| Laptops and Notebooks Reviews : Apple |
 | Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
Won't ship my computer -- 2010-09-03
My credit card was cleared for payment on August 28th. Today is September 4th, the Friday of the holiday weekend. My computer that I want to purchase from this vendor has not been shipped. I can't cancel it at this time because is is "shipping soon". I wrote Amazon about my frustration with this vendor. They said vendors are required to ship promptly when they receive payment. Here's the rub. This vendor has not bothered to "accept" my payment, so they haven't officially charged me for it yet. Therefore, they don't have to ship is until they accept payment.....who knows when that will be.
I wrote 2 emails asking about the status. On August 31st they said they would ship the computer as soon as my charge card cleared..i.e. ASAP. I was confused because that card has no balance. I called the credit card company, and they assured me the charge had been cleared on August 28th. So they lied to me about my card . Amazon has backed me up....the credit card has been cleared. The vendor just can't seem to get around to customer service.
Today, September 3rd, is the first day of the arrival window. If they don't send the computer, then I have to wait until the 26th to file a claim. If I get it after the 23rd, I will file a claim.
Lesson learned......If you're in a time crunch NEVER BUY FROM THIS VENDOR. I would have rather paid the extra $50 to another vendor for the same product.
I would like to say that I love my computer, but darn it......I don't have it, and it doesn't look like this vendor is in any hurry.
I won't make this mistake again. So very angry.
First Mac -- 2010-08-31
I've had this laptop about a month and I have to say that there is nothing about it that doesn't impress me. As many feel, I basically wonder why I waited so long to make the switch. The learning curve was virtually painless. Couldn't be more pleased with my purchase.
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 | Apple MacBook MC516LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
Well worth the money. -- 2010-09-01
In short, I LOVE this computer! When I bought it around 6 months ago, I was debating whether buying this Mac was worth the extra $500+ over other laptops. Without a doubt after having this one for around a half a year and using my friends new PCs I am so glad I didn't go the cheap route. I will never buy another PC again. If you are worried about switching to a Mac go to the apple website and watch around ten two minute tutorials and you have just learned the basics of a Mac. The following are my pros and cons:
Pros:
Amazingly fast internet browsing - Twice as fast as the fastest PC I have ever used NO JOKE
Excellent battery life - Depending on the luck of the draw your battery will last you 5-7 hrs.
Multi touch trackpad - Switch screens, applications or go to your desktop with the swipe of a few fingers. The whole trackpad is one large button.
Pre installed programs - iMovie, GarageBand, and iWeb are just the beginning of an amazing lineup of programs that come with this Mac
Ease of use - If you never used a Mac you are 20 minutes away from being an expert
Doesn't get viruses (no security software needed) - Since less than 5% of all computers sold are Macs, nobody makes viruses for them
Cons:
There are a few online downloads that are PC only and won't work on your Mac - Most new applications being made are all Mac friendly though
Price - Yes it is expensive...but well worth every penny.
If you can afford this computer, you should definitely buy it. I rarely give any product 5 stars, but the Macbook 13" definitely deserves them all.
UnBeatable -- 2010-08-27
I have a late 2007 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 1gb of RAM. I switched to the MacBook from a Toshiba Satellite. The Toshiba had many problems and was always riddled with viruses and malware. The MacBook has none of those problems, it worked straight out of the box. I know I paid more for it than a PC laptop but it was well worth it. Three years later my Macbook works just as well as it did when it was new. Its fast and easy to use. The battery life has dropped considerably, but thats to be expected. I can buy a new one on eBay for 40 dollars.
Pros: runs well, fast, Leopard is easy to use, Time Machine is much better than Windows BackUp, solid, iLife is awesome and has many features
Cons: laptop gets hot, battery life drops a lot, but this is normal
Overall, this was a great purchase and well worth the money. I am now looking to upgrade to a Macbook Pro, but will use this Macbook for years to come. Buy the Apple Extended Warranty, its worth the money. My Hard drive crashed and the DC Input Board had to be replaced and the charging cord stopped working. All repairs were free under the warranty. I would definitely recommend this computer to anyone searching for a cheap fast computer. I will never go back to another Windows PC again.
