Well, the "er, duh" is that they actually made the damned thing for sale. It really cooks. It's like making a car without a radiator. Poor design.
These Apples are no where near as bad as that.
Duh!
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My First MacBook Experience -- A First Timers Review So Far
- Thread starter WannaGoMac
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Well, the "er, duh" is that they actually made the damned thing for sale. It really cooks. It's like making a car without a radiator. Poor design.
These Apples are no where near as bad as that.
Duh!
They are very application-specific. No one bought one of these with a view to everyday laptopping. They are in effect true transportable desktops. Duh right back atcha.
As previously mentioned, the font smoothing can be tamed by selecting the 'light' setting. You will have to restart your app to be able to see the difference it makes for some reason. If I make the change on my machine nothing happens in Safari unless I do a full CMD-Q and restart it, then the font settings are visible. The light setting looks much more like Windows ClearType to me, right the way down to the colour shimmering that appears around the characters which doesn't happen with the auto setting on my iBook.
Heat on MacBooks and MacBook Pros can be tamed using FanControl. My 1st Gen MBP is perfectly comfortable to use on my lap for extended periods as a result of this.
Heat on MacBooks and MacBook Pros can be tamed using FanControl. My 1st Gen MBP is perfectly comfortable to use on my lap for extended periods as a result of this.
I am REALLY surprised you have so many issues with MacBooks!
Font smoothing: people either think its blurry, or they love it. Personally, I love it - no pixelated corners of letters and numbers, looks bigger than in Win, which is good for me because cant see details if the object is far from me.
Heat: its hotter than some laptops with comparible specs because it makes less noise and is much thinner. The Core Duo MacBooks (and Pros) were MUCH hotter, because they had their fans spinning at 2x slower speed.
If you dont like the temps, install smcfancontrol and set minimum fan speed for you MacBook.
Weight: its NOT heavy. Compare a laptop in the same price range and with the same display size. They are about the same (for example Sony Vaio - the model that comes in different colors with 13" screen)
Weight distribution: the weight distribution in Mac laptops is one of the best I've ever seen. Its very even. On most other laptops, even on Vaios the most weight is above the keyboard.
P.S.: can you point me to a laptop in the same price range, with beautiful design, so thin, with same specs and the IMO best OS on the planet? Thank you.
Do you think that there is an issue with heat and Apples?
I let my MBP manage heat. Should I install that fan control option?
If your C2D Macbook is so hot that you can't have it on your lap, then there's something seriously wrong with it.
Under normal usage (web browsing, etc), mine never goes over about 60C regardless of where the laptop is - on a table, on my lap, on a bed. At this temperature it's only slightly warm to the touch.
Right now it's on 100% CPU, and is at 74C. It's warm underneath, but I certainly wouldn't call it hot (or unbearable, or anything else that people describe them as). I can very comfortably use it on my lap like this.
Under normal usage (web browsing, etc), mine never goes over about 60C regardless of where the laptop is - on a table, on my lap, on a bed. At this temperature it's only slightly warm to the touch.
Right now it's on 100% CPU, and is at 74C. It's warm underneath, but I certainly wouldn't call it hot (or unbearable, or anything else that people describe them as). I can very comfortably use it on my lap like this.
The only problem is from a lap-usability standpoint. Your thighs get pretty damn hot. But the computer itself should be fine. It was designed to operate at those temps.
Edit...seanneko beat me to it...
Weight Distribution -- IMHO you're wrong. ALL the weight in towards the back of the unit. It is like an anchor practically.... you're probably just used to it.
Other laptops -- well, i don't see why you think they are so beautiful. They are kinda dull and boring looking as the design is quite old. How about the Thinkpad ultraportables for less money and more power? 7200RPM, C2d etc. You got me on OS X, but that's cause Apple won't sell it without their limited hardware selection.
Heat & Weight -- already discussed above. It is hotter and heavier than most other current models. This unit is just a very old design now.
Font smoothing -- also already discussed. On screen view ability is just not as good.
omg bff jill. Who gives a crap? Because its newer make it worse? That doesn't make any sense - all you're saying is that Apple is lazy for not updating the line to keep up with its competition.
No, what he's saying is that companies will update at different times, which means that today company A might look bad next to company B, but two weeks later, the roles could be reversed.
Not if you don't mind buying replacement parts for overcooked PVC and other plastics in the near future.
Apply heat regularly to plastics over a period of time and predict the physical results. I keep my MBP temps in the 40 to 48 deg. Celsius spot. Fan control and proper ventilation will go a long way towards staying running. Or i am a 'nut_bar' and someone will try to dispute me here and claim that running their cores at 98.c.+ degrees will have no detrimental side-effects, based upon current understanding of thermodynamics and promises from the OEM.
What you must not forget when comparing apples hardware offerings to general pcs is that you are comparing one manufacturer to a couple of manufacturers. If we'd compare just sonys or lenovos or whatever to any other pc manufacturer of course we would also find better alternatives. If apple wanted to offer equal machines to any other computer company they would have to release a new revision of their machines every 2 weeks.
