Can't understand how people manage to not keep thier magsafes in? Mine has never come out accidently, and the few times it had probably saved my notebook.
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Rate the MacBook
- Thread starter stevento
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So you suggest that they make the next MacBook/Pro in a 2" thick design?!
oh yeah i have more improvement suggestions for the next gen
the magport has got to go. it never stays in.
another thing was that the speaker max volume is lacking (no woofers)... on a computer that is supposed to be a the best media machine out there
Its not supposted to be the media center machine, rather its an access point to the "digital lifestyle", which is a bit different from media center. Digital lifestyle is for creating media stuff, while MC is for watching/listening media stuff.
So you want a cheap = ugly, thick, heavy, not to meantion the lack of other goodies computer that can run only Windows and *nix? Hah, go ahead an buy one if you think it suites you better!
BTW, you say that you like when power cord stays in the computer when you move it, but what if you drop your precious machine by pulling the power cord?
The MagSafe port isnt a weak one, it disconnects only when some strengh is put into pulling the cable, so I dont know why you are complaining about it?
I just glanced over all the posts but my gripes with the MBP after about 3 weeks of owning one is.....
1- I don't like where the DVD slot is. Very awkward when using the laptop on your lap.
2- IMO the thing needs a HDD and a CD/DVD drive busy LED to show it's working.
1- I don't like where the DVD slot is. Very awkward when using the laptop on your lap.
2- IMO the thing needs a HDD and a CD/DVD drive busy LED to show it's working.
I must admit, I don't like the MacBook that much either. I have two friends who bought it and it just didn't feel right.
But I think it's a good machine for the price.
You can do so much more straight out of the box compared to a Windows box.
Windows user know what additional programs they need to download to fulfil their needs.
If a new Mac user knows that the (I think) most essential downloads are
-Perian
-3ivx
-Flip4Mac
-VLC
-StuffIt Expander
he/she could enjoy his/her new Mac even more.
And keep an open mind. OS X works in a different way.
Try to get used to Exposé (plus hot corners). Haven't seen Vista's solution, but OS X's is great, especially on notebooks.
Hope you start enjoying OS X.
cheers
But I think it's a good machine for the price.
You can do so much more straight out of the box compared to a Windows box.
Windows user know what additional programs they need to download to fulfil their needs.
If a new Mac user knows that the (I think) most essential downloads are
-Perian
-3ivx
-Flip4Mac
-VLC
-StuffIt Expander
he/she could enjoy his/her new Mac even more.
And keep an open mind. OS X works in a different way.
Try to get used to Exposé (plus hot corners). Haven't seen Vista's solution, but OS X's is great, especially on notebooks.
Hope you start enjoying OS X.
cheers
another thing was that the speaker max volume is lacking (no woofers)... on a computer that is supposed to be a the best media machine out there
Woofers? (LOL) Um, it's a laptop. I hope you weren't expecting a 20" sub in your 1 inch thick Macbook.
Why do you need it? Our Asus A2 laptop has those, they are constantly blinking, distracting from work.
Bad analogy. Flash cards are not as outdated and small in capacity as floppy.
But I dont want card reader in Mac either. I like my external Sundisk 12-in-1
Anyway, why do you need a card reader on a laptop? If you want to transfer photos from you camera in the field, just toss the USB cable into you camera bag.
...hence my point that the macbook isn't that great.
i paid extra for 1G to avoid the very problem.
oh yeah i have more improvement suggestions for the next gen
the magport has got to go. it never stays in.
another thing was that the speaker max volume is lacking (no woofers)... on a computer that is supposed to be a the best media machine out there
i'm not saying its a bad computer, its just not nearly what everyone wants to say it is.
I've been with mac since september. i gave it a chance. i even approached it with that "i'm awesome becuase i use mac" pompus attitude, expecting to be able to laugh at Dell computers... but those $700 inspirions are blowing my speakers away and their power cords actually stay with the computer when you move it.
My 17" MBP has 3 USB ports, I've yet to use them all at once. If I carried that many USB devices, I'd carry a tiny hub to go with them.
If you think your computer says something about who you are, then you're going to be sorely disappointed in life. It's a tool, it may or may not be the right tool for you- it's not (a) a manifestation of who you are, (b) a popularity contest component, or (c) an entry in the latest SPL competition for high-end audio.
My Magsafe has come out accidentally once, if it hadn't, my laptop would have been on the floor- all-in-all, I think that's a win.
