Macbook vs. Macbook Pro question

By MochiFX
in Apple (macOS)

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Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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Fair enough, cheers. Veteran made me think it was some sort of class given to early members of Neowin or something like that...

Certain amount of logic to it. :) Of course my own thoughts on it may not be accurate but every Vet I've seen I think has been staff at some-point. :)

Explorer

MochiFX

Posted
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2 more questions came to mind:

1)Is the 17'' that much bigger than the 15''? I'm pretty sure it will fit in my bag, only issue that concerns me is the deskspace it may take up(let's say in a lecture hall or a classroom).

2)If I have an external HDD that I want to install an OS on instead of the MBP itself, would I be able to boot from a USB HDD or would I have to use something like bootcamp?

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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  • Veteran
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2 more questions came to mind:

1)Is the 17'' that much bigger than the 15''? I'm pretty sure it will fit in my bag, only issue that concerns me is the deskspace it may take up(let's say in a lecture hall or a classroom).

2)If I have an external HDD that I want to install an OS on instead of the MBP itself, would I be able to boot from a USB HDD or would I have to use something like bootcamp?

The 17-inch is amazing, the Ultra High Res is stunning, I have that one. :)

Which operating system are you wanting to install on the external drive?

Experienced

buzlink

Posted
Posted (edited)

Macbook better durability

Macbook Pro better graphic power, still not as durable as it should be, some screen issues as well in older models.

Sorry forgot to place in the Pro for the Pro entry. :(

Edited by buzlink
Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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Macbook better durability

Macbook better graphic power, still not as durable as it should be, some screen issues as well in older models.

Perhaps I'm just super tired today, I know that I am, but that made no sense to me... Can you be more specific?

Experienced

buzlink

Posted
Posted
Perhaps I'm just super tired today, I know that I am, but that made no sense to me... Can you be more specific?

Sorry, forgot to place in the Pro part.

Thats my personal opinion, personal experience with a 1st Gen. Macbook and 2nd Gen. Macbook Pro, and Compared with the last update of the iMac, not the just released update.

I have just had some construction usability issues with my MBP. As it goes for my battery it is a 34 cycles and has 31% health. It barely stays on with a full charge for 15 minutes without the power adapter.

My screen is yellowish-gray with lots of grain, where as the Macbook is crystal clear and bright.

If you close the lid it creaks and cracks, and at random will restart the machine if it is closed.

Just does not seem solid.

I know they have fixed these issues, but still for a 2,000 machine they really stand out.

Still big disadvantage for me is the metal case, dents, and scratches, and over-all flimsy to me.

Simply the MBP is to fragile to be toting around all over the place.

But to still say I love MBP, best computer I have ever used, just some construction issues that I would have thought Apple would have had fixed. Not as good fit-and-finish as everyone likes to rave.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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  • Veteran
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Sorry, forgot to place in the Pro part.

Thats my personal opinion, personal experience with a 1st Gen. Macbook and 2nd Gen. Macbook Pro, and Compared with the last update of the iMac, not the just released update.

I have just had some construction usability issues with my MBP. As it goes for my battery it is a 34 cycles and has 31% health. It barely stays on with a full charge for 15 minutes without the power adapter.

My screen is yellowish-gray with lots of grain, where as the Macbook is crystal clear and bright.

If you close the lid it creaks and cracks, and at random will restart the machine if it is closed.

Just does not seem solid.

I know they have fixed these issues, but still for a 2,000 machine they really stand out.

Still big disadvantage for me is the metal case, dents, and scratches, and over-all flimsy to me.

Simply the MBP is to fragile to be toting around all over the place.

But to still say I love MBP, best computer I have ever used, just some construction issues that I would have thought Apple would have had fixed. Not as good fit-and-finish as everyone likes to rave.

Just a few things with your experiences, have you already calibrated your battery? That can often alleviate the sudden power drop problems. You can find more details regarding this process below...

To calibrate the battery:

  1. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter and fully charge the MacBook or MacBook Pro battery until the light on the MagSafe connector changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
  2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the power adapter is plugged in.
  3. Disconnect the power adapter with the computer on and start using it with battery power. When the battery?s charge gets low, you?ll see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.
  4. Continue to keep your computer turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery?s charge gets low and before the computer goes to sleep.
  5. Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
  6. Reconnect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged. You may use your computer during this time.