And leaving the hardware specs out of sight, I think most will agree that design wise apples machines are the most beautiful computers on the market. And it takes longer to design a pretty case than it takes to just wrap everything in black plastic. I can understand why apple will not leave this route, after all the first iMac G3 (the first computer that actually deserved the term beautiful) is more or less what saved them back in the day.
But I agree that they did far more with their machines back in the G3/G4 days. For example every revision of the G4 PowerMacs looked a little bit different, the G5s didn't and now even the Mac Pros look the same as the G5s. On the laptop front the titanium pb G4 was the first really thin laptop, others at that time had almost twice the height.
And leaving the hardware specs out of sight, I think most will agree that design wise apples machines are the most beautiful computers on the market. And it takes longer to design a pretty case than it takes to just wrap everything in black plastic. I can understand why apple will not leave this route, after all the first iMac G3 (the first computer that actually deserved the term beautiful) is more or less what saved them back in the day.
But I agree that they did far more with their machines back in the G3/G4 days. For example every revision of the G4 PowerMacs looked a little bit different, the G5s didn't and now even the Mac Pros look the same as the G5s. On the laptop front the titanium pb G4 was the first really thin laptop, others at that time had almost twice the height.
Are you talking about weight distribution with the screen open or closed? with the screen closed i find the weight is very evenly distributed, the center of gravity is right in the center (i do have an older model though).
The font smoothing I love, it took a little getting used to but now I can't stand the fonts in windows.
I agree that the heat and weight could be better though!
I was just in XP for a couple of hours before switching back over to Mac OS X.
The font rendering in Windows literally gives me a headache. I'm going to have to finally lay down here in a minute because my head hurts from the way the fonts are rendered in Windows.
The fonts in Windows are just flat out ugly. Even with "Cleartype" on, the fonts are full of rough edges, pixelized, too thin, and just all around ugly. From the first moment I started using OS X months ago, I couldn't believe how much better and more readable fonts were.
Now I can't use Windows in a way that involves reading fonts because it literally gives me a headache from my eyes straining to read such ugly text.
I refuse to run Windows inside of OS X in Parallels or VMWare Fusion just because I don't want to have such ugly text mixed in with OS X's font rendering.
Yes I am completely serious. I dislike Windows font rendering that much.
For weight distribution.... To me, the Mac has all of its weigh distributed evenly. You need to hold an HP dv series laptop if you want to feel uneven weight. Its all concentrated in the back because of the slanted design and hump.
Temperature wise, the MacBook does get warm. But no hotter than other Core 2 Duo systems. My HP dv6000t has a Core 2 Duo T5300 in it, as well as an exhaust fan pulling air UP away from the bottom and out the back, and an extra half an inch of thickness in the area where the CPU is, and it gets just as hot as the MacBook does on my lap. But the front end gets even warmer because, for some strange reason, the hard drive on the HP runs extremely hot and its pushed out the bottom in a way and only protected by plastic.
The only bad thing about the MacBook is that it doesn't have a dedicated GPU.
The font rendering in Windows literally gives me a headache. I'm going to have to finally lay down here in a minute because my head hurts from the way the fonts are rendered in Windows.
The fonts in Windows are just flat out ugly. Even with "Cleartype" on, the fonts are full of rough edges, pixelized, too thin, and just all around ugly. From the first moment I started using OS X months ago, I couldn't believe how much better and more readable fonts were.
Now I can't use Windows in a way that involves reading fonts because it literally gives me a headache from my eyes straining to read such ugly text.
I refuse to run Windows inside of OS X in Parallels or VMWare Fusion just because I don't want to have such ugly text mixed in with OS X's font rendering.
Yes I am completely serious. I dislike Windows font rendering that much.
For weight distribution.... To me, the Mac has all of its weigh distributed evenly. You need to hold an HP dv series laptop if you want to feel uneven weight. Its all concentrated in the back because of the slanted design and hump.
Temperature wise, the MacBook does get warm. But no hotter than other Core 2 Duo systems. My HP dv6000t has a Core 2 Duo T5300 in it, as well as an exhaust fan pulling air UP away from the bottom and out the back, and an extra half an inch of thickness in the area where the CPU is, and it gets just as hot as the MacBook does on my lap. But the front end gets even warmer because, for some strange reason, the hard drive on the HP runs extremely hot and its pushed out the bottom in a way and only protected by plastic.
The only bad thing about the MacBook is that it doesn't have a dedicated GPU.
Thank you for the criticism. I am aware of your - and others - issues with my 'problem'.
I do try my best to be accurate, and do make a point of speaking from applicable personal experience. Any "arrogance" or "rudeness" from my side - and I don't deny that some of my posts may appear so depending on your point of view - will be the result of half-truths or inaccuracies bandied about by those who have less of an idea what they're taking about. Well - either that, or a bad lunch.
