Posts tagged MacBook

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Reviewer: BlueQ| Date:2010-07-29

All I have to say is wow, what a machine. I use this thing every day and loving every minute of it. This is my first Mac and like they say I will never go back. It just works. I was torn between the 13 and 15 inch models and ended up deciding on the 13 inch due to its portability. I run a small online business and take my computer everywhere I go. It is so thin and light that I sometimes forget I have it with me. The screen size is great. I have all the real estate I need with my 13" MBP. The one thing that I am most impressed on is Mac Mail. I know, of all things that came with my laptop, I single out Mac Mail! The e-mail system works great and I have experienced no hang ups whatsoever. If receiving e-mails is an important part of your daily life then give Mac Mail a try! It wont dissappoint. Anyway, getting back to the MBP, yeah it is truly awesome. A little getting used to at first, but once you have the basics down, the rest is a breeze. Thanks.

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Reviewer: Gary C. Galbraith| Date:2010-07-27

I'm new to Apple. My first impression is that it's fast and easy to use. Once I learn the Apple procedures I think it will be great. Using skype, the picture is the best I've seen, more so than on PCs. The bottom gets a little hot after a while. I don't think there is a fan like on other laptops.

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Reviewer: Donald L. Buckle| Date:2010-07-23

It's an Apple with Amazon pricing and service. The 13" MacBook Pro is a definite winner!

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Reviewer: Ziggy Stardust| Date:2010-07-22

I purchased this and an Asus 13.3 inch u30jc at the same time. The Asus was $879. I did keep the Apple and return the Asus as the Asus screen had a lot of glare for my tastes; occasionally videos looked too dark to enjoy on the Asus. They are similar machines except that the Asus includes Optimus with 512mg of video memory and a discrete video card. It also has an i3-350 vs. the Apple's 2.4 core duo. The Apple is better built.

The good: The Apple is well built and has an excellent screen for a laptop. Good battery life. The genius bar is two miles away and bulletin boards with many Mac users are only a few clicks away. Snow Leopard is relatively easy to learn and one has excellent customer service for 90 days.

The problems: some software is not written for Mac or has a subpar version for Mac. Think of games or playing chess online.

Worse, the 2.4 core duo does not belong on a $1,199 machine. Many $899 machines now have i5s this summer. (Apple can't put a i5 on its low end pro model or even an i3 as it would then butt heads with the $1,799 15 inch macbookpro.) These same machines also typically offer 500gig hard drives that run at 7,200. Some have discrete graphics. (Few have battery life to compare with that of this machine, but the aforementioned Asus u30jc with an i3 does.) Customer service is good but only 90 days unless one springs for Apple Care, making the price even more unreasonable.

I could deal with a premium price if the machine had a 3.06 core duo or a low level i3. And a discrete graphics card with, say, 512mg of VRAM.


Soon, someone is going to come up with a machine that has the build quality of the macbookpro and superb customer service. The machine will then be over-priced and somewhat obsolete by all measures.

Excellent machine but Apple need not be so greedy.

BMW's are overpriced. My 335i, which I lease, is not worth the price even though I used to track them. It does, however, have 300hp. The Apple is more akin to a 4 cylinder Accord. Well built and popular, but only reasonably powered.

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Reviewer: Jay| Date:2010-07-21

Before this, I had the previous model of the white plastic Macbooks. I loved that computer, but the plastic was starting to show signs of wear after only a year and a half of use, so it was time to upgrade to an aluminum unibody MBP. I love this computer. OSX is such an easy to use operating system. I actually found when I switched from Windows to OSX, some tasks I would try to make harder than they were simply because I was used to Windows. When you hear people say that once they made the switch, they'd never go back, believe them.

But, of course there are some gripes, although few. My biggest complaint is two fold: no hdmi ports, no BluRay support. Those two are really killers. Don't get me wrong, it's easy enough to get the necessary cables to hook the computer up to your HDTV, but it would be much easier with an HDMI. It really seems silly that a laptop this nice and this powerful doesn't have HD capabilities. BUT, I'm sure that those two things are PROBABLY coming in the next refresh, which will mean I'll likely have to upgrade again in a year or so, but I can deal with that. My only other gripe is with the display. The glass display is much more vibrant and lively than the old LCD's, but here is a significant amount of glare on the screen. Forget about using it in the sun at all.

