Customer Reviews

Apple MacBook Pro MA600LL/A 15.4" Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the proverbial "little old lady" I have used Macs for 20 years and have found that with them I don't have to be a computer whiz to get things to work. The MacBook Pro is even more intuitive than other Macs I have owned or used, and I have found that I can navigate quickly and easily without having to consult manuals and wade thorugh confusing techanical stuff. The keyboard is easy to use, the large screen is a pleasure, and the light weight is manageable. It wasn't as fast as I had expected, and what I was told was that this is because it only comes with enough memory (512 MG) to make it functional, so if one wants to run large programs or get faster results, one needs to have more memory. More memory costs from $70 to over $200, so you probably want to consider this before buying.

The most significant problem I've had with it is that it is HOT to touch. I sent it to be repaired but was told that the heat was within normal limits; by this they must mean that it isn't hot enough to melt the circuitry or actually cause burns, but after an hour or so of use it is darned uncomfortable to touch. I'm hoping to find some kind of insulator to rest the palms of my hands on. Most of the time this computer is wonderfully silent but late in the day when it gets really hot a fan comes on and then, to me at least, it seems noisy. As a final complaint, I had a problem with the complimentary 90 day customer service because the date that Apple marks as beginning the 90 days is not the date you buy it from Amazon but THE DATE THAT AMAZON BUYS IT. It took almost a month of phone calls, mail and faxing to get the date changed to the date I actually purchased it, which left only about a month of actual customer service. I suggest that if you get one you notify Apple immedately of the date of your purchase. Except for the heat problem and the need for more memory, I have found the MacBook Pro to be a transparent work tool and I'm happy with it.

Post script, five months after purchase:
With an added one meg of memory and some fixes for the heat problem, I am now very happy with my mac. After some research, I learned that many of today's smaller, faster computers run hot. I (and many others) think it is a design flaw, but apparrently it is not unusual or necessarily an indication that there is something worng with the computer. I did learn that there are some fixes for the heat as far as human comfort is concerned. These included a free download of a smc fan control that starts the fan at lower temperatures you set (the fan doesn't seem to be noisey until the computer gets really hot) I also tried an x-pad (xpad4laptop.com) and it did drop the temperature without external fans (another optional fix). What I found worked best to reduce the heat was an air-desk (airdesks.com). I am now quite happy with what I have. We are fortunate to live in an age and a country where our problems are not about how to get enough to eat but how to lower the temperature on our magic electronics.

This is an amazing piece of hardware. I really love it. The keyboard is awesome, mousepad too. The display is very crisp, and bright enough to work outside (exept when you have full sun exposure to the screen) I added another gig of RAM, which makes the computer fast. Too fast I guess, as the processor most of the time is idleing with a max of 20 % usage while doing daily stuff. Windows compatibility is also amazing. I use Parallel's Desktop, and it WORKS without a glitch.

However, the product lacks quality control. The processor is making a VERY VERY annoying whining noise. Even worse, this whining noise is amped by my external speakers, which is pure horror. Also, the computer is getting too hot to have it sitting on your lap. Thus, it really is a notebook and NOT a laptop. Battery drains already after 2,5 hours, which is half of what I've gotten out of my old iBook G4. Last but not least, my processor's right-hand fan must have gotten a defective bearing as it started to be quite noisy a couple of weeks ago. I might have to send in this particular model for repair.

But apart from the negatives, it's a beautyful piece of hardware, which might just need a couple of month of refinement. :-)

I am 40, and have used more than a dozen luggable Windows computers, laptops, and notebooks in my career from several manufacturers: (Toshiba, Dell, Gateway, IBM...). Some were good, some not, but they should all be categorized as Mazdas, Hyundai, Fords and Chevys. Not a bad car for a few years, but nothing to get excited about..

