Apple MacBook Pro MB604LL/A 17-Inch Laptop (2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB...
 List Price: $2,299.00 |
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Customer Reviews
Clever in OS X, but dismal support for XP, Vista and BootCampOne year ago, offended by dismal experiences with multiple PC manufacturers (Dell, Acer, among others) in terms of their noisome support for Windows (along with poor hardware reliability issues and very skint servicing of hardware), I took the plunge and decided I would buy a Mac. I basically have to have windows XP because it's required to interface with distinct hospital systems, but I thought if the Windows partition went down (a accepted guarantee with Windows XP at some point), at least I would have a reliable Mac system as a backup. I expected a far crap-shooter experience, given the customer service ratings of Apple, which are better than any PC fabricator. Little did I know what I was getting into.
The XP partition blue screened on a automatic basis, from the first moment it was created. Microsoft of course makes it anything but light to figure out why XP is bluescreening - part of their effort to duck and cover around the OS being a buggy dishevel. (Any misbehaving driver will bring it down.) And Apple's position on this consistently was that "this is not their problem." Adding slur to injury, I was charged for support by Microshaft (despite this partition being built from a new reproduce of Windows XP professional). Well, what else is new - this is standard PC fare, and the primary reason why so many populace are switching to Macs.
What was a revelation was to discover (after using a great insufficient program called BlueScreenView that not even Microsoft was aware of - that program should be installed on every PC) that the driver causing ALL the crestfallen screens was Apple's proprietary mouse driver for the touchpad/mouse. Even more fabulous, I found out (after a lot of digging) that Apple apparently was aware of this all along (12+ months), but failed to phone users, and failed to correct the mouse driver issues for over one year, without thought numerous complaints on the part of numerous boot Camp users about the mouse driver causing dominating problems. Apple stonewalled me for months on this issues, stating over and over that there were no problems with their drivers. What BS. Apple's assertion on any difficulty under XP or Vista (and soon Windows 7) is that all Windows issues have nothing to do with them. One insignificant problem with that . . . Apple was writing the XP driver software for the mouse that was causing all the problems. This benevolent of "it's not my responsibility" attitude is something you expect from Microsoft, or perhaps from Dell, but you don't expect from Apple. It's been a unalloyed shock to experience this kind of corporate dodging and blame-shifting from Apple. Did they get lessons from Dell . . . . or may be our federal administration??
After roughly one year of difficulties (blue screens almost every day or every other day, bringing down the system and causing extermination of work and endless grief along with two corrupted C drive partitions and hundreds of corrupt hours), I was able to find a fix for this, no thanks to Apple. The Mac side of course works just select, but I bought this system to use it primarily as a PC (with Mac OS X capability as a backup). If you are never going to use as a dual OS system, this is a enjoyable computer and OS. However, I would strongly caution anyone against buying an Apple laptop or desktop system if they intend to have serious dual boot adeptness and intend to use some version of Windows more than 10% of the time. What you'll find is a total require of support and a position of complete denial of responsibility by Apple for anything that happens under boot Set.
Given that this dual operating system capability has become one of Apple's strong selling cards and principal for a significant fraction of sales, this position by Apple has to be seen as egregious, and fully unacceptable. My discouraged conclusion is that if you intend to use this system to operate any version of Windows, you have to be sensitive that you will be on your own. Microsoft regards all OS issues under BootCamp as Apple's problem, Apple regards them as lawful Microsoft's problem, and in the final analysis, it's all going to be your problem. Be watchful for out!! (and unfortunately the virtual emulation of Windows under Parallels or VMWare is no result either - earlier versions were massively buggy!!)
I am confident that this review will be trashed by the Mac constant (hence the poor ratings!) - attacking Apple is about like insulting someone's mamma in some people's eyes. Such loyalty is admirable, and speaks to some of Apple's strengths - which mutate this experience all the more puzzling. But for anyone that has struggled with an XP, Vista or (soon) Window 7 room divider on a MacBook, this experience should be a MAJOR caution. For those who will never cross into the unreliable and buggy wasteland of Windows on this computer equipment (a most fortunate majority of owners spared all the headaches of the PC world), this is in all probability a five star system. But it is striking to see such disparity between Apple on these two sides of an issue (OS X support vs Windows ratify), and it's really a shame. I had hoped for far better.
As probity as it can get
Macbook Pros are indeed soothing, specially if its your first mac. All the small details, the neat reworking of features of other operating systems, the WAY outdo performance/hardware ratio provided due to software optimizations and less mid-men (software abstraction layers), everything.
The purchase in itself was great: quick shipping, wonderful customer service from the seller, product is as described. I just yen I could have bought it with the 512MB of video memory version without having to go all the way up with other tools specifications, along with an extra $300+ in budget.
