MBP 15" 2.4ghz Penryn Review from a Windows Guy

[Sixtyin3]

Let's see, where do I start?

Build: It's the best built laptop I have ever owned, and it wasn't the most expensive. The aluminum casing, back-lit keyboard, magsafe power adaptor, magnetic latch and slot loading super drive are all VERY cool. I know these things seem to be prone to screen yellowing, but if this has it, it's VERY minor if its there at all. Overall it's build quality is great and it's features are great. EXCEPT! Maybe I can't count, but only 2 built in USB ports? WTF is that? I thought 3-4 was standard. Granted I usually only use 1-2 at a time max, but let's be honest, 3-4 would of been better for most, hubs can be a pain in the ass to carry around or lose.

OS X: With this being my first mac product, I had zero experience with mac. However, my desktop runs Ubuntu 7.10 most of the time with Avant and screenlets, so I was pretty used to the dock and widgets. OS X does so very cool stuff that windows does not, all the dragging to install stuff is great and simple, however why can't we have a simply uninstaller program? I guess I'm stuff in my window's days where I use Add\Remove to remove stuff or the app's built in uninstall. This kind of bothers since I feel like just deleting the app from the Applications folder leaves other files behind, it may not, but I keep thinking it will. I know there are 3rd party apps out there to take care of uninstalls, but why not include it? Also, I miss my task bar at the bottom. I like how when I minimize stuff it goes into the dock into a little preview, but if the app isn't minimized, I have to minimize everything thats on top of it to get back to it rather then just going to the task bar. I'm sure there is a better way to this, I just don't know how. I could write forever about OS X vs XP vs Ubuntu, but I won't, not yet. Maybe in another post I'll do that.

Apple Care: I bought the 3 year Applecare warranty and I think I'm glad I did on my $1800 notebook (student discount). Within the first 3 days, I had one key with a crack and one with a chip, not sure how that happened from typing, but they swapped the keys right out for me. Excellent customer service. Very happy with Apple right now.

Overall Pros and Cons:

Pros:
Excellent Design and build
OS X has many great features I don't even know about yet
Installing programs is so easy anyone can do it
Apple Customer Service has been great so far
VERY fast notebook, apps snap open
Excellent software bundle even if I needed to put on MS Office 2008 myself
I love the terminal

Cons:
App removals so far
Lack of a taskbar to cycle running apps
Only 2 USB ports

I may edit this and add more later, but thats it for now.

Steve

 

[snaky69]

Let's see, where do I start?

Build: It's the best built laptop I have ever owned, and it wasn't the most expensive. The aluminum casing, back-lit keyboard, magsafe power adaptor, magnetic latch and slot loading super drive are all VERY cool. I know these things seem to be prone to screen yellowing, but if this has it, it's VERY minor if its there at all. Overall it's build quality is great and it's features are great. EXCEPT! Maybe I can't count, but only 2 built in USB ports? WTF is that? I thought 3-4 was standard. Granted I usually only use 1-2 at a time max, but let's be honest, 3-4 would of been better for most, hubs can be a pain in the ass to carry around or lose.

OS X: With this being my first mac product, I had zero experience with mac. However, my desktop runs Ubuntu 7.10 most of the time with Avant and screenlets, so I was pretty used to the dock and widgets. OS X does so very cool stuff that windows does not, all the dragging to install stuff is great and simple, however why can't we have a simply uninstaller program? I guess I'm stuff in my window's days where I use Add\Remove to remove stuff or the app's built in uninstall. This kind of bothers since I feel like just deleting the app from the Applications folder leaves other files behind, it may not, but I keep thinking it will. I know there are 3rd party apps out there to take care of uninstalls, but why not include it? Also, I miss my task bar at the bottom. I like how when I minimize stuff it goes into the dock into a little preview, but if the app isn't minimized, I have to minimize everything thats on top of it to get back to it rather then just going to the task bar. I'm sure there is a better way to this, I just don't know how. I could write forever about OS X vs XP vs Ubuntu, but I won't, not yet. Maybe in another post I'll do that.

Apple Care: I bought the 3 year Applecare warranty and I think I'm glad I did on my $1800 notebook (student discount). Within the first 3 days, I had one key with a crack and one with a chip, not sure how that happened from typing, but they swapped the keys right out for me. Excellent customer service. Very happy with Apple right now.

Overall Pros and Cons:

Pros:
Excellent Design and build
OS X has many great features I don't even know about yet
Installing programs is so easy anyone can do it
Apple Customer Service has been great so far
VERY fast notebook, apps snap open
Excellent software bundle even if I needed to put on MS Office 2008 myself
I love the terminal

Cons:
App removals so far
Lack of a taskbar to cycle running apps
Only 2 USB ports

I may edit this and add more later, but thats it for now.

