Some questions about the new macbook

[caca123]

I'll be going to university next year and im thinking of buying the new macbook via apple.com, but i've read on these forums that there are many problems like dead pixels, bad screen view angle and some problems with the bootcamp drivers, i've never had the need to use a laptop because when im on the need to use a pc i have the desktop but my sister has a hp laptop and i dont like the trackpack, actually i've never used a laptop which i like its trackpad, every trackpad seems to be too harsh.

a)Does the new multi touch trackpad is a lot more sensitive than an average laptop trackpad? (my biggest concern)

b)I live in mexico , so i dont have an apple store around me, the nearest one would be in San Diego, should my aunt who lives in Tijuana (15 mins away from San Diego) buy the macbook for me and then check if it isnt defective or have dead pixels? or its fine buying it from apple.com?

c)Do you highly recommend buying the apple care?

d)Is the 13' screen too small? i'll be using my desktop when im at my house and the laptop sometimes when im laying on the bed.

e)What are the benefits of Solid State Disk? less loading time? its the difference noticeable?

f)Is there a difference between the 2.0 ghz keyboard and the 2.4 ghz?

g)Whats the real problem with the bad view angle? i dont care if someone next to me cant see what im doing on the laptop.

-Any other problems with the laptop?

Im being very carefull with the purchase of this laptop because im going to spend a lot of money and spend 30% more than it would had cost me 3 months ago (damn dollar increase). Im also doing the switch from windows.

 

[tMac85]

yes more sensitive.


fine to buy from apple.com if you want to customize. otherwise i prefer to go to the store.

could not recommend the apple care more. WELL WORTH IT. GET IT!

13 is not to small. depends on what you are going to do with it. I think its fine, but i also have a MBP.

SSD....more durable. but to me, not worth the money

difference between 2.0 and 2.4 is the backlighting.

view angle is an opinion you will have to give yourself. i dont have a problem with my screen at all. very beautiful and well lit.

best laptop to date by apple. only problem is the trackpad is a little hard to click.

 

[fk51785]

I'm also a college student and absolutely love my new MacBook.
I have the 2.4 and it has no problems.

a) Love the new trackpad. More space since Apple got rid of the button.
b) Apple store or Apple.com, if you have problem with your MacBook, Apple will exchange it for you if its defective.
c) You must get Applecare for the MacBook. Make sure you buy before the 1 year warranty.
d) 13'' perfect for college.
e) SSD is way too much money. You don't need it.q
f) 2.4 has back-lid keyboard, much better when it's dark.
g) I prefer matte screen (like the old MBP) but it's not too bad.

 

[angemon89]

The trackpad is amazing on the new MacBooks. When you say that you don't like the trackpads on your sister's HP laptop, I know exactly what you mean. They're kind of hard to slide your finger over because there's a lot of friction. On the new MacBook trackpad that problem is almost nonexistent.

 

[Your5335]

a) I love the trackpad and its so big and spacious. The gestures are a nice feature which I use a lot of the time.
b) I brought mine from the online store and my MacBook was perfect right out of the box. But I personally like going to the Apple Store just because you don't have to pay for shipping and you get it right then and there.
c) Apple Care is a must for anything Apple. Well maybe not iPods.
d) This was a concern for me too, but the screen feels like if it is better than what it is. And after using it for about 3 weeks its great.
e) I don't care about the SSD, not enough GB for my needs.
f) I have the 2.4 ghz and I love the light up keyboard and I also like the bump of speed with the processor.
g) The viewing angle is good for me, I love the glossy display and I don't see why everyone is freaking out about it.

Overall I think the late 2008 MacBook is a great computer, the best I have ever invested on. Its mobile and its just a beautiful computer designed wise.

 

[The Samurai]

Remember, nothing in this world is 100%.

Go for it, its a fantastic laptop. The features in the notebook are absolutely amazing. The touchpad is very cool and innovative idea.

As others said, remember to get AppleCare - students get really good discount. I got it for £47, otherwise it was £199.

 

[miamialley]

a) I love the trackpad and its so big and spacious. The gestures are a nice feature which I use a lot of the time.
b) I brought mine from the online store and my MacBook was perfect right out of the box. But I personally like going to the Apple Store just because you don't have to pay for shipping and you get it right then and there.
c) Apple Care is a must for anything Apple. Well maybe not iPods.
d) This was a concern for me too, but the screen feels like if it is better than what it is. And after using it for about 3 weeks its great.
e) I don't care about the SSD, not enough GB for my needs.
f) I have the 2.4 ghz and I love the light up keyboard and I also like the bump of speed with the processor.
g) The viewing angle is good for me, I love the glossy display and I don't see why everyone is freaking out about it.

Overall I think the late 2008 MacBook is a great computer, the best I have ever invested on. Its mobile and its just a beautiful computer designed wise.

Never owned a Mac before...why do you guys recommend the Apple Care?

 

[Lurchdubious]

^^^^They're right man, best laptop ever! I have the 2.4 Aluminum and it's THE best machine I've ever owned. I've had good luck ordering from apple.com. My old blackbook had an optical drive problem 2 weeks after I first got it and apple just sent me another one (and had me return the defective one in the new box).

Have fun!

 

[Andrmgic]

Never owned a Mac before...why do you guys recommend the Apple Care?

We recommend Applecare because nothing is perfect, and repairs on an out of warranty laptop can be very expensive.

I believe that the average repair for a laptop would cost more than the $249 that applecare for a macbook costs.