Best clothes COMPUTER
forthrightly if you have enough to buy this computer but feel like saving money and going for the Dell, DONT. Dells suck smashing and even though you are paying a lot more up front for the mac and you might not be used to it at first, in the long run you are saving money and its just a way outstrip computer. Dell screwed me over with tons of money and three computers that all became outdated very rapid and even crashed, I have yet to encounter a problem with my mac and I do alot of work with music on it! Fooling the best investment I ever made, I will never consider buying windows again. The best part about this computer is the stir trackpad for the mouse, once you understand how to use all of its features, which is pretty quick, you will choose every computer had one. It makes web browsing and everything else so much easier!!! Go for it, this computer rocks the screen looks awesome!!!! Apple MacBook Pro MC118LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop!
15 year PC con-vert to Mac. THIS standard MacBook made me do it.
What can I say? Perhaps it's my age catching up with me. I am not sure. I know that I was just tired of all the mess there is in keeping a PC up to boy and always running. Drivers, inter-application support, all of this is just something PC owners reckon with with and have gotten use to. I'm tired of it.
I found the iLife suite of applications a perfect conform to for everything I needed. iPhoto, iMovie and of course iTunes (which I was already using on the PC along with my iPhone) are only just a joy to use. iPhotos "places, faces and events" are super cool. And it's staggering how easy it is to get photos in and tagged. Everything about OSX just flows easily and never gets in my way. Everything works together smoothly and nothing competes with each other. i.e. WIndows Photo Viewer and Media Athlete both wanting to manange your pictures and videos DIFFERENTLY. Typical PC rise is "oh just download this other app and install this service and then run this codec pack and set this registry entrance and you're all set'" NO...I'M DONE WITH THAT. iLife and OSX WORK.
Now to the hardware.
I liked the previous formation MacBook Pro. It was missing some things though for the price. For one, it seemed to not really offer much in build and features I couldn't get elsewhere much cheaper in a PC laptop. This was not to say I would buy a PC but it meant I was looking at the MacMini or perhaps even the iMac. Something I didn't really want to do. I wanted a laptop. So I waited. Another year with the PC...then in the long run these new ones hit.
I was blown away by the features videos and when I got to handle one in actually...WOW. They are thinner yet completely SOLID. Picking one up or just smashing the keys and you sense like you're using something God would use. I can rest my fat palms on the faceplate without worry. The new unscrupulous backlit keys are MUCH easier to see and feel great! The buttonless use pad (the entire thing is a button) is amazing. It's like the iPhone except with the in of a button. Which is perfect. Be nice if the iPhone could get this feature some how. The gesture take up the cudgels for is spot on. It's the first time I've ever used a touchpad and NOT wanted to get a mouse instantly. You can in reality use it all day and it's transparent. It operates so smoothly. FINALLY.
The sound from the speakers is much improved. iTunes in the breeding or jamming out loud is very clear and full sounding for a laptop speaker. Nothing sounds sour or crushed. They are laptop speakers mind you, but for that, they are the best I've heard.
The open out is very clear and off angle is nice. I find the contrast to be pretty good and the 3D accomplishment to be awesome. (and should be with a 9600). The auto switching to the slower power economical 9400 is a pretty neat trick too. I play World of Warcraft and EVE-Online and they both run surely smoothly. When running on battery there is a performance hit with the cycled down cpu and slower 9400, but you'd look forward that. I also tried Team Fortress 2 via "Crossover for Games" and it ran very smoothly. With only a couple of minor display glitches.
My only real complaint is the lack of USB ports, it has two. I genuinely wish it had TWO more. My model has the express slot instead of the mini Christmas card slot. I find you have many more expansion options with the express slot. Including putting in your own mini birthday card reader. So why limit your options?
Finally, Amazon's price was $200 cheaper than Apple's. I got no tax and release 2 day shipping on top of that, pretty sweet.
Famed computer, but with scratches
As the subtitle says, the computer is great, it is much more than I expected considering I moved from PC platform to Mac. Every detail just works fine, no bugs, no hassles. This Macbook Pro is a 2008 scale model, but I found it very powerful and fast compared to my Vaio FZ-180e.
The only annoyance had nothing to do with the laptop start or functionality: it came with scratches on the right side of the lid. Also, when I installed aditional recollection I found a lot of dust inside it, which made me wonder that this notebook could have been in some showcase at Datavision Computer Video supply in NY, from where it was delivered.
I've tried to contact the store by e-mail through the proper military talents at Amazon's site, but received no word about it. And since I'm not in the US right now, I just got stuck with a new computer that looks old. So, the put two I rate it no so good is due to its handling by the store, not because the quality of the equipment which I characterize as it is superb.
