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Buying a Mac is frustrating!

B

Belm

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 20, 2009
241
10
First off, sorry for the long post. I'm a lifelong PC user and I've been wanting to buy a Mac for about 4 years now. I been waiting for the perfect time and there seems to be none. After all this time I'm finally planning to buy one. I really like the base model 13' Macbook Pro. I'll be using it for college and I'm comfortable upgrading the HD and Ram myself.

I've been lurking around this site to see people's impressions of the new Macbook Pro and they've filled me with doubt. Apparently people are having problems with the "glassy" screen. I plan to try one out at Best Buy tomorrow. I would imagine that it would show a lot of reflections in a place like Best Buy but whatever...

The other problem I see people are having is something about the SATA not being able to get to speeds of 3.0Gbps. I'm not very tech savvy but, I was looking forward to getting a SSD as soon as they hit a reasonable price. Would it even be worth it to get this Macbook for that?

The thing that bothers me most is the SATA problem. I want to get the Macbook now while the back to school free Ipod Touch promo is still going and I would be very upset if they did a revision in December fixing that problem. The glassy screen probably won't bother me as much.

I want this Macbook Pro to last me at least 4 years and I really don't want to keep selling and buying laptops every time there is a revision. So I'm stuck trying to decide if I should buy now or wait which is pretty much what I've been doing for four years now lol. Any advice?
 
Keep in mind, people usually only post when they have problems. You will never hear from the other 99% that are problem free. That machine should last you 4 years no problem.
 
Make the switch. You won't regret it.

And If you don't like glassy screens get the Macbook.

with an education discount $1219 gets you a Macbook with 500GB HDD and 4GB of ram

edit: Sorry, I forgot they made the White Macbook glassy now too.
 

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Thanks for the responses. I was actually planning to get the Macboook Pro 13' 2.26 with a 250GB 5400 HD and iWork preinstalled. I was also going to buy 4GB of Crucial ram and install it on my own.

I don't think that I'll be as bothered by the glassy screen as some other people. From their descriptions they make it sound like a deal breaker and the end of the world. I'm just worried that I'll buy this one now and then in a couple months they'll have one out with the SATA issue fixed.
 
FWIW, I love the glossy screen. I can see it better in the car than i can my daughter's matte. You really need to go see it at the store to make that decision.:)

I don't know anything about the SATA issue.:eek:
 
adamvk said:
Make the switch. You won't regret it.

And If you don't like glassy screens get the Macbook.

with an education discount $1219 gets you a Macbook with 500GB HDD and 4GB of ram

edit: Sorry, I forgot they made the White Macbook glassy now too.
Click to expand...

Dude,
$180 for 500GB at Apple or $90 at Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314

$90 for 4GB at Apple or $48 at Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148162

$1087 total - no comparison.
 
I think the glossy screens look great. As long as you don't have a light right behind you you shouldn't have any trouble (and why would you want a light behind you anyway?).

As for the SATA issue, I did some reading about it - according to some benchmarks I've read, the "downgraded" SATA adapter will only come into play if you're using a "high-end SSD," and then the benchmarks do show a noticeable difference.

If you're using a standard HDD you won't have any trouble.
 
I love my mac... though the reason why I bought it is because I need something I can use while Im on my bed haha... how lazy can I get? LOL... I just use it for web browsing.... and of course... other things normal people do in bed with a laptop, a pc cannot handle... laptop might get infected... if you know what i mean.
 
DiamondMac said:
I found buying a Mac (especially with this site) to be one of the easiest, simplest decisions that I ever made when I switched
Click to expand...

I've made up my mind to switch to Mac and found the one that I wanted. My only frustration is when to buy it. Looking at the things people are complaining about is kind of turning me off and making me want to wait until the next revision. It seems like this site is having the opposite effect on me lol.
 
Like the others have said - very few people bother to log in and post that things are great; it's human nature to complain.

Take it all with a grain of salt; we wouldn't buy 'em if we didn't love 'em. :cool:
 
Buy it whenever you can! That answers your question. Everytime you buy an Apple product, a few months later a new one will ALWAYS come out. So if you base it on that, you will never get an apple product because this cycle will never stop. That's how apple makes money :)
 
Belm said:
I've made up my mind to switch to Mac and found the one that I wanted. My only frustration is when to buy it. Looking at the things people are complaining about is kind of turning me off and making me want to wait until the next revision. It seems like this site is having the opposite effect on me lol.
Click to expand...

I have been here for 3 years just about....and the "I don't want to buy because a new one is right around the corner" question is IMO the most asked one here.

Just get it. You won't be disappointed
 
DiamondMac said:
I have been here for 3 years just about....and the "I don't want to buy because a new one is right around the corner" question is IMO the most asked one here.

Just get it. You won't be disappointed
Click to expand...


+1. You will not be disappointed indeed.
 
Just get one now. My iMac has glossy display but that haven't annoyed me, I think it looks better with glossy than with matte. Also, it's possible that the SATA will be fixed with FW update and if you're suspicious, get last gen model from refurb store
 
Hellhammer said:
Just get one now. My iMac has glossy display but that haven't annoyed me, I think it looks better with glossy than with matte. Also, it's possible that the SATA will be fixed with FW update and if you're suspicious, get last gen model from refurb store
Click to expand...
I looked into the refurbs and from what I can tell they only upgrade to 4GB. I'm hoping that the whole SATA thing is sorted out before the free ipod touch promo is over. If not, I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and get it. Either way, I'm excited to finally get a Mac!
 
redwarrior said:
FWIW, I love the glossy screen. I can see it better in the car than i can my daughter's matte. You really need to go see it at the store to make that decision.:)

I don't know anything about the SATA issue.:eek:
Click to expand...

