Thinking of buying one... suggested configurations?
Am I better off with a basic MBPro or an upgraded MB?

I want help, not people telling me not to get one. Thanks.

6/30/2006 1:25:24 AM

How many configurations are there -- 3? Does the shell game give you trouble?




[Edited on June 30, 2006 at 1:30 AM. Reason : 44]

6/30/2006 1:26:14 AM

don't get one

6/30/2006 1:28:20 AM

two idiots so far... anyone with an opinion worth seeing?

6/30/2006 1:32:25 AM

The MB Pro has a better graphics card is the biggest difference. You also can choose if you want the glossy of matte screen with the pro.

If you don't care about games, then the regular MacBooks will work fine for you, and also come in white or black, if you don't want the Al finish.

If it were me though, if you can wait, I would wait another 4-6 months for the next revision, because it will likely be a lot better.

6/30/2006 1:41:41 AM

thx.. i am waiting as close to end of summer as possible, but i need a new one for fall semester... the laptop i'm using now is kind of a loaner... had the misfortune of owning a toshiba satellite the last two years... and it crapped out on me for the last time right before i had to write a final program...

i definitely would like the stronger graphics of a 3rd party card, i think the pro's have ati's?
i would prefer a gloss screen, they just look better to me.
i don't mind the Al casing... really doesnt matter at all i just want a good machine i can depend on more than other computers i've had
i'm all about power, i run pretty much any computer i use into the ground with applications/tasks... just a habit... i think 1gb of ram is all ill be able to afford, so that's a concern as well...

6/30/2006 1:49:09 AM

Quote :

"i definitely would like the stronger graphics of a 3rd party card, i think the pro's have ati's?"

yes

Quote :

"i would prefer a gloss screen, they just look better to me."

an option for both the MB and MB Pro

Quote :

"i think 1gb of ram is all ill be able to afford, so that's a concern as well..."

Keep in mind that the MB with the Intel GPU uses shared interleaved RAM. If you upgrade the RAM on your own and end up with non-paired DIMMs then graphics performance will suffer. It is not as much of a concern on the MB Pro because it has an independent GPU and VRAM.

6/30/2006 8:43:36 AM

i was simply going with the upgrades of ram that apple offers... which is i think kind of a rip off... an extra gig to get to 2 gigs costs an extra 400 i think on a MB... i'd rather have 2 but thats just ridiculous

6/30/2006 1:02:32 PM

^ In pretty much every case custom ordering RAM in a machine will cost more than buying it yourself. (Excludes certain special promotions.)

You can always add RAM yourself later for cheap.

(see http://www.dealram.com for the best prices across the market)

6/30/2006 1:33:16 PM

You should never worry about apple ripping you off.

thats standard practice.

That exact same ram cost $100 somewhere else.

but since apple has touched it, it is magicly blessed and well worth the extra $300


also make sure you get your warranty. When it overheats you'll want to get it fixed.

or alternatively if you get the macbook you'll want to get it replaced when the wrist-rests become discolored.



but i mean thats ok. you paid alot for it. and its a mac. Its ok if it has problems or cost you 2x as much as if you bought a comparable system from a PC OEM.


you bought a mac and that makes it better!

6/30/2006 1:36:49 PM

I'd wait it out for the 2nd revision if possible...Rev A's always have some kinks.

And get your RAM from coastmemory.com; I've purchased the cheap RAM from there for 4 seperate Macs over the past few years and everytime it's worked perfectly and cost a lot less.

6/30/2006 1:46:00 PM

normal use:



[Edited on June 30, 2006 at 1:51 PM. Reason : shitty image host]

6/30/2006 1:48:37 PM

LAWLZ!

gg apple

6/30/2006 1:59:36 PM

They wanted to allow you to personalize your computer unknowingly

6/30/2006 2:22:32 PM

the discoloration is unique based on where the users rests their hands!

sounds like a feature to me!

6/30/2006 2:29:17 PM

Thats actually your skin burning onto the shell.

6/30/2006 2:47:57 PM

Sweet! People pay extra for that kind of customization.

[Edited on June 30, 2006 at 3:02 PM. Reason : ]

6/30/2006 3:01:26 PM

someone has some really fucking dirty hands.

6/30/2006 6:03:27 PM

Actually its happened to several people

The guy who posted that pic on the sa forums said he wasn't a greaseball neckbearder.

[Edited on June 30, 2006 at 7:25 PM. Reason : .]

6/30/2006 7:23:04 PM

And it has not happened to many more. Not to say that it couldn't be an actual problem, but it's hardly common. Furthermore, just because he says so does not mean it's so. You've done your share of tech support I'm sure, how often is the customer's story the whole truth?

And it may not be that he's dirty, it could also be that he uses some sort of cream or soap on his hands that is reacting to the macbook. Both the apple store in southpoint and the one in crabtree have macbooks touched by hundreds of people a day and none of them display this discoloration. All combined it suggests there's another variable here.

6/30/2006 7:46:11 PM

thats a very very very common issue with older ibooks

6/30/2006 8:52:08 PM

just use some non acetone nail-polish remover... jesus christ it's cheaper than any REAL laptop cleaning supply anyways.

of course... a $1300 laptop shouldn't need something like that and shouldn't contain materials that can chemically discolor from contact with human skin...

[Edited on June 30, 2006 at 9:05 PM. Reason : ]

6/30/2006 9:00:13 PM

i'm usin an ibook bought last year, no discoloration or any of that... and ive been using it quite a bit, especially at the end of spring semester and as of late

6/30/2006 9:48:55 PM

we have an ibook at the nursery and it has a little stainness on the keyboard and palm rest but its because we're dirty as hell and windex takes care of it.

6/30/2006 10:16:01 PM

so basic MBPro.... or MB?

6/30/2006 10:20:56 PM

Maybe it's the acidity in some people's sweat?

7/1/2006 1:50:08 AM

According to Gartner research, laptop discoloration is one of the top 4 main hardware failures for laptops in general, in the first 2 years.

Further, Apple usually has the lowest, or among the lowest, failure rate of all computer manufacturers.

I'm sure that there is some problem with the laptops being discolored (which Apple has actually acknowledged, and is saying is only for a certain batch of the computers), but I doubt in reality it's significantly high enough to make a big deal out of.

What concerns me about the Macbook Pro design is that it's mostly the same as the older Powerbooks, with just the Intel guts inside. If you remember the first Powerbook G3, it was just a Powerbook 3400 with G3 guts inside. It was a fairly mediocre computer. Then Apple released the Wallstreet then Pismo which were pretty much better in every way. I may be wrong, but I think they have a new design up their sleeve for release in the next few months. Not to mention the odd design of the cooling systems, where, IMO, the system speedsteps too often, especially for a high end notebook.

The MacBook itself though has been getting good reviews, and seems well designed for its target market (non-gamers mostly, low-mid end).

7/1/2006 3:17:40 AM