Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

rectifiability

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 18, 2010
22
0
So, I received my MacBook Pro today. It's a 15", it's the mid-range i5. I got the high-resolution glossy screen, and upgraded to the 500gb/7200 drive. This is my first mac.

So: wow. I literally spent a few hours just being short of overwhelmed by the device's opulence. I've spent the last few months primarily using a netbook*, with 15.4" HP entertainment laptops for many years before that. But this thing...

I'm just going to sort of freeformedly describe my psychological response cycle here and initial thoughts and impressions on using it.

1) Confusion. How do I install things? You mean I just drag and drop this shortcut into that folder? Wait, and now it's installed? I don't have to worry about distinguishing the binary image with the executable with the installer with the shortcut? Oh, hey, I need to unzip a file-- oh, you mean the unzipper opens, it unzips the file, the unzipper closes, and then a folder opens with the file I actually wanted? All in one step? Why did Windows never do this?

2) Shock. This screen is so brilliant and well-defined. The 17" external monitor I'd been using with my previous laptops, it just looks like crap now. Not nearly as bright, much lower PPI. Holy crap, this multitouch pad... I kind of hated it when using it in the Apple store, but now it's just brilliant and natural. I'll never need to use a USB mouse here, ever. The intertial scrolling as natural as on my iPhone, and the four-fingered and two-fingered scrolls are just brilliant and easy.

2) Numbness. I can't believe I spent two grand of student loan money on this. Why didn't I get the 13"? I'm not a graphic designer, I don't make videos. How can I ever justify looking at photos on this that aren't artfully taken with a DSLR or watching downloaded videos that aren't at least 720p? Why the hell can't I watch BluRays on this beautiful screen?

3) Adjustment, reconciliation. This is going to be a fabulous computer for years to come.

4) Sharp panic: I need to take out a renter's insurance rider on this thing immediately. And make sure it covers accidental damage...

---

Anyone, that's a good chronology of the past few hours. More informally, I love this thing. The engineering is fantastic, OSX has taken some adjustment, and I think I finally get the whole Mac thing. This is an exciting gadget.

I now just kind of look forward to getting on with my life, though. I want to use this gadget to accomplish other things in my life. To get my schoolwork done, to email friends, to store photos of Europe this summer and entertain me on train rides (though truth be told, I'll probably bring my netbook for that instead of this.) This gadget mania of researching new and better laptops, and lusting over this thing and then counting down the days until it arrived from Shanghai... it's really interfered with just living my life. Is this a common sentiment among other tech geeks?

Thanks for reading my rambling incoherence. This device is great.

--

(* - Surprisingly, a netbook's been a fine device to use as a primary computer for many months. It's nothing fancy, but it's done everything I've needed. It's just an insane adjustment to go from the bottom of the current personal computer market to the very top.)
 
1) Confusion. How do I install things? You mean I just drag and drop this shortcut into that folder? Wait, and now it's installed? I don't have to worry about distinguishing the binary image with the executable with the installer with the shortcut? Oh, hey, I need to unzip a file-- oh, you mean the unzipper opens, it unzips the file, the unzipper closes, and then a folder opens with the file I actually wanted? All in one step? Why did Windows never do this?
lol its literally that easy. open up the .dmg, drag the application somewhere, eject then delete the dmg image file. DONE :D

2) Numbness. I can't believe I spent two grand of student loan money on this. Why didn't I get the 13"? I'm not a graphic designer, I don't make videos. How can I ever justify looking at photos on this that aren't artfully taken with a DSLR or watching downloaded videos that aren't at least 720p? Why the hell can't I watch BluRays on this beautiful screen?
you can watch BDs, it just takes some converting ;)

so good to hear that you are happy with your purchase :D it really is some fine engineering! welcome to the bright side :D
 
Welcome to the Mac family!

I fell in love with Mac a few years ago. You will quickly learn the basics and be up in running in no time. I predict that you will continue to learn new stuff about your system for years to come.

Strap in, it is going to be a great ride.

sek

So, I received my MacBook Pro today. It's a 15", it's the mid-range i5. I got the high-resolution glossy screen, and upgraded to the 500gb/7200 drive. This is my first mac.

So: wow. I literally spent a few hours just being short of overwhelmed by the device's opulence. I've spent the last few months primarily using a netbook*, with 15.4" HP entertainment laptops for many years before that. But this thing...

I'm just going to sort of freeformedly describe my psychological response cycle here and initial thoughts and impressions on using it.