Have you tried headphones?
If it has a 5-in-1 media reader, then you'd probably have the sixth type of media.
Bad analogy. Flash cards are not as outdated and small in capacity as floppy.
But I dont want card reader in Mac either. I like my external Sundisk 12-in-1
Yeah I just meant that a big part of the MacBook's appeal is the simplicity, and minimalist design. To add an ugly 5-in-1 card reader would be ridiculous and would look just as bad as a floppy drive. I too like having my card reader seperate!
stevento,
A Mac is the top media device for creation. You have misunderstood or been misinformed. It is not designed to be the best all-around media player. Perhaps you require a cheap Philips DVD player, they do many formats, although none of them very well. Despite this, the MB does quite well, esp with WinXP options meaning you can run any modern software known to man.
And the MB is a low-end portable tool for students, really. Not really designed for massive output, although fairly capable. My biggest complaint is the quiet speakers, you ought to be able to use them for basic DVD viewing, and it really isn't possible.
But dude, a built-in card reader? I would walk 20 miles just to avoid buying a laptop with one of those.
A Mac is the top media device for creation. You have misunderstood or been misinformed. It is not designed to be the best all-around media player. Perhaps you require a cheap Philips DVD player, they do many formats, although none of them very well. Despite this, the MB does quite well, esp with WinXP options meaning you can run any modern software known to man.
And the MB is a low-end portable tool for students, really. Not really designed for massive output, although fairly capable. My biggest complaint is the quiet speakers, you ought to be able to use them for basic DVD viewing, and it really isn't possible.
But dude, a built-in card reader? I would walk 20 miles just to avoid buying a laptop with one of those.
The Macbooks are great, much better than the stupid 15" MBP in my opinion. Now if you are blind and can work without looking at your LCD that might change but for us normals the 15" MBP is a festering piece of ****.
I have a Macbook that I've been using for a few months now. While I have had one or two bad moments with it, overall it's been much more reliable than PCs I've used.
I'm happy with the quality and speed, though it does tend to get bogged down at really processor-intensive stuff (DVD encoding and the like - it has 1gig RAM and a 2ghz CD, BTW.) DVD player seems ok, iTunes is what annoys me - very buggy.
It would be nice to be able to resize/reduce resolution of photos in iPhoto.
I'm happy with the quality and speed, though it does tend to get bogged down at really processor-intensive stuff (DVD encoding and the like - it has 1gig RAM and a 2ghz CD, BTW.) DVD player seems ok, iTunes is what annoys me - very buggy.
It would be nice to be able to resize/reduce resolution of photos in iPhoto.
"sorry if there's one person on this board who's not head over heals in love with apple."
ok...seriously....first, you bash the macbook and even worse OS X, and then, you bash us without even spelling it right! heels not heals.....take english through correspondance on your pretty hp/vista computer and when you are done having your identity stolen, all of your files lost, and your computer lighting on fire due to the lack of stability in vista, come back and mock us again, won't you?
by the way, can I have your macbook?
ok...seriously....first, you bash the macbook and even worse OS X, and then, you bash us without even spelling it right! heels not heals.....take english through correspondance on your pretty hp/vista computer and when you are done having your identity stolen, all of your files lost, and your computer lighting on fire due to the lack of stability in vista, come back and mock us again, won't you?
by the way, can I have your macbook?
Its interesting that some how negative discourse can some how be beneficial. I owned the Macbook for about 5 months now and i must say thats its the best computer that i've ever used. I think the credit to Mac OS X. It makes working on a computer fun and interesting. I was thinking that the Os would loose its flare but after 5 months my eagerness to use my macbook over my pc is still there. I simply a better experience. Very stable and responsive. I don't really do anything too heavy so the 1 gig memory and 2Ghz suits me just fine. Im not even sure what else it could include that would make it better. I guess the option to increase memory past 2 gigs but with the portables we have to give up that option. I'm finally starting to understand why apple wants to make the hardware and the software for the consumers. Its makes a more quality computer experience with both are built to work together so well.
It's sort of funny, most people would never appreciate the subtlties of the engineering developments of Apple laptops over the number of years that they've been around unless you've owned an Apple laptop since back in the day.
That said, I have owned *several* Mac laptops since 89, so I thought I might chime in on this.
The fact is, while I am a Mac fanboy, stevento does have some salient points, but also some points which would be fairly moot had he actually had a Mac laptop *prior* to owning his current Macbook.