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 | Apple MacBook Pro MC371LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop
Perfect -- 2010-09-01
This mac is just what I need for going into my Graphic Design program. It is absolutely gorgeous and works like magic. It is a pristine piece of equipment that seems solid enough to last me through the rest of my college career. If you are wondering if it is worth it for the price all I can say is just get it. It is priceless for this generation. You will love it.
Awesome -- 2010-08-31
Purchased the 15" macbook pro to replace an iMac that severla years old (still runs awesome, but I wanted a new toy). The Mac's are pricey which would be the only complaint. I purchased it on a 12 month financing deal so that helped ease that pain.
The machine itself is awesome. I used migration assistant to migrate my files and settings and it worked flawlessly, painlessly and easily. The 15" version is the perfect size for me. I tried a 13" last year and it was too tiny; the 17" too big. The performance for the week or so I have had it is wonderful. It shuts down so quickly - no waiting. So efficient.
I was amazed at how light the machine is. My husband has a 15" windows based laptop and I expected it to be the same weight, but the macbook weighs about half his laptop.
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| Apple MacBook Pro MC373LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop
Happy with my purchase -- 2010-08-30
I purchased the Macbook Pro i7 and opt for next day delivery. Product received on time and in great condition. Upon startup, I setup profile and overall process took less than 15 minutes. After running Mac software Update, I am all set. Overall, I am pleased that I chose i7 over i5 as I want my macbook to last longer with better processor. Startup and shutdown time are significantly faster than my mac mini. I did not experience any screen freeze as mentioned by other Mac forum users on my macbook. The battery lasted about 6-7 hours in my testing, which is closed to the advertised 8-9 hours and much better than my other Windows laptops. Finally, I chose to buy from Amazon over MacMall or other stores because of Amazon's great customer service.
Beware of shipping -- 2010-08-23
I received the apple Macbook Pro on August 10, which is later than the initial predicted time it was supposed to arrive. When the computer arrived, the outer box was torn and crumpled in and had a foot print on it. The tape was broken and dirt all over the box, mainly on one side. The inner box was crumpled in and had water stains. Apparently, the box was out in the rain or got soaked in water, and was damaged when transporting.
Thankfully, there was no apparent damage with the computer.
This extreme abuse in shipping should be known to all when you order this item or other from Amazon. Sure you can send items back, but that doesn't guarantee the next item would be treated the same way. I am very reluctant to purchase anything from Amazon, since I don't know if I am going to receive the items on time or in good condition.
I spent over 2000.00 on a the computer, and I expected it to not be banged around or shipped in the rain and kicked and torn.
Instead of sending the item back, I would even prefer to get some credit, in order for Amazon to try to, at least, keep my business.
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| Apple MacBook Pro MC375LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
Very disappointed -- 2010-08-29
Amazon have not shipped me the latest model. This model only has a six hour battery life, not the ten hours as advertised. That is really disappointing.
THESE MACHINES R WORTH THE PRICE -- 2010-08-22
Between using the Macs and PCs, it's always been Macs, hands down. From the Powerbook G3 Pismos to the Powerbook G4s and the Macbook Pros (pre-Unibody), they've been reliable and lasted me a while. One 15" Powerbook lasted me 5 years.
This Macbook Pro 13 2.66 is no different; but man, it is so much faster and compact than my 15" Macbook Pro (now my "desktop"). I've been able to edit and output videos quickly for work with such ease and portability, no matter where I am.
The only downside is 1) non-replaceable battery which is good between 4-5 hours (never believe the 10-hour hype) 2) the SD card slot (how useless is that for a vid pro?) and 3) the super glossy screen (hard to see in the daytime while trying to edit an hour-long doc). Otherwise, they are minor cons compared to the pros.
Yes, they are pricey, but are worth the money. I paid the extra $$$ for the extra speed (also added the 8gb ram as well as a 500gb 7200rpm drive) but it definitely saves me time when using intense apps like Photoshop and rendering on Compressor. The quality and reliability of these machines definitely pays for itself.
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 | Apple MacBook Pro MC024LL/A 17-Inch Laptop
It's not as good as it states -- 2010-08-14
I spend almost $ 2500 in my mac book pro (17"). I also bought a time capsule.
