Before I bought my new unibody MBP 17" I read all the threads on this forum about it. I was concerned about the reported display issues and some of the other reports of defective machines. I spent about 30 minutes at the Apple store (Ann Arbor, MI) setting up a comparison of the displays for the 15" and 17". I couldn't see any obvious difference, so I bought one.
I could not be happier with this laptop. The display is spectacular. Colors are more vibrant than on the late 2008 17" MBP (my last machine). It's interesting to see as I browse the usual web sites that the colors used for text and images are brighter and have more subtle differences than was apparent before. I'd guess that a lot of the web sites are developed with desktop monitors that have wider color gamuts than most laptops. I believe it when Apple claims the color gamut on the UMBP 17" is 60 % greater than the previous model.
Regarding brightness, I don't see any obvious difference between the new UMBP and the late 2008 17" MBP that I used previously. I set them up next to each other on my desk and did a direct comparison (same desktop, full brightness, auto-dimming off, same gamma, etc.). The colors are clearly better in the UMBP, but the brightness is the same for both.
So far, it runs cooler than the late 2008 model.
Upgraded it with a Western Digital 500 GB drive. The ugrade is easy, and the drive is essentially silent. I've upgraded about 15 of the MBPs with new hard drives, and one of the tricks I learned is to make sure that the drive is firmly seated in the rubber grommets, and that the retaining bar is tight and does not crimp the grommets. I think some of the reports of noisy drives may be a result of not-quite-properly seated installations.
Build quality is the best I've seen in a laptop, and I've owned quite a few over the years.
I have no doubt that many of the issues raised in other threads are real. All I can say is that a new 17" UMBP purchased yesterday had no problems. If you're thinking about getting one, don't be afraid to - the 17" UMBP is in a class by itself.
I could not be happier with this laptop. The display is spectacular. Colors are more vibrant than on the late 2008 17" MBP (my last machine). It's interesting to see as I browse the usual web sites that the colors used for text and images are brighter and have more subtle differences than was apparent before. I'd guess that a lot of the web sites are developed with desktop monitors that have wider color gamuts than most laptops. I believe it when Apple claims the color gamut on the UMBP 17" is 60 % greater than the previous model.
Regarding brightness, I don't see any obvious difference between the new UMBP and the late 2008 17" MBP that I used previously. I set them up next to each other on my desk and did a direct comparison (same desktop, full brightness, auto-dimming off, same gamma, etc.). The colors are clearly better in the UMBP, but the brightness is the same for both.
So far, it runs cooler than the late 2008 model.
Upgraded it with a Western Digital 500 GB drive. The ugrade is easy, and the drive is essentially silent. I've upgraded about 15 of the MBPs with new hard drives, and one of the tricks I learned is to make sure that the drive is firmly seated in the rubber grommets, and that the retaining bar is tight and does not crimp the grommets. I think some of the reports of noisy drives may be a result of not-quite-properly seated installations.
Build quality is the best I've seen in a laptop, and I've owned quite a few over the years.
I have no doubt that many of the issues raised in other threads are real. All I can say is that a new 17" UMBP purchased yesterday had no problems. If you're thinking about getting one, don't be afraid to - the 17" UMBP is in a class by itself.
