Apple MacBook Pro MB990LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
Reviews for Apple MacBook Pro MB990LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
Quality control issues offset by great support
I purchased my 13.3 inch MacBook Pro on January 25, 2010. As of today the following components have failed 1) logic board (motherboard), 2) hard drive, and 3) wireless card.
Now, you may wonder why I would give the product even a two star rating.
The answer is service.
In this regard, as the owner of several Apple products (one G4 Powerbook, one MacBook, two iPodTouches with a couple of 1G & 2G iPods thrown in the mix) I think it important for prospective purchasers to understand what they are getting when they purchase an Apple product. Stated in slightly different terms; what is it that justifies paying the Apple "premium"?
First, great design.
Second, a very gook operating system.
Third, excellent product support widely available on a walk-in basis. (I can't imagine what it would have been like to deal with these issues via tech support in another country and a repair depot in another state.)
Notice that reliability is not on my list. It would be nice if it were but I think the reality is that this particular notebook is neither more, nor less, reliable than the other top-tier notebook manufacturers.
Would I buy another?
Maybe.
Sooo Nice!
I purchased my macbook pro in March 2010 and have been glued to it ever since! I had been using a pc for the last 10 years and kept going through them year after year so finally, after way to many trips to see the Geek Squad to fix my pc's I switched to a Mac. I am no computer expert at all and just use the computer to take online classes and surf the web. Nothing fancy. I was still able to work my way around the Mac and figure things out. It's not hard to use for a Non expert like myself. I am now taking one to one classes now at the apple store and they really help you realize the things this computer is capable of. I really like what you can do with your pictures and how you can connect the computer with your iphone and organize your life. My 3 year old watches movies and tv shows I've downloaded on this Mac and he knows exactly how to get to the movies. I only showed him a couple of times and he knows what to do. The keyboard is lit up so you can see what you are typing even when it's dark. It's very easy to find things if you're still learning the Mac like I am. I don't worry that I will misplace something. You just type what you're looking for into this one little area called FINDER and it finds it for you. I expect not to buy another computer for a very long time. My friend has a MacBook and hers is still kicking after 5 years, no problems at all! That's what I am hoping for too! — MSN Student
Awesome laptop
I have been using Windows machines for about the last 20 years. For a change, I decided to try the Mac in late 2009 for a home machine, as I wasn't impressed with any of the PC/Win Vista laptop offerings at the time. I use the Mac just about every day as a home computer for mail, surfing, photo organization, etc. I also continue to work on a Windows machine at work - meaning I have to switch between the two daily. A few main points I would like to share:
1) Need to run Windows with BootCamp, Parallels, or VMWare - I purchased VMWare thinking I would need it, but haven't even installed it yet. Most everything I need comes with the Mac, or is available on the Internet for free. In fact, I have not purchased any software for the Mac, other than a word processor / spreadsheet application. All file formats I use and/or create (PDF, DOC, XLS, JPG) can be passed between my Windows work machine and Mac w/o issues.
2) The small form factor of this laptop, within the aluminum case make this a joy to fold up and carry around. With any of the Windows laptop I have used, when you unfold the machine and start to use it again (waking from standby), you are not sure if the machine will wake up correctly, be connected to the Internet, etc. The Mac works flawlessly in this respect, in that you open it and its ready to go in a few seconds.
3) The screen / video is great. I am sure you can get the same screens and video hardware in Windows based laptops, but you will have to pay a bit more. Thus, for the hardware you get, you don't a lot more for the Mac than Windows PC (at least for the 13" model)
4) The machine is quiet, and you never hear the fan running. I laugh as I write this as my wife's Toshiba fan is kicking in, making this terrible whirling noise.