Repeat the calibration process every two months or so to keep the battery fully functioning. If you use your MacBook or MacBook Pro infrequently, it?s best to recalibrate the battery at least once a month.

This sounds like it could be a bad screen, if you are under warranty please take it to your local Apple Store as soon as possible to evaluate the color depth and see if you are eligible for replacement.

The other items in your list, afraid I can't say I've seen those in any model of the MBP or PBG4...not discounting them but I'm simply saying they are not the norm to the product. The MacBook Pro feels the most stable and sturdy laptop I have ever used followed closely by the Lenovo T6x Series.

Grand Master

Hurmoth

Posted
Posted
Don't listen to what Mr. Jobs tells you, Matte FTW. And I'm typing this on my glossy Macbook :pinch:

:pinch: I've always been torn by this. I was recently talking with another staff member here while in Seattle and he suggested glossy because you get better coloring with glossy than with matte. I think that was his reasoning, more colors maybe? Something like that. So my boss recently got his MacBook Pro (glossy) and a friend of mine has matte, I have since looked at both and I must say I would prefer glossy over matte. It looks so much better than the matte.

Here's an interesting blog post: http://gracefulflavor.blogspot.com/2006/10...-continues.html

"... I like the glossy. Side by side, the glossy blows the matte away. Colors are richer and deeper, and blacks are blacker."

Experienced

buzlink

Posted
Posted
Just a few things with your experiences, have you already calibrated your battery? That can often alleviate the sudden power drop problems. You can find more details regarding this process below...

Repeat the calibration process every two months or so to keep the battery fully functioning. If you use your MacBook or MacBook Pro infrequently, it’s best to recalibrate the battery at least once a month.

This sounds like it could be a bad screen, if you are under warranty please take it to your local Apple Store as soon as possible to evaluate the color depth and see if you are eligible for replacement.

The other items in your list, afraid I can't say I've seen those in any model of the MBP or PBG4...not discounting them but I'm simply saying they are not the norm to the product. The MacBook Pro feels the most stable and sturdy laptop I have ever used followed closely by the Lenovo T6x Series.

The battery has been calibrated several times and the screen problem, Apple pretty much said F-Off.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted
The battery has been calibrated several times and the screen problem, Apple pretty much said F-Off.

Is your system covered under AppleCare or the original 1 year limited warranty?

How did you correspond with Apple previously, retail location or AppleCare support line? Apple prides itself on the level of support offered to customers, if someone wasn't helpful in resolving your problem let me know and I'll see if I can't help you come up with an alternate solution that will deliver the result you are looking for. :)

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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  • Veteran
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I wanted to install something simple like Windows XP because I don't think my printer supports Mac, and a few other nit-picky programs. But I don't want to install it directly onto the MBP HDD when I get it.

Which printer, brand and model? :)

I normally do not recommend attempting to run operating systems from external hard drives, it never ends well.

Grand Master

PL_ Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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:pinch: I've always been torn by this. I was recently talking with another staff member here while in Seattle and he suggested glossy because you get better coloring with glossy than with matte. I think that was his reasoning, more colors maybe? Something like that. So my boss recently got his MacBook Pro (glossy) and a friend of mine has matte, I have since looked at both and I must say I would prefer glossy over matte. It looks so much better than the matte.

Here's an interesting blog post: http://gracefulflavor.blogspot.com/2006/10...-continues.html

"... I like the glossy. Side by side, the glossy blows the matte away. Colors are richer and deeper, and blacks are blacker."

Hmm...yeah, it is something you appreciate when watching films or looking at pictures. The quality is really great, but I find myself hating it more than loving it. I like to sit outside a lot and work on it, and I sometimes find no matter where I sit I get glare. I can turn the brightness up to full, that doesn't make it too bad, but I'd rather save my battery life and have a matte screen.

Grand Master

Wannes

Posted
Posted
Yes, this voids the Apple Warranty, however Colorware does offer a warranty through them, that being said however it is NOT an Apple Warranty.

Not worth it in my opinion.

It's a pity it voids the warranty because you can create awesome stuff.

post-44312-1210927313.jpg

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