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Mac Forum / General / Portable Macs / June 2006Buy a Macbook now?
I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend waiting to see if problems are discovered with the regular Macbook? Do they (Apple) announce when said issues are fixed? (Hardware revisions and whatnot.) Are there any announcements or new product releases (software notwithstanding) expected from Apple in the next few months? ;-) Or is it time to jump on the bandwagon? This is crazy, though. The thought of actually owning a Mac is somewhat unbelieveable. Thanks for any comments! > I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school > use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > This is crazy, though. The thought of actually owning a Mac is > somewhat unbelieveable. Thanks for any comments! It might be prudent to get the next version. But, what the hell, that's what warranties are for. So far all the Macbook reports are pretty positive. I'd watch newsgroups like this one. If there is going to be something wrong with them, you will hear about it pretty soon here. Will there be new product soon? Of course there will. It is one of the basic laws of physics. A new one will arrive straight after you buy something. No matter how long you wait. It is quantum Murphy's electrodynamics. Seriously. Apple never pre-announces anything. But they did say the whole Mac line will be Intel by the end of the year. Expect a beefy desktop or two before Christmas. > I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school > use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend > waiting to see if problems are discovered with the regular Macbook? Do > they (Apple) announce when said issues are fixed? (Hardware revisions > and whatnot.) Apple tends only to announce major, planned hardware updates; revisions of the motherboards don't count. > Are there any announcements or new product releases > (software notwithstanding) expected from Apple in the next few months? > ;-) Or is it time to jump on the bandwagon? Official announcements tend to be at WWDC and Macworld. WWDC is coming up, but I haven't been keeping up on what rumors are hot. The usual suspects for rumors sites include think secret and spymac, and I'm sure some cursory googling will turn up more if you want them. More importantly though, I ask the following question: Why does it matter? My usual advice for people asking your sort of question is to wait until you need the computer, and then purchase a computer that matches your hardware (do you need particular hardware, such as Cardbus slots), software (what software do you run), and budgetary needs. Don't buy before you need a computer without recognizing that you're purchasing a toy. Once you need it, then it's a tool whose purchase you can analyze against your needs. No matter what you do though, you'll be purchasing a product that is assured to be quickly replaced by something better. Living with this phenomenon is part of owning a portable computer. HTH  SignatureLater, John johajohn@indianahoosiers.edu 'indiana' is a 'nolnn' and 'hoosier' is a 'solkk'. Indiana doesn't solkk. > I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school > use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend > waiting to see if problems are discovered with the regular Macbook? I've been holding off and holding off for a while now. I passed on the Pro models, hoping something smaller and less expensive would come out, and it did. I put my order in this past Thursday, and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of a custom configured white 2.0 GHz model (with 1GB RAM, and 80 GB hard drive). I look at this this way: First, the Macbook Pro was their first foray into Intel laptops, and no-doubt contributed to improving the design of the new Macbooks. Second, though it sometimes comes late, Apple has a fairly good record of standing behind design defects, such as the heat-related problems with the iBooks. I bought it without the AppleCare extended warranty initially, but will definitely purchase it before the one year warranty is up. (Since I'm using credit for part of this purchase, it doesn't make sense to pay interest for a year on something I won't use until the second year.) But I definitely will get the coverage on a laptop, particularly a new design like this. So no, I don't feel too hesitant to purchase the new design. I bought one of the very first iMac G4 models over four years ago, and it's been a *fantastic* machine. One of the best computer purchases I've made, and it was an all-new, first-generation model. While all manufacturers have quirks occasionally, Apple's designs are generally very well-engineered and well-made. > Are there any announcements or new product releases > (software notwithstanding) expected from Apple in the next few months? Yes. There's *always* something cooler, faster, and less expensive, just around the corner. You just have to hold out as long as you can, until you're ready to make your move, and the right product comes down the line. For me, the new MacBook is that product that screamed "this is it!" to me. > Or is it time to jump on the bandwagon? Yes. :-) SignatureGarner R. Miller Clifton Park, NY =USA= http://www.garnermiller.com/ > I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school > use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend > waiting to see if problems are discovered with the regular Macbook? > <snip> > ;-) Or is it time to jump on the bandwagon? I also waited few months before I put in my order for MBP and after using is for a few weeks I decided to get also MB almost immediately when they came out. Now I have both - one as pretty much desktop replacement for ocasional moving around the house (MBP) and MB is for pretty much for everything else - daily mails, lugging it around with me on business trips to coffee shops, out by the pool, etc. Both machines are very good and each has its own purpose (at lest for me). If I were to decide again if I shell out the money I would. And did I already say that I'm very happy with both ;-). Both are great and for