Customer Reviews

Apple MacBook Pro Z0J62LL/A 15.4" Laptop (OLD VERSION)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Length:: 5:08 Mins

I love this computer.
I have a couple of issues with it, but nothing big.
I hope the video helps.

I have had this computer for three weeks now, and waited to write a review until I had fully tested it. The first one arrived with a bad keyboard, was sent back to Apple for replacement. The returned macbook pro however suffered from daily freezes at which point the keyboard and mouse were locked out, but processes continued and within about 5 minutes control was restored. This turned out to be a very common problem as fully documented on the Apple web site. Fortunately, Apple released an update to Snow Leopard (10.6.4) which solved the problem for most of us.

This computer is incredibly fast, especially if one has fully loaded it with memory (8GB) and ordered a solid state drive. But even without the SSD and standard memory (4GB), it is the fastest macbook pro ever made by nearly 30%. I love it.

I recommend users order this computer with 8GB of memory if at all possible. The extra memory makes a big difference in performance and is not that much more expensive. In addition, this computer comes with two options for screen resolution. I got the high resolution display with anti-reflection, and it is a joy to work on. Now when I go back to my older macbook pro with standard resolution, I notice and am bothered by the difference.

Other reviews have listed some of the advantages of this computer, other than speed. So let me list some of the issues:

1. Graphics intensive applications generate lots of heat. When graphics is switched to the faster chip (this is automatic unless you choose to always use the faster chip in the energy preferences), the computer gets hot. Not so hot that you cannot use it on your lap, but approaching that level.

2. Computationally intensive applications also generate lots of heat. Running any program that simultaneously activates multiple cores and the fast graphics chip is the perfect storm, and this computer gets really hot on the bottom. Now you cannot comfortably work with it on your lap. If this is going to be a typical situation, get a cooling pad. I am using the logitech N100 and it completely solves the problem, but at added expense and battery drain (it uses the usb port). But I am often running calculations in the background, and for that, a cooling pad is essential. I anticipate it will also be important if you use this computer for gaming.

3. The battery life is highly dependent upon usage. The high speed graphics option is great unless you are running on battery, then it is a serious drain. Unfortunately, the software engineers did not provide an option to always use the slower graphics chip when on battery. This is an important option which should be implemented in a future release even if it means some applications will not be able to run at all. The battery issue is a flaw that prevents this computer from being a good travel computer. You cant change out the battery, and if you are traveling and the battery gets low, you simply have to close up shop or find an outlet. These are very hard to find, and the airlines often do not provide outlets on the seats or in their waiting areas in the airports.

Despite the above issues, which forced me to give this computer 4 stars, I love it. It is the best notebook computer I have ever used, although I will take another macbook pro when I travel because of the battery issues. The speed of this computer is comparable to a 3 GHz desktop Nehalem Mac Pro. The i7 chip is indeed a powerful processor and all your applications will run about 30% faster than on previous Macs.

This was my first Mac. It arrived only after a couple of days. Packaging was immaculate as always. The Apple box itself was awesome.

Setting up a Mac and getting used to it was a breeze. Apple has so many tutorials that it is really easy to get to know things. OS X - is awesome. Within a few minutes I was up and running. Configured my mail, expose, spaces, dock. Downloaded XCode, Chrome and I was up and running in no time.

So why a 4 star instead of a 5 star. Couple of reasons:
1. Running a software update brought down 1.2 GB of updates. Thank god I am on a broadband. Still it took about an hour. With the recent known vulnerabilities, I did not want to run a Mac that had known exploits.
2. The hardware itself is amazing - simple design. But I was expecting I will get the "Clarksfield" family of i7 processors which are quad core. But instead, got a dual core Arrandale. Not only does it have 2 cores instead of 4, it also has 4MB of L2 cache instead of 6 or 8. I would appreciate if Apple and Amazon both were clear about this. Apple Appstore also does not mention which i7 we will get. I suppose we can blame Intel for this - they make it believe that i7's are all quad cores - but they are not.

