Macbook pro dissapointment

[supmansa]

I'm rather disappointed in the new unibody Macbook Pro 15" :

- Sound, Trackpad right click and built in iSight doesn"t work in Windows. No drivers either.

- I bought a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter at what I thought was a complete ripoff, only to find that in MAC OSX my external screen appears unacceptably blurry (although pin sharp when plugged in to any of my other workstations)

- Mini Displayport to VGA doesnt work on Windows at all!! Just a blank screen.

- Aluminium casing scratches ridiculously easy.

- Keyboard kind of sucks - keys too far apart.

- Only 2 USB ports - how am I supposed to use this machine to be productive - think external usb HD, external mouse / keyboard, and external 3G modem.

I'm happy to pay top dollar for a machine that is worth it's salt, but come on, these are faults you expect on a consumer level machine, not a pro machine with a price tag of $2,400 !!

Mac - it just works. I don't think so.

 

[BlackiBook]

Return it and get the consumer PC... not that hard buddy!


if you cant return it then sell it and buy a consumer PC...

 

[Surely]

That sucks that you're disappointed, dude.

I can't speak for all of your issues (I'm sure there are fixes for them though), but I can tell you that you will get used to the keyboard. I thought the same thing when I first bought my MacBook 2 years ago, but I got used to it pretty quickly.

Also, I can't seem to figure out where more USB ports would even go...... where would they fit?

 

[Ann P]

Sorry I guess it's not for you. Return it within the 14-day policy. Seems like you'll be better off with a PC anyway.

 

[supmansa]

Been using both Macs and PCS for a while as I am a software developer.

From a developers point of view -having 2 or more usb ports (or at least the option of a docking station) is important.

One of the primary reasons for purchasing a mac was the ability to seamlessly run Windows and OSX together. This does not work as advertised.

Furthermore, I can't replace the battery when on extended trips. Once again something you expect on consumer grade machines, not prosumer grade machines.

THis has nothing to do with PC vs MAC, it's valid criticisms, period.

 

[mrsir2009]

Sorry I guess it's not for you. Return it within the 14-day policy. Seems like you'll be better off with a PC anyway.

Yes, and if your using external modems and external HDs and external mouse and keyboard why are you using a laptop

 

[mrsir2009]

Been using both Macs and PCS for a while as I am a software developer.

From a developers point of view -having 2 or more usb ports (or at least the option of a docking station) is important.

One of the primary reasons for purchasing a mac was the ability to seamlessly run Windows and OSX together. This does not work as advertised.

Furthermore, I can't replace the battery when on extended trips. Once again something you expect on consumer grade machines, not prosumer grade machines.

THis has nothing to do with PC vs MAC, it's valid criticisms, period.

I'm sure you already know this, but the reason why you can't remove the battery is because Apple made the battery bigger and more long lasting by taking away the ability to remove it. So its either extended battery life via a bigger battery or a smaller battery that you can replace... Apple chose the first option, and most are fine with it. Though if your not fine with it Windows PCs are always there

 

[BlackiBook]

Been using both Macs and PCS for a while as I am a software developer.

From a developers point of view -having 2 or more usb ports (or at least the option of a docking station) is important.

One of the primary reasons for purchasing a mac was the ability to seamlessly run Windows and OSX together. This does not work as advertised.

Furthermore, I can't replace the battery when on extended trips. Once again something you expect on consumer grade machines, not prosumer grade machines.

THis has nothing to do with PC vs MAC, it's valid criticisms, period.

Well Windows works pretty much perfectly on my computer, maybe yours was set up wrong?

When you are using the USB ports you would already 1) have them on your desk 2) carry them with you, so is a usb hub that big of a deal?

No when I purchased this MBP I knew that it didn't have a removable battery so I didn't expect to be able to change the battery. You should have realized this also. I am happy with 6 hours of battery life on one charge instead of changing out a battery and getting 6 hours on two batteries...

 

[Matthew Yohe]

- Sound, Trackpad right click and built in iSight doesn"t work in Windows. No drivers either.

You certain about that? Did you install the boot camp drivers from the DVD? If you're using Windows 7, then that isn't currently supported, not until January.

- I bought a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter at what I thought was a complete ripoff, only to find that in MAC OSX my external screen appears unacceptably blurry (although pin sharp when plugged in to any of my other workstations)

Did you adjust the resolution? System Preferences > Displays

- Mini Displayport to VGA doesnt work on Windows at all!! Just a blank screen.

Drivers...

- Aluminium casing scratches ridiculously easy.

What are you doing to it?

- Keyboard kind of sucks - keys too far apart.

You're actually wrong. The difference is there isn't huge mushy keys. There IS space between the keys, but the area on the key is the same for any standard full size keyboard. Measure them yourself.