what you seem to be looking for the MB is good machine and you will be happy with it. I use the less powerful white MB and it works just fine even Office runs faster via Rosetta than sometimes on my G4. As far as running hot - well both run hotter than my 17'' PB G4 1.67GHz, but hey this is Intel and they are always running much more hot than G4 ever were. What I love though is very quiet cooling compared with hust about any PC laptop that I had my hands on (many). As for announcements - well Apple is pretty clear about any recalls and warranty replacements (as any other manufacturer). Otherwise they had this habit of announcing new products during major shows, but they seem to be gettung away from that practice. Best is usualy to screen the rumour sites and see what is the buzz (they are surprisingly accurate). > This is crazy, though. The thought of actually owning a Mac is > somewhat unbelieveable. Thanks for any comments! You will get used to it quite fast and most likely never come back to Windows. Jan >> I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school >> use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Jan I'm waiting because Intel is supposed to released their new chips in July-August and the update to Tiger should not be far behind that, > I'm waiting because Intel is supposed to released their new chips in > July-August and the update to Tiger should not be far behind that, Those chips will be for desktops, not laptops. Don't expect much more than speed bumps for the laptop line until next year. As for Leopard (10.5), don't expect any real news (as oppsed to rumors) regarding a ship date until WWDC in early August. Apple will probably hold back Leopard until there's been some time to test it thoroughly on the new 64-bit machines. >> I'm waiting because Intel is supposed to released their new chips in >> July-August and the update to Tiger should not be far behind that, [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > hold back Leopard until there's been some time to test it thoroughly on > the new 64-bit machines. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060529-6936.html New Intel roadmap reveals Conroe "solo", mobile plans 5/29/2006 12:21:33 PM, by Jon Hannibal Stokes In Q207, budget box builders are going to have quite a few nice options from Intel, if the latest roadmap from the company is any guide. The roadmap, turned up by Daily Tech, shows a "Conroe-L," described as a single-core version of Conroe aimed at the low end. Conroe-L will probably be joined in the low end by the last remnants of the Pentium 4 and Celeron D lines, from which Intel will try to squeeze the very last drops of revenue before finally putting Netburst out to pasture. I hold out high hopes for all of the single-core versions of Core 2 that Intel will release, including Conroe-L. As I've pointed out in my coverage of Core 2, the new architecture is a single-threaded monster, and a single-core version of it should be quite capable for a variety of mid-range to low-end tasks. I think Apple in particular, a company with much experience exploiting low-end processors by putting them into innovative enclosures, could do some nice things with Conroe-L... [queue the Apple media center speculation]. Daily Tech also has the goods on Intel's upcoming mobile roadmap, which shows two main waves of Merom rollouts. The initial wave is slated for this August, when Intel will launch the first round of Merom parts for use with the existing 667MHz FSB "Napa" Centrino platform. The next Merom rollout will come in Q207, and will be accompanied by a new chipset ("Santa Rosa"), a new socket (Socket P), and an 800MHz FSB. >> Core 2 won't really come into its own as a mobile architecture until >> the release of Socket P, when the higher FSB speed will be more able to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> >> [ Discuss Did you check your Macbook to see if the piece of tape was still on it? If so did that take care of some of the heat problems? Just curious, thanks. richard > > I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school > > use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > Jan > Did you check your Macbook to see if the piece of tape was still on it? > If so did that take care of some of the heat problems? Just curious, > thanks. Yeah I did check the MacBook and there was not tape. I guess the one guy that posted the picture on the web was a lucky winner. There is no problem with the machine that I'm aware of. > I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school > use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > This is crazy, though. The thought of actually owning a Mac is > somewhat unbelieveable. Thanks for any comments! What about MacBook Pro is scary??? I bought one the first day they became available and it's a great machine - and I've seen NONE of the anecdotally reported "problems" cause any real trouble. They exist but are greatly exaggerated. I run both OSX & Windows XP on mine - it is stable, fast and reliable..... Yes, it runs hot - so get a cooling pad if you must. Even without one it works fine.... I've never heard any of the reported "noises" - didn't hear any "noises" trying out multiple machines at the Apple store and other outlets...! Don't believe most of what you see posted in NGs - especially all that "bad" news.... PC > I bought one the first day they became available and it's a great > machine - and I've seen NONE of the anecdotally reported "problems" > cause any real trouble. They exist but are greatly exaggerated. Just out of curiosity, what leads you to conclude that the reports were "greatly exaggerated", given that you personally have never experienced any of the reported problems? I don't think anyone's ever claimed that all MacBook Pros were affected, so of course there are people who have had no trouble at all. SignatureTom "Tom" Harrington Macaroni, Automated System Maintenance for Mac OS X. Version 2.0: Delocalize, Repair Permissions, lots more. See http://www.atomicbird.com/ >> I bought one the first day they became available and it's a great >> machine - and I've seen NONE of