Upcoming 17" MacBook Pro: Lessons Learned?

[TDad]

Hello everyone,

Long time reader, first time poster. I've learned a lot reading your posts, and look forward to learning more and participating in the future.

I'm a longtime PC user, waiting for the introduction of the updated 17" unibody MacBook Pro, hopefully in Jan. Given the issues involving the 15" model, specifically dust and smudges under the screen, crooked keys, etc., how likely is it that Apple will proactively address these in the upcoming 17" units? Otherwise, I may wait for the Rev B. 15". Thank you in advance.

TDad

 

[Red-red]

The chances of you getting one with dust/smudges under the class is slim at best. If you do, just replace it. Don't judge it on these forums.

 

[nikhsub1]

IMO it is best to sit this update out altogether... I would get a new and heavily discounted matte screen 17"... The update to wait for (again, IMO) is Nehalem which should be late 09 early 2010. I know we can wait and wait and wait, but, the logic is actually very sound on this particular update. The nehalem update will be leaps and bounds better than what is now available, not just a modest bump like the unibody is.

 

[Battlefield Fan]

the second poster is kinda right in my honest opinion.

I do not know what condition your current computer is in or how badly you have been waiting for the 17" update. But if you could hold out a little longer you could be greatly rewarded.

First off snow leopard is coming out AROUND June 2009.

Secondly Intel will be releasing it's Nehalem processors which has completely redesigned the core duo architecture.

Thirdly and lastly i know with at least cars and other products that people are urged to stay away from the first production model. Just because Apple may have learned from there mistakes from the 15' mpb doesn't mean they will have time to incorporate these changes in a 17" for a January update.

AT THE SAME TIME, I do realize you may have already waited awhile for a new computer so waiting any longer wouldn't make sense. You could always wait for computer updates and never end up with anything.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS KNOW WHAT COMPUTER UPDATES ARE WORTH WAITING FOR YOU PERSONALLY. For me the core i7 processor and snow leopard are big enough I am personally waiting for them. I wont wait any longer after these come out though.

Good luck!

 

[TDad]

Thank you for the quick replies. I appreciate it, as well as all of the good points.

My PC is a Dell that has served me well for five years. It still works, albeit more slowly, and now tethered full time to a power outlet. We bought our daughter a MacBook about a year ago, and she loves it. I can wait, but not sure for how long. Likely into the spring, hopefully at least until Snow Leopard arrives.

 

[Battlefield Fan]

ok well you probably wont wait for the nehalem upgrade.

Either way the current selection of notebooks are blazing fast and will smoke your 5 year old dell.

As with snow leopard apple does release a dvd of it. You could go ahead and purchase the laptop and then in juneish, when apple releases sl you could upgrade from 10.5 to 10.6.

SL has many improvements in its code to take advantage of the two cpu cores and the graphics card.

And since you said you use your laptop at a desk don't forget apple has their new 24" cinema display.

Oh and if your daughter is a college student see if you can take advantage of her student discount. It would save you around $200 on the laptop and money on apple care. It also brings down the price of the 24" cd from $800 to $700

 

[TDad]

ok well you probably wont wait for the nehalem upgrade.

Either way the current selection of notebooks are blazing fast and will smoke your 5 year old dell.

As with snow leopard apple does release a dvd of it. You could go ahead and purchase the laptop and then in juneish, when apple releases sl you could upgrade from 10.5 to 10.6.

SL has many improvements in its code to take advantage of the two cpu cores and the graphics card.

And since you said you use your laptop at a desk don't forget apple has their new 24" cinema display.

Oh and if your daughter is a college student see if you can take advantage of her student discount. It would save you around $200 on the laptop and money on apple care. It also brings down the price of the 24" cd from $800 to $700

Thanks, Battlefield Fan. That's great advice all around. I'm typing away at my desk out of necessity. Can't wait to become truly mobile again. I suspect I'll wait until the 17" mbp comes out and then decide. I like the idea of the larger mobile screen real estate, weight not being an issue. The other option I'm considering is buying a Macbook, getting used to OSX for 1-2 years then purchasing the Nehalem. I'm a professional in my 40's. Thanks again.