Now I've been using it for 13 months already. Before that I used to have a PC.
Today I think some issues are good and some are not. Among the good things I can say it is light and it works fine in the way it is intended to. The mac OSX has some nice advantages over the windows, such as the time machine, the integrated address book, the light mail program, and the huge variety of custom-made softwares available for download at apple's website. Also, spotlight allows you to quickly find your files and emails.
Among the bad things I can say it often gets really hot. My hands gets burned when I work for to long on the computer. This computer should not be built with an aluminum body! This large piece of metal diffuses the heat directly to your hands. Also, the monitor doesn't flip much. Sometimes you wish it could turn all the way down.
Additionally, I found the Max OSX has some drawbacks. For instance, microsoft excel is far better than numbers (but pages is better than word); itunes is very complicated; safari is not supported by many websites; and the majority of world class softwares were designed for windows. I don't mean the small programs designed for mac, but important softwares such as archicad, autocad, accounting programs, statistics programs (such as minitab), and so on. Of course, you can always use a virtual machine, but believe me. It is not worth. It's complicated and has thousands of problems associated with it.
Eleven months after I bought my brand new mac, the monitor presented some serious problems, and I had to replace it. I costed another $800.
Today I also use a windows computer in my office. Now I think both systems has some advantages. While apple has a nice graphic appeal, windows is catching up really fast with windows 7. My next computer will probably be based on windows because it is much easier to share documents with the people you work with (don't tell me you can export documents for windows because there are many formatting problems in this exchange).
Additionally, if you buy this mac thinking about working with graphics, forget about it. It gets so hot when processing heavy images, you think it's going to melt. This happens, for example, when you import images from you camera into lightroom, or when you try to run a game such as warcraft. Don't use this mac for editing videos in premier neither.
Today I wouldn't recommend buying a mac book pro. I would recommend a mac book or a mac pro if you want to buy a mac. if not, i would recommend a pc for sure. it's far cheaper and windows 7 is really nice.
I hope these comments may be of any help for any of you
A Geek's Best Friend -- 2010-08-13
This is my 2nd Macbook Pro. I average a 4 year replacement cycle since features I need determine my upgrades rather than what ever latest changes may bring. I had a Powerbook g4 1gig, then the MBP C2d, and now the MBP Core i5. I should have opted for the i7, but didn't want to push it when work was picking up the tab this time. This machine can do it all. I run bootcamp, and parallels for instructing in the use of PC and the occasional PC game that needs all the processing power/Ram it can muster.
I teach and extensively use digital photography and videography. The machine is the brain of a floor full of f800's LaCie externals connected via daisy chain. When I need flat out performance using external I use the express card 34 slot for eSATA (Now Bootable via express card port) lightening fast transfers and editing. The better performance comes with the upgraded internal 7200RPM 500GB, and the 8Gigs of RAM. The full HD display is very nice with the super bright LED backlight. You can push performance with an SMC fan control download to allow you to run full fan speed before it gets to the point that it needs cooling to preserve performance.
The new trackpad gesture controls make for faster post work. The cool black keys harken back to my Powerbook days. The super fast graphics are amazing. The battery life is unbelievable when you are not tethered to drives and don't need to be wired down, it is really nice to go all day without needing to be plugged to power.
There isn't much more that I can say that hasn't already been covered by Conrad, Samer, and others. Keep it protected as there is no idiot insurance with Apple Care Protection Plan. I have been very pleased with the Pelican 1495 Air Tight/ Water Proof case at only $130.00.
The drawbacks from the previous model as mentioned in other comments are the sharper edges of the unibody that while it looks cool, it is painful if you don't put a cloth over it. I have lines in my arms from resting on the edges. The current lack of fully updated 64bit and quad core coded apps to take advantage of the new configuration will come in time. I love my Mac! Still not putting a sticker on my car though:-)
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| Apple MacBook Pro MC372LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop
Powerful MacbookPro -- 2010-07-23
MacbookPro looks a lot more powerful and extra-sophisticated in its feel and dynamics. Gr8 display and design. Battery life for 9 hours uninterrupted is so true!!!
