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worry problems with the MBP

M

MacMan01

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2008
6
0
Im considering buying a MBP (my first Mac) however im very concerned about the number of horror stories in the forum (I realise that forums are full of problems by nature) however some of the posts I have been reading about: yellow screens, bulging batteries, buzzing noises, head phone noises, warped screens, general poor quality cases are very worrying.

I dont want to spend a lot of money on something that I will have to keep returning to Apple / and arguing with store managers to get replacements / refunds etc - that does sound fun!!, until I find one that is defect free, are these isolated cases? - does anyone have a new Penryn MBP that is "defect free"??
 
I have a 2.2 'Merom' MBP that to me is perfectly "defect free".

No battery issues, no screen issues, no buzzing issues - just a perfectly working, notebook computer. Possibly, just possibly, one of the best available.

I buy a lot of laptops work business (mostly Dell Windows boxes but a couple of Macs) and you'll hear "horror" stories about any brand - whether it be laptops, cars, TVs, anything, there will always be a few "Friday Afternoon Specials" that sneak through what QA there is.

I used to work for a major electronics manufacturer (including laptops, and no, it - sadly - wasn't Apple!) and I know first hand you'll never, no matter how hard you try, get 100% perfect reliability and perfect products. 99.9%, maybe...

Having said that, I've had no issues with my MBP (or my two iPods) but if I did, I have confidence that Apple would take care of it; and I can't say *that* for too many other companies...
 
Exactly. For everyone you have read with problems, there are countless others with no problems whatsoever, including me.
 
just got the 15" 2.4 GHz with 200 GB disk. Maxed out the RAM to 4GB for 100 bucks and could not be happier. Great performance and defect free.
 
gibbz said:
Exactly. For everyone you have read with problems, there are countless others with no problems whatsoever, including me.
Click to expand...

Correct. Unfortunately, I'm one of those that have had problems with a bunch of MacBook Pros. Have had just about every well-documented issue at least once, as well as a few that apparently nobody on the planet had ever heard of.

If you just can't stand taking the risk that you might have to do one or more exchanges due to defects, I can't recommend ever buying a MacBook Pro. This is based only on my own personal experiences, though. I have tons of friends who have never had issues with their MBPs.

As previous posted, though, Apple is usually pretty good about exchanges for defects, so long as the buyer is absolutely sure to report any problems within the first 14 days after purchase. If a problem happens on day 15 or after, repair seems to be the only option.
 
xpovos said:
If you just can't stand taking the risk that you might have to do one or more exchanges due to defects, I can't recommend ever buying a MacBook Pro. This is based only on my own personal experiences, though. I have tons of friends who have never had issues with their MBPs.
Click to expand...
You take this risk with every product you buy. No one has 100% quality control. Whether it's a house, a TV, a car, a laptop, a cell phone, an electric drill, there will alway be units that have some manufacturing defect and need to be repaired/exchanged.

Apple's failure rate is not any higher than other manufacturers.
 
A lot of people haven't had problems, but I've had tons. Apple hardware sucks for the most part. Too bad their OS isn't on more reliable hardware. Their QC is next to nothing. Here's a rundown:

4 x 5G iPods, no problems ever (for 4 different people)

iPod touch - I must have been through 13 of them and every single one of them had stuck pixels. Steve Jobs told me to stop trying, in an e-mail. I work at an electronics store so I just do the exchanges on my shift, so it's not a big hassle, and for the most part I just wanted to see if I could actually find a problem free one. Most of the users won't notice, and that's how they get away with it.

MacBook Pro - 15" SR, no problems except the bottom of the screen was a bit yellow/dark, and it doesn't wake up from sleep.

iMac 24" - I think I went through 5? I can't remember. Stuck pixels, broken super drive, kernel panic every 10 s, etc. The list goes on (white iMac)

Al iMac (24) - one dead pixel

MacBook Air - first unit = 10 hr charge time even after many, many cycles, clicking hard drive.
Second MacBook air - whining sound, build problems (bezel rubs against base and is starting to erode it). I better return it before my 14 days are up.

MacBook (13.3", White, C2D) - 4-5 returns, can't remember - one of them was vibrating, one was DOA, the other was very very loud, etc.

MacBook (for someone else) - 3 returns, 4th one worked --> all 3 vibrated on the wrist area very noticeably.

i hope this post signals you "buyer beware". It's like a lottery getting something from this company. Hope you get lucky...

I know it's hard to prove which companies have problems with their QC, but for the record, I must have owned 7 dell machines, 6 desktops, one laptop, a bunch of their LCDs, and an x50v PDA, and never had a problem with any of it.
 
I have been fortunate...

... absolutely no issues out of all the Macs I have purchased over the years. My Current MBP 17 inch 2.16 from almost two years ago is a Great laptop!:apple:
 
Never had a problem, ever. With all the macs and iPods I had they all worked great and they still run as fast as ever.

ChrisN
 
As everyone has said, the chances that you will have one of these problems is very slim.

Also, keep in mind that hardly anyone would buy Macs if they weren't guaranteed to get a new one due to a factory defect. If you have any of these problems (not caused by accidental damage) they'll replace it for you. :)
 
Very Happy!

Just got my 17" Matte on Friday - I have worried since I made the decision to buy a new MBP after reading these forums - but that didnt stop me due to the reasons above.

Everything is Perfect! The screen is Awesome (and I've been in broadcasting for 20 years so I am pickier than most), it's a beautiful machine! I have had some wireless dropouts, but I am 99% sure that is my network problem and not the machine's.

The only problem is my lack of knowledge - I haven't had a mac since they were still called Macintosh. My last one was a SE30. Much has changed since then!
 
chinarider - a polite question: How can you be a demi-god if you haven't had a Mac since those days and are not up on the OS etc.?

What makes a demi-god?
 
Those who claim that they have a perfect screen are definitely in a state of denial, or they are just can't understand what the bottom 1/3 yellowing tint exactly looks like.

I have had 4 MBP replacements(5 MBPs in total), 2 screen repair replacements, and then one more MBP replacement coming up in a few days. ALL 7 screens have the bottom 1/3 yellowish tint issue.
And I am betting that the upcoming replacement i am getting will have it too.

My first MBP was from June 2007, so it is confirmed that the problem is not with certain batches of LCD. Its good to assume ALL have the yellowish time problem.
 
queshy said:
What's so funny?
Click to expand...

Not that I know what a dead pixel looks like, but the statement one dead pixel sounds like such a minute problem.

Also, looking at your post, my guess is that you were a little too picky when it came to some of your problems if you actually returned an iPod Touch 13 times - and if you did, a word of advice: Don't purchase iPod Touches from homeless men on the street.

Seriously, I've heard of things being returned twice - but thirteen? That's a bit ridiculous, don't you think?
 
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