- Only 2 USB ports - how am I supposed to use this machine to be productive - think external usb HD, external mouse / keyboard, and external 3G modem.

Well, since you have a fullsize keyboard, not sure why you need that. Your mac does have bluetooth on board, which you don't need a dongle for, so any keyboard or mouse you would need would work perfectly over bluetooth, leaving two USB ports free. You could get a firewire hard drive (which will transfer faster than USB) and you'll STILL have two USB jacks free.

I'm happy to pay top dollar for a machine that is worth it's salt, but come on, these are faults you expect on a consumer level machine, not a pro machine with a price tag of $2,400 !!

Mac - it just works. I don't think so.

May want to reconsider this after you go over what I said.

 

[Matthew Yohe]

One of the primary reasons for purchasing a mac was the ability to seamlessly run Windows and OSX together. This does not work as advertised.

Have you tried virtualizing Windows? That works well for many many people, and you don't have to reboot. Try VMWare Fusion, or Parallels. Or you can even try VirtualBox for free.

Furthermore, I can't replace the battery when on extended trips. Once again something you expect on consumer grade machines, not prosumer grade machines.

This is a false argument. If you knew this, you were making a mistake in buying the machine. If you didn't, you didn't do your research.

The reason behind this is because the majority of people (>95%) don't change out multiple batteries, and those who do, they do a little Googling and find that external batteries exist for the MacBook, for exactly these people.

THis has nothing to do with PC vs MAC, it's valid criticisms, period.

Still failing to be valid...

 

[mrsir2009]

You certain about that? Did you install the boot camp drivers from the DVD? If you're using Windows 7, then that isn't currently supported, not until January.



Did you adjust the resolution? System Preferences > Displays



Drivers...



What are you doing to it?



You're actually wrong. The difference is there isn't huge mushy keys. There IS space between the keys, but the area on the key is the same for any standard full size keyboard. Measure them yourself.



Well, since you have a fullsize keyboard, not sure why you need that. Your mac does have bluetooth on board, which you don't need a dongle for, so any keyboard or mouse you would need would work perfectly over bluetooth, leaving two USB ports free. You could get a firewire hard drive (which will transfer faster than USB) and you'll STILL have two USB jacks free.





May want to reconsider this after you go over what I said.

I'll have to agree with you on all that

 

[Greg K]

I'm also a software developer. I have an older 3rd gen MBP.

If you want to run Windows and Mac OS X concurrently you have to run OS X as the host as you can't virtualise it.

Install VirtualBox on OS X and run a Windows VM. I have three flavours of Windows installed for testing (XP, Vista and 7) with a ubuntu VM running as my dev server - this eats quite a lot of RAM though, 4GB minimum for 2 VMs or more.

I have an external USB hub at home - at work my MS kb and mouse plug into just 1 USB slot. Leaving one free to charge my iPhone or swap that out for another USB device.

External monitor was a pain at first (I started with Windows Vista on bootcamp), I had to use a DVI to VGA cable to connect to a second monitor. Now I run OS X it's no longer an issue.

 

[supmansa]

Any advice on how to get my external LCD to work in Windows 7?

re: Virtual machine : I use latest version of Parallels, and it doesn't handle Visual Studio too well. It keeps on crashing whenever I open a new project.

Through bootcamp it runs fine, but then I don't have right-click or sound or aero...

Any ideas on how to get sound and right click to work in Windows 7?

 

[fps]

Firstly you buy a $2400 laptop without checking it has everything you need incl. a keyboard you like?!?!
Secondly you obviously have no clue about to use OS X in general (which is ok if you don't start talking rubbish in a Mac forum).
Thirdly I'm pretty sure Windows XP has all the necessary drivers for Bootcamp (if you use Windows 7 then it's not officially supported although it works quite well but some things may not be fully supported).
And finally you're one of these people who get a laptop and take no care of it as in chuck it in a bag without a protection sleeve and expect it to remain pristine!!!
F*** me I just waisted 5 mins to answer that...

 

[NSK123]

the OP obviously isn't too bright.. The Mini DisplayPort works fine, I had the same issue with a blurry screen when I plugged in my 24" samsung display.. All it takes is for YOU to fiddle just a little bit with the settings.

As I said I had the same issue and I found the solution pretty fast on apples site. Of course it's not plug'n'play and you should know that when dealing with running an external monitor. Just select the right settings and close the lid and it should display a razorsharp image on your external display. It's been 4 month since I've used mine so I can't really remember the exact steps but as I said there's an easy guide on apples support site.

- The keyboard - is a chicklet keyboard and everyone knows that macs have had them for years.. If you hate it why did you buy a macbook?

- Alu scratching? - Everything can get scratched if you treat it like garbage.

- Only two usb ports? - I agree.. More would be good but it's not hard to get a small usb hub.