5) The touch pad is large, about twice the size of a typical Windows laptop. This large size makes the OSX 'gestures' usable, for scrolling pages windows, moving back and forward, etc. Once you get familiar with the gestures, its makes the laptop experience a lot better. I find myself not needing the external mouse, and never use one. One problem though, when I move to my Windows laptop, and by habit do the same gestures, w/o luck ;)
6) OSX versus Windows - I think both are great OS's. I will say though that the Mac/OSX environment is much more controlled, and this is where the advantage comes in for stability and performance. Think about the fact that Windows must support 1000's of different hardware types, including device drivers for all of these. The chances of instability, conflicts, etc. is quite high. With the Mac, the hardware is very limited and specific, allowing developers to focus and test much better, with the results being a more stable platform.
7) Applications - Windows has many more choices of applications. However the limited number of applications available for the Mac is also sometimes a blessing as they are integrated better, and play nicely to together. Take for example iPhoto integrated with iMovie, etc. This become even more important if you have an iPhone, as you want to have a smaller set of 'good' applications playing nicely together.
8) Mac Keyboard shortcuts - if you don't use a mouse, keyboard shortcuts make things happen much more quicker. Mac has a lot of support for keyboard shortcuts, and you can do just about anything with a keyboard shortcut. This makes the usability and experience much better, you just need to learn the shortcuts.
9) Reliability - I have read some reviews both on Amazon and professional. A computer is a computer, and if you abuse it, it will break. Hard drives are hard drives, used both in Windows and Mac PCs. Eventually they do fail, and the harder you are on your laptop (moving, shaking, bumping), the quicker they will fail. The same goes for other components, great care is required to get maximum life.
10) Support - While never needing support from Mac, I have read that its probably the best in the industry. Combine that will the Apple Store, where you can walk in, and talk to a real person who understands English. For anyone who is not that familiar with working with computers, this is a huge advantage.
In summary, for the standard computer user who is not an IT wizard, the Mac Book makes a lot of sense. Yes, the price of a Mac is higher, but if you combine the better stability along with the better support from Apple, its money well spent.
Excellent laptop
I got the 13.3" Macbook Pro in September, it was the first Apple computer I've ever purchased and I'm never looking at a PC ever again. The MBP is very user-friendly. There are a lot of features on it that Apple doesn't advertise - little software features that make life a lot easier. I upgraded my memory to 500 GB and my processor to 4 GB. I can do so many things at one time, and the laptop operates just as fast as if I only had one application open. I was hesitant to get an Apple laptop due to the exorbitant price but it is very worth the money. The graphics are beautiful and the sound and volume are great for a laptop. The laptop itself is slim and light. The battery is amazing, it lasts 7 hours (maybe 5 or 6 if I'm watching movies on it or something) and only takes about an hour to charge. Also, Apple ships very quickly. The laptop was shipping from China, but I got it in two days. Crazy.
The only thing is that there is no HDMI port (I believe no Apple computers have it), so you cannot just buy an HDMI cable and link it to the TV like you can with PC laptops. I got a "Mini Displayport Male and USB Male Audio to HDMI Female Converting
Adapter for Macbook" (you can find it on Amazon, or NewEgg) which you plug into two ports on your MBP (the mini displayport and one of the two usb ports), then you plug an HDMI cable into the other end and connect to the TV. And even with this, there is another feature that is different from PC - when you connect to the TV, it doesn't automatically display what is on your laptop screen -instead, the TV screen operates like another monitor! At first this takes some getting used to, but it's really quite a cool feature.
MacBook Pro
I love it. It is light, smart and fancy. There is only one thing I am alittle disappointed; it is a little bit slow since the ram is 2 gb. I recommend one it should be upgraded by 4 gb ram and 500 gb harddisk. Anyway it is beautiful.
Thanks...
Awesome laptop!!
I am coming from the world of Windows-- now it wasn't I was so angry at Microsoft for it's buggy Windows Vista(in fact Windows 7 is really a great OS), I just wanted to try something new, and being an iPhone owner, it enticed me further to finally put the money down for Apple's MacBook Pro. In all honesty, I am glad I did because truth behold I don't think I could see myself using another Windows system again. The MacBook Pro is such a intuitive machine built on the foundation of making your computer experience a joy-- one that is productive, engaging, and ultimately enjoyable breath of fresh air. I've been using PC's since 1998 so I am fairly new to it, but I don't think I've ever had such a enjoyable experience using a computer than the Mac.
