Why the MBP?

[Hamster747]

Hi guys,
Just wondering why you bought the MBP and what attracted you to it? Was it the price? the looks? etc. Do you regret buying it?

 

[pjazzy]

I bought the 13" uMBP late '09 model. It was the size and battery life. Its my first Mac OS product (except iPhone) as I wanted it to dabble in video editing.

The price is higher than other laptops but the build quality and overall user experience make up for it without a doubt

 

[kolax]

Owned 3 generations of the 15" MacBook Pro. Really wish I had just gotten the 17" in matte this time round..

 

[PCMacUser]

Well, I only bought my 13" MBP yesterday, but my reasons for purchase were:

- Performance
- Portability
- Battery life
- Minimalistic looks
- Build material and build quality
- Runs both OS X and 64-bit Windows 7

Negatives:

- This is my first Apple laptop with a Magsafe power connector, and frankly I can't see how it would come out if the power cable were tripped over (because the magnetic connection is so strong). It's going to take the whole laptop to the floor, just like the old connectors did.
- Glossy screen - but a matte screen cover can be purchased for US$35.

-------
Reviews that I'd read stated that the MBPs get hot. Yes it gets warm, but not as hot as my G4 iBook does. Although maybe I haven't thrashed it enough yet to be able to make that statement.

So far the laptop has been excellent. Leopard and Windows 7 run well on it, as do some older games. My display has one dead pixel on it, but it's not too noticeable.

Yes, there are lighter, cheaper, faster, higher capacity notebooks out there - but in my opinion (and I'm no Apple fanboy - my main computer is a desktop PC), the MBP is the best balance of all of these things of any notebook on the market.

 

[electroshock]

Hi guys, Just wondering why you bought the MBP and what attracted you to it? Was it the price? the looks? etc. Do you regret buying it?

I bought it because it was better than the two other computers you asked in the two other forums within five minutes of your post in this forum. Actually... I bought it for its sleek looks and now greatly regret it. No, no, I didn't (for either).

Needed a) high resolution screen and b) as much portable power as I could get so I could mainly edit photos (and sometimes video) while on the road. Nothing else had a matte 1920x1200 screen nor a dual 2.4 GHz CPU at the time, so the 17" MBP it was.

That it looks nice is just a bonus. Looks don't generally factor into my computer purchases but rather, capabilities. If I didn't need a high res monitor nor insane amounts of power and expansion capabilities, then I'd have been fine with a MacBook. The MacBook Air looks positively dreamy on the lightweight and portable angle, but didn't exist when I got my MBP.

It's been a solid and dependable performer in the past 2 1/2 years including in the arctic winter, and I'm pretty sure I'm depending on it for at least another 2 1/2 years more. Please post here once you decide on which portable Mac to buy and let us know how it worked out, even if it isn't a MBP.

 

[airplaneman]

Well, I only bought my 13" MBP yesterday, but my reasons for purchase were:

- Performance
- Portability
- Battery life
- Minimalistic looks
- Build material and build quality
- Runs both OS X and 64-bit Windows 7

Negatives:

- This is my first Apple laptop with a Magsafe power connector, and frankly I can't see how it would come out if the power cable were tripped over (because the magnetic connection is so strong). It's going to take the whole laptop to the floor, just like the old connectors did.
- Glossy screen - but a matte screen cover can be purchased for US$35.

-------
Reviews that I'd read stated that the MBPs get hot. Yes it gets warm, but not as hot as my G4 iBook does. Although maybe I haven't thrashed it enough yet to be able to make that statement.

So far the laptop has been excellent. Leopard and Windows 7 run well on it, as do some older games. My display has one dead pixel on it, but it's not too noticeable.

Yes, there are lighter, cheaper, faster, higher capacity notebooks out there - but in my opinion (and I'm no Apple fanboy - my main computer is a desktop PC), the MBP is the best balance of all of these things of any notebook on the market.

The magsafe only has a strong connection if the force pulling it is directly horizontal; if it is tipped slightly up, down, left, or right, as if it were being tripped over, it is really easy to pop out.

 

[alphaod]

When I only had one computer as the computer I used daily…

The MacBook Pro offered:

• Faster processor
• Discrete graphics
• Aluminum enclosure
• Screen real-estate
• Firewire 800

Of course those lines that differentiated between models have sort of faded. Price wasn't really a factor. I bought based on needs.

Now that I have a desktop, the MacBook Pro doesn't suit my needs anymore.

 

[airplaneman]

Hi guys,
Just wondering why you bought the MBP and what attracted you to it? Was it the price? the looks? etc. Do you regret buying it?

I got mine because I needed a new computer. It is such an upgrade from my old one (a crappy really really old HP) that I have no complaints. I'm a bit concerned that the bootup times have slipped from 40 secs to 60 secs, but I've seen threads here that indicate that this is pretty normal. My whole family basically uses this as the main computer nowadays, so it's mostly a desktop replacement although we take advantage of the mobile form factor regularly. It's fast, quiet, and beautiful, and the price cuts were enticing. I'm 100% happy with my MBP, and once I receive my backup HD and install SL, I'm sure I'll be happier still .

 

[psingh01]

I wanted a 17" screen and discrete graphics. I previously owned an Alu PowerBook and the original Ti PowerBook, so MacBook Pro was the natural choice.

 

[RKpro]

When I bought mine last October, I was looking for a new 15" laptop. After using Vista for a year, I still didn't enjoy the experience, and I was kind of bored of Windows in general. I also use Ubuntu on a desktop which is awsome, but there isn't enough useful software support to use Ubuntu my primary OS. So I went with a new MBP.

 

[PCMacUser]

The magsafe only has a strong connection if the force pulling it is directly horizontal; if it is tipped slightly up, down, left, or right, as if it were being tripped over, it is really easy to pop out.

Thank you! I just tried your suggestion and you are 100% correct. I appreciate the tip.

 

[kolax]

This is my first Apple laptop with a Magsafe power connector, and frankly I can't see how it would come out if the power cable were tripped over (because the magnetic connection is so strong). It's going to take the whole laptop to the floor, just like the old connectors did.

MagSafe has saved my laptops so many times over the years. Mainly because of clumsy flatmates.

 

[maflynn]

Portability primarily

The machines look sharp and perform extremely well. I also don't need the price or the power of a MacPro so the MBP it was. I've been buying apple laptops since the alu g4 powerbook and I've not regretted one purchase.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

There were a number of reasons I switched (I have my MBP since April of 2008), and I did a fair bit of research before I finally made the switch, which took the form of a belated birthday present to myself. Anyway, the main reasons were that I was impressed by the stunning design (yes, it's beautiful, and in the Windows world, only Sony can baost remotely similar aesthetics) build quality, the excellent screen, and the power and performance of Apple's MBPs. The fact that Apple finally allowed one to have access to the Windows world (via Office for Mac - an absolute must for me as my entire work world uses Word), was also a factor.

Two other reasons convinced me to make the change. One was that Apple was virus free; despite investing in the most robust anti-virus/anti-spam etc software, I found myself inundated with this nonsense in the world of Windows and Apple has an impressive track record in this regard.

The other was the fact that Apple honours its warranties, rather than seeking refuge in contractual small-print, a fact which impressed me mightily. Two years earlier, I had bought an iPod, a classic, which died after a few months; its replacement died after a few weeks, after hardly any use. Both were replaced - immediately - by Apple without a murmur, upon production of sales receipts, although the actual exchange process took a few weeks.

Cheers and good luck