1) Confusion. How do I install things? You mean I just drag and drop this shortcut into that folder? Wait, and now it's installed? I don't have to worry about distinguishing the binary image with the executable with the installer with the shortcut? Oh, hey, I need to unzip a file-- oh, you mean the unzipper opens, it unzips the file, the unzipper closes, and then a folder opens with the file I actually wanted? All in one step? Why did Windows never do this?

2) Shock. This screen is so brilliant and well-defined. The 17" external monitor I'd been using with my previous laptops, it just looks like crap now. Not nearly as bright, much lower PPI. Holy crap, this multitouch pad... I kind of hated it when using it in the Apple store, but now it's just brilliant and natural. I'll never need to use a USB mouse here, ever. The intertial scrolling as natural as on my iPhone, and the four-fingered and two-fingered scrolls are just brilliant and easy.

2) Numbness. I can't believe I spent two grand of student loan money on this. Why didn't I get the 13"? I'm not a graphic designer, I don't make videos. How can I ever justify looking at photos on this that aren't artfully taken with a DSLR or watching downloaded videos that aren't at least 720p? Why the hell can't I watch BluRays on this beautiful screen?

3) Adjustment, reconciliation. This is going to be a fabulous computer for years to come.

4) Sharp panic: I need to take out a renter's insurance rider on this thing immediately. And make sure it covers accidental damage...

---

Anyone, that's a good chronology of the past few hours. More informally, I love this thing. The engineering is fantastic, OSX has taken some adjustment, and I think I finally get the whole Mac thing. This is an exciting gadget.

I now just kind of look forward to getting on with my life, though. I want to use this gadget to accomplish other things in my life. To get my schoolwork done, to email friends, to store photos of Europe this summer and entertain me on train rides (though truth be told, I'll probably bring my netbook for that instead of this.) This gadget mania of researching new and better laptops, and lusting over this thing and then counting down the days until it arrived from Shanghai... it's really interfered with just living my life. Is this a common sentiment among other tech geeks?

Thanks for reading my rambling incoherence. This device is great.

--

(* - Surprisingly, a netbook's been a fine device to use as a primary computer for many months. It's nothing fancy, but it's done everything I've needed. It's just an insane adjustment to go from the bottom of the current personal computer market to the very top.)
 
Congratulations! :)

Welcome to the Forum and the world of Mac

You've made some astute observations there in such a short time.

Yes, it IS just that simple.

Yes, the screen (and the rest of the hardware) is just GLORIOUS.
Well, perhaps the 13" would have suited your needs as well or better. You'll get very used to that extra space quickly, I'll bet.

You can't watch Blurays on it without an external Bluray drive and a little software finagling because Apple considers the Bluray licensing terms too onerous and the Bluray standard isn't even finalized yet.
They got into trouble before by adopting an unfinished standard and probably don't want to repeat the experience.

$2k a lot of money for a 15" laptop? You bet.
After a while it'll seem like a bargain. Wait and see if I'm right. ;)

And Getting On With Your Life is what Apple is all about! :D

After switching a couple of years ago, I now have time to do all kinds of stuff (like coming here) instead of being a System Administrator.

Have Fun,
Enjoy,
Keri
 
As far as accidental insurance, I have used safeware.com. I cannot speak to how good they are with claims because I never had to make one, but the premiums were OK. I also noted that my university recommended them, but I don't know how much credit to give them over that. It's good peace of mind.

Congratulations! Enjoy!
 
Great!!! Glad you happy with it. I'm sure the money is worth

I'm still waiting my 17-inch :D

I love my Mac, I couldn't go back to Windows. However, I got VM with XP just in case~
 
Great story glad to hear. You will probably never be able to use a wintel laptop again. I really don't see Dell or hp ever catching up to the bad ass that is :apple:
 
Nice! I had a similar experience 2 years ago when I got my first mac.

The mac is awesome: It's been 2 years with my early 2008 15" macbook pro, and it runs as good as new. I just got the 2010 15" i7 on a pure whim, cause it's so great. (waiting for it to ship.. please ship)

I've been a pc user since windows 3.0 (20 years), until I got my first laptop. a Dell, almost 3 years ago.
The thing was a mess. I'm not going into the rant of how bad it was, and then I got the new Penryn MBP, and fell in love.

Took me 2 weeks to start getting comfortable, and as they said here, I'm still learning new things (cmd-space!!! just learned it this week)

It's an amazing machine, well worth the value. It doesn't age like a PC does. It doesn't bog down with time. And it doesn't get less stable with time (or maybe it does, but much less than a PC).

So enjoy. It's a great feeling having a laptop that just works great, always, and that looks and feels so good.