 

[Battlefield Fan]

hmmm well if you use the laptop for serious task, buying a macbook may make sense and then later upgrading to nehalem . But if your just using it word, email, power point, web, occasional photoshop then I would say you do not need nehalem.

If you do use pro apps would you mind listening a few of the most intense so we have a general idea?

Oh and if the 24" Cinema display does appeal to you then I might suggest looking into a 15". This would make it even more portable but if you ever needed more screen space then you would just plug it into the CD. But then again you might need the ability of a 17" on the road.

I am glad I helping. I always wanted to work in the apple store selling computers but you have to be 18 and I am a year off so yeah sucks for me lol

Just some thoughts...

 

[TDad]

hmmm well if you use the laptop for serious task, buying a macbook may make sense and then later upgrading to nehalem . But if your just using it word, email, power point, web, occasional photoshop then I would say you do not need nehalem.

If you do use pro apps would you mind listening a few of the most intense so we have a general idea?

Oh and if the 24" Cinema display does appeal to you then I might suggest looking into a 15". This would make it even more portable but if you ever needed more screen space then you would just plug it into the CD. But then again you might need the ability of a 17" on the road.

I am glad I helping. I always wanted to work in the apple store selling computers but you have to be 18 and I am a year off so yeah sucks for me lol

Just some thoughts...

Battle Field Fan, you're exactly right -- Word, Power Point, Excel, Web, email, likely iPhoto or Photoshop, iTunes are what I use. Sounds like Nehalem will be overkill. I like the idea of having the 17" on the road and for weekend travel with the family. You're definitely a big help, good luck getting a job at the Apple store. You'd be a definite benefit to the company. Thanks again.

TDad

 

[masse]

Mine shipped perfectly and every unit I've seen to this day has been perfect.

I imagine the 17" will be good too.

 

[benjs]

Battle Field Fan, you're exactly right -- Word, Power Point, Excel, Web, email, likely iPhoto or Photoshop, iTunes are what I use. Sounds like Nehalem will be overkill. I like the idea of having the 17" on the road and for weekend travel with the family. You're definitely a big help, good luck getting a job at the Apple store. You'd be a definite benefit to the company. Thanks again.

TDad

If you can wait, you should. Prices will only go down. Not to mention if you try them both out and decide that the now-current model is sufficient for you, you'll be able to get one for much cheaper, and it's still a very good computer.
On a side note, for Microsoft Office, I would recommend installing a Boot Camp Windows XP partition on your drive, and installing VMWare Fusion or Parallels. If you do some research, you can find out more about these programs, but essentially they allow you to run the entire Windows OS side-by-side with your Mac OS X. This is highly beneficial for the Office suite, where the Windows edition is much more powerful, and much less bloated, than its Mac equivalent.

 

[TDad]

Masse and Benjs, thank you for the replies. I've been reading about Fusion and Parallels and will likely go in that direction. Although my daughter bought Office for Mac and has had no issues with it on her MacBook. It will be interesting to see whether or not the current issues on the new 15" mbp are addressed in the upcoming new 17" model. I really want to buy an Apple, but will consider Sony if necessary.

TDad

 

[kasakka]

hmmm well if you use the laptop for serious task, buying a macbook may make sense and then later upgrading to nehalem . But if your just using it word, email, power point, web, occasional photoshop then I would say you do not need nehalem.

If you do use pro apps would you mind listening a few of the most intense so we have a general idea?

Unless you do heavy rendering stuff or lots of video encoding, the Core2Duo will be more than enough for most tasks. I use many Adobe programs daily and so far my Core2Duo has never been the bottleneck. Only when doing 3D rendering I wish I had a few more cores.

I don't see Nehalem being some sort of miracle processor. Yes it will be faster but how many tasks do any of you usually have that truly require even the power of your current processors?

 

[nikhsub1]

I don't see Nehalem being some sort of miracle processor. Yes it will be faster but how many tasks do any of you usually have that truly require even the power of your current processors?