Lastly, a couple of tips. The "10 hour battery life" is a lie. No way does this thing get ten hours. BUT, if you turn off the backlit keyboard and turn the screen brightness down to 50%, you can easily get 5-7 hours of operation. I think for most folks that will get the job done. Also, learn to love the trackpad. I think that's the thing I like the most about the computer. The trackpad is HUGE, and the multitouch capabilities are so awesome, I don't even use my portable USB mouse anymore. To me, the trackpad is much better than any mouse I've ever used.

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Reviewer: Tim Ransom| Date:2010-07-15

The computer arrived in a broken cardboard box, loosely stuffed in newspaper. It was advertised in "As new, excellent condition." but the case had scratches and the battery was corroded, dead and fails to hold a charge.the seller fails top respond to my request for a refund. I could not be more disappointed in the product or service offered by this seller. Now I am out $800 and have a computer with a bad battery that does not work, and no response from the seller. I should have bought a new one from Apple, but stupidly thought I could save a couple hundred dollars. NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS VENDOR. He obviously knew that he sold me a bad battery that was presented as in excellent working condition.

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Reviewer: Nom de Plume| Date:2010-07-12

I still have tons to learn about using Macs, but within just a few minutes after setting up The Precious, I was using it like I had owned one for years. I find it more user friendly than any of the nine PC's I've owned over the years. I didn't realise how much time I spent attempting to do simple tasks until I got my Macbook. For example, something that needs to be done in 25 steps on a PC can be done in 5 on a Mac. I guess what they say is true; once you go Mac, you never go back.

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Reviewer: Sue P. Cundiff| Date:2010-06-17

Who would of thought that a PC person would really love a Mac but I do.. so many things you can do so easily once you learn how..

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Reviewer: Nicole Oliver| Date:2010-06-15

I always had an aversion to Apple, associating their consumers with pretentious, Starbucks-chugging preppsters. But, unlike the stereotypical Apple consumer, MacBooks are practical, friendly and down-to-earth:

PROS:


1. The battery charger works using a magnet instead of a mechanical charger that could eventually break; brilliant design in my opinion!

2. The body of the Mac is smoothe and beautiful; it's definitely an eyecatcher. In fact, it's TOO beautiful. No doubt it was designed with the showy, pretentious frappachino-drinkers in mind who like to show off their new gadgets. Personally, though I can appreciate the beauty of the design, I find it unsettling that my $900 computer sticks out like a sore thumb, so be careful because it's likely to attract thieves.

3. The software interface is crisp and simple. Very easy to access my applications without the desktop looking cluttered like Windows.

4. Beautiful screen. THe glare and reflections don't really bother me. If you're using it outside it may be a problem, but you really shouldn't use it outside anyway, that's an easy way to get you're laptop snatched.

5. Seamless synching with my Ipod Touch and Nook (ereader from Barnes and Noble).


CONS:

1. This thing gets dirty very easily. Wipe it frequently

2. Not really a con of the product but I might as well mention that:

YOU SHOULD NOT BUY THIS ITEM ON AMAZON OR ANY OTHER NON-APPLE WEBSITE.

THE APPLE STORE HAS BUYER INCENTIVES RANGING FROM STUDENT DISCOUNTS TO FREE MERCHANDISE WITH YOUR MACBOOK PURCHASE.

I JUST BOUGHT A MACBOOK. I PAID $899 FOR IT WITH MY STUDENT DISCOUNT AND AFTER PROBING THE CASHIER ABOUT ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES, I RECEIVED A FREE IPOD TOUCH AND A PRINTER WITH MY PURCHASE!!!

THERE WAS A REBATE BUT IT'S ONLINE AND I ONLY HAD TO ENTER IN MY RECEIPT NUMBER AND ADDRESS; IT ONLY TOOK A FEW MINUTES.

YOU MAY THINK YOU'RE SAVING BY PURCHASING THE MACBOOK ON THESE "DISCOUNT" WEBSITES BUT A LOT OF TIMES YOU MISS OUT ON A IN-STORE OR EVEN ONLINE-STORE INCENTIVES FROM THE COMPANY THAT YOU CAN'T GET ANYWHERE ELSE.

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Reviewer: Angel Conce| Date:2010-06-06

i have to say i felt in love with apple since i was a child. when a first touch a mac i got shock!!! everything was top of the line, hardware, software and the way they fit one to another!! i got that feeling again. there were things that they dont say in paperback and just love them.
i couldnt buy one because the money, so when a got a better job, i just run into it...jijiji this mac is one of the better things i ever bought in my entire live.
jajajaj since i bought it i've a message on msn im not thinking to erase "when you go mac, youll never go back"

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Reviewer: R. Fung| Date:2010-07-29

I'm a huge fan of Apple now after all these years working with PC's. My recommendation is to buy one. You'll love it!

