Customer Rating: 
Summary: A PC Convert!
Comment: I've had this computer for almost a year (mine has smaller hard drive) After much deliberation I finally decided to convert to Mac after over a decade of using PCs. I remember when windows 95 first came out and how bad Macs sucked back then. However times change. The main thing that did it for me was that I could have both windows and OSX on the same machine using boot disk. The verdict, I am now a Mac man. And no I don't have the little apple sticker on the back of my car window in case you are wondering.
Boot Disk works flawlessly and when I boot up windows (mainly for work) it is like I have a PC, (a really bad a** PC). When I first got it I thought I would be spending most of my time in windows using OSX for "fun" however after a week I realized that OS X Leopard blows windows out of the water. Every aspect is better. Let me say that again: EVERY aspect of Leopard is better than windows XP. I haven't found one thing in windows that I like better that what Leopard has. Apple simply has the best user interface engineers on the planet working for them. Now to be fair I haven't yet used Vista (haven't felt compelled at all so far based on what I have seen) so I don't have a basis for direct comparison to MS newest product.
Wireless works great, bluetooth works flawlessly. OH and the DVI out is amazing! I can plug the DVI out to my receiver and watch full screen HD video on the plasma! I tried this with my old PC, even bought a new video card to do it, but frankly it couldn't hold a candle to the mac. Macbook pro also has Optical audio out for connection to the receiver, very nice. Speakers on the machine are better than average for a laptop but still not anything approaching audiophile quality.
The machine comes packed with software that is actually useful, fun and has no crap on it. ILife is great and easy to use. The display is crisp, clear, vivid, etc, etc. The best screen in the business.
If I had to pick a con, I'd be price, though in comparison it is really not but a couple hundred bucks more than the equivalent PC. What you get for that extra cash is a better user interface, better styling, smoother operation, faster performance. Personally I'd rather spend a few hundred bucks more and get more enjoyment, more functionality, and in the end more usefulness from the computer than to worry about saving $200 and end up with something that feels like it is just some "tool". Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Apple for now, Linux in my future??
Comment: This is a good product as laptops for this price range go. I have the 2.2 ghz model.
Pros:
1) Backlit keyboard is awesome
2) Apple software works seamlessly with 3rd party applications - MS is still trying to catch up. I have no trouble downloading/installing software.
3) Unix available at the command line level
4) Free iLife 08 including useful appls like iTunes, iPhoto iMovie, and GarageBand
5) Safari is a v. good browser
Cons:
1) Screen does not display color as well as a PC (color dithering scam on its notebook displays). If you don't believe this - compare a PC and Mac notebook side by side. Ever wonder why Apple products are segregated from others (e.g. at B. Buy)?
Scrolling in some windows may have glitches (see inet forums for details)
Ditto dragging in the mouse pad.
2) Leopard plug-ins/updates are still not all complete from some popular application programs. Fortunately I have 2 mac notebooks and the old one has Tiger on it. Tiger runs everything.
3) Battery is still not as efficient as other laptops but my Dell 700 is even worse...
4) Apple is almost as bad as MS at being proprietary about their software.
a) The Apple educational discounts have become progressively lower over the past 5 years. The Apple discounts on software are nowhere near as good as many others.
I can buy Lightroom 2 for a lot less than Aperture 2 via educational store
b) Upgrading is also pricier.
5) Apple phone support is really sucking recently and stay out of Apple retail stores- their 'geniuses' in support are not even marginally intelligent in the 2 stores in my area.
6) Apple quality control from the 'golden' days is nonexistent today. Just see the web forums for all the problems that users are having with ALL Apple products.
7) Bluetooth keyboards do not have powered USB ports. Why not??
Bottom Line: Still a cool product but it could definitely be better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Computer
Comment: This was always my dream computer. It is the perfect laptop in many ways.
Things I love about this laptop: First of all, it is Apple's "pro" laptop. There's a certain prestige-factor associated with the Pro. The aluminum casing is attractive. This Mac is fast (but this is relative) and I like the response from the keys when I press them. I prefer thet way they feel over my company-provided Lenovo Thinkpad T61.
Its a Mac. It runs both OS X and Windows XP/Vista. I don't see myself ever needing to run Windows on my Macbook Pro, but I have the option and that is nice. The features of the trackpad are awesome as well...two finger scrolling, right-click with two fingers, etc. These are useful features I wish I had elsewhere on other laptops computers.