This Macbook Pro is a Ferrari. I never thought I'd own a Ferrari of anything in my life. My first reaction was, "I don't think I deserve a machine this nice". It is a luxury sports car, compared to all the others. The screen resolution, the touch of the metal, lighted keyboard, the easy to use software suites, all a 50 on a scale of 1 to 10. I only owned one Mac portable previously, the ibook, and it seems cheap and plastic-ey compared to this fine, thin, aluminum wonder.

I read the reviews online, and was concerned about the heat and noise complaints. I'm sure those earlier units had problems, but they seem to have the issues licked with my machine. WOW!!!! This is an amazing computer, and stands in a class by itself.

The Macbook pro is an excellent laptop to workwith, very fast and no problems at all. However one problem is that it gets real hot and the battery life is not very long, only 2.5 hours. If you dont mind a smaller laptop i recommend buying the Macbook.

I bought this new and have had a tough time with it largely in part because I uploaded a back up software called "Bounceback Express" for my portable external storage hard drive. It is software that comes with most external hard drives made bu SEAGATE and SMARTDISK. DO NOT put this software into your mac it is like a virus and can scramble the keyboard and slow down the machine immensely.

I sent my MacBook Pro back to apple twice and they gutted, but could not figure out the problem until recently. Great customer service through Apple and it is in no way their fault.

Also, it is very important you make sure you get the new battery after the 2006 Sony recall. The warranty is great though for a year so they will replace it free if it is faulty.

I would definately get the memory upgrade. All in all I would buy it again and I am happy to be done with that evil Bounceback express software.

This is the best computer I have ever owned. Its my first Mac and I am really glad that I made the switch. Before on Windows I constantly had to virus scan and worry about spyware. It is so nice to have a Mac and not have to worry about that.

Also, the MacBook Pro is perfect for travel. It is really lightweight and thin and the widescreen is perfect for watching movies on the plane. I find the computer really fast and it is a pleasure to work on. The computer is so powerful, it would be perfect for anyone who likes to edit movies on Final Cut Pro or just surf the web. Also, on Apple's website, you can download Boot Camp Beta so you could also run Windows XP on it.

Overall, with great battery life, a powerful processor and an operating system five steps ahead of Windows, its a no-brainer to buy it.

I have had this machine since March. It always ran hot so much that you had to cover your legs when using it. The battery began to give me real trouble at the same time Apple announced its battery exchange program. Once I figured out how to read the battery serial number(I had to remove it and blow it up via the copier by 200%!) and even then it took me a while to figure out the final four characters, I called Apple, was told to use the web site, entered the info at about 3:00P.M. and received the replacement battery the next day by 1:00P.M. Called DHL at 1:30P.M. to pick up the old one and they were there by 3:30P.M. to return it to Apple. Excellent response and I wonder if Bill and his buddies would even consider matching that. Oh, by the way, the machine ain't bad either.

This laptop rocks. Avoid taxes by buying it from Amazon. I am a recent convert due to neccesity, but love the new OSX. With its open-source core based on FreeBSD 5.0 and the Mach 3.0 microkernel, Mac OS X is the best Macintosh operating system ever.

This is the best computer I have ever owned. And I've had lots of them over the last 20 years.

Don't buy the MacBook Pros. Here's my experience: I bought a MacBook Pro a few months ago and it was dead-on-arrival. I immediately had it replaced with my current MacBook Pro, which also turned out to be defective. I sent it in for repairs through my local Apple store to Apple's repair facility in Texas. Unfortunately for me, the defective part is the logic board (the motherboard on this notebook) and that part is on backorder, which I can only assume to be the case because of the demand for this part for other defective MacBook Pros. Apple's repair facility has had my notebook for more than four weeks now, and even after numerous phone calls to Apple's service center, I still don't have my notebook. My advice is to stay away from the MacBook Pros until Apple figures out why so many of them are unreliable (known problems include, but are not limited to, excessive heat and noise from the MacBook Pros). Just check Apple's official discussion forums and see for yourself.