Please tell me you're not driving. :D

I hope people are right about the sata firmware update, but I suspect that it's another one of the 'apple giveth, apple taketh away' upgrades. I wouldn't be surprised if they use that as a reason to get people to upgrade to a newer model later on when SSD prices drop and capacities rise. Love Apple or hate them, but you have to admit that they're evil geniuses when it comes to getting people to upgrade.

Oh, and the prior gen macbook 'collector's edition' and first gen unibody MBP's will take up to 6 GB of DDR3 memory, not the 4 that apple officially recommends.
 
rfrankl said:
Keep in mind, people usually only post when they have problems. You will never hear from the other 99% that are problem free. That machine should last you 4 years no problem.
Click to expand...

Tomorrow said:
Like the others have said - very few people bother to log in and post that things are great; it's human nature to complain.
Click to expand...

Extremely true :)

I'll be getting my MacBook Pro 2.53GHz with 256GB SSD on Wednesday hopefully, so I'll try and remember to let you know what it's like - perhaps a video with the 3G S. Gasp.
 
A couple of things regarding your questions:

1. Glossy screen
I've never been a huge fan of them, but quite honestly, unless you're working with color-intensive stuff and is unable to use an external monitor in those situations, it's a non-issue. The fact that it's glossy in itself isn't a problem. The screen is quite excellent to use in almost all conditions (perhaps except in very bright sunlight, don't know if that's an issue). I have the "Collector's Edition" (I love throwing that around, it annoys people) which is basically the same computer, and I love it.

2. Upgrades
Do not, I repeat, do not buy upgrades from Apple. They overcharge you out of your ass for basic upgrades. It would be stupid to sacrifice all that money to avoid using a screwdriver for few minutes, especially when it doesn't even void the warranty when you upgrade it yourself. Buy cheap RAM and HDD off newegg or whatever you prefer.

3. New models?
They've just been upgraded. There quite frankly isn't a better time to buy than right now. Yes, something better will always come along, but this has been the case with all electronics since the year 2000.

4. S-ATA BUS
Yes, it's 1,5Gbit/s. You need a very fast SSD to actually notice that. As for the actual issue of lower bandwidth in the new models, there seems to be a screw-up from Apples side with the nVidia chipset. I'm not 100% certain of this, but it seems to be a driver problem, not a hardware problem. Hopefully a firmware update will fix it.


I did the switch back in 2006, and although I'm not always happy with what Apple does with their products, as long as they offer me what I need for the price I'm willing to pay, I will buy it. If they overcharge or cease offering me the products I want, I'll stop. But I'm very happy with my late 2008 Unibody MacBook.

Just my thoughts on the issue. :)
 
I've been around awhile, but I don't post very often. First thing, apple works with MOST of their computer ( laptops/desktops) on a 6 month update cycle (give or take a month or so). So the next update you'll see is either november or more likely after christmas season (to drain their current inventory). At that point your looking at MAYBE being able to upgrade to a quad core mobile processor and 200M mobile graphics. But then you deal with "new" tech problems and there will be plenty of problems and ppl complaining. Then in about a year their do some minor changes. Secondly, like most said, you more than likely won't EVER see the limitations of the 1.5GB sata controller. I've read that this was so they could get their Gold Environmental rating, I may be incorrect, but it's what I've personally heard. In conclusion, purchase the laptop. I bought my first mac, iBook G4, 2.5 months before the macbook was introduced. I knew that it was coming up, but I bought it anyways because I've been trouble free for 3.75 years and a friend of mine who has Rev. 1 macbook has had a world of problems. Point being, although getting a last rev before a big tech change might seem bad, in the end you'll be more happy with less problems.
 
Buying a mac is easier than a pc.. in fact, i just got mine 4 days ago! :D
my first too..

i been using a pc since the days of DOS (ya.. before MS was even born) :p i was shopping around trying to fig out which laptop to buy (and there are so many brands around nowadays!) i was very tempted to get the Sony Vaios Z series when i had a second look at the MacBook alu... i was sold almost immediately.. the hw specs are great and i like the interface, after much probing, the salesman said he could get the new 13" macbook pro from the warehouse within an hr! (it was already 7pm!) so that nite, i went home with my 1st macbook pro.. :D

i spent a few days trying to transfer my work from windows to my mac and is still trying to learn more about the mac but its all worth it!! i'm loving my mac and has no regrets! :)
 
DiamondMac said:
I found buying a Mac (especially with this site) to be one of the easiest, simplest decisions that I ever made when I switched
Click to expand...

Wow.

I'm in the same boat as the thread starter, actually.

I want an Air, but I want 4GB of RAM.
Do I wait for an air-upgrade or do I get an mpb13 with 4gb.
Will I regret the added weight, since I already KNOW I want the air over the mbp? but I do want 4gb ram.

That's currently my problem and I don't see a solution.
 
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