Steve

For your minimizing issue, use the f9 key, you'll be able to see all your windows at once and click on the one you want to see.

 

[design-is]

First off, congrats on your first mac! My first privately owned (rather than owned by employer) MBP is waiting for me at home after being delivered this morning cant wait!

<snip>

Cons:
App removals so far
Lack of a taskbar to cycle running apps
Only 2 USB ports

<snip>

Applications are relatively clean on OSX and what is left behind is almost always inconsequential. But if you want to be absolutely sure, as you said, there are third party tools that enable you to delve deeper.

To cycle through running applications, you can use apple+tab just like on Windows. You can also use the excellent 'Exposé' feature of OSX which many will agree is far superior to anything Windows has to offer. Look in system preferences for options on this. Setting up hot corners is a great way to improve work flow speed in conjunction with OSX's click and drag functionality if that applies to your usage.

MBP's offer additional firewire ports than normal for a laptop to better fit its target buyer at the expense of additional USB ports. Not right for everyone, but a nice addition in my opinion.

 

[scott9s]

Let's see, where do I start?


Cons:
App removals so far
Lack of a taskbar to cycle running apps
Only 2 USB ports

Steve

Take a look at the Witch program. You search witch os x

App Removals, look for top 100 apps for apple on google. I think there is a program called appcleaner or appfresh or something that assists with cleaning it out.

 

[matperk]

To cycle through running applications, you can use alt+tab just like on Windows.

It's command+tab, just so you don't get confused.

App Removals, look for top 100 apps for apple on google. I think there is a program called appcleaner or appfresh or something that assists with cleaning it out.

Appzapper is great. I use that. You can also use a program called x-slimmer to cut out the powerpc code from your apps, but I'm not so sure I trust that it wouldn't screw up the programs, so I leave them intact.

Also, to clear up initial space, use monolingual to get rid of all the extra languages in OS X.

 

[design-is]

It's command+tab, just so you don't get confused.

Whoops - yes. What he said

Changed to apple now. I always liked calling it the apple key more than command... lol

 

[sr5878]

appzapper is brilliant.



and as far as your taskbar woes... learn how to use expose. once you master it it will be your best friend. personally, i have the 'view all windows' command set to my scroll wheel button... sooooo quick. i wish i had a mighty mouse (sort of) so i'd have that fourth button... but whatevs.

 

[MascisMan]

Take a look at the Witch program. You search witch os x

App Removals, look for top 100 apps for apple on google. I think there is a program called appcleaner or appfresh or something that assists with cleaning it out.

+1 for Witch. Problem with Apple's standard Command+Tab switcher is that you cant switch through all open windows, only all open applications.

Witch lets you do it though.

 

[kolax]

OS X things I couldn't live without:

Expose (got mine set to top right of the screen triggers it)
Show Desktop (bottom right of the screen)
CMD+TAB
The Dock

The top of the list is: Spotlight (CMD+Space)
I couldn't live without this, I use it all the time when I want to open a Document or Application. Just a useful tool.

 

[e12a]

I agree, spotlight is a wonder to use. I am a student and when studying for finals and need to look up a specific term in a multitude of power point presentations and notes, it finds the particular word within the presentation quickly and painlessly. Its amazing.

 

[Live in 3D]

Coming from Windows the uninstall thing bugged me at first too but now that I understand what is actually going on when a program installs/uninstalls I don't worry about it anymore.

I mistakenly assumed that dragging an icon into the application folder triggered some behind the scenes install process like in Windows where the app's support files were copied all over the place. Therefore when I uninstalled a program by dragging it into the trash it felt like all I was doing was deleting the "shortcut" to the program.

For example, after I install firefox in windows, I can go to the c:\program files\mozilla\firefox folder and see pretty much all the files necessary to run the program, yet in OS X I couldn't find anything like that. Well it turns out that Macs handle apps in a really cool way.

Turns out the app icons that you copy over or put in the trash are actually folders that contain everything necessary to run the program itself, but Macs just present them to you as an clickable application icon. You can see this for yourself by opening the applications folder in finder, select an application icon, right-click or control-click it and select the "Show Package Contents" option.

You are now seeing the actual contents of the application itself just like going to c:\program files\application name\ in Windows, except OS X is smart enough to keep all the files contained inside the "icon" rather than spread out all over the hard drive. So when you drag the app icon to the trash you actually are removing all of its files, the main exception being some settings files that are kept in a separate folder incase you decide to reinstall the program later.

