With every new notebook Apple releases if you base it off forum notes, every single one is problem laden. Look, there are always going to be people who get DOA computers. There are always going to be people with buyer's remorse. There are always going to be issues that develop mid product cycle. There are always going to be owners of previous models that are jealous of the new model, can't afford or justify the new one so they bash it to make themselves feel better.

The current MBP is an exceptional machine. If you are in the market for a laptop go for it. If you want to save some $ the discontinued models are a great deal at clearance prices.
Click to expand...

Well said. Couldn't agree more. ;)
 
ghettochild said:
I would avoid a Rev. A product, especially with regard to Apple's poor quality control in recent years.
Click to expand...

Ah, poor QC is not unique to Apple.

Take a look here and search for threads on how well Dell, Lenovo, and HP is doing. ;)

QC may not be the best in history, but Apple is doing a good job of keeping their customers happy with the few issues the new systems are having.

image.php
 
If as said you want to move the computer around or need portability buy the new Mac Book Pro without any worries. If you don't need portability then wait until the end of this month, all the rumours advise updates to the imac in November. It's a faster computer with a much bigger screen and it's cheaper.
 
I would not hesitate to say that the mbp's do have problems.. If they were not problem laden then there wouldn't be people who went through up to 5 mbp's before getting a good one. One bad one here or there is expected, having tons of people getting multiple bad machines in a row points to a problems. I myself went through three mbp's and decided to get a full refund. Yes, you could get lucky and get a good one, but you may not. People are having loose battery covers, warped lids, dents and scratches right out of the box, dead pixel issues on multiple returns. These are all minor issues I'd say, but still, for the kind of money you'll be paying for the machine, it shouldn't have any of these issues. I still plan on buying one, I'm just going to wait a couple of months. Anyway, there is a big chance you'll get one that's perfect, but there is also a chance you'll get one that isn't. If you don't need portability/portability isn't important to you then why not go with an iMac? Both the iMac and the mbp are going to be great machines but I'd why not go iMac if you don't need portibility.
 
Frankly the chances of having serious problems with the MBP are small. If even a few % of the MBPs had major issues, it would be seriously bad press for apple. Sure there are duds, but quality control is relatively good.

I would always recommend getting apple care though. In 3 years a lot can happen to a laptop and there is a fair chance you might actually use it.
 
kdum8 said:
Frankly the chances of having serious problems with the MBP are small. If even a few % of the MBPs had major issues, it would be seriously bad press for apple. Sure there are duds, but quality control is relatively good.

I would always recommend getting apple care though. In 3 years a lot can happen to a laptop and there is a fair chance you might actually use it.
Click to expand...

Bad press? Well, the Nvidia faulty 8600 gpu is a known problem, they finally admitted to putting it in many laptops including the 08 mbps up to the Oct 14 release (and some 07s), and yet still people are buying up these pre-glassy machines with no clue about the problem.

Nvidia and Apple had to admit that these are failing.

And yet, people still buy Apple, Apple weathered that by doing the release of the new mbp with a different gpu. Now we have the new glassy mbps that many professionals and many reviewers are saying has a far too reflective surface with no matte option.

So there has been seriously bad press for Apple. However many people do not hear about it. They do not do their research, the rely on the great ads.

I've been a Mac user for a long time. And in general, this company has always been well-run. But quality control has slipped lately. I want to buy another Mac but Apple has not presented one without major problems for me for the last couple of years.
 
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