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Reviewer: Harry C| Date:2010-07-20

I had the unibody MacBook when it was first released in 2008. That one unfortunately got damaged so it needed to be replaced. This has some nice new features, including the audio support through the mini displayport and longer battery life.

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Reviewer: Mike| Date:2010-07-13

I programme a lot and use my laptop for both intensive work and sometimes for games too. It handles both supremely well - and has a very crisp screen that's easy on the eyes. I got the 256 SSD harddisk and it's bloody quick! I changed over from my IBM thinkpad basically for the ascetics of the new macs (and the fact that I found out there are two programmable mouse buttons on it!)

Battery life is around 4-5 hours with normal use I'd say. With careful and low level stuff, I think maybe 6-7 hours is possible doing reasonable things... If you do almost nothing but use a text editor with everything else off one may well get 10hrs out but I've never tried it.

I got the 13 inch because I prefer something portable and sleek, which the mbp certainly is! The only thing I have against it is that the resolution for the 13" is very low for a high end laptop these days and you can't fit as much information on one screen as I would like. Typically at work I have to plug in an external monitor (non-apple, which displays to the full capabilities of the screen without fault or hassle).

Otherwise the computer sometimes runs a little hot (though nowhere near as hot as my old ibm).

It is in summary a very good laptop - the best I've ever owned. It also helps that it's thin and gorgeous.

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Reviewer: Charles Evans| Date:2010-06-27

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3DVTQNJMB9N5K I mentioned it in the video portion of the review, but the first step to purchasing a Mac is to determine if you are ready to make the leap from the world of the PCs. Personally, for my day-to-day use (and creating video reviews for Amazon.com) I love using Macs. They are very intuitive - and importantly- they always seem to work. Rarely do programs randomly close down or does the computer just completely freeze.

Now that is out of the way - why should you consider the 2.66GhZ MacBook Pro? Is it really worth the extra cost versus the Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop and the Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop? For me the answer was a (pretty) easy, yes. I love the increased speed in Video editing provided by the 4G of RAM (compared to the 2G on the standard Macbook) and the 2.66GHz Processor.

A run down of the things I like about this model

- The display is awesome - the LED screen is very crisp and uses less power.
- Firewire port -
- SD card reader - it comes in more handy than you might expect
- 10 hours of battery life
- The 4G of Ram helps with video processor and other memory intensive activities
- Super Fast... programs open almost instantly.
- I was able to load all of my old programs using Time Machine
- Aluminum frame - I had some issues with the plastic on our previous Macbook
- Very lightweight
- The wireless N card seems to work much faster than the N card on our older Mac ...in truth, it seems like it help to expand the range of the router Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Simultaneous Dual-Band) (MC340LL/A)
- I really do like the backlit keyboard - I know it seems like a minor thing, but we really do like it.
- I do recommend purchasing the Apple Care. It is expensive but Apple customer service can not be matched.

Final Verdict- While the Macbook Pros are more expensive than comparable laptops to me it does't make much of a difference - the Macbook Pros are worth it. They work perfectly out of the box and offer great performance. I really couldn't be happier

5 Stars - No Second Thoughts on this Purchase

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Reviewer: Grimsrud| Date:2010-06-24

I bought this computer about a month ago to replace my black MacBook (Another fantastic computer), and I'd say that this machine has exceeded my expectations. I love the multi-touch trackpad, and it's noticeably lighter than my old MacBook. When it comes to laptops, I will never use anything but a Mac for as long as I live.

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Reviewer: Mark| Date:2010-07-28

I bought my girlfriend the MacBook Pro 15.4" laptop with the anti-glare screen. She has found that she no longer gets migraines like she used to get when using a glossy screen. She also found that she could type much faster on the MacBook vs a pc laptop. And, that there is 9X less clicking needed to do something.

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Reviewer: Artemaria| Date:2010-07-21

Have been using computers for nearly two decades and have owned both PCs and Macs. Use a PC laptop for work, which is great for that. But this is my first Mac laptop and I have to say, while I was grumbling at the price, you get what you pay for. Here are my thoughts.

PROS -

Trackpad --- this may be the best thing about this computer. While I read the review on CNET and they said the trackpad is great, you really have to experience it to understand. It is a transformational way of communicating with the computer. After having the computer for about a week, I am already much faster on this trackpad than I ever was on a mouse. You have to experience this to understand. The size and the functionality built into the trackpad are nothing short of astonishing.