As much as I wished Apple did more changes in the new models of Macbook pro still this one is perfect in many ways: it has great design, high performance, outstanding display. Still it has a few minor imperfections: it heats a lot. I use it mainly at home and almost always it stands on the table but if I actually put it somewhere close to skin it just burns intolerably, so it's hard to call this a LAPtop :), the the curves near the trackpad where the niche for opening is (don't know how this part is called))) well for some reason they are made so sharp that they sometimes leave marked on my hands while using trackpad. Other than these remarks it's absolutely great.Apple MacBook Pro MC373LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop

So to start I researched the new laptop market quite extensively for a computer for my everyday tasks (internet,iTunes, etc) and my graduate program that I will be starting (MBA). I have always used Windows machines and more specifically one HP four years ago and 3 Sony Vaio's since then. I have also owned all 3 iPhones and the new iPad so I thought that a MacBook Pro would be the next logical step but I have to admit that I was hesitant to put everything on the Mac platform having used Windows my whole life. However, the more I researched computers out there, there are really no PC's that have the fit and finish of the MacBook line. Most are plastic things that are made for 1 year at most. And of course they run Windows which even Windows 7 needs tending and caring more often then I prefer. I did consider the HP Envy line and while the specs are impressive I had a lackluster experience with HP so I wasn't sure that it would last at least 2.5-3 years that I need for my program. I also seriously considered the Sony Vaio Z and while impressive in specs, it is still a very expensive machine which is made more for portability and its screen flex caused me concern.

So I bought the MacBook Pro i7 and upgraded the hard drive to 7,200 RPM. I originally thought I would use mostly Windows on it and just got it for the fit and finish/styling that I really liked. I know that sounds crazy but I wasn't really planning on using the mac OS X part extensively. However, when I got the machine I must say that OS X is pretty amazing. Having used Windows extensively it is not that hard to learn OS X. Here are my findings for the machine:

Speed: The machine is blazing fast. There have been lots of articles on specs and benchmarks but just know from everyday use and even from transferring files over etc it is amazing! I personally chose the i7 chip because it future proofs the purchase and with the Amazon sale it was a great deal.

Overall System: It is a beauty to look at and work on. It is a very thin and not terribly heavy I mean if you are planning on lugging it around all day it might get heavy but it is not really bad. My old Vaio F was 6.5 lbs that felt much heavier.

OS X: It is very easy to work with. Things just work. That sounds like a cliche but in reality it is true. I think the hardest thing for Windows users like myself is trying to make things harder then they are. For instance, I expected installing my programs on OS X to be a pain like on Windows but it is so easy that I thought it wasn't working. But that is the point, things are a lot easier and you have to kind of go with it. Windows is a lot harder from that perspective. Yes after using it for years you know how to do things with it but it is a pain and you don't realize how easy it really should be until you start working on OS X.

Heat: It does get hot when you are doing a lot on it but mostly on the left side. It is not unbearable but it does heat up. But so does the Vaio Z and other machines using these chips. The design of laptops has not caught up to the chips from that perspective. So for me the heat was a wash because they all run quite hot at this point in time. This is by no means unbearable. But if you like to place the machine on your lap, probably won't work so well.

Screen: I have the base 1440x900 it is nice. I don't mind it I personally find the other one too small but again it is preference try an Apple store if you want to see the screen differences. And I was incredibly worried about glare. It picks up a ton outside because of the glass but I don't work outside so that is no big deal for me and in the house even by a window it has been fine for me. Again it is preference but I have been pleasantly surprised by the lack of glare experienced. I think the Apple Store lighting makes the glare very apparent so it is a good test of worst case scenarios but in reality in the house it is not as bad as at the Apple Store.

Windows 7/Boot Camp: Yes I do need some Windows things so reluctantly I am installing Windows 7 but I am miffed at how much space I need to devote to it. It reminds of why I got the Mac to begin with just bloated overall.

Apple Service: This I think is where it really shines. I had to use the Genius Bar to assist me in removing a stripped screw (my fault in trying to remove the cover to swap the hard drive for a faster one). Tip: Use the hardest screwdriver (Titanium) possible for it not the crap at Fry's it makes a difference. The screws are very soft and will strip quickly. So I took my new machine in without ever having turned it on and I know that Apple Store doesn't swap the drives for users but I asked the Genius to help me remove the screw. To my surprise he removed it, replaced it and then went ahead and did the install and reimaged the machine in 15 minutes. Now that is amazing service. And that is where the difference in pricing comes in. With my old Sony's I would drop good cash on those and when I went to Sony Style it was like why are you here again. They could care less about assisting me. Apple is just very different from that perspective. That is why the Vaio Z gave me pause. 2,500 knowing that they don't stand by their products is a hard sell!