Superb laptop! 100/100 -- 2010-07-15
This particular MBP is excellent. I use a Quadcore PC for graphic intensive work and picked up one of these to help with development work - webpages and research. This laptop blows away my Windows Quadcore, totally! It is so speedy. Startup in about 30 seconds, shutdown in 2-4 seconds, resume from sleep in 0-2 seconds. Applications open in seconds and there are no lags, hiccups or awkward moments when you wonder whether your computer is out for tea. OS X is solid with lots of innovations such as quicklook which save heaps of time. PDF files can be viewed instantly. Images can be multi-selected and viewed swiftly or in slideshow mode. Wonderful zooming. With Windows laptops a wireless mouse is an absolute must. I bought a Logitech desktop set in anticipation for using with the MBP, but I use the touchpad 90% of the time. It's so useable and responsive. The screen is gorgeous - yummy good. I like how the Mac OS is so simple and easy to use, plus there are some really good freeware apps to improve things.
Here are a few.
PathFinder - not free - tabbed Finder with dual panels. A Must!
iGetThingsDone - Task organiser
NeoOffice - completely free office suite
Opera Browser - although I use Safari 95% of the time, I do use Opera to grab html and image elements from websites
Carbon Copy Cloner - backup util
ClamXAV - antivirus
Burn - backup and write DVD's / CD's
Filezilla - FTP / uploading files
GrabberWindow - essential - takes screenshots
Inkscape - vector app
Jalbum - create online photo albums
Jumpcut - souped up clipboard
Journler - excellent for note taking
MacSword - Bible browser / study
Mindnode Pro - Mindmapping. Not free - buy the pro version has lots of plusses over the free version
ffmpegx - convert videos
Name Mangler - batch file renamer
Qumana - remote offline blogging
Seashore - image editing like photoshop
Sidenote - desktop note reminder - unobtrusive and handy
unRarX - unzipper - recommended
VLC - movie player
Vox - music player
VMFusion - not free but affordable - run Windows without leaving OS X
There's no reason to buy a Windows laptop when Macs are this good.
Can't recommend this one enough. In terms of heat, I use my own workaround just in case even though I haven't noticed it get hot at all. I chopped up an eraser into 1 cm segments and have placed one at each corner. This 1 cm gap ensures the laptop keeps cool, plus the rubber eraser won't let the laptop slip from side to side. I was going to buy a Rain MBP stand but the erasers seem to do the trick.
I don't play games on my MBP. Laptops, be they Windows or Apples, are not made for playing graphics intensive games. Slim bodies aren't able to cope. Eventually the heat will destroy the internal components. I have been tempted to play Grid on my MBP but just to see the stunning level of detail obtainable. I will leave on Grid just to demo for 5 minutes every 6 months or so. But the sensible rule is No intensive games.
Older games should be ok. But it doesn't make sense to spend so much money on such a machine and then waste it on games.
My only gripe is that MBP's should come with video adapters included in the box, or a coupon so buyers can pick them up free from a local istore.
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 | Apple iBook G4, 1.33 GHz, 1GB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, Internal Combo Drive, 56k Modem
5 pounds of awesome! -- 2010-08-20
This little computer is awesome! 5 stars! But the battery life, not so good. Well you could always buy a better 1. I dont need to right a long review like the others because this review is from my heart and because my back is hurting ALOT! 5 Stars! Apple, YOU ROCK!
Great little laptop -- 2010-07-13
I bought this ibook for my husband and he loves it. He mostly uses it for internet but is impressed with his first Mac. The DVD drive was a bonus as I did not realize it had one when I ordered it. The only down fall is that the battery does not hold much charge (only about an hour) but you can always buy a better one. It's great and for a very reasonable prize.
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 | Apple MacBook Air MC234LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
MACBOOK AIR -- 2010-08-27
As a kid, the only desktops we ever had were Apples. I learned how to use a computer with an Apple. Eventually, sometime the switch to a PC happened and I never really looked back. I purchased other Apple products, like an iPod, iPhone, etc, but I never intended to purchase an Apple laptop.
After selling my pink Croc Sony VAIO, I was looking for something lighter, smaller, and a little more "grown up", since I'm now out of college and in the work force. No one takes you seriously when you have a pink crock laptop. I was contemplating a Vivienne Tam HP mini, but I saw a pop up add for the Macbook Air and googled it....and decided this was it.