Included software --- the included software on iLife is really useful. It has a rather full featured movie editing software for free, as well as iPhoto, iTunes, etc.

Not included bloatware --- it is nice not to have to delete all that crap from the desktop and windows system.

Fast --- very fast, especially in OSX. We got this with zero options, just the base 15" model. It is very quick with anything you throw at it.

Build quality --- you can grab this laptop from any corner and carry it. There is no flex in the casing. You can really feel the difference that building these things out of a solid block of aluminum makes.

Looks --- this is really a beautiful machine. You'll be as happy looking at is when it is off as when it is on.

Lighted keyboard --- bright enough to see, but not too bright to be distracting. Excellent view of all the keys in any lighting.

Display --- we have the base display and it is crystal clear. My brother-in-law got the resolution upgrade, and while you can tell a difference, if you don't have both the computers next to each other, you won't know what you are missing. If you do intensive graphics work, I would recommend the display resolution upgrade, otherwise, it is just bragging rights, for which I don't need to pay extra.

Battery life --- basically it goes all day with light use on one charge. There are not too many 15" laptops, if any, that can do this.

Spyware and Viruses --- yes there are none now, and that is good. Hopeuflly, there will be none for a long time.

Discounts and Rebates --- while most people would not associate discounts and rebates with Apple, this is a pretty good time to buy a new Mac. We got $200 towards an iPod Touch (making it free) and $100 towards a wireless printer (making it free). Thus, in the end, we got a wireless printer and an iPod Touch for the cost of the tax on these products alone. Also, if you are a teacher or work for the government, Apple will knock another $100 off the price. These are some nice discounts when you buy this laptop.


NEUTRAL -

OSX --- about two years ago, this would have been a tremendous positive as Vista was an unmitigated disaster. However, with Windows 7 being pretty good (and shamelessly ripping off many of OSX's features), this is less of an advantage than it sued to be. It is really a matter of taste. We happen to like OSX, especially Snow Leopard, but others may like Windows. This computer can run both.

Only two USB ports --- this is at least USB port less than the competition in this price range. However, because the track pad is so good, I don't need to fill up a USB port with a mouse like all my friends do. Also, since a wireless printer is about $100 (which Apple gives you towards the price of a new printer), that frees up another USB port. Thus, I only need a USB port for the iPod or the camera. Neither of which is connected to the laptop at all times,

Only 4GB RAM --- while it is plenty for now, I can see this not being enough in a few years.

No user replaceable RAM --- RAM is the cheapest way to make your computer go faster. Hopefully the computer will still go fast after the warranty expires so that I can take this apart and add more RAM. But it is annoying that there is no easy way to replace the RAM.

No user replaceable battery --- I don't know how long the battery will last, but if a problem develops, it would be nice to be able to change the battery.

CONS -

No Blu-Ray --- this was the biggest drawback for me, as I would have liked to have a Blu-Ray player in the house. However, since I don't own any Blu-Rays, it is not that big of a drawback. Also, since you can download most movies these days, this missing player is not a deal breaker.

No HDMI output --- this is another potential problem. I don't have an HDTV, so this is not a big deal, but if I get one, it is annoying to have to buy a special adapter PLUS an HDMI cable to play video from my laptop's mini-display port on my TV.

CONCLUSION -

All in all, I've liked this machine alot more than I thought I would. It feels good in the hand and great when using. The display is terrific and the machine is quite responsive. While it is tempting to look at a computer based exclusively on specifications, if you only do that, you may lose sight of what you need in a computer and how you use it. All the specifications in thw world achieve nothing if they are for features that you don't use. This computer hits a nice combination of features that people will actually use without including features and complications that they won't. For what we need, it just works.

While we looked at many laptops, we are happy we ended up with this one.

Hopefully this review helped you in your computer shopping. Best of luck.

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Reviewer: Joseph Sudano| Date:2010-07-07

I had been a Dell laptop fan since 1998 when I purchased my first Inspiron 7000 for over $ 4,800.00 with options. I have had 5 laptops since then. Two more Dell's that cost over $ 2,200.00 each, one being an XPS. I also had two Toshiba's. All my laptops were considered high performance models. Until I bought the Apple 15.4" MacBook Pro w/ the new i5 processor I have never been satisfied with the performance of any of my laptops. To start with the MacBook Pro is stunning to look at. The all aluminum case is flawless and lets you know this is a high quality piece of engineering. Everything about the MacBook Pro is what you would expect from a top of the line laptop. The performance is just fabulous. It is very fast, easy to use, and very intuitive. If you are looking for a laptop that will exceed your expectations, this is the one to get if you can afford it.