Mac - it just works - If You're Not Totally Retarded.

 

[supmansa]

Oh the fanboys in full defense, to be expected I suppose I mean how dare you criticise anything Mac, it is just perfect.

 

[klee1987]

Oh the fanboys in full defense, to be expected I suppose I mean how dare you criticise anything Mac, it is just perfect.

I'm not a fanboy....but shouldn't you do some research before dropping $2400 on it???

Just my $0.02

 

[supmansa]

the OP obviously isn't too bright..

And fanboy doesn't like his piece of mac perfection being criticised. Is this getting personal for you? Ha. Good chuckle then. If I worked up some people it's a good thing cause it means the truth is causing a stir. If it wasnt true it wouldn't bother anyone.

As I said I had the same issue and I found the solution pretty fast on apples site. Of course it's not plug'n'play and you should know that when dealing with running an external monitor. Just select the right settings and close the lid and it should display a razorsharp image on your external display. It's been 4 month since I've used mine so I can't really remember the exact steps but as I said there's an easy guide on apples support site.

And so did I, the trick is to not select use mirror settings and use your display specific resolution. Problem is, although this is an improvement, it's still blurry. Unacceptable. Google it, you'll see it's common problem.

- The keyboard - is a chicklet keyboard and everyone knows that macs have had them for years.. If you hate it why did you buy a macbook?

Iphone development, if there was something better than macbook that runs OSX I would buy it.

- Alu scratching? - Everything can get scratched if you treat it like garbage.

Barely a week old, I put it in neoprene cover, treat it very well. Come on scratches in 1 week and I don't even carry it around. Looks good but impractical.

Enough said. Fanboy flame on, this is a mac err fanboy forum after all.

 

[supmansa]

I'm not a fanboy....but shouldn't you do some research before dropping $2400 on it???

Just my $0.02

I did reasearch pretty good. All the reviews say you can run Windows 7 on it and all other windows fine. All reviews focus on lack of removable battery and lack of USB ports which I knew about, but guess what there's no other choice if you want a mobile web development platform for both mac and windows.

Just because I have valid criticisms doesnt mean I must stay away from Apple? I mean wtf, fanboy peanut gallery. These are valid criticisms Im putting them out there in the hope that they will be addressed.

Reviews aplenty. What they do tell you you cant remove the battery and the usb ports, which I knew about and there's livable workarounds. Still it's a prosumer laptop. IBM thinkpad, Sony Vaios might not come close in the looks and style department, but they at least allow you to expand through a docking station. And you know that if you plug in an external monitor you won't have any problems.

Similarly, when I buy a $2400 laptop I expect the external lcd display to be pin sharp, and more importantly I expect it to work.

I'm not going to google will external monitor work, cause it's damn right supposed to work!

 

[harperjones99]

Man I get you as I too don't think they rate the premium and while I like some things about the 15" MBP I would be able to stomach them better if it were not double the cost of a PC...but the keyboard thing jumped out at me...as has been pointed out the keys are not farther apart...they just have a flat space between them rather than the sloping older style. Take calipers to one if you don't believe it. Your eyes and brain are creating this issue it's not real.

Yeah there are loads of fanboys here but you can't expect people to back you up when you are so far off base on some things and rant like a hater at the other end of the spectrum. I know you think you are being reasonable but your comments do not sound reasonable to an objective person.

 

[Corrode]

Iphone development, if there was something better than macbook that runs OSX I would buy it.

I believe it's called an iMac.

Enough said. Fanboy flame on, this is a mac err fanboy forum after all.

You come on to a Mac forum asking for help/whining about your obviously poorly researched purchase, are offered help by the (mostly) nice people on this board, and then you toss around the word "fanboy" at every person that disagrees with you.

Did you even purchase the MBP, or did you just come on here to troll your way into an argument with Apple "fanboys"? You got your help, now move along and quit being such a douche.

 

[NSK123]

I'm not a fanboy.. I can criticize the macbook just as much.. I have a hackintoshed netbook.. And I've had the Alu macbook 13" for 6 month with a contour case, And I've only managed to put a 1 milimeter scratch on it. Everything gets scratch it all depends on how you treat it. people love apple products because of the friggin BUILT QUALITY.. Try comparing some of those plastic Acer Laptops with the macbook... Not really a competition uhh?

I think you should get another laptop with OSX compatible hardware and use some of the hackintosh solutions out there.

or you could just get the Mac Mini? works with an external display..

 

[AaronX]

If you honestly think the keys are further apart and you still work with computers, your credibility is going down the drain...

 

[supmansa]

Fact still stands : when I buy a $2400 laptop I expect the external lcd display to be pin sharp, and more importantly I expect it to work.

 

[cholywell]

I'm rather disappointed in the new unibody Macbook Pro 15"

Send it to me I would love one.