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

Goodbye my lovely new macbook....

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bigfried

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 18, 2008
26
0
Its sitting next to me on my desk at work waiting to be collected by the courier at any moment to be returned to Apple....and I am sad to see it go.

But I have tried and tried to live with the screen but I can't. Every time I convince myself that, yes, it is OK, it's only a few moments later that yet again I am frustrated by the viewing angle or unclear text or weak colour and remember how much it cost. I have seriously had neck strain trying not to move my head to retain a viewable image.

BUT it is in almost every other way fantastic and I am only posting this to help prospective buyers. It is the higher priced 2.4 version so the leap up to a macbook pro is not so large, otherwise I would be very tempted to just keep it. It's a great size and weight. and I must say the back-lit keypad is wonderful.

But the sound only comes from the right side!
 
I know it might be too late and your speaker is a problem as well but have you tried the various calibrating profiles posted in these forums? Don't really know about the blacks and viewing angles but they can do magics for your colors being washed out
 
Sad to say, I was in same boat. Loved it in sooo many ways yet it just fell short in the display area alone. Found myself adjusting the screen constantly to maintain that elusive and small good (never perfect) viewing angle. Would gladly have paid an extra $200 for a top notch display.

I was quite fortunate to find a perfect 2.5 week old base MBP for $1675 shipped. Considering tax it was cheaper than my 2.4 MB. Great thing is I could use my 4GB RAM that otherwise would have been a waste. The screen is top notch in my MBP & Air.

You will be ridiculed here for wanting what should be included in a $1600 notebook - a decent display.
 
Same here. Others too, MacJenn to name one, have felt the same.

Apple has always cut corners display wise in their consumer level laptops. Look at an iBook, and the display is blocky and pixellated compared to a powerbook. The MB and MBP both use LED backlights, but contrast and viewing angle between the two are clearly noticeable.

For a macbook, the new displays are probably the best Apple's ever used. I put my 2.4 up against a friends 10 month old 2.4 whitebook, and the difference between the two is astounding, with the advantage to the unibody. However, if you want to watch a movie on either one, you'd better hope there are no nighttime scenes in it.

Part of the reason for dissatisfaction with the screen is a perception problem. The MB looks just like the Pro. The prices are pretty darned close to the base level pro. It uses the same processor, same design, etc, and people expect it to have the same (but smaller) screen. When the pro was aluminum and the MB was white plastic, I think people has lower expectations of it.

Part of the problem is caused by apple store employees. They keep the display models chained and seperated from each other. I think the lighting system also minimizes the differences between the two screens as well. But they have also told me, and others looking at the macbooks, that they had the same screens as the pros, only smaller. And in reality, they do not.

People who are used to iBooks and plastic books are probably used to the limitations of the old screens, and are enthralled with the quality of the new ones. People looking for a replacment for their beloved 12 inch powerbook will most likely find fault with them.

I think if Apple differentiated that the pro had a better screen, it would be a good thing for them, and for managing people's expectations. Say the pro has a preminum screen with optimum viewing angle and contrast ratios. We'd probably accept it. Have the salespeople say that new macbooks have the best screen ever put in a consumer laptop, and almost rival the pro's screens. They can further add that some people can't tell the difference. We'd probably accept that as well.

Can I blame apple for wanting to differentiate the two machines? No. If the only thing that seperated the MB from the 15" pro was a firewire port, express card slot, extra graphics chip and less than two inches of screen real estate, most people except photoshop junkies would buy the pros. They would become more like the mac pros, a niche product.

What I do blame apple for is misusing the RDF and not being honest about the quality of the screen.
 
My friends new 2.0 screen is worse on blacks and equal on other things compared to my Blackbook. He was so pissed he went to the Apple store and compared the Whitebooks to the new Macbooks and saw no difference in screen quality besides the blacks (better in WB) and the brightness (better in alu). I did the same comparison at Best Buy and same story. I see virtually no difference either except for the blacks IMO are better for some reason in my Blackbook and the brightness is better in the new one. The new one has the same lack of quality (crappy) screen as the older one. It is a wash to me. There is like a 30 page thread about this and the overall (majority) opinion is what I just said. I like the use of the perception example though which I find untrue, but funny.

Now I will get bashed for my personal opinion. :)

Maybe one day Apple will give the Macbook a good screen. Probably not.
 
hogfaninga said:
Get ready to be bashed.

I hope you enjoy the new Macbook Pro.
Click to expand...