And I should, I know, for the sake of online etiquette be a little more conciliatory, but I may not feel the need to dip it in platitudes and instead call it like it is, given the almost-certain outcome of the response no matter how it is sugar-coated. English is not my first language, so perhaps I spend a little more time than many native speakers in composing a response - therefore I would be happier with less typing to outline my views on a given subject. This might explain my brevity on certain occasions.
Put it another way. I am generally an efficient person and I might feel that it is in some ways better to go:
[personal 'opinion' coloured by fanboyism] - [researchable fact delivered with a degree of impact] - [**** you] - [well **** you too]
than
[personal 'opinion'] - [I feel that you...] - [more personal 'opinion'] - [it may seem to be...] - [an irate response with more personal 'opinion'] - [I really do think that you...] - [**** you] - [Maybe I should have explained...] - [**** you with even more personal 'opinion', or a graceless exit from the thread].
But on the whole you know, I'm just here to shoot the breeze - and of course, to say what I think. As should be amply apparent, consideration for 'online cred' is not a factor when I compose my posts.
Dream on.
Yet the timeframe over the past few years indicates a new Macbook coming soon is very likely.
Text rendering problems
Never heard that one before.. Maybe your eyes need a software upgrade. lol
Never heard that one before.. Maybe your eyes need a software upgrade. lol
Text rendering problems
Never heard that one before.. Maybe your eyes need a software upgrade. lol
Nope. I just prefer clear type over the stuff in OS X.
Sesshi, your English is very strong if you are truly not a native English speaker.
However, it does explain quite a bit of your verbosity! I understand what you mean when you say you'd rather just "tell it like it is", but there are ways to do such a thing without degrading others. It would be unfair of anyone to request that you "sugar-coat" your responses, but not going out of your way to hurt the feelings of others is a good start. The internet is real life, and we have an obligation to the people we converse with on it.Anyway, very sorry that I interrupted this discussion!
Sesshi, your English is very strong if you are truly not a native English speaker.
Anyway, very sorry that I interrupted this discussion!
You would be absolutely right if there is an equal amount of give and take in that regard. While the forum is here for all things Apple, among many people - who might otherwise be perfectly reasonable individuals - there is a fairly uncompromising attitude as far as their nailed-down / born-again responses go. On the occasions when those around you are effectively being the 'whiter than thou' supremacists of the technology world - and you understand I'm exaggerating somewhat there - and if you want to say something, the efficacy of trying to be extremely sensitive when formulating a response is questionable. I'm sure such an approach does yield results eventually, but I have to say it's not always my style.
I also apologise for interrupting the flow of this thread and return it to normal business.
So Sesshi, you are basically saying you are annoyed by fanboys.
While that is perfectly understandable, especially from someone with such widespread technology knowhow like you, I guess a certain degree of fanboyism has to be expected on every company/brand xy related forum. You wouldn't go to a Mercedes forum bragging about the advantages of BMWs without expecting a reaction, be it reasonable or unreasonable.
Furthermore, most stuff that is discussed between OS X and Windows comes down to personal preference, a good example is the discussion of the readability of type above. Some prefer it this way, others don't, and saying that Cleartype is superior just doesn't apply to every user imo. Maybe it is for you, maybe it is for WannaGoMac, maybe it isn't for mosx and me.
Apart from personal preference it is also a matter of what you are used to in many cases.
I'm also no native english speaker and sometimes I have difficulties to express what I mean. I appreciate your knowledge in terms of technology which I'm sure is way bigger than mine, it's just that sometimes I can't agree from my personal experience.
I just wanted to add that and now I'll join in apologizing for bringing this thread off-topic.
While that is perfectly understandable, especially from someone with such widespread technology knowhow like you, I guess a certain degree of fanboyism has to be expected on every company/brand xy related forum. You wouldn't go to a Mercedes forum bragging about the advantages of BMWs without expecting a reaction, be it reasonable or unreasonable.
Furthermore, most stuff that is discussed between OS X and Windows comes down to personal preference, a good example is the discussion of the readability of type above. Some prefer it this way, others don't, and saying that Cleartype is superior just doesn't apply to every user imo. Maybe it is for you, maybe it is for WannaGoMac, maybe it isn't for mosx and me.
Apart from personal preference it is also a matter of what you are used to in many cases.
I'm also no native english speaker and sometimes I have difficulties to express what I mean. I appreciate your knowledge in terms of technology which I'm sure is way bigger than mine, it's just that sometimes I can't agree from my personal experience.
I just wanted to add that and now I'll join in apologizing for bringing this thread off-topic.
As an owner of a MB and MBP I agree that the MB gets way too hot to use comfortably in one's lap, even when just web browsing.
I haven't seen this mentioned...
http://www.tuaw.com/2006/06/05/support-doc-macbook-may-run-warm-because-rear-vent-is-blocked/
And... "The bottom of your Apple portable may become very warm during normal use. If the computer is on your lap and gets uncomfortably warm, remove it from your lap and place it on a stable surface..." from...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=30612
As Sesshi says, "er, duh!"