Dissapointed Visit to Apple Store

[Wicked1]

Well today I went to the Apple Store with the intention of getting the new 15" MBP with the 2.8 CPU. It was a very nice machine but quite large and everythime I picked it up and tilted it forward the screen would close like a clam shell. The price of $2299.00 or $2099.00 with the student discount was great but I am not sure all the money was worth it, so I have decided to do this.

Keep my early 2009 uMB 2.4 with 4GB ram and upgrade the HDD to 500 GB which I just picked up a Seagate 500 7200 rpm, with 16MB cache for $119.00

I thought I was going to get the 15 bc of the Discrete graphics but I am not impressed with the flimsy screen, and size so I am sticking with my Old (well 7 months old) trusty 13 uMB 2.4 it is the size I like adn everything works well even COD 4 on a Windows XP partition, so why spend more $ when I have what I really need

Has anyone decided not to upgrade and are you really happy with your late 2008 or early 2009 uMB and why, just curious bc I really like mine, I only have to purchase Applecare now so after February I will have 2 more years of warranty...

 

[rgarjr]

Not sure what you mean about the screen would close like a clam shell but, yeah I've toy'ed with the idea of up'ing to the 17" MBP behemoth but I'm really happy with my Book right now.

It just depends on what you going to use it for.

 

[Ivan P]

Not sure what you mean about the screen would close like a clam shell

Generally the screens on the 15" and 17" MBPs are a bit too heavy for the hinge to handle, and tilting the machine tends to cause the screen to either fall back further or start closing towards the keyboard - a problem that doesn't tend to happen with the 13" models. Probably the one thing that annoys me about my 15" MBP.

 

[xpovos]

So why not consider the 13" MBP? Granted, that would seem even more like frivolous spending since you already have what you really need, and you still wouldn't have the discrete graphics. But the difference in screens alone is worth the upgrade, in my humble opinion. The difference in screen quality between my MacBook Pro and my wife's unibody MacBook is very pronounced. It's like night and day.

 

[KyPosey]

i have often thought about going with them MBP but i really like my macbook and not really sure if going to the new one is going to do me much good. Maybe one day when i have a little more cash flow going i can step up and play with the big dogs.

 

[veo321]

Upgrade

Same with me I have a early 2009 white macbook I wanted to upgrade to a unibody macbook pro, but I didn't like it so I upgraded to 500GB HD AND 4GB RAM FOR $120.

 

[Jhanson09]

The 7 hour battery is the trump card in my opinion. I have the new 15" MBP and have no real problems with the screen, can't tell you how nice it is having a battery last that long. Don't think I would be able to go back to a laptop w/ a 2 or 3 hour battery.

 

[Richard1028]

The 7 hour battery is the trump card in my opinion.

That would be the tie-breaker for me as well. I get maybe 4.5 hours out of my whitebook with the display turned down a bit and bluetooth toggled off. That's still pretty good compared to the crappy PC laptops I've owned but an extra 2 hours would sure be nice.

But please Apple... do not continue to upgrade the MBP's lest I have to buy one!

 

[Takuta-Nui]

I have the early 2009 uMB and couldn't be happier with it. I intend to go through all eight years of university with it (although I'm aware I'll probably have to buy a new battery sometime to keep the 5 hours of output). It runs all I will need - internet, word processing, and possibly the occasional presentation. The screen is the perfect size for me.

I'm quite surprised that even a screen that's only two inches larger would flip closed when it has to fight against gravity. Were you simply tilting it forward, or did you shake it a bit? My 13" does budge a bit when I shake it gently, but even so, I'm surprised.

Still, do you expect to be working while bungee jumping or something? =P

 

[iLog.Genius]

It really depends what kind the user is. If you're constantly going at your computer doing tasks then the new built-in battery would probably suit you better than the Late/Early-2008/2009 MacBook Pro. I know for me other users on here, we're not constantly going at our computer. I'll have word open, type for a few minutes, stop think/listen and then resume typing during a lecture so half the time the computer is in standby conserving power so I'm already getting 4:30 on a single charge. If I know I'll be on it constantly, I'll be near an outlet.

As for the hinge, you can't really prevent it and it's not Apple-specific. There are other portables out there that have the same problem and I bring this up because this was a heavily discussed topic when the unibody models first came out. There was a good majority of people complaining that they couldn't type in bed with their laptop on their knees at an angle because the screen would fold in. This "issue" shouldn't be a deciding factor if you're looking to buy the MacBook Pro now.

 

[opinioncircle]

The 7 hour battery is the trump card in my opinion. I have the new 15" MBP and have no real problems with the screen, can't tell you how nice it is having a battery last that long. Don't think I would be able to go back to a laptop w/ a 2 or 3 hour battery.

Well as a new umbp user, the battery is pretty darn nice. but what i didn't expect at all is to like the back of the laptop - seamless, that's a darn good feeling.

 

[bearcatrp]

Stick an SSD drive in there for better performance.

 

[rgarjr]

Guys, I'm here at the store playing around with the 15" and 17" Pros and I really don't noticed the screen fall down like the OP says, it pretty much stays pretty sturdy.

 

[STSNorthstar]

To be fair, the computers in the Apple Stores get abused. The hinges on all the machines should be firm.

 

[Wicked1]

I know the machines at the Store get abused but everyone I know that has the 15 when I pick it up and tilt it toward me the screen flips closed I guess mainly due to the weight, however I am really not impressed with the new ones in fact more then likely I will be going for an early 2009 15" uMBP with the 2.66/4/320 and Dual GPU's. I think they are the bet bang for your $ considering when I bought my uMB 2.4/2/250 it was $1599 and the uMBP 2.53 was $2499, but after 6-8-09 everything dropped. I do not need the SD slot, the battery would be nice but cant justify nearly $800 more for it, and I can buy my own 500GB HDD cheaper.