The only people who bash others for deciding their purchase wasn't up to snuff are the people who feel this need to either defend their own purchase or defend apple as a whole.

Fact is, the MB is definitely a great laptop and the shortcomings it has are directly affecting people who do expect something more decent out of a notebook that ranges from $1300 to $1600. If this is a crime then so be it. If people are thinking that this is the so-called entry-level notebook and the subpar screens and other quirks kind of come with the territory, then again ... so be it. Fact of the matter is there are people who will forgive the shortcomings and probably never notice them until they read these boards (and others) and there are people who simply do believe that despite the fact this is an "entry-level" notebook and the least expensive of the notebook line from Apple, they still need and deserve quality goods.

I for one am not complaining and just not buying. Apple is in fact, going to get more money from me when I buy the new Air. Is that punishment to them? Not in the least. It is, unfortunately, a necessary evil as I don't find another notebook on the market that does what I need it to do (run OSX easily) so Apple gets my money or more of it rather.

As for others who have complained. That MacJenn girl took an entirely different and brutal approach to get her point across. Her facts started to fall short through her lies. There are really other legitimate people who gave the new MB a shot, tried to run calibration profiles and spent a good 2 weeks working with it before they had to give in and return it on the 14th day. I'm one of those who put a lot of time into all that.
 
jessica. said:
The only people who bash others for deciding their purchase wasn't up to snuff are the people who feel this need to either defend their own purchase or defend apple as a whole.

Fact is, the MB is definitely a great laptop and the shortcomings it has are directly affecting people who do expect something more decent out of a notebook that ranges from $1300 to $1600. If this is a crime then so be it. If people are thinking that this is the so-called entry-level notebook and the subpar screens and other quirks kind of come with the territory, then again ... so be it. Fact of the matter is there are people who will forgive the shortcomings and probably never notice them until they read these boards (and others) and there are people who simply do believe that despite the fact this is an "entry-level" notebook and the least expensive of the notebook line from Apple, they still need and deserve quality goods.

I for one am not complaining and just not buying. Apple is in fact, going to get more money from me when I buy the new Air. Is that punishment to them? Not in the least. It is, unfortunately, a necessary evil as I don't find another notebook on the market that does what I need it to do (run OSX easily) so Apple gets my money or more of it rather.

As for others who have complained. That MacJenn girl took an entirely different and brutal approach to get her point across. Her facts started to fall short through her lies. There are really other legitimate people who gave the new MB a shot, tried to run calibration profiles and spent a good 2 weeks working with it before they had to give in and return it on the 14th day. I'm one of those who put a lot of time into all that.
Click to expand...

I agree... All the bashing is childish... Why would I anybody have a problem with a product that somebody else bought and likes/dislikes??!!
In all truth, (and I know this has been debated before) there must be a very noticeable difference AMONG the new screens on the MB. I say this because I don't consider myself an IDIOT, or somebody who just doesn't care about how the screen performs, YET i find that the screen really doesn't bother me. I've owned plenty of nice PC laptops before, and I have a sweet HP monitor at my office, but the Mac just doesn't bother me.
I'm not a fanboi or anything, this is just my honest opinion. I guess it comes down to what your eyes are used to, and maybe the type work one does on the laptop.
I'm NOT saying that the screens couldn't be better, that would be stupid. I'm also NOT saying that people who have issues with their screens are Apple haters. I'm simply stating my experience so far...
 
Totally agree. It's up to each individual person to determine if the machine fits their requirements and preferences.
 
I too returned my new Alu 2.4 GHz MacBook after 13 days. I could not tolerate the really awful vertical viewing angle, and I was tired of constantly adjusting the display to get a decent image. Other than the display, I was happy with the Alu MacBook.

I used a Sony Vaio X505 (smaller/thinner/lighter than the MacBook Air) from 2004 to 2008, and I switched to Mac in Feb 2008 when I purchased a MacBook Air 1.8 GHZ SSD model. My iTunes and iPhoto libraries won't fit on my Air's hard drive so I decided to purchase the Alu MacBook with a larger hard drive. Unfortunately the display on the Alu MacBook was too annoying, and now I'm contemplating my next move.

Since I've been spoiled and accustomed to small and light notebooks, I have no desire for a 15" laptop. If Apple made a 13" MacBook Pro or if Apple used the better LED display from the MacBook Air on the 2.4 GHz MacBook, I would purchase either in a heartbeat.

Decisions decisions....

