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How do you use your MacBook Pro?

My 17" comes to the studio with me, along with my MBA. I must admit, it's a lump to cart around. Most heavy lifting is done on my iMac, but my Pro is more than capable of stepping in if needs must.

I have no nicknames for my devices though....:D
 
I've used my MacBook for the past 5 years as a desktop essentially for 90% of the time. The only time it really got use was when I was back in college and taking it to the library. I never took it to class - pen and paper were way better for notes. The only reason I would take it to the library is because I would like to burrow into the stacks and crank out papers.

It's a major reason why I plan on probably building my own desktop for my next computer. I want to game more anyways.
 
When I don't use it to crank out papers or writing on my blog, I use it mostly for music production (nothing fancy, I am not a professional musician.) Hopefully it will also be able to run SWTOR when it gets released for OS X in about a year.
 
I had two MBPs in the past, a 2009 13" and a 2009 15"1.53GHZ. I kept the 13" for a week and took it back and exchanged for the 15". I kept it until December when I sold it and bought a 2010 MB.

I never really needed a MBP, I just bought one because it looked great and I loved the display. It was clearly overkill for what I used it for, iTunes and internet but then, I owned a Mac Pro in 2008 and used it for the same things. :D Sold it after a year and that's how I bought the MBP.

Much happier with the MB and it's display is so very close to being as nice as the MBPs was. I have a 24" Samsung HD monitor that I can use with it or my black MB.

Both of them are stay at home friends. :)
 
2011 MB Pro i7 - I use mine for just about everything. I travel all the time so I have movies on mine that I watch (I highly recommend getting a blu-ray convertor), I just got into Photo Editing about 4 months ago so I use Pixelmator which I think is 100x better than Photoshop and a ton cheaper. I use Apple Remote Desktop to maintain 2 remote locations, I do web design and program coding (beginner level - very new which is why you'll see me ask a ton of questions here), I do a little bit of video editing with Final Cut Pro X and of course work MS Office 2011, GoToMeeting and my company programs.
 
sazza85 said:
Do you use your MBP on your lap? or on a desk/hard surface?

Okay, so i have an early 2011 MBP, first one was faulty with overheating/shut down issues and for me, this one is still running uncomfortably hot for my liking (between 80-90 degrees).
Click to expand...

During note taking or other business related functions, your laptop should no way be this hot.

Playing games, streaming video with flash, etc. - yes... but my 2011 MBP runs at 42-45 c during normal operations.

I use my MBP for business and have no problem using it as a "laptop" when needed. Even streaming .avi and other recorded video formats is ok.

Try using smcfancontrol and set it to 3000 rpm BEFORE you work on stuff. Also, if you have to stream flash or silverlight, maximize the screen - for some reason the CPU utilization is much lower when the video is not windowed.

R
 
i actually use my base early 2011 13" mbp as a backup to my desktop mac mini. i luckilly got my mbp for $800 as a open box special at bestbuy. when the project i bought it for is finished ill use it more. i have lion on it but sl on my mini. ill put lion on the mini when imthrough with the project
 
lol, this showed up on my subscriptions list because I replied last May. Since then - I have started using it on my lap or on my bed frequently sans cooling pad. I don't seem to have any problems w/ it getting even close to too hot.
 
sazza85 said:
Do you use your MBP on your lap? or on a desk/hard surface?

Okay, so i have an early 2011 MBP, first one was faulty with overheating/shut down issues and for me, this one is still running uncomfortably hot for my liking (between 80-90 degrees). After taking it into Apple today about this and a few other problems. When discussing the heat 'issue' I was told that the macbook pro ranges are not designed for using on your lap, that they should be on a 'hard surface' due to the heat. Mind you apple's website does state that it should not be used on your lap for a 'prolonged period of time' - in my case it can reach 90 degrees 10mins after a cold boot up (is this prolonged?)

SO i'm just curious as to how others use theirs, cause i use mine at university, in auditoriums where 'hard surfaces' are not available and your only option is your lap!
Click to expand...

Why does it reach 90C in the first place? You must be doing something much more processor intensive than taking notes for it to get this warm. What are you running exactly?
 
I use mine mostly in bed or at school.. in the bed it doesn't get that hot.. my 13" did.. but now that i've gotten the 15" it's like the fans have more space to remove all the heat.
 
sazza85 said:
Do you use your MBP on your lap? or on a desk/hard surface?

Okay, so i have an early 2011 MBP, first one was faulty with overheating/shut down issues and for me, this one is still running uncomfortably hot for my liking (between 80-90 degrees). After taking it into Apple today about this and a few other problems. When discussing the heat 'issue' I was told that the macbook pro ranges are not designed for using on your lap, that they should be on a 'hard surface' due to the heat. Mind you apple's website does state that it should not be used on your lap for a 'prolonged period of time' - in my case it can reach 90 degrees 10mins after a cold boot up (is this prolonged?)

SO i'm just curious as to how others use theirs, cause i use mine at university, in auditoriums where 'hard surfaces' are not available and your only option is your lap!
Click to expand...

Ouch, don't be using it on your lap without a cushion or book or something in between if it's 90C. All that heat on your genital area can give you thrush.
 
Maybe the BookBook hard case is an option for you? It looks stylish and because it's quite thick, you can easily put it on your lap as a regular book. When you don't need your macbook, you can put it away in the case. No space waisted.

I use my 15" mbp on my desk, together with a 27" samsung screen. I use a cheap ikea laptop table or a serving tray when i want to chill on the couch.
 
My laptop never gets too hot for me to place on my lap. But then again, if it's on my lap, chances are I'm not doing anything important.

When I have real work to do I find a desk.
 
Watabou said:
I use it for mainly programming, playing a few games, going on reddit/macrumors/youtube, that kind of stuff. I take it to uni pretty much every day except the weekend so naturally it's got scratches, bumps, and scuffs. Hell, the dvd drive doesn't even work, the camera just stopped working for no reason and the graphics card has already fried once.

But still, it's been close to 4 years now that I've had this MBP and even though it's getting a bit elderly, I really love it to bits. :D
Click to expand...
It's a notebook, it's up to you maybe.
 
It's mainly my desktop replacement. I built a gaming computer and sold my MacBook but I recently bought back a 15" because I couldn't get away from the ecosystem.

I use it for school related stuff and the occasional game on boot camp. Nothing fancy.
 
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