Now with all that aside, I ended up buying the 13.3" 2.53GHz model with a 250GB HD. It's sufficient enough for my daily needs, because all I do is e-mail, surf the internet, occasional photo editing, make some videos, and productivity work. The design of the MacBook Pro is centered around the user-- and I mean that by it's comfortable keyboard with backlighting, a spacious multi-touch trackpad, it's vibrant LED-backlist display, to it's MagSafe power adapter-- everything is designed for ease of use. I'd have to say out of all the computers I've owned, this LED display is perhaps the best screen I've ever owned. The colors, the sharpness are in wonderful detail. It also added back FireWire, and SD card slot. Apple is well known for it's focus on aesthetic design, and while it doesn't differ much since the introduction of the aluminum unibody enclosure, it really is a pleasurable experience to hold as it feels sturdy, and definitely adds a sense of sophistication.
While the battery is non-removable, and you'll have to have Apple replace the battery when ever it does decide to die out, it advertises 7 hour battery life, but I usually get about 6 hours roughly. This is great for people who are in dire need of that extra juice while traveling. The performance of the laptop itself is great as well, and does run through my tasks with breeze. I've ran iTunes, searched on Safari with four tabs open, downloading, and there's no skip of performance here, and since the hardware, and software is built all by Apple, it is less prone to crashes.
Mac OS X v10.6.3 is my current software, and it is truly a wonderful operating system. Elegant to use, and efficient, it's easily much easier to use than Windows, when you get the hang of it. While it may take sometime to get use to it, once you do you will be pleasantly surprised how quickly you adapt to the Mac world. It also comes with great applications such as iLife which includes, iPhoto, iMovie, Front Row, iCal, Garageband, Time Machine, and so forth you won't find no "bloatware" here. Once you unbox your Mac you're pretty much ready to go-- I was surprised how easy it was to get up and jump start my experience. For those interested you can also use Boot Camp which will double your Mac into a Windows PC, but know once you do, you are also more vulnerable to PC viruses.
Overall I'd give this computer a 5 out of 5 stars. It's definitely worth the extra money. While some people may argue a Mac is too expensive(and they are), I haven't had one thought of guilt of purchasing my Mac. In fact I feel extremely satisfied with my purchase, because the MacBook Pro is without question the best computer I've owned. I honestly don't see myself switching back to Windows for the time being.
Very good
Still on the learning process after switching from Windows to MAC OS... But I find it very good. Specially for someone who works with graphics and sound.
Made the Switch from PC to Apple
My old Dell laptop died and my daughter recommended the MacBook Pro. After looking at Dell laptops (which are much cheaper) and checking to see if my current scanner and printer would work with the new Windows 7 (they wouldn't), I decided to go with a MacBook. I also checked with Apple to see if my printer and scanner would work with the MacBook, and was assured that they would.
I went to the local Best Buy (an Apple store is much farther away) and checked out the white MacBook and the MacBook Pro. I was pretty much decided on the slightly less expensive MacBook, but knew under the circumstances I use a laptop, that the white finish would look pretty grungy fairly quickly. The Pro just seemed a bit more substantial, although the base model comes with less memory than the cheaper MacBook.
The transition from the PC to a Mac has been really easy, and I am basically a computer illiterate. I did buy Microsoft Office for Mac instead of iWorks, just because I'm used to working in Word and Excel. And my old printer and scanner worked great with the MacBook - I didn't have to even bother with the normal agony of finding and installing drivers - they were already on the MacBook. By the way, my printer is about 4 years old and the scanner is about 6 years old, so it was pretty impressive that they worked with the new MacBook.
I'm very happy with my purchase of two months ago, and saved about $60 plus sales tax ordering through Amazon.
Love it!
There is nothing to do; Mac is the best, easiest and more attractive computer around; I keep the old one for the car instead of the Itouch; the perfect companion in the car riders line at the middle school when my little one is coming out of school. The new one for my daughters homework. Excellent laptop, fast, reliable, now battery lasting longer, another plus for Mac. — Camicata
I really want to love it...