Final Assessment: To each his own some people love Windows and that is fine, but I would submit to really study the build quality of the PC you are planning to purchase, the overall experience, service and ease of use etc before committing. People complain about Mac components being downgraded but honestly does it matter if you have a 1GB video card mated to a plastic rig or a completely designed system that is designed to work well together? Only the user can answer that for themselves depending on usage needs. For most the specs are great. But I think Apple did a nice job on this build and I really appreciate the fit, finish and ease of use. Is it worth the 2,000? I think so because it is a good machine for several years, has excellent service built in if you are close to an Apple Store and is just great to work on.

I just switched (May 2010) from Windows7 to the Mac 15" PowerBook Pro (i7). This machine is a dream!

Boot time after a complete shutdown is about 30 to 45 seconds, even with tons of software. Shutdown is maybe 10 seconds! You can close the lid to put it to sleep, open the lid and voila! No waiting! (My one-year-old top-of-the line Win7 laptop grinds away, installs updates, gives me constant popups saying I have to deal with this or that--by which time I've forgotten what I was going to do when I turned it on.

It's fast! It's clean! Once you get used to the interface it's delightful that it stays out of your way. Everything works. I get 5-6 hours of graphics work done without a recharge.

I've even found a substitute for OneNote that works for me: Scrivener.
It's intended as a writing program, but I like it because I can get in quickly to save notes, import a web page or image or sound file, and organize everything easily. For longer projects it's thoughtfully designed and intuitive to use. It doesn't have the colors and tabs of OneNote, but has all the functionality. Amazon doesn't sell it, but they should. MacWorld just voted it one of the must-have apps. ([...])

One complaint about the PowerBookPro is Airport. I get dropped offline when I'm a little distance from my wireless router, even though my Windows machines find the network easily. It's annoying and needs a fix. Restarting the computer often helps, and since restart is so quick...well, still 5 stars from me!

This is my first Mac. I was considering buying a Dell XPS but after doing research and realizing that I didn't really need a blu ray player (since I have a PS3) the Mac was a better choice for me. I'm an architecture student so this i7 Macbook Pro was a no brainer. I went from a 14.5" Dell Inspiron to this 15.4" Mac and was afraid it would be to bulky but it is just perfect! It is a bit heavy, (specially with the Speck cover) nothing compared to other computers but don't think it's light as a feather. I was afraid the operating system would be hard to get use to since I've used Windows all my life but with all the tutorials at the apple website I got the hang of it in no time! It's very intuitive!

I read many reviews which complained about how hot this mac gets, so I was really worried about that. After testing it doing renders while working on Photoshop I really didn't notice any difference from my old Dell Inspiron. I do have a Speck protective case on it, maybe that helps with the heat? Nevertheless the heat "problem" doesn't bother me at all because like I said, it does get hot but there is really no difference from my old laptop and other laptops I've used. I do agree with some reviewers that point out that the front edges dig into your wrists and are kind of annoying but I got use to it after awhile.

It bothers me that Apple hasn't added an HDMI port on their high-end models but a 15$ adapter did the trick. They also modified the charger. The cables look and feel a lot stronger from previous versions. The battery doesn't last 8 hours like advertised but it's still better than normal computers in this range. Having the screen on constantly (using the app "caffeine") at medium brightness, wifi on and the keyboard light off it lasts about 5 hours.

Most important of all, its FAST. Working on 3D models is a breeze now! Renders that would take me 1 or 2 hours in my old laptop take only five minutes in this incredible machine!
Bottom line, it's a great computer and it's worth the price. I don't know why I waited so long.

The reality is that the Core I7 in this computer isn't much faster than the Core I5 in the lower-priced Macbook Pro 15" line, but uses 10 watts more power and consequently drains your battery that much faster. Compared to competitor's Core I7 laptop computers, this computer has better battery life and performs better on single-core compute problems (the dual-core Core I7 scales up its clock speed far better than the quad-core Core I7), and has the vaunted Apple quality -- but for a price. It's about $800 more expensive than equivalent hardware from competitors. Not to mention that the competitors *do* allow you to completely disable the external graphics adaptor when on battery power, unlike Apple.

I have had this laptop for a month now and am using it at work for some heavy duty things where I needed the best laptop I could get to run VMware Fusion to develop for three different operating systems and do some heavy compute tasks to test the product on all these operating systems. Pump it up with 8 gigs of memory and a 750 gig hard drive, plug it into an external monitor and keyboard/mouse, and who needs a desktop? If you need the absolute best, here you are. But the reality is that unless you make your living doing heavy compute tasks with your computer and need the absolute fastest computer you can get because you're always waiting on your computer, you're better off with one of the less expensive Macbook Pro or with one of the Windows 7 competitors -- this computer just isn't worth the money for most people.