Two points come to mind:
1) Built in speaker sound volume
2) Magsafe ports
For point #1, I actually would agree that the history of Mac laptops has never been one of great built in audio quality. The two desktops I've had always have come with horrible built in speakers, which, not really to my surprise, is somewhat expected. However for Mac laptops, since the revisions of Powerbooks to the Alum chassis in the G4 style, it seems they decided to "dumb down" the max volume. I don't know what it is, but my old Wallstreet seemed to be a hell of a lot louder than this brand new MBP CD2. That and my HP from work actually is quite a bit louder as well. Oh well, knock points from the MB / MBP for that.
Point 2, Magsafe. To stevento, if you'd ever owned an older Powerbook, you'd probably be thanking god for the Magsafe port. I can't even begin to remember how many power supplies I destroyed tripping over the wire. Magsafe = beautiful. Maybe in a few years when the batteries die and we're still moving our laptops around a lot and the power supply falls out every so often, it might suck, but for what it's good for now... it's great.
Beyond that, I think you're looking a little too much into what your expectation of a Mac is. It's a computer, not some all-in-one-do-every-possible-thing-you-can-think-of-or-want-machine. It's been engineered for several things, speed, portability, and interoperability.
Interoperability. That's where your expectation for certain things isn't quite in line. Sure, HPs can do the same kinds of things as Macs - they might have additional card readers, or other "media" features you might like, but yet that's sacrificed for many other things, including speed and portability. Macs aren't built for complete idiots. And for those of us who know how to use card readers externally, for example, don't sweat the fact that there is no card reader - why? Well simply because, the minimalism of a Mac is what actually makes it great in the first place, not because it's got a ton of crap sticking out of it or weighs 20 pounds or is 4 inches thick like any other "super" HP laptop.
I've had many many many many Mac laptops (see the sig), and my MBP CD2 is honestly the best I've ever had.
That said, I have owned *several* Mac laptops since 89, so I thought I might chime in on this.
The fact is, while I am a Mac fanboy, stevento does have some salient points, but also some points which would be fairly moot had he actually had a Mac laptop *prior* to owning his current Macbook.
Two points come to mind:
1) Built in speaker sound volume
2) Magsafe ports
For point #1, I actually would agree that the history of Mac laptops has never been one of great built in audio quality. The two desktops I've had always have come with horrible built in speakers, which, not really to my surprise, is somewhat expected. However for Mac laptops, since the revisions of Powerbooks to the Alum chassis in the G4 style, it seems they decided to "dumb down" the max volume. I don't know what it is, but my old Wallstreet seemed to be a hell of a lot louder than this brand new MBP CD2. That and my HP from work actually is quite a bit louder as well. Oh well, knock points from the MB / MBP for that.
Point 2, Magsafe. To stevento, if you'd ever owned an older Powerbook, you'd probably be thanking god for the Magsafe port. I can't even begin to remember how many power supplies I destroyed tripping over the wire. Magsafe = beautiful. Maybe in a few years when the batteries die and we're still moving our laptops around a lot and the power supply falls out every so often, it might suck, but for what it's good for now... it's great.
Beyond that, I think you're looking a little too much into what your expectation of a Mac is. It's a computer, not some all-in-one-do-every-possible-thing-you-can-think-of-or-want-machine. It's been engineered for several things, speed, portability, and interoperability.
Interoperability. That's where your expectation for certain things isn't quite in line. Sure, HPs can do the same kinds of things as Macs - they might have additional card readers, or other "media" features you might like, but yet that's sacrificed for many other things, including speed and portability. Macs aren't built for complete idiots. And for those of us who know how to use card readers externally, for example, don't sweat the fact that there is no card reader - why? Well simply because, the minimalism of a Mac is what actually makes it great in the first place, not because it's got a ton of crap sticking out of it or weighs 20 pounds or is 4 inches thick like any other "super" HP laptop.
I've had many many many many Mac laptops (see the sig), and my MBP CD2 is honestly the best I've ever had.
Actually, the chapter thing on that page looks like it would function the same as the navigation bar in the current DVD player. Thank goodness for the added scrub capability though.
same here.... unless you're constantly moving the mb then how could it come out?
If I'm on the couch with my MBP on my lap, if I don't have a little slack in the magsafe cable, it'll pop out easily if I shift my legs up or down (which puts the magsafe on an angle). Easy enough to remedy.
