Customer Reviews
The best laptop I have ever had for work 
2008-10-10
I've gone through several laptops, my most recent was an Alienware 51m which only lasted 1 1/2 years. While playing a game, the video card died, right after my warranty expired. And lucky for me, the laptops parts are no longer made so it sits as a coaster on my coffee table. Recently I've used a Apple iBook until my principal was able to buy a few MacBook Pros. I quickly traded in my iBook for this thing of beauty. I never looked back!
I'm amazed at how fast this computer loads and works. The OS called Leopard is very stable and easy to use. I've found that Macs are very user friendly. The screen is very bright (you can adjust this) and a nice addition is the fact that the keypad area is lit. The speakers on the side seem very powerful for a laptop and the superdrive being in the front instead on the right side is a nice touch. The 15 inch screen is perfect. I've seen iLife '08 take a beating by reviewers and by keynote speakers when I go to professional development. iMovie on this laptop (part of iLife '08) is a little more confusing than the previous version. I love my iTunes though. The wireless card sometimes acts a little quirky at my job trying to hook on to the network but I am chalking this up as our network issues (we got quite a few issues with it) and I dont blame this laptop. When I go home, it does a great job detecting wireless networks.
If you need a laptop strictly for work, this is a great laptop. The only minus, is that it gets very hot sometimes. Sometimes it gets extremely hot when charging. Ive notified Apple concerning this and they said it's normal however, if you feel the heat you will quickly remove your hand and say, "Ouch!" I cant see that as normal but so far so good. For now on, if I need a laptop, I get an Apple. I still love m PC desktop that I built myself though!
Nothing wrong at all 2008-10-09
I can go on and on about how well this porduct works or sum it up into a few sentences. 100% satisfied and highly recommend this product. I work in 3D Architecture and this baby runs like a charm and never faulters.
It just works.
2-month old MacBook Pro dead 
2008-10-09
I typically don't write reviews, especially the low-score one, but I felt I have the obligation to tell this to everyone.
It's a nightmare, my 2-month old MacBook pro dead. I used to have IBM thnkpad T-series notebook (now Lenovo) and it was great compare to this Mac in terms of reliability. I can carry the IBM thinkpad to work in the morning and bring it back to home in the evening without power down for SEVERAL weeks, there was no issue at all. I thought I was little rough to the thinkpad so I power down this Mac everyday after the work, carefully carry it around, well, when it happens, it happens, all the sudden, it dies. I'm in the process to recover the data, I'm mad. I'll update the review later for the service experience, so far not very good either.
Another issus is you can't fold down the screen compeletedly outwards, it will break it. Bad design, image accidentaly you push down the screen for better view angle and you could break it and that's not covered by warranties.
Regardless how great the MacBook is, it's a great pain when your working computer dies, you need get it repaired, resintall the application, recover the data if possible, and re-do all your work if data is lost, what about the photos you took for the special moment yesterday that haven't upload yet... too bad.
No, I don't want anything fancy, I just need a reliable PC to do my things (paper, dissertation, spreadsheet, make movies), which all PCs on the market can do.
A PC Convert! 2008-10-07
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.
Apple for now, Linux in my future?? 
2008-10-06
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.
The Computer 2008-09-25
The latest Intel processor, a bigger hard drive, plenty of memory, and even more new features all fit inside just one liberating inch. The MacBook Pro has the performance, power, and connectivity of a desktop computer. Without the desk part.
Very happy with this buy 2008-09-25
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!
Now this is a laptop! 2008-09-24
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".
Sleek, fun, fast 2008-09-21
I have had my MacBook Pro for three weeks now and am enthralled with it. It is light -- easy to carry -- which is a plus since, as an academic, I carry a lot of files and books with me at any give time. It is lightning fast. I've been using a G4 laptop and G4 desktop and the leap to this computer is noticeable and worth every penny. The feel of the keyboard also strikes me as a strong selling point -- keyboarding just feels easier and, dare I say it, more fun.
Also notable about this Mac is the ease of adding memory. I've added memory to other Macs before and this is the easiest I've ever done. The memory cards slide in easily and I don't have to fiddle with them to get them at the right angle. I have always loved the intuitive feeling of the Mac and I think that Apple gets this right again.
I have noticed that the computer runs hot -- but apparently that is expected -- and I've had no problems with performance whatsoever. The isight camera is fun too -- and creating presentations feels a whole lot easier as well.
I highly recommend this product: it is exactly what I want in a computer and the new operating system, whose ins and out I'm still exploring, makes it even better.
Love it! 2008-09-20
Absolutely love this thing! Quality and performance are outstanding. Super easy to use and setup. Applications perform smoothly and without the typical Windows 'lockups, crashes and slow shutdowns' many of us have had to endure for years.
I use VMware's Fusion with 4GB RAM as I still need to use several Windows based applications. Performance of the Virtual Machines is smooth and very robust...the additional RAM is really a requirement if you are running Virtual Machines.