Well it will be quad in a mobile CPU, it will be single die, have an onboard memory controller, run cooler, faster etc etc. It is significantly better than core 2 make no mistake. Your point about the average user is noted and mostly true however, Snow leopard and other programs will take advantage of the multiple cores much more so than now.

 

[SWLinPHX]

I am glad I helping. I always wanted to work in the apple store selling computers but you have to be 18 and I am a year off so yeah sucks for me lol

You have to be 18 to work there? Darn... I guess I'm too old!

 

[Battlefield Fan]

If you can wait, you should. Prices will only go down. Not to mention if you try them both out and decide that the now-current model is sufficient for you, you'll be able to get one for much cheaper, and it's still a very good computer.
On a side note, for Microsoft Office, I would recommend installing a Boot Camp Windows XP partition on your drive, and installing VMWare Fusion or Parallels. If you do some research, you can find out more about these programs, but essentially they allow you to run the entire Windows OS side-by-side with your Mac OS X. This is highly beneficial for the Office suite, where the Windows edition is much more powerful, and much less bloated, than its Mac equivalent.

Apple doesn't have price drops on their computer. Unless your talking at a refrub. And it would only be a ~$200 difference. And you wouldn't get the new unibody, faster processor and other features.

Tdad I would suggest buying the 17" when the revision comes out. And as a long time mac user, aka since I was 4 playing reader rabbit games, I would suggest buying the apple care. Its the only extended warranty that me and my dad would ever buy. And you stressed concerns about getting a mbp with a defect, don't worry if you do schedule an appointment with a genius and have them exchange it for you. They are very generous in that sense. Computers aren't perfect and macs use the same parts as their pc counterparts. The thing that makes a mac is OSX. Oh and apple's great care of their customers.

I don't know if you saw the messages on the front page but it looks like snow leopard might come out as early as macworld 2009 (in January). Also there are the rumors where the 17" might be updated at macworld 2009. If it isnt updated then it should at least be updated by the spring.

Oh and please don't buy a Sony. I have to use both macs and pcs and i always look forward to using a mac.

You have to be 18 to work there? Darn... I guess I'm too old!

I meant 18 or older haha

 

[SWLinPHX]

I meant 18 or older haha

LOL, I know. Just my attempt at humor.

Actually, I could've gotten a job at the local Apple Store at the Biltmore in Central Phoenix. They look like fun environments with a cool crowd, and I love helping customers (worked retail many times in the past). Although, nothing quite beats working for yourself for a living from home.

 

[MowingDevil]

the second poster is kinda right in my honest opinion.

I do not know what condition your current computer is in or how badly you have been waiting for the 17" update. But if you could hold out a little longer you could be greatly rewarded.

First off snow leopard is coming out AROUND June 2009.

Secondly Intel will be releasing it's Nehalem processors which has completely redesigned the core duo architecture.

Thirdly and lastly i know with at least cars and other products that people are urged to stay away from the first production model. Just because Apple may have learned from there mistakes from the 15' mpb doesn't mean they will have time to incorporate these changes in a 17" for a January update.

AT THE SAME TIME, I do realize you may have already waited awhile for a new computer so waiting any longer wouldn't make sense. You could always wait for computer updates and never end up with anything.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS KNOW WHAT COMPUTER UPDATES ARE WORTH WAITING FOR YOU PERSONALLY. For me the core i7 processor and snow leopard are big enough I am personally waiting for them. I wont wait any longer after these come out though.

Good luck!

Ah, but then you'll be stuck w/ a revision A...or do you continue to wait, wait, wait...oh the paradox!

No matter what I'd rather have a good computer that serves me well regardless of whats happened in the past or will (maybe) in the future. I just picked up the new model and love it. I hope it lasts me a couple of years and then I'll upgrade to a nicely revised version of Nehalem or whatever they have then. I've been told that for most high end software in order to see the true benefits of Nehalem they'll have to be optimized to take full advantage. In that case there'll be the inevitable "disappointed" posts that it isn't as fast as they expected boo hoo. In time once everyone gets onboard I'm sure it will just scream. Knowing that I won't be in as big a rush to get the first version that comes out. In the end all this means very little if work has to be done, just get something that shows you the results you need.