It will be interesting to see what the new version of the uMBP's will be like but for now even the low end specs are still better then most PC's, but if you configure one at Dell or HP with similar specs to the uMBP 15 you will find the price is almost similar.

 

[opinioncircle]

I will have my first appointment at SF Apple store on Thursday because of a freeze on umbp when playing full screen itunes movies...hope they won't screw that up !!!

 

[m0no]

I got a uMB at Christmas last year as my first Mac and I'm really considering selling it to upgrade to the uMBP 13". I just can't get over the screen. It's nearly impossible to look at without constantly adjusting it, but even then I can't see the screen from top to bottom clearly. The addition of a SD slot and longer battery life would also be a nice. My MacBook is in perfect condition though with 4GB ram, so hopefully I can resell it for good amount.

 

[mousouchop]

So why not consider the 13" MBP? Granted, that would seem even more like frivolous spending since you already have what you really need, and you still wouldn't have the discrete graphics. But the difference in screens alone is worth the upgrade, in my humble opinion. The difference in screen quality between my MacBook Pro and my wife's unibody MacBook is very pronounced. It's like night and day.

I got a uMB at Christmas last year as my first Mac and I'm really considering selling it to upgrade to the uMBP 13". I just can't get over the screen. It's nearly impossible to look at without constantly adjusting it, but even then I can't see the screen from top to bottom clearly. The addition of a SD slot and longer battery life would also be a nice. My MacBook is in perfect condition though with 4GB ram, so hopefully I can resell it for good amount.

I have a Unibody Macbook from late 2008... The screen did drive me nuts, now I have been using an external monitor at home which not only gives me more real estate on screen-- but it just all around better. Sad that a $150 Dell monitor outperforms my Macbook screen. -_- But I am not willing to pay the premium in upgrading from my MB to a 13" MBP... I will just live with the awful screen in class-- and continue using my MB as a desktop at home.

 

[m0no]

I have a Unibody Macbook from late 2008... The screen did drive me nuts, now I have been using an external monitor at home which not only gives me more real estate on screen-- but it just all around better. Sad that a $150 Dell monitor outperforms my Macbook screen. -_- But I am not willing to pay the premium in upgrading from my MB to a 13" MBP... I will just live with the awful screen in class-- and continue using my MB as a desktop at home.

I do have an external monitor that I use and my Macbook is my main computer, but I don't like being tied to the desk. I think I'll end up biting the bullet and pay the premium to upgrade. I want a Macbook that I'll actually use and as it is, I've actually been using my Dell 700m more.

 

[mousouchop]

I do have an external monitor that I use and my Macbook is my main computer, but I don't like being tied to the desk. I think I'll end up biting the bullet and pay the premium to upgrade. I want a Macbook that I'll actually use and as it is, I've actually been using my Dell 700m more.

Yeah, I suppose I can agree on that. It kinda stinks that now when I am at home-- I can either use my laptop at the desk-- or no use it at all since I don't want to bother with unplugging everything and dealing with the resolution adjustment on my apps each time. haha.

I wonder how much money I would loose... Paid $1599 in October, and would be going for the high end 13" as a replacement, well probably the mid 15" actually, for some discrete graphic power.

 

[bc008]

I was going to upgrade to the 15" 2.53 GHz MBP. I even went as far as listing/selling my current machine on ebay. Although, after the buyer failed to pay I fell in love with my nearly new machine all over again (I have the 2.4 Ghz 13" MB currently)

 

[m0no]

Yeah, I suppose I can agree on that. It kinda stinks that now when I am at home-- I can either use my laptop at the desk-- or no use it at all since I don't want to bother with unplugging everything and dealing with the resolution adjustment on my apps each time. haha.

I wonder how much money I would loose... Paid $1599 in October, and would be going for the high end 13" as a replacement... Hmmm.

I was actually thinking of going for the lower-end model and then perhaps putting a solid state disk in down the road or sell my current Macbook and just use an older pc for now and wait for a newer Macbook Air and use a desktop for more intense applications.

I was going to upgrade to the 15" 2.53 GHz MBP. I even went as far as listing/selling my current machine on ebay. Although, after the buyer failed to pay I fell in love with my nearly new machine all over again (I have the 2.4 Ghz 13" MB currently)

I've actually gone that far too and have the same model. I'm just waiting for a new digital camera so I can take some pictures and I'll probably put it up on ebay when I return from vacation.

 

[mousouchop]

I was actually thinking of going for the lower-end model and then perhaps putting a solid state disk in down the road or sell my current Macbook and just use an older pc for now and wait for a newer Macbook Air and use a desktop for more intense applications.

My dream set-up is a MBA and a Mac Pro! haha. I used to think MBAs were stupid and useless... but if you have a Mac Pro to do all the heavy lifting, wtf do you really need power in your portable option for anyways?

 

[m0no]

My dream set-up is a MBA and a Mac Pro! haha. I used to think MBAs were stupid and useless... but if you have a Mac Pro to do all the heavy lifting, wtf do you really need power in your portable option for anyways?

I agree. I was also thinking about maybe an iMac and MBA or even just a desktop PC and MBA..ahh, I don't know.

 

[bc008]

I've actually gone that far too and have the same model. I'm just waiting for a new digital camera so I can take some pictures and I'll probably put it up on ebay when I return from vacation.

Yea I think of relisting it every now and then, but the current offerings apple has just aren't that different for me to go through all that work I will probably get more RAM/bigger HD before I completely sell it.