So if you have one thing go wrong with the notebook within 2-3 years of purchase, the applecare pays for itself.

To me, an extra $250 to extend the warranty on my $1300 notebook to 3 years from the date of purchase is a worthy investment

 

[mrrish]

If I remember correctly, you have to buy apple care from your country, but don't quote me on that.

 

[Your5335]

We recommend Applecare because nothing is perfect, and repairs on an out of warranty laptop can be very expensive.

I believe that the average repair for a laptop would cost more than the $249 that applecare for a macbook costs.

So if you have one thing go wrong with the notebook within 2-3 years of purchase, the applecare pays for itself.

To me, an extra $250 to extend the warranty on my $1300 notebook to 3 years from the date of purchase is a worthy investment

Amen.

 

[840quadra]

Applecare can be purchased anytime within the first year of ownership. This is nice because you can budget for it later, and as long as you don't have any issues outside of the first 90 days.

 

[iDave]

On the other hand, with electronic products, usually if anything is going to go wrong, it'll happen within the first year. I've owned five Mac notebooks, never had Applecare and the two problems I've had both occurred within the first year.

 

[uncleSmurf]

I think it will be a good choice for a university student. My biggest gripe so far is probably the track pad as far as the mouse sensitivity goes. It tends to skip around with just the lightest touch which makes clicking some links a pain but this can be fixed.

I recommend going for the base model... the power difference between the 2.0 and 2.4 is minimal and probably not noticeable. Good laptop... get apple care, never know when something might happen.

 

[miamialley]

We recommend Applecare because nothing is perfect, and repairs on an out of warranty laptop can be very expensive.

I believe that the average repair for a laptop would cost more than the $249 that applecare for a macbook costs.

So if you have one thing go wrong with the notebook within 2-3 years of purchase, the applecare pays for itself.

To me, an extra $250 to extend the warranty on my $1300 notebook to 3 years from the date of purchase is a worthy investment

Apple (and every other company) offers the extra warranty because they make money off of it. I thought Macs are just supposed to work? I'm 29 and have only owned PCs and have never had an issue I couldn't fix. I have never had an issue for which I would have used an extended warranty (or even the standard warranty).

Worst case scenario, I'd rather put the cost of the extended warranty toward the purchase of my next computer. Most of us likely trade up our computers often enough anyway. (I'm typing this on a 3 year old Presario)

Just my experience and opinion.

 

[tMac85]

apple care is not just for the physical ... ' hand your computer over, they fix it blah blah'. I really think that the 'support' that comes along with the apple care is worth it. The phone, in store. having a question about anything and getting a complete answer. The help you get to move files, ect... The fact you can call apple when you have a problem, and that 90% of the time they say, " let me see what i can do" and come back, send you a box, fix your computer for what would have cost WAY more than $249.99 is worth it for me. Its the support, the fact that they have your back... JUST in case.

 

[tMac85]

Apple (and every other company) offers the extra warranty because they make money off of it. I thought Macs are just supposed to work? I'm 29 and have only owned PCs and have never had an issue I couldn't fix. I have never had an issue for which I would have used an extended warranty (or even the standard warranty).

Worst case scenario, I'd rather put the cost of the extended warranty toward the purchase of my next computer. Most of us likely trade up our computers often enough anyway. (I'm typing this on a 3 year old Presario)

Just my experience and opinion.

macs to me are a lot more complex.
PC's are easy to fix. so is a toaster.

 

[Primejimbo]

I'll be going to university next year and im thinking of buying the new macbook via apple.com, but i've read on these forums that there are many problems like dead pixels, bad screen view angle and some problems with the bootcamp drivers, i've never had the need to use a laptop because when im on the need to use a pc i have the desktop but my sister has a hp laptop and i dont like the trackpack, actually i've never used a laptop which i like its trackpad, every trackpad seems to be too harsh.

a)Does the new multi touch trackpad is a lot more sensitive than an average laptop trackpad? (my biggest concern)

b)I live in mexico , so i dont have an apple store around me, the nearest one would be in San Diego, should my aunt who lives in Tijuana (15 mins away from San Diego) buy the macbook for me and then check if it isnt defective or have dead pixels? or its fine buying it from apple.com?

c)Do you highly recommend buying the apple care?

d)Is the 13' screen too small? i'll be using my desktop when im at my house and the laptop sometimes when im laying on the bed.

e)What are the benefits of Solid State Disk? less loading time? its the difference noticeable?

f)Is there a difference between the 2.0 ghz keyboard and the 2.4 ghz?

g)Whats the real problem with the bad view angle? i dont care if someone next to me cant see what im doing on the laptop.

-Any other problems with the laptop?

Im being very carefull with the purchase of this laptop because im going to spend a lot of money and spend 30% more than it would had cost me 3 months ago (damn dollar increase). Im also doing the switch from windows.

The trackpad is more sensitive but I got use to it pretty quickly.

Get apple care, if you can't get it now just make sure you get it before the 1st yr is over. I heard you can get it from ebay and I bet people on here have gone that route also and can tell you what to look for with that.

1 reason why it took me so long to get a Macbook is I always thought the 13 inch was too small, after i got one now, i love the size. My wife had a 15.4 inch before her Macbook and she likes the 13 inch more.

The SSD has no moving parts so I'm guessing it won't break as easily, but I don't think it's worth the money.

I traded my 2.0 for a 2.4 GHz and I do notice a difference in speed and the back light keyboard is awesome!

The viewing angle for me is not an issue, I think it's fine.