This Macbook Pro 15" 2.66GHz i7 is simply the best laptop computer I have ever used. Fast, drop dead gorgeous design and incredible attention to build detail. I have a 24" iMac 2.4GHz core 2 duo as a desktop that I always thought was a very fast machine but my new Macbook Pro blows this away. My wife has a 13" 2.4Ghz Mac that she loves, as does my daughter that I had previously bought for them - now I can sit outside with them using MY laptop:)
The glossy display is incredibly sharp and colourful, the glare or reflection that I have seen other reviewers criticise is a non-issue for me. I swapped out the supplied 4Gb ram for 8Gb as soon as I got the machine which in my opinion makes it just hum, whatever I throw at it. The keyboard is excellent, the same feel as using the Apple wireless keyboard, plus backlighting (adjustable) is a great feature, and the trackpad is sublime especially combined with a great free app called BetterTouchTool that extends the gesture controls nearly infinitely. SO good in fact that I retired my new Magic Mouse and bought the Magic Trackpad to use with my iMac.
The only problem I have is now I think I will have to get the new iMac 27" i7 so I can restore proper parity - I mean a desktop SHOULD out perform a laptop shouldn't it? :)
Amazon delivery - as usual very fast, great packaging, I am one very happy customer. If anyone is looking at buying a new laptop, either a Mac or Windows user - you will not regret buying this amazing and beautiful machine.

I've owned this laptop since December of 2009 and so far, I haven't encountered ANY problems or bugs with it. I'm very happy with it, because it's so amazing.

Let's start with the pros:
- Amazing design, first of all. Nice, sleek, and an eye-catcher.
- Fast. Awesomely fast, compared to my Windows desktop, which is like a snail.
- The screen is bright, sharp, and vibrant. The colors look amazing on this thing.
- The speakers are pretty good for a laptop. This is my first laptop, so I really don't know how it compares to PC laptops.
- The battery life lasts as long as it advertises. However, if you are doodling in Photoshop, watching a video or playing a game with high graphics, the battery may only last around 3 hours or less. I'm not sure the exact number of hours, tho.
- Nice multitasking abilities. Just swipe the track-pad with four fingers and BAM, there's all your windows.
- It comes with GarageBand, which benefits me, since I can easily record and edit my songs. Not sure if it'll benefit you.
- It hasn't even crashed once. I've never even gotten a virus either (but it's still good to have a virus software on it like ClamXav or something).
- I love the battery monitor on the left side. It's very convenient.
- It charges up rather quickly, which is awesome.
- After nearly half a year, I've only used up 20% of my battery. Therefore, if I calculate correctly, the battery will last you around 2 to 2.5 years or maybe less. But I guess it depends on what you do on it. I don't play games on it a lot, but I do watch a lot of videos. So maybe if you do lightweight stuff on it, it could last you longer.
- Love the back-lit keyboard. You can adjust it's brightness with pushing one button. I never thought it'd be useful, but it actually is.
- If you're listening to iTunes and you want to pause it, just click the pause button on the keyboard. It'll pause, even if you're on a different window. On Windows, you have to open up iTunes and click pause, which is a pain. That is why I'm listing this in the pros.
- This laptop, as you imagine, holds so much space. I've only used like, 30GB. lol.
- The track-pad must be the best track-pad in the world. Seriously.


Now on to the cons:
- Like some other reviewers said, this thing gets really HOT. Especially if you're watching videos or playing games. I swear, if you put it on your bare legs, it'll burn you. You could probably cook eggs on it.
- The edges are rather sharp. It leaves lines on my wrists whenever I use the track-pad. :(
- The USB ports are too few and are too close together. I would have liked a USB port on the right side. But hey, you can't have everything you want.
- Everyone knows this, but you can't change the battery unless you're a computer expert who knows how to take apart computers. It doesn't bother me that much, tho. Luckily, I have an Apple store in my future college campus. :D
- You can't maximize windows to fit the whole screen. But, oh well, it doesn't really bother me but it may bother someone.

I think I've covered everything. Despite the immense heat and the sharp edges, I really love this laptop and, as of last year, I am an Apple fan because they make such nice products. If you have the money for this laptop, totally go and buy it. It's worth every penny and you won't be disappointed. ;)