I really want to love my 13" Macbook Pro. I really do. However, the glare that I am experiencing is intolerable, especially when the Web page has a black background. I tried a matte anti-glare screen protector but to no avail. The protector removed the glare but caused white backgrounds to be extremely pixelated, so much so that my eye strain was even worse than without the screen protector. I am not against all glossy screens...I love my Macbook Air's screen. However, the extra layer of glass on the Macbook Pro causes these horrible reflections that can not be mitigated by adjusting the screen angle. Furthermore, even at the brightest setting, I see both the keyboard and my hands reflected in the black, glass covered bezel. Perfect solution would be to use museum glass or no glass at all with a black, non-reflective bezel. When Apple offers that, I will buy it. Until then I'll keep using my Cube and 20" matte LCD display for my desktop (and hope it doesn't die) and the Macbook Air for my laptop.
Simple... as adverticed
There are no more words, exactly as they adverticed it. This is an awesome computer. — WAS
Keep your Windows machine
I purchased my MacBook Pro about a year ago. I also have another laptop which has Windows and Linux installed on it. I am not an Apple fan, and this is the first and only Apple product I have purchased.
The reason I got this machine was the Garageband application. I'm an amateur musician and I wanted to record my band practices, as well compose new songs. In that respect, it served the purpose. It's also good at storing pictures and editing videos.
However, be warned: It takes a while to get used to the Mac OS. It's very different than Windows. Second, do not get rid of your Windows machine. You will need it!
This is not a product that once you take it out of the box, everything will work. For instance, I'm from Europe, but MacBook does not play the DVDs from other regions of our global world, something even the cheapest Chinese DVD players can do! (To be more precise, you need to select a region at the beginning and stick to it). It also keeps giving errors when I try to play any copied DVD. There are ways to bypass these kind of issues, such as installing other players, but the options are more limited compared to Windows. Also, most of my external hard drives do not work with MacBook.
I find Apple more controlling than Windows. It's operating system wants you to do things the way they want. Of course, it's more stable, faster, and less vulnerable to viruses, but all that comes with a cost.
Overall, do not expect too much. Keep your Windows (or Linux) machine nearby. It's far from being perfect.
Switched from Windows to Mac, Love the Compact Pro
I was a windows user all my life, never used a mac, thought it would be complicated and difficult. My husband has always used mac, and so when I needed a new computer we got a mac because we work from home and it's much easier when we both need to use the same files or programs, it's just more efficient that way.
I had originally got a Macbook Air 13" because we are traveling a lot and wanted a lightweight computer. But after using it for 2 weeks I was so angry and frustrated at it that I wanted to sell it. So we did. It was SO slow. This was brand new and it could not even load youtube videos, even on a fast internet you could not watch them. It would freeze when having 3 or 4 browsers open, no other programs. Forget using Skype simultaneously while having any other program open, it's going to bogg down the computer. Also you cannot play any games on it because the graphic processor is so slow it's all choppy and is pretty much pointless. Having no CD rom made it impossible to use programs that need the CD to run. Not buying an external CD drive to travel with, that's ridiculous.
So back to the 13" pro. I really like that I can do everything I need on it. It's much faster than the Air, I can watch youtube, use skype, play games, run word or pages and multiple browsers at the same time. I thought 13" would feel too small for me, like a mini computer. But after going from a 17" beast to a 13" laptop I can tell you that I enjoy having this size as it does not crush me when I'm working on my lap. It gets hot yes, so don't sit it on your lap, but I prop my knees up and it rests on my stomach and legs so it gets air and doesn't over heat. The sound is not too bad on it either, the Air had speakers that were a joke, so quiet you could not play a movie and hear it. The 13" pro is not too heavy either and fits in small backpacks which is great for traveling.
I'm definitely glad I have mine. It makes my husbands 15" feel like a monster in comparison, it's a lot heavier. So for portability go for the 13" pro.
