[CALUG] Macbook -- Off Linux Topic

[Jason Dixon]

On Sep 9, 2006, at 9:39 PM, Rajiv Gunja wrote:

> Anyone has experience with the latest Macbooks? I am planning to  
> buy it and
> there has been a mixed bag of reviews on the Internet.
> Some say they get too hot, other say, not much. Is it worth the  
> money and
> will it last at least 3 years?

I'll say... it depends.  My MBP gets ridiculously hot around the  
space above the keyboard and near the upper portions of the speaker  
areas, but only dangerously(?) so when I'm doing one or both of the  
following:

1) Using it on a poorly ventilated area.  A good example would be my  
bed, where the blanket beneath it traps in the heat.

2) Running graphics-intensive applications.  The worst of these would  
be games.  In my case, World of Warcraft.  It gets hot while playing  
DVDs, but not unbearably so.

I've had 4 PowerBooks before my current MBP.  This one certainly gets  
the hottest.  In fact, they've already had to replace a DIMM in mine  
that apparently fried due to the heat.  Again however, this was  
because of both conditions listed above.  My last two 15" PowerBooks  
also ran very hot when playing WoW.

That said, my only real complaint about the MBP (versus the  
PowerBooks preceding it) is the trackpad.  I actually prefer the more  
narrow trackpad.  I'm a big trackpad user (never use an external  
mouse), so I use a lot of keystrokes when playing WoW.  Very often my  
palms will track over the upper corners of this wider trackpad,  
confusing the pointer.  However, I am probably not a typical use case  
here.

The internal speakers are nowhere near as loud as the ones in the  
last generation of PowerBooks.  The output is fine through external  
speakers, but the internal speakers are grossly underpowered.

All PowerBook/MBP models I've owned (12" 1GHz PB -> 15" 2GHz MBP)  
have had durability problems with the power adapters.  The PowerBook  
ones have a collar entering the brick that tends to wear prematurely  
from heat exposure.  I was replacing those at least once a year ($99/ 
each, Apple considered normal wear and tear, wouldn't cover under  
warranty).  I just had my first MBP adapter replaced by Apple.  The  
cable sheathing pulled out from the magpro connector after just 3  
months of use.  This really surprised me, considering the magpro  
connector experiences MUCH less stress during disconnection than a  
typical connector.  The power still worked, but I wasn't comfortable  
with exposed wires glaring up at me from the corner of my eye.  ;-)

> My last laptop (Compaq) last me 1.5 years and it had a problem with  
> the
> motherboard and I had not taken the extended warranty.
>
> That too is an other question: Has anyone taken the extended  
> warranty and
> has it come in handy?
> Thoughts and advise are most welcome.

I've been happy with my PowerBook/MacBook Pro experiences.  With the  
exception of the fried memory I mentioned, every other issue I've  
encountered has always been my own fault.  And yet, they've always  
repaired it under warranty.  That might justify your purchase of the  
extended warranty.  It has for me.

P.S.  My wife still has my original 12" 1GHz PowerBook and adores  
it.  It was her first laptop, and the first Mac she had ever used.   
She routinely lets my 4-year old play on it, so you know it gets beat  
up pretty bad.

P.P.S.  Even considering what I've mentioned, I would hands-down buy  
another Apple laptop before any other brand.  I've worked with plenty  
of "PC" laptops, and Apple still blows them away.  There's a reason  
why you always see 60+% of attendees at technical conferences using  
PowerBooks.  I'm sure that *someone* has switched from a PowerBook  
back to a PC laptop, but I've yet to meet them.  ;-)

--
Jason Dixon
DixonGroup Consulting
http://www.dixongroup.net