the anecdotally reported "problems" [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > all MacBook Pros were affected, so of course there are people who have > had no trouble at all. I also spoke with honest - by reputation and experience - professional Apple outlets as well as the folks at the Apple store(s) - San Diego & Las Vegas - they all just laughed at the "outcry"..... I tried machines in five different stores as well as having operated my own for months. It's clear that the negative reports are greatly exaggerated - all one need do is check for one's self and then apply the duck test..... PC > I tried machines in five different stores as well as having operated > my own for months. It's clear that the negative reports are greatly > exaggerated - all one need do is check for one's self and then apply > the duck test..... This is all perfectly normal - the vast majority of folks with these machines have had no problems and don't post rants or news items about their problem-free machines. Someone thinks about getting one and sees a few stories about the problems and extrapolates (often incorrectly) that these problems are common or widespread So before we come to any real conclusions here, note that : (a) the vast majority of machines are fine - if this were not true, it'd be huge headline news. (b) I, at least, haven't seen any hard numbers suggesting that the incidence pf problems is any higher than typical of a new computer release from a high-end manufacturer. That said, there's an interesting piece on http://www.macdevcenter.com right now from James Duncan Davidson about too much thermal paste between the main chips on the logic board and their heat sink. He takes is MacBookPro apart and shows pix. SignaturePlain Bread alone for e-mail, thanks. The rest gets trashed. No HTML in E-Mail! -- http://www.expita.com/nomime.html Are you posting responses that are easy for others to follow? http://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/2000/06/14/quoting >... there's an interesting piece on http://www.macdevcenter.com > right now from James Duncan Davidson about too much thermal > paste between the main chips on the logic board and their heat > sink. He takes is MacBookPro apart and shows pix. Great internals coverage, but I don't agree with the author's conclusion that a lower case temperature means he's improved the cooling of the main chips. All else being equal, if he's improved the heat transfer away from the main chips, the places where the heat is going (heat pipes, heat sinks and nearby hardware such as the case), must be hotter as they dump more heat to the external environment. SignatureClem "If you push something hard enough, it will fall over." - Fudd's first law of opposition > I've never heard any of the reported "noises" - didn't hear any > "noises" trying out multiple machines at the Apple store and other > outlets...! The noise is real but it's also fairly high pitched, fairly low intensity, and only occurs under specific circumstances. You'd never hear it in an Apple store or a *$ or a typical office setting. You might if you use it at home and your ears still work well with high frequencies. I can hear it when I work at home in a very quiet room, but only when the machine is on, running from the battery, and not doing much. Even then, one of the three people I demonstrated it to heard nothing, presumably because he's lost some hearing in that range -- not at all unusual if you're over 40. All in all it's not a big deal, and there are hacks to kill this noise if it bothers you. QuietMPB is one. >> I've never heard any of the reported "noises" - didn't hear any >> "noises" trying out multiple machines at the Apple store and other [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > All in all it's not a big deal, and there are hacks to kill this noise > if it bothers you. QuietMPB is one. I appreciate your input - and while I did say that "nolse" exists, I also said it's "effect", etc., was greatly exaggerated by most of the anecdotal reports posted in this and similar venues.... Those who might have a really "noisy" machine can no doubt get it exchanged by the Apple folks without much of a fuss.... On balance, I maintain that it's not serious enough to prevent anyone from buying one of these superior machines..... PC > The noise is real but it's also fairly high pitched, fairly low > intensity, and only occurs under specific circumstances. > I can hear it when I work at home in a very quiet room, but only when > the machine is on, running from the battery, and not doing much. I'm posting from my 2ghz macbook. I have good high frequency hearing up to 19kHz. No high pitched sound at all holding the book up to my ear. There is a very small hum around 100 hz which goes silent when the screen brightness is turned all the way up or all the way down. See ya Steve SignatureBuilding a museum, library and digital archive dedicated to the art of animation... http://www.animationarchive.org > > I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school > > use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Don't believe most of what you see posted in NGs - especially all that > "bad" news.... I bought a MacBook Pro in early March. It serves me well. I saw the MacBook at the new NYC Apple Store on 5th Avenue recently and it does not look nearly as well built and sturdy as the MacBook Pro. >>> I'm looking into buying a Macbook (not pro) for personal and school >>> use. The issues with the "Pro" scared me, though. Would you recommend [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > I saw the MacBook at the new NYC Apple Store on 5th Avenue recently and > it does not look nearly as well built and sturdy as the MacBook Pro. Agreed - but then the iBook wasn't a PowerBook either......:) The MacBook Pro blows the doors off the MacBooks......:) Video performance alone is superior, not to mention basic operations. OTOH, I wish the Pro was as easy to disassemble should one wish to change the HD as it is in the MacBooks..... Each series of machines fits it own market...... PC |
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