What I don't like: The aluminum casing smudges and shows fingerprints way too easily. I also do not like how diffeicult it is to replace the hard drive. Check out [...] for guides on how to do this. Why Apple would make it so easy with the Macbook and so difficult with the Macbook Pro is beyond me. Perhaps with the upcoming inevitable revamp of the Pro line (rumors and spyshots are all over the web), they will change this. Upgrading the ram is easy enough on this laptop.
Overall, I am a Mac fan and consider this to be my primary computer. As I said, there's a certain prestige-factor associated with the Pro, but...If I were to buy another laptop today, it would be a Macbook instead of the Macbook Pro. I like the ease of replacing the hard drive. This is critical to me, as it is easy to run out of space.
If you are looking for dedicated graphics to play games or to want to offload some processing to the video card (which Adobe Photshop CS4 is rumored to do by default), then go with the Pro. Just be sure to get yourself a large external drive and to max out the internal hard drive space (if your Pro is custom configured).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very happy with this buy
Comment: I bought my MBP on Amazon last July and up to now I am ecstatic with it's results. I have read extensively around the web for user reviews and experiences and although some negative ones made me frown I went ahead and bought one. After years of PC use and a lot of frustration because of crashes (especially with graphic design programs I use) I saved up the (chunk of ) money and bought the MBP.
I have worked with Mac's previously but that was such a long time ago that when I first turned on my MBP and saw the bright screen and colors and the power this machine has while I run heavy software, listen to music AND watch videos, it just blew me away! Apart from me being a specific user because of my line of work I think this MBP is also very suitable for less higher end user, although maybe the price could be an obstacle for buying one. Still it is worth every penny in my humble opinion.
Can't wait to see what the rumored new batch of MBP's will bring, and well hope I will not be tempted to upgrade this one myself. I'm a fan!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Now this is a laptop!
Comment: This MacBook Pro is a terrific machine. It rivals the performance of my Power Mac G5. I loaded Adobe LightRoom and Apple Aperture on it to work on photos that I have dowloaded from my cameras. I shoot in RAW mode. Yes, the files are large but this MacBook Pro accomplishes the task of processing this file very nicely. I highly recommended for any processing task at hand. The performance this machine outputs and the features this laptop has will make you smile. Read up on the features this machine has. "You will be impressed".
Summary: A PC Convert!
Comment: I've had this computer for almost a year (mine has smaller hard drive) After much deliberation I finally decided to convert to Mac after over a decade of using PCs. I remember when windows 95 first came out and how bad Macs sucked back then. However times change. The main thing that did it for me was that I could have both windows and OSX on the same machine using boot disk. The verdict, I am now a Mac man. And no I don't have the little apple sticker on the back of my car window in case you are wondering.
Boot Disk works flawlessly and when I boot up windows (mainly for work) it is like I have a PC, (a really bad a** PC). When I first got it I thought I would be spending most of my time in windows using OSX for "fun" however after a week I realized that OS X Leopard blows windows out of the water. Every aspect is better. Let me say that again: EVERY aspect of Leopard is better than windows XP. I haven't found one thing in windows that I like better that what Leopard has. Apple simply has the best user interface engineers on the planet working for them. Now to be fair I haven't yet used Vista (haven't felt compelled at all so far based on what I have seen) so I don't have a basis for direct comparison to MS newest product.
Wireless works great, bluetooth works flawlessly. OH and the DVI out is amazing! I can plug the DVI out to my receiver and watch full screen HD video on the plasma! I tried this with my old PC, even bought a new video card to do it, but frankly it couldn't hold a candle to the mac. Macbook pro also has Optical audio out for connection to the receiver, very nice. Speakers on the machine are better than average for a laptop but still not anything approaching audiophile quality.
The machine comes packed with software that is actually useful, fun and has no crap on it. ILife is great and easy to use. The display is crisp, clear, vivid, etc, etc. The best screen in the business.
If I had to pick a con, I'd be price, though in comparison it is really not but a couple hundred bucks more than the equivalent PC. What you get for that extra cash is a better user interface, better styling, smoother operation, faster performance. Personally I'd rather spend a few hundred bucks more and get more enjoyment, more functionality, and in the end more usefulness from the computer than to worry about saving $200 and end up with something that feels like it is just some "tool". Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Apple for now, Linux in my future??
Comment: This is a good product as laptops for this price range go. I have the 2.2 ghz model.
Pros:
1) Backlit keyboard is awesome
2) Apple software works seamlessly with 3rd party applications - MS is still trying to catch up. I have no trouble downloading/installing software.