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Reviewer: M.D.C.| Date:2010-06-29

For summary skip to the bottom. Video to come soon...


I already wrote a review and posted a video on the 13", so I'll spare you the pre-story. The 15" MacBook Pro (Summer 2010 version) is a step up for me. I want to go on record by saying that I did NOT opt for the high res screen, and I'll tell you why in a moment. I'm still an MCSA and an MCTS, and Microsoft is still primary in my world, but I access these resources via Apple.

First, I want to clarify why I chose to buy the 15" when I had a 13" that was sufficient. Because I run VMs a lot (I have reviews of Parallels and VMWare), the real estate of the screen was very important. The 13" handled everything I threw at it like a champ, but I needed more screen area. I also needed a stronger multitask processor to keep up with the demands I put upon it. The 2010 version of the MacBooks achieve gains in three key areas: The processor, which on the 15" and 17" models is the Core i5 and i7 models; the video cards, which again, on the 15" and 17" models are improved with newer technology; and the power management.

The previous processor was the Core 2 Duo - an older technology but not a slouch by any means. It was and is a very powerful processor, all things considered, and the 13" was able to deal with everything I threw at it, including multiple VMs at the same time and video encoding processes. Where the Core 2 Duo struggles is with multi-tasking speed; while it can handle multiple processes, it allocates resources towards the most intensive of what's running at the detriment of everything else. In other words, if you encode a video at a medium resolution, you would find that the machine was nearly unusable otherwise; not frozen or dirt slow, but slow enough to be annoying. The fan would come on and the heat would multiply, and you often would fear for the poor MacBook's life. Not so with the i5. It also does get hot - hotter, in fact, than the Core 2 Duo - but even though it's dealing with intensive processes, it never breaks stride with other applications that might be running. You could encode video, then jump over to your email and work as if nothing were going on. The laptop's fan would be going nearly full blast and the heat would be expunged at an exponential rate, but the laptop would not slow down. I consider that impressive, especially given the fact that battery life did not suffer from older years. The i7 is even more powerful than the i5; but the primary reason I could not consider that version has to do with the heat. It's so extreme it's got people online worried about cooking eggs. I know they're not exaggerating; the i5 can get quite hot, so if the i7 is as strong as I know it is, I can only imagine how hot it must get.

The video cards have been improved in the new MacBooks. They are newer versions of the NVidia cards that were released, and some of the MacBooks have the higher end Intel integrated chips. If you don't understand some of the video card technology, there are dedicated video cards and then there are integrated cards. The dedicated cards mean simply that they have their own memory and don't share the RAM of the computer. Integrated, as evident by the name, uses shared RAM to function, either in whole or in part. The integrated chips are lower cost, obviously, at the trade of a performance hit - the RAM it's sharing is inaccessible to the OS and applications, and because the RAM is always a chunk of other RAM, there is an effective tug-of-war going on when using the integrated card. It's really popular in lower end laptops because of the price point - if you paid less than $700 for your laptop chances are it's got an integrated card. All of the lower priced 13" Apples (MacBook, $1199 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air) have integrated chips. The Air might have gotten bumped to NVidia, not sure. In any case, Apple has mixed some models with integrated and dedicated chips, so that less intense processes use the integrated and higher processes switch automatically to dedicated, which is more powerful. Most casual users will think this a pointless feature; but it's good to have for battery life.

Speaking of which, the new MacBooks feature a newer version of the MagSafe power adapter. Due to fraying and melting issues with the previous models, Apple has seen fit to redesign this adapter to address the issue. It now holds a lot more solidly than before, and is partially cylindrical instead of rectangular (you can see images above, of course). The cylinder part is where the fraying most commonly occurred, so it makes sense why they did this change. The actual cable itself also feels more solid; kudos to Apple for improving this. It's also retroactively compatible, so if you buy a new adapter you'll probably get the newer version, and it should work fine for your model (assuming it's a MagSafe version and not the plug-in style from old times). The new 13" MacBook Pro claims a battery life of up to 10 hours due in part to the newer video card; the 15" that I'm reviewing here has already shown improved battery life over the older 13", even at maximum screen brightness. The usual activities will of course kill the battery: VMs, video encoding, audio recording, anything where there is a constant stream of data going one way or the other, basically.

