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What don't you like about the new Aluminum MacBook (besides no FW)?

D

DrivinWest

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 17, 2007
107
4
Republic of Texas
Hey guys,

First and foremost, let me say that I LOVE my new Aluminum MacBook. It's well on its way to replacing my old 12" PowerBook G4 as my favorite laptop ever. That said, there a few things that irk me about it and I'm sure other users have their gripes as well.

My dislikes:

- Two USB ports is sufficient almost all of the time but occasionally I find myself wanting more. I suspect that this will soon be remedied when I get my new 24" LED display (that my girlfriend bought me for Christmas!).
- The battery, and battery life, are a step backwards. The new one runs dry more than 20 minutes faster than the old one. I hope that higher capacity batteries are available soon.

What are your thoughts?

-DW
 
people seem not to adore the loose battery cover,Display even though LED backlit, having to buy the 2.4 for the backlit KB, some keys that are slanted, some other stuff, but all of this seems to be product dependent.
oh, the gloss too.
 
Oh yeah, the loose battery cover... Mine has always been relatively tight and now that I've got a Speck case on it I'm unlikely to ever notice if it degrades :p

Slanted keys? That's a new one to me but now that I look at it... yeah, some of my function keys aren't quite level.
 
DrivinWest said:
Oh yeah, the loose battery cover... Mine has always been relatively tight and now that I've got a Speck case on it I'm unlikely to ever notice if it degrades :p

Slanted keys? That's a new one to me but now that I look at it... yeah, some of my function keys aren't quite level.
Click to expand...

both of the issues are fixable
 
The horrible screen they put in them. It is a freaking joke. A Walmart $600 Dell has a better screen. Only the fanbois defend Apple of this. Everyone else laughs at the baby monitor screen on such an otherwise decent laptop.
 
svndmvn said:
both of the issues are fixable
Click to expand...

Both issues have been fixed by Apple. I bought a MacBook on launch day, and it had slanted keys, dust under the screen and the battery cover was only slightly loose. I had this one exchanged a few weeks ago because I had several problems. It was exchanged with one that was built in the 1st week of December and it has none of the problems that I mentioned above (dust under the screen, loose battery cover or slanted keys).
 
clyde2801 said:
I didn't much care for the screen on the MB, either. Not with the money Apple charges for it. Ditto about returning mine for a pro, just to get a decent screen.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying, but you're playing Apple's game. Have you also tried the plenty calibration profiles on this forum? I know you'll still have horrible blacks, but the contrast would be more pleasant.
 
svndmvn said:
I understand what you're saying, but you're playing Apple's game. Have you also tried the plenty calibration profiles on this forum? I know you'll still have horrible blacks, but the contrast would be more pleasant.
Click to expand...

No matter how many calibrations you try the screen is still a piece of trash. I will never understand why people pay so much for such low quality then defend it to make themselves feel better. The screen is a total joke.
 
I don't like how you have to buy the more expensive macbook to have a backlit keyboard. What a joke. The 2.4ghz one should just be higher specifications, not extra features.

Also, just curious as to why some people are complaining about the screen? The gloss can be slightly annoying in some environments, but apart from that?
 
aurevoir said:
I don't like how you have to buy the more expensive macbook to have a backlit keyboard. What a joke. The 2.4ghz one should just be higher specifications, not extra features.

Also, just curious as to why some people are complaining about the screen? The gloss can be slightly annoying in some environments, but apart from that?
Click to expand...

colors washed out and terrible blacks on most Macbooks. The Blacks thing is unsolvable. The screens are anyway brighter than the old ones, and I guess the color accuracy is the same.
The backlit Keys are the new Superdrive, until October you could only have a DVD burner from 1200 upwards or something similar. I guess if Apple kills the polycarbonate Book there will be two versions with backlit keys and one without. And it is obvious this is coming, no one knows when though.
 
svndmvn said:
I understand what you're saying, but you're playing Apple's game. Have you also tried the plenty calibration profiles on this forum? I know you'll still have horrible blacks, but the contrast would be more pleasant.
Click to expand...

Yes, I did try the calibration profiles found on these forums and it did help but didn't solve the crappy screen problem. Let's face it, we're ALL Apple's bitches on this matter. I'd just wish Apple were a little bit more honest and forthcoming about the inferior screens on the MB's.
 
aurevoir said:
I don't like how you have to buy the more expensive macbook to have a backlit keyboard. What a joke. The 2.4ghz one should just be higher specifications, not extra features.

Also, just curious as to why some people are complaining about the screen? The gloss can be slightly annoying in some environments, but apart from that?
Click to expand...

I guess if you have low standards then the Macbook's screen looks alright. I hate that people pay that much and get a cheap screen. I don't think they should get the superior screen like the Pro has because it is cheaper and it is built for people who don't do anything intensive (which is why it is popular with the teens and college kiddies--people on a budget--of course they will deny this and say they like it because of the size--it is because they couldn't afford the best), but it still should have a
much better screen than it does now.
 
[1] The Panel
[2] No Larger Screen (or Resolution) Option (14"/15") or 1600 x 900px
[3] No dedicated graphics option (if required)
[4] Lack of colour / finish options (black for example), Apple will sell a lot of these, and they'll all look the same.

The fit and finish is very good, SSD option is nice, backlit keys are nice and the easy access to the HDD and RAM is nice.