3) Unix available at the command line level
4) Free iLife 08 including useful appls like iTunes, iPhoto iMovie, and GarageBand
5) Safari is a v. good browser
Cons:
1) Screen does not display color as well as a PC (color dithering scam on its notebook displays). If you don't believe this - compare a PC and Mac notebook side by side. Ever wonder why Apple products are segregated from others (e.g. at B. Buy)?
Scrolling in some windows may have glitches (see inet forums for details)
Ditto dragging in the mouse pad.
2) Leopard plug-ins/updates are still not all complete from some popular application programs. Fortunately I have 2 mac notebooks and the old one has Tiger on it. Tiger runs everything.
3) Battery is still not as efficient as other laptops but my Dell 700 is even worse...
4) Apple is almost as bad as MS at being proprietary about their software.
a) The Apple educational discounts have become progressively lower over the past 5 years. The Apple discounts on software are nowhere near as good as many others.
I can buy Lightroom 2 for a lot less than Aperture 2 via educational store
b) Upgrading is also pricier.
5) Apple phone support is really sucking recently and stay out of Apple retail stores- their 'geniuses' in support are not even marginally intelligent in the 2 stores in my area.
6) Apple quality control from the 'golden' days is nonexistent today. Just see the web forums for all the problems that users are having with ALL Apple products.
7) Bluetooth keyboards do not have powered USB ports. Why not??
Bottom Line: Still a cool product but it could definitely be better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Computer
Comment: This was always my dream computer. It is the perfect laptop in many ways.
Things I love about this laptop: First of all, it is Apple's "pro" laptop. There's a certain prestige-factor associated with the Pro. The aluminum casing is attractive. This Mac is fast (but this is relative) and I like the response from the keys when I press them. I prefer thet way they feel over my company-provided Lenovo Thinkpad T61.
Its a Mac. It runs both OS X and Windows XP/Vista. I don't see myself ever needing to run Windows on my Macbook Pro, but I have the option and that is nice. The features of the trackpad are awesome as well...two finger scrolling, right-click with two fingers, etc. These are useful features I wish I had elsewhere on other laptops computers.
What I don't like: The aluminum casing smudges and shows fingerprints way too easily. I also do not like how diffeicult it is to replace the hard drive. Check out [...] for guides on how to do this. Why Apple would make it so easy with the Macbook and so difficult with the Macbook Pro is beyond me. Perhaps with the upcoming inevitable revamp of the Pro line (rumors and spyshots are all over the web), they will change this. Upgrading the ram is easy enough on this laptop.
Overall, I am a Mac fan and consider this to be my primary computer. As I said, there's a certain prestige-factor associated with the Pro, but...If I were to buy another laptop today, it would be a Macbook instead of the Macbook Pro. I like the ease of replacing the hard drive. This is critical to me, as it is easy to run out of space.
If you are looking for dedicated graphics to play games or to want to offload some processing to the video card (which Adobe Photshop CS4 is rumored to do by default), then go with the Pro. Just be sure to get yourself a large external drive and to max out the internal hard drive space (if your Pro is custom configured).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very happy with this buy
Comment: I bought my MBP on Amazon last July and up to now I am ecstatic with it's results. I have read extensively around the web for user reviews and experiences and although some negative ones made me frown I went ahead and bought one. After years of PC use and a lot of frustration because of crashes (especially with graphic design programs I use) I saved up the (chunk of ) money and bought the MBP.
I have worked with Mac's previously but that was such a long time ago that when I first turned on my MBP and saw the bright screen and colors and the power this machine has while I run heavy software, listen to music AND watch videos, it just blew me away! Apart from me being a specific user because of my line of work I think this MBP is also very suitable for less higher end user, although maybe the price could be an obstacle for buying one. Still it is worth every penny in my humble opinion.
Can't wait to see what the rumored new batch of MBP's will bring, and well hope I will not be tempted to upgrade this one myself. I'm a fan!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Now this is a laptop!
Comment: This MacBook Pro is a terrific machine. It rivals the performance of my Power Mac G5. I loaded Adobe LightRoom and Apple Aperture on it to work on photos that I have dowloaded from my cameras. I shoot in RAW mode. Yes, the files are large but this MacBook Pro accomplishes the task of processing this file very nicely. I highly recommended for any processing task at hand. The performance this machine outputs and the features this laptop has will make you smile. Read up on the features this machine has. "You will be impressed".
Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive) Reviews: Page 8 of 26
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