Cheers,

ITGuy
 
FOR THE LAST TIME, THE SCREENS ARE FINE...
(No, I'm just messing with you guys)

I am glad the OP find an alternative that would do for him/her.
Good for you. It's your money, and use it whatever way that makes you happy :) Life is all about choices. Enjoy your MBP.


To IT Guy, think about the MBA (Rev B). It's got a 128GB SSD. Com'on, your X505 had 20GB HDD, and you lived with that for 4 years.
 
I can not believe all this craziness about the screen!? I am hapy with mine. I did a color calibration that im SUPER happy with.
Can it be that some panels are that much better than others? i dont get it
I have the 9C89 and have NO complaints. (ever since i calibrated)
 
shady825 said:
I can not believe all this craziness about the screen!? I am hapy with mine. I did a color calibration that im SUPER happy with.
Can it be that some panels are that much better than others? i dont get it
I have the 9C89 and have NO complaints. (ever since i calibrated)
Click to expand...

No offense to you, but some people's standards must be higher (I compare them to my friends $800 Dell--his is much better than my other friend's new alu 2.0 and my Blackbook). As we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I find the new and older Macbooks screen quality not very good (I have compared them both and used both extensively--I have used dozens of calibrations and calibration can't fix a sub-par screen). It didn't stop me from buying them, but I'm not blinded by Apple either. They are average at best.
 
hogfaninga said:
No offense to you, but some people's standards must be higher (I compare them to my friends $800 Dell--his is much better than my other friend's new alu 2.0 and my Blackbook). As we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I find the new and older Macbooks screen quality not very good (I have compared them both and used both extensively--I have used dozens of calibrations and calibration can't fix a sub-par screen). It didn't stop me from buying them, but I'm not blinded by Apple either. They are average at best.
Click to expand...

I understand what your saying. Im not "blinded by apple as you say" but I am happy with the screen. I have no complaints. But your right, thats just me i guess.
Ive had other laptops and I personally think the screen on my new MB is just as good as any other laptop ive had. (if not better)
 
Frankly, I could have lived with the backlight issues as well as dark washouts, my real bugaboo was having to adjust the screen constantly for adequate horiz. viewing. I'm afraid this is caused by a combination of the display and the new glass in front of it. I've used other MB's and while the displays weren't fantastic, never had the viewing angle issues I did with the new model.

Seriously, I'd have say USA Today open and reading the top with a picture inset, adjust display, keep reading and a dark picture on bottom of screen would need me to adjust the display again to see its details.

All that energy was killing me and I was getting too tired to raise my arm for something worthwhile, like tipping a beer.;)
 
shady825 said:
I understand what your saying. Im not "blinded by apple as you say" but I am happy with the screen. I have no complaints. But your right, thats just me i guess.
Click to expand...

I don't want to add to this argument that's going nowhere, just want to say that it's not just you. I (and I believe many others) have no complaints as well.
 
belvdr - good one :D

silverblack - Yes I hung on to that X505 for 4 years even with the limited storage because it was incredibly portable and I had a second desktop PC that held all my music and photos. I was saddened when the motherboard of the X505 died earlier this year. To this day the X505 is still my favorite computer due to the incredible design. My MacBook Air is a very close second. I can fully understand why the Netbook category of computers is exploding, having used the ultra-portable X505 for 4 great years. Thanks for suggesting the Rev. B. MacBook Air with the 128 Gb SSD. I will also consider that as an option. I will see how much longer I can tolerate using my Rev. A MacBook Air with an external drive to store my iTunes and iPhoto libraries. One thing's for sure, I won't be going back to Windows. :D

Hopefully the Ghost of Christmas Future will visit Uncle Steve on Christmas Eve and convince him to add an option for a better display on the Alu MacBooks, and to also sell a 13" MacBook Pro.
 
I don't consider a $1200 laptop and "entry level" computer in anyway shape or form. You can get a PC with 4 gig of ram and a duo core proc for like $500 just about any day of the week.
 
Vikinguy said:
I don't consider a $1200 laptop and "entry level" computer in anyway shape or form. You can get a PC with 4 gig of ram and a duo core proc for like $500 just about any day of the week.
Click to expand...

Sure if you consider just the hardware. Don't forget OS X doesn't grow on trees. The cost to develop and upgrade OS X is supported by < 20% of computer users, and Windows is supported by the rest. Also, the Macs are not loaded with 3rd party apps which pays for a big part of the computer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back