 

[SWLinPHX]

Ah, but then you'll be stuck w/ a revision A...or do you continue to wait, wait, wait...oh the paradox!

No matter what I'd rather have a good computer that serves me well regardless of whats happened in the past or will (maybe) in the future. I just picked up the new model and love it. I hope it lasts me a couple of years and then I'll upgrade to a nicely revised version of Nehalem or whatever they have then. I've been told that for most high end software in order to see the true benefits of Nehalem they'll have to be optimized to take full advantage. In that case there'll be the inevitable "disappointed" posts that it isn't as fast as they expected boo hoo. In time once everyone gets onboard I'm sure it will just scream. Knowing that I won't be in as big a rush to get the first version that comes out. In the end all this means very little if work has to be done, just get something that shows you the results you need.

Exactly... there is not one electronic or mechanical device that won't be improved or upgraded or re-invented if you just "wait". And then maybe "wait" for that to be perfected. Unless you know something we don't, when is that magic day in the future where we can predict the world's end and say, "okay, now you don't have to wait; get it all while you can cuz this is the best it will ever be!" I hate to say it, but people who are fanatical and enthusiastic about certain things will always look deeper and deeper and speculate just for the shear fun of talking about what they love. The hardest thing to learn is how to be happy and appreciate what you have. You can always try to get what you want, but once you do it's vital to learn how to want what you have. Peace, bliss, enjoyment, satisfaction.

 

[TDad]

Apple doesn't have price drops on their computer. Unless your talking at a refrub. And it would only be a ~$200 difference. And you wouldn't get the new unibody, faster processor and other features.

Tdad I would suggest buying the 17" when the revision comes out. And as a long time mac user, aka since I was 4 playing reader rabbit games, I would suggest buying the apple care. Its the only extended warranty that me and my dad would ever buy. And you stressed concerns about getting a mbp with a defect, don't worry if you do schedule an appointment with a genius and have them exchange it for you. They are very generous in that sense. Computers aren't perfect and macs use the same parts as their pc counterparts. The thing that makes a mac is OSX. Oh and apple's great care of their customers.

I don't know if you saw the messages on the front page but it looks like snow leopard might come out as early as macworld 2009 (in January). Also there are the rumors where the 17" might be updated at macworld 2009. If it isnt updated then it should at least be updated by the spring.

Oh and please don't buy a Sony. I have to use both macs and pcs and i always look forward to using a mac.



I meant 18 or older haha

Battle Field Fan, I appreciate your continuing advice. I would definitely purchase Applecare. We did for our daughter's Macbook. That's interesting about the timing of Snow Leopard.

What I find particularly interesting is how posters keep mentioning that if your mbp or other Apple computer is defective in some way, then swap it out. What troubles me is that this isn't always a simple option. What if you don't live near an Apple store? Personally, I rely on my computer for business every day, and the possibility of being without it for even a half-day or longer would have a negative impact on my business. My current Dell may not be great, but it's been reliable for five years, with only one crash (last year) over that entire time period.

 

[Battlefield Fan]

Battle Field Fan, I appreciate your continuing advice. I would definitely purchase Applecare. We did for our daughter's Macbook. That's interesting about the timing of Snow Leopard.

What I find particularly interesting is how posters keep mentioning that if your mbp or other Apple computer is defective in some way, then swap it out. What troubles me is that this isn't always a simple option. What if you don't live near an Apple store? Personally, I rely on my computer for business every day, and the possibility of being without it for even a half-day or longer would have a negative impact on my business. My current Dell may not be great, but it's been reliable for five years, with only one crash (last year) over that entire time period.

Ok first off it seems like there are tons of people complaining about laptops with defects. These people are just a small margin. Lets face it, people aren't going to brag as much if they get a good laptop. They have a tendency to rant if something went wrong.