I bought my first one on eBay, which was one of the earlier models. I LOVED it, absolutely adored it. It was perfect. However, it had problems and the eBay seller took it back and refunded me. I then went ahead and bought the current model MC234LL/A, with warranty and AppleCare and I couldn't be happier. I LOVE it!
For my purposes, it can be used a sole machine, especially this upgraded version. It's light, fast, and the screen quality is excellent. I will never use another PC, or a different laptop. I just can't!
I did use the Vivienne Tam by the way, for a few days...and I couldn't stand it. Maybe I'm spoiled by my MBA, but the HP Mini was SLOOOOOOOWWWER than molasses. And the keyboard didn't feel solid under my fingers; it felt cheap and it was noisy. The screen is super small and the proportions make pages look odd. I'm glad I made the right choice!
A lemon -- 2010-07-28
We purchased a Macbook Air two years ago and unfortunately it was a lemon right out of the box. Almost immediately there were problems with pixels on the screen going out in large vertical bands, over-heating, sluggish performance. We purchased it for our son to use during extended travel in China, reasoning that the light weight would be a plus in these circumstances. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't have any service in China so he was unable to get the problems fixed.
When he returned from China we took the Air into Apple for repairs. That was the beginning of a long cycle of multiple repairs and the nightmare of dealing with Apple service. I've never encountered so many frustrations with a computer company. Perhaps if you've ever had any serious problems with an Apple product you might know what I'm talking about.
It seems that other reviewers have been pleased with their Air, so it is entirely possible that our experience was the exception rather than the rule. However, a lemon should be caught by Apple's quality control process BEFORE it goes out the door, before it gets into an unfortunate customer's hands -- and that didn't happen in this case.
Some things a potential buyer should be aware of... The Air is basically a stripped down computer, with things such as a CD/DVD drive not included, in order to reduce the weight. But you still need these components. By the time I had purchased the additional items, including the expensive CD/DVD drive, the total package not only came close to $3000, but weighed significantly more than my small, light weight Sony which is a fully loaded computer, including DVD drive and extended life battery.
Finally, from our experiences with trying to get the Air repaired, we learned that many of the internal components, including the hard drive, are non-standard and not easily replaced when they go bad. When my Sony died after 5 years, I was able to remove the hard drive, a miniaturized Toshiba, and transfer it to an external case, enabling me to continue using my data with another computer. Not so with the Air. When the Air died recently, although still under the extended warranty, Apple was unable to offer any assistance in removing the hard drive. Their service dept. said that the Air hard drive is non-standard and that Apple doesn't service it at all and that it can't be removed. We gave up on Apple and took the Air to a local PC lab that was able to remove the hard drive and transfer the data to a new device which can be used externally.
To be fair, we've had other Apple products that have performed well and that we've been mostly happy with. Now, however, the frustration level, not to mention time and expense, in dealing with the Macbook Air and Apple service has turned us off to Apple forever. We'll be sticking to PCs from now on. Our Air, which still has more than a year of warranty on it, has totally died and we've dumped it for an Asus. Check them out, they get excellent reviews (rated highest for reliability), have incredible battery life (10-14 hours), have an amazing warranty, and they make some very lightweight models (the UL series).
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 | Apple MacBook MC207LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
complicated -- 2010-08-09
I find it very hard to find help when needed. To transfer address book from old computer,change fonds,lettering size,adding new emails to address book and finding emails. All simple tasks ,very easy to do in my old Windows.
Product not as advertised - Do Not Buy From This Guy -- 2010-07-15
The computer arrived in a broken cardboard box, loosely stuffed in newspaper. It was advertised in "As new, excellent condition." but the case had scratches and the battery was corroded, dead and fails to hold a charge.the seller fails top respond to my request for a refund. I could not be more disappointed in the product or service offered by this seller. Now I am out $800 and have a computer with a bad battery that does not work, and no response from the seller. I should have bought a new one from Apple, but stupidly thought I could save a couple hundred dollars. NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS VENDOR. He obviously knew that he sold me a bad battery that was presented as in excellent working condition.
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