One area of disappointment coming from the 13": The speakers. Because the 15" sports actual speaker grills instead of the embedded speaker of the 13", I somewhat expected at least slightly better audio quality. To my surprise and dismay, I did not receive it. I do a lot of audio records of songs and I use Sennheiser HD-280 Professional Headphones...but the problem is, a song can sound perfect in the headphones, but then I listen to it on the MacBook's speakers and the same song sounds absolutely terrible. I know it can't be the song that's bad, because the headphones are spot on with the way it should sound; but the MacBook's speakers just separate sound streams too much. It's hard to describe, but it's like the treble is cranked and I can't adjust with an equalizer or something. Movies are fine, but again, no appreciable improvement over the 13", where I would watch DVDs frequently with great effect.



So...do I recommend it? Well...it depends. I don't recommend it if you're just a casual user, even if you like the larger screen. Go for the 13" and if you absolutely have to have screens of a larger size get an external. I just can't justify the $300 premium for a larger MacBook unless you are actually going to use it for gaming, audio/video, or VMs. Then it makes sense. As far as the high resolution 1680 screen, recommended only if you're gaming, really. I would like to emphasize DO NOT get the antiglare from Apple. It's nice looking, it really is. It will shock you; it will tempt you; it will compel you to fork over the extra $50. Don't do it; the quality of that screen is not as good as the glossy, because the antiglare is not the full glass. Get one of the Green Onions Supply Anti-Glare AG2 Screen Protector for 15-Inch Aluminum Unibody Apple MacBook Pro and do it yourself. You'll thank me later.

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Reviewer: S. Kydd| Date:2010-06-28

My goal was to buy a Mac that was capable of playing any current generation game (as of 2010). I owned an Acer TravelMate 4011 prior, that was only good for surfing, microsoft office stuff and watching low resolution movies. It was ok at first but eventually its limitations got to me. I decided to go with a mac because I have always been a mac fan. I only bought the Acer for college and to try out Windows and boy was that a nightmare. My boot ups took me 5 minutes... Five. Whole. Minutes... and no I am not exaggerating. Performance wise, it felt like there was sludge inside my computer. I would often have to re-install windows at least twice a year.

It took me 3 years (I'm patient) before I was willing to buy a Macbook Pro (early 2010) as I was unsatisfied with the prior model's specs and prices. I chose the base model i5 because I did not believe that the minuscule increase in performance was worth the price.

As a mac, it's damn near perfect. Everything runs silky smooth with rarely any slow downs. I do occasionally experience an unresponsive track pad that leaves me tapping in vain though. I don't know if it's the track pad's fault or this Adobe Flash problem I keep hearing about (it usually happens when I'm surfing) or if it's just the computer "thinking", but it gets very annoying. The battery usually last about 7 hours or so but this varies depending on what you are doing. Watching movies with the brightness turned all the way up can get you about 4 to 5 hours. Reading with the brightness turned down halfway can get you roughly 9 hours, a huge improvement from my old computer's 1.5 hours. I also love that the computer is smart enough to stop charging the batteries when they are full, so you can leave it plugged in for as long as you want (though they still recommend you give the batteries some exercise and also that you calibrate it once a month).

Using this as a PC (via Bootcamp) reveals a flaw unfortunately. I installed Windows 7 to allow me to play PC games which this computer does quite well. I've only played Dragon age and Modern Warfare 1 so far with all settings except AA set to max and they both run very smoothly. However, the laptop gets really, really hot underneath and in the upper left corner next to the power cord. The computer is very thin which is cool, but I think this may give it poor ventilation. Because of the heat, the fans activate very loudly (I use headphone though so it doesn't bother me). Also, the track pad is not quite as nice in Windows as it is in Mac OS so I would suggest getting a mouse.

Now to be fair, I cannot blame this computer for these problems. The Macbook Pro has never claimed itself to be a gaming laptop and it isn't. Neither has it ever claimed to be a PC, it's not. The fact that it can still do both, however, should be looked on as a free bonus to an already outstanding laptop.

EDIT: I've read somewhere that the Macbook Pro uses its aluminum unibody as a heat conductor to keep the chips cool, which would explain why it feels so hot. This is good for the computer but bad for your lap. An excellent way of keeping both you and your lap top cool is to not play games on it while it's on your lap. Instead, place it on a flat surface. Better yet, place 2 objects under the laptop so that there is space for air to move freely underneath. You don't really need to buy an expensive laptop cooler (I use 2 books). I would love to get the xpad but $25 bucks for a flat, fancy looking piece of plastic is a bit much to me.

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