Second off if there isn't a problem with your notebook on arrival then there is a good chance you wont need to ever take it in to the apple store. If it does arrive with a defect apple is super understanding. And if you live near an apple store your very lucky. Its as easy as going in and swapping it for a new one. But if you don't liver near one then you'll have to ship it back to apple.

Thirdly if you do order it from the apple online store (what I always do) make sure the mbp is in the shipping box before you sign for it. I read this terrible story of the delivery guy setting it down on the guys doorstep and then he signed for it and the delivery guy ran off. The guy opened the box and it wasn't in there. Luckily apple shipped him a new mbp within 24 hours.

Oh and lastly macworld 2009 is from january 5-9. The keynote should be on the 5th then. And don't forget its not a sure bet the 17" or SL will come out then. They may not be released until springish.

 

[TDad]

Ok first off it seems like there are tons of people complaining about laptops with defects. These people are just a small margin. Lets face it, people aren't going to brag as much if they get a good laptop. They have a tendency to rant if something went wrong.

Second off if there isn't a problem with your notebook on arrival then there is a good chance you wont need to ever take it in to the apple store. If it does arrive with a defect apple is super understanding. And if you live near an apple store your very lucky. Its as easy as going in and swapping it for a new one. But if you don't liver near one then you'll have to ship it back to apple.

Thirdly if you do order it from the apple online store (what I always do) make sure the mbp is in the shipping box before you sign for it. I read this terrible story of the delivery guy setting it down on the guys doorstep and then he signed for it and the delivery guy ran off. The guy opened the box and it wasn't in there. Luckily apple shipped him a new mbp within 24 hours.

Oh and lastly macworld 2009 is from january 5-9. The keynote should be on the 5th then. And don't forget its not a sure bet the 17" or SL will come out then. They may not be released until springish.

Always good to hear the voice of experience. Fortunately, living where I do in suburban Boston I'm within 20 minutes of three Apple stores, including one five minutes away. So store proximity is not an issue.

I read the post about the person who received delivery of an empty box. Glad it turned out well. I plan to wait until Macworld 2009 and then decide how to proceed. Whatever/whenever I move forward I'll likely buy from the nearby store. It would be a good thing to get to know them, perhaps take the classes they offer, etc.

 

[MowingDevil]

Always good to hear the voice of experience. Fortunately, living where I do in suburban Boston I'm within 20 minutes of three Apple stores, including one five minutes away. So store proximity is not an issue.

I read the post about the person who received delivery of an empty box. Glad it turned out well. I plan to wait until Macworld 2009 and then decide how to proceed. Whatever/whenever I move forward I'll likely buy from the nearby store. It would be a good thing to get to know them, perhaps take the classes they offer, etc.

I know that guy actually Yes Apple was fantastic throughout the ordeal.

 

[Battlefield Fan]

I know that guy actually Yes Apple was fantastic throughout the ordeal.

yeah they could have easily screwed him over and said that he signed it so it was his fault. Good apple.

And yes taking classes might be a good idea. You can also meet with a apple salesman (i don't know what to call them) but its not a genius and they will go over just the basics and answer any questions that you have. I notice a lot more people doing this and they seem to like having their questions answered.

I realize you don't know any of the specs of the 17" since its not out but do you know if you want to buy it online or in store. Buying it online used to avoid tax but it looks like that has changed for my area? Also they include free shipping which is a given.

 

[TDad]

yeah they could have easily screwed him over and said that he signed it so it was his fault. Good apple.

And yes taking classes might be a good idea. You can also meet with a apple salesman (i don't know what to call them) but its not a genius and they will go over just the basics and answer any questions that you have. I notice a lot more people doing this and they seem to like having their questions answered.

I realize you don't know any of the specs of the 17" since its not out but do you know if you want to buy it online or in store. Buying it online used to avoid tax but it looks like that has changed for my area? Also they include free shipping which is a given.

I'll buy from the nearby store. That way I can take classes, purchase Apple peripherals, etc. from a single location. Our daughter took a couple of classes there and was very happy with them. I've gone into the store and poked around, bought iPods for our kids and as gifts, etc. They've always been extremely efficient and helpful. Friends have had the same positive experience.