On a side note I recently switched from Windows to Mac and I highly recommend the Mac OS X Leopard Missing Manual book. It has really showed me how amazing OS X is and taught me some invaluable power user tips that i would not have learned in years of use. It is also where I learned what application icons are.

 

[alphaod]

Use AppZapper to remove the apps.

 

[vincebio]

I'm sure there is a better way to this, I just don't know how.

CMD H

hides any app you want and just use CMD Tab to toggle thru your apps and unhide the one you want...very easy...keeps your apps running in the background and keeps your space clean

im totally amazed at the amount of people that dont know about this that use OS X...you do have an excuse though

 

[Macmel]

Coming from Windows the uninstall thing bugged me at first too but now that I understand what is actually going on when a program installs/uninstalls I don't worry about it anymore.

I mistakenly assumed that dragging an icon into the application folder triggered some behind the scenes install process like in Windows where the app's support files were copied all over the place. Therefore when I uninstalled a program by dragging it into the trash it felt like all I was doing was deleting the "shortcut" to the program.

For example, after I install firefox in windows, I can go to the c:\program files\mozilla\firefox folder and see pretty much all the files necessary to run the program, yet in OS X I couldn't find anything like that. Well it turns out that Macs handle apps in a really cool way.

Turns out the app icons that you copy over or put in the trash are actually folders that contain everything necessary to run the program itself, but Macs just present them to you as an clickable application icon. You can see this for yourself by opening the applications folder in finder, select an application icon, right-click or control-click it and select the "Show Package Contents" option.

You are now seeing the actual contents of the application itself just like going to c:\program files\application name\ in Windows, except OS X is smart enough to keep all the files contained inside the "icon" rather than spread out all over the hard drive. So when you drag the app icon to the trash you actually are removing all of its files, the main exception being some settings files that are kept in a separate folder incase you decide to reinstall the program later.

On a side note I recently switched from Windows to Mac and I highly recommend the Mac OS X Leopard Missing Manual book. It has really showed me how amazing OS X is and taught me some invaluable power user tips that i would not have learned in years of use. It is also where I learned what application icons are.

This applies, as far as I understand, to the so-called "installation packages". This is especially true for Mac-specific applications, but some third party applications are installed in a way very similar to windows, leaving some crap behind if you just drag the application folder to the trash. That's the reason why they developed these small programs like Appdelete and others already mentioned.

 

[puke]

There are many Great programs for OS X and one of my favourites is the program called Quicksilver. Instant searching your whole computer and all drives attached. Also its hany and easy, you can do whatever you want with a file.

For example; search for a file... You find the file you need, (what do you want to do with the file?) Open it? With what? Quicksilver gives you an automatic list of all programs on your computer you can open the file with and you just press the arrows to get the right program.

Amazing program, try it and you will love it. Set it up properly tho, can be alittle tricky.

TIP: Pref > Appearance > Command Interface = Bezel!

 

[akm3]

It's command+tab, just so you don't get confused.




Appzapper is great. I use that. You can also use a program called x-slimmer to cut out the powerpc code from your apps, but I'm not so sure I trust that it wouldn't screw up the programs, so I leave them intact.

Also, to clear up initial space, use monolingual to get rid of all the extra languages in OS X.

I've used Xslimmer and find it awesome, and it also gets rid of languages for you. It didn't trash my system at all, and I recommend it. Of course I've only ever had one Mac and it's a lowly Mac Mini so take that with a grain of Apple Salt.

 

[EvryDayImShufln]

Also, incase nobody mentioned it, go to your system preferences and activate exposee and assign hotkeys or "corners" (you'll see what I'm talking about if you go activate it). I wont describe it all in here, but its very useful for managing your open windows.

 

[TEG]

Let's see, where do I start?
Overall Pros and Cons:

Pros:
Excellent Design and build
OS X has many great features I don't even know about yet
Installing programs is so easy anyone can do it
Apple Customer Service has been great so far
VERY fast notebook, apps snap open
Excellent software bundle even if I needed to put on MS Office 2008 myself
I love the terminal

Cons:
App removals so far
Lack of a taskbar to cycle running apps
Only 2 USB ports

I may edit this and add more later, but thats it for now.

Steve

All running Apps are in the Dock or Command-Tab to switch between apps, and Command-` to switch between windows in an app.
To Remove an App, drag it to the trash.
How hard is it to have a $5 hub? Plus most things you want should be Bluetooth.

TEG

 

[Sixtyin3]

Expose is awesome! Thanks guys, just what I was looking for!

 

[andrewdale]

Command-` to switch between windows in an app.

I'm glad someone put this in there, because I just figured this out a few days ago.

Switching between windows in an application is the tool I use ALL the time. Like having multiple Firefox windows open along with multiple chat windows. Yes. Command-` will save your life.