<apple store order status. REFRESH. BLAST!!>
 
accident protection

As far as accidental insurance, I have used safeware.com. I cannot speak to how good they are with claims because I never had to make one, but the premiums were OK. I also noted that my university recommended them, but I don't know how much credit to give them over that. It's good peace of mind.

Congratulations! Enjoy!

I have renter's insurance through State Farm and added a policy to cover accidental damage ("spill and drop"), loss, and theft of my laptop with NO deductible/replacement value for $30/year. This premium was in addition to my $126/year renter's policy (which has a $500 deductible). My laptop was insured for almost $1900, and after it was dropped a couple of times, the optical drive stuck and some keys started sticking. I called claims and had a check in hand for $1853 within 3 days. No waiting, no arguments--they said that with Apple products, they just replaced them due to high repair costs. I brought my new Macbook Pro home today, and still haven't stopped smiling.
 
I have renter's insurance through State Farm and added a policy to cover accidental damage ("spill and drop"), loss, and theft of my laptop with NO deductible/replacement value for $30/year. This premium was in addition to my $126/year renter's policy (which has a $500 deductible). My laptop was insured for almost $1900, and after it was dropped a couple of times, the optical drive stuck and some keys started sticking. I called claims and had a check in hand for $1853 within 3 days. No waiting, no arguments--they said that with Apple products, they just replaced them due to high repair costs. I brought my new Macbook Pro home today, and still haven't stopped smiling.

LAWL. that's nice. great to hear something is still going right in this world lawl.
 
(* - Surprisingly, a netbook's been a fine device to use as a primary computer for many months. It's nothing fancy, but it's done everything I've needed. It's just an insane adjustment to go from the bottom of the current personal computer market to the very top.)

That's why I have an iMac for office and a netbook for home/travel. Get to spend most of my time on a mac, but have something small, light, and cheap for travel. I'd love a macbook air, but it's just a terrible value - needs more RAM, battery life, and ports. Enjoy your new MBP!
 
Congrats on your new machine. Feel free to use the resources here at MacRumors. You'll find plenty of knowledgeable people willing to help.
 
thats what i love about this community :D can always find somebody to help :D

btw.. you have a 512GB SSD! :eek: what is your occupation!

I resigned from my job to finally finish the grad school. The SSD is no big deal. Start playing with the stocks when you can, but do it slow and be careful. If you're good or lucky, the SSD won't mean a thing.
 
I resigned from my job to finally finish the grad school. The SSD is no big deal. Start playing with the stocks when you can, but do it slow and be careful. If you're good or lucky, the SSD won't mean a thing.

wow. nice! the day i can afford an SSD from pocket change is the day i will be happy :D
 
Enjoy dude!

OSX experience fits like a magic glove. Thought it will take a few weeks months to figure out everything, when you do, there'll be no distraction between what you want to do on a computer and you.
 
1) Confusion. How do I install things? You mean I just drag and drop this shortcut into that folder? Wait, and now it's installed? I don't have to worry about distinguishing the binary image with the executable with the installer with the shortcut? Oh, hey, I need to unzip a file-- oh, you mean the unzipper opens, it unzips the file, the unzipper closes, and then a folder opens with the file I actually wanted? All in one step? Why did Windows never do this?

Welcome to OS X. Be careful with the dragging. Windows works differently from OS X when dragging. OS X will replace the folder, while Windows will merge the contents of the folder. :)

Unfortunately, OS X does have some drawbacks when compared to Windows and they will drive you crazy if you're used to Windows, but you'll just have to accept it as it is, otherwise the OS X people will just tell you to go back to Windows. :)

Before anyone yells at me, I'm a long time Unix user and a Windows sysadmin. I use a MacBook in a completely Windows environment and I use it to work my servers. OS X offers me the best of all worlds.
 
I just got my first Mac less than a year ago (Mid-2009 13" MacBook Pro) and I know exactly how you feel. I spent a few days just messing around with Leopard and was constantly asking myself, "Why can't Windows do this?" And I was also blown away by the screen and the trackpad. I just can't use any other laptop now. I'm spoiled. :D
 
OP, it sounds like you got the exact same machine as I've got on order (FedEx shows it in Newark now, so I should have it on Monday). Do you mind telling me what brand/model of HDD Apple is using for the 500GB/7200RPM.
 
OP, it sounds like you got the exact same machine as I've got on order (FedEx shows it in Newark now, so I should have it on Monday). Do you mind telling me what brand/model of HDD Apple is using for the 500GB/7200RPM.

I just checked 'About this Mac' and the model number is ST9500420ASG, run a search on google and I found it's the Seagate Momentus
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.