So my suggestions to Apple would be in order of priority:
[1] Don't skimp on the panel
[2] Offer a 15" model
[3] Offer 1600 x 900 BTO options
[4] Introduce black aluminium or other colours. I'm not talking something as lively as nano chromatic here either, just a few options would be nice.

My other suggestion would be to make one model of MacBook, available in a variety of sizes and screen resolutions. Pros might want a small screen, consumers may want a bigger screen.

So you could get a cheap 15" screen (1280x800) version with integrated graphics or a fully specced out 13" version with SSDs, dedicated graphics and a 1440x900 resolution. Oh, and Firewire. All this could be customisable BTO, with some configurations for retail.

Good:
MacBook 13 (1280x800, 2.0GHz, 250GB, 2GB, integrated) ~ $1000
MacBook 15 (1280x800, 2.0GHz, 250GB, 2GB, integrated) ~ $1000

Better:
MacBook 13 (1280x800, 2.4GHz, 320GB, 3GB, integrated) ~ $1,500
MacBook 15 (1440x900, 2.4GHz, 320GB, 3GB, integrated) ~ $1,500

Best:
MacBook 13 (1440x900, 2.53GHz, 500GB, 4GB, hybrid) ~ >$2,000
MacBook 15 (1920x1200, 2.53GHz, 500GB, 4GB, hybrid) ~ >$2,000

Squabble over exact specs and prcing, it was just to give you the idea.
 
Back on topic:

I was looking this up for another thread. Gizmodo did side by side shots showing the difference in the quality of the panel used by Apple for the MacBook 13" and MacBook 15":

MB 13" vs MB 15" (full article)
From the front:
IMG_4647.jpg

MacBook Pro | MacBook

From the Side
IMG_4649.jpg

MacBook | MacBook Pro

MB 13" vs Air (full article)
mbcomparison2.jpg
 
obviously there is no arguing with those pictures, but i just bought my macbook a few weeks ago and i have had not one problem with the screen. ive watched movies in the dark and in well lighted environments and i have to say that the screen has served me well in any location ive been in. I love the size of it, and although i wasnt to fond of the glossy surface when i first got it, i love it now and wouldnt trade it. Also why would some ppl exhange there macbook for the pro with the same specs? unless your doing video editing and need the extra 9600m video card, your really spending an extra 500 dollars for a minimally larger screen. I was going to go with the pro but when i put them side by side, the difference was noticable, but not large enough to justify a 500 dollar increase. Unless of course you will be using the second video card. And for the record i have used photoshop and other programs. as well as video editing programs and my macbook handles it extremely well..no lagging or slow downs at all.
 
elppa said:
I was looking this up for another thread. Gizmodo did side by side shots showing the difference in the quality of the panel used by Apple for the MacBook 13" and MacBook 15":
Click to expand...

Do the blacks on the MB shown in these pictures REALLY look that gray?

I understand how it can look on the side. I have seen this on many PC laptops. Not all, just some I have seen.
 
No sense in comparing the MB to a MBP.
I'd like to see the MB's screen compared to a Dell/HP or some other portable that costs a couple hundred less, because I'm pretty sure the price difference isn't due to Apple's "better" screen option, it's usually due to other expenses. I kind of doubt Macbooks' screens are a lot worse than anything out there, LED especially. The screen is probably decent which in a company's entry level portable is quite acceptable. What I'd find more annoying about screens are the stripe-issues with Macbook Airs and Bleeding on MBPs.
 
DrivinWest said:
Oh yeah, the loose battery cover... Mine has always been relatively tight and now that I've got a Speck case on it I'm unlikely to ever notice if it degrades :p

Slanted keys? That's a new one to me but now that I look at it... yeah, some of my function keys aren't quite level.
Click to expand...


Can you post some pictures of your macbook with the speckcase? You have the satin one?
 
MacJenn said:
I guess if you have low standards then the Macbook's screen looks alright. I hate that people pay that much and get a cheap screen. I don't think they should get the superior screen like the Pro has because it is cheaper and it is built for people who don't do anything intensive (which is why it is popular with the teens and college kiddies--people on a budget--of course they will deny this and say they like it because of the size--it is because they couldn't afford the best), but it still should have a
much better screen than it does now.
Click to expand...

I was going to get a pro, but it WAS TOO BIG for work and the stuff I do, so yes I bought the Macbook for the size. I can afford the best, I just couldn't get it do to the VERY tight area I work in sometimes for work. If I even gain anymore wieight, that area is going to get tight.
So saying people bough the 13 inch because they can't afford the pro is wrong. I also got the 13 inch because my daughter uses it at times and I don't want her breaking a $2000.00 laptop.
Besides why would I buy a pro, waste my money for something I don't need? The Macbook works perfect for what I need, I'm not spending more money for something I don't need.
 
good god. another thread on this.

please if youre gonna post on this dont post about....

screen
slanted keys
loose battery cover
that its not 12 inches
or that backlit wasnt standard on both models.


there are numerous threads on alllllll of these problems.
 
Ryuukumori said:
Do the blacks on the MB shown in these pictures REALLY look that gray?

I understand how it can look on the side. I have seen this on many PC laptops. Not all, just some I have seen.
Click to expand...

when the screen is tilted away like in those pics......

I never understood why anyone wants to watch a movie at an angle instead of simply adjusting it to be leveled with your eyes.
 
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