Average Rating
Apple MacBook Pro MB470LL/A 15.4Inch Laptop 2.4 GHz
MacBook Pro puts desktop-class graphics in a portable package. That makes it the ultimate mobile solution for gamers, video editors, photographers, and design professionals. Machined from a single...read more
$1599.00
$1900.00
$1900.00
Average Customer Rating
5 out of 5 |
Product Features
- Redesigned MacBook with thin, strong aluminum unibody frame and 15-inch LED-backlit glass display
- New glass trackpad with 40 percent more tracking area and supports more Multi-Touch gestures
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB DDR3 RAM (4 GB max), DVD/CD SuperDrive
- Dual NVIDIA graphics (integrated and discrete); Draft-N Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 2.1; Gigabit Ethernet; Mini DisplayPort video output
- Preloaded with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system and iLife '08 suite of applications
Product Description
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Product Details
Brand: AppleModel: MB470LL/A
UPC: 718908999226
Product Code: MB470LL/A
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Great in OS X, but dismal support for XP, Vista and BootCamp
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
One year ago, disgusted by dismal experiences with multiple PC manufacturers (Dell, Acer, among others) in terms of their terrible support for Windows (along with poor hardware reliability issues and very poor servicing of hardware), I took the plunge and decided I would buy a Mac. I basically have to have windows XP because it’s required to interface with various hospital systems, but I thought if the Windows partition went down (a virtual guarantee with Windows XP at some point), at least I would have a reliable Mac system as a backup. I expected a far better experience, given the customer service ratings of Apple, which are better than any PC manufacturer. Little did I know what I was getting into.
The XP partition blue screened on a regular basis, from the first moment it was created. Microsoft of course makes it anything but easy to figure out why XP is bluescreening – part of their effort to duck and cover around the OS being a buggy mess. (Any misbehaving driver will bring it down.) And Apple’s position on this consistently was that “this is not their problem.” Adding insult to injury, I was charged for support by Microshaft (despite this partition being built from a new copy of Windows XP professional). Well, what else is new – this is standard PC fare, and the primary reason why so many people are switching to Macs.
What was a revelation was to discover (after using a great little program called BlueScreenView that not even Microsoft was aware of – that program should be installed on every PC) that the driver causing ALL the blue screens was Apple’s proprietary mouse driver for the touchpad/mouse. Even more stunning, I found out (after a lot of digging) that Apple apparently was aware of this all along (12+ months), but failed to contact users, and failed to correct the mouse driver issues for over one year, despite numerous complaints on the part of numerous boot Camp users about the mouse driver causing major problems. Apple stonewalled me for months on this issues, stating over and over that there were no problems with their drivers. What BS. Apple’s position on any difficulty under XP or Vista (and soon Windows 7) is that all Windows issues have nothing to do with them. One small problem with that . . . Apple was writing the XP driver software for the mouse that was causing all the problems. This kind of “it’s not my responsibility” attitude is something you expect from Microsoft, or perhaps from Dell, but you don’t expect from Apple. It’s been a total shock to experience this kind of corporate dodging and blame-shifting from Apple. Did they get lessons from Dell . . . . or may be our federal government??
After roughly one year of difficulties (blue screens almost every day or every other day, bringing down the system and causing loss of work and endless grief along with two corrupted C drive partitions and hundreds of lost hours), I was able to find a fix for this, no thanks to Apple. The Mac side of course works just fine, but I bought this system to use it primarily as a PC (with Mac OS X capability as a backup). If you are never going to use as a dual OS system, this is a fine computer and OS. However, I would strongly caution anyone against buying an Apple laptop or desktop system if they intend to have serious dual boot capability and intend to use some version of Windows more than 10% of the time. What you’ll find is a total lack of support and a position of complete denial of responsibility by Apple for anything that happens under boot Camp.
Given that this dual operating system capability has become one of Apple’s strong selling cards and responsible for a significant fraction of sales, this position by Apple has to be seen as egregious, and totally unacceptable. My discouraged conclusion is that if you intend to use this system to operate any version of Windows, you have to be aware that you will be on your own. Microsoft regards all OS issues under BootCamp as Apple’s problem, Apple regards them as just Microsoft’s problem, and in the final analysis, it’s all going to be your problem. Watch out!! (and unfortunately the virtual emulation of Windows under Parallels or VMWare is no solution either – earlier versions were massively buggy!!)
I am confident that this review will be trashed by the Mac faithful (hence the poor ratings!) – attacking Apple is about like insulting someone’s mother in some people’s eyes. Such loyalty is admirable, and speaks to some of Apple’s strengths – which make this experience all the more puzzling. But for anyone that has struggled with an XP, Vista or (soon) Window 7 partition on a MacBook, this experience should be a MAJOR caution. For those who will never cross into the unreliable and buggy wasteland of Windows on this hardware (a most fortunate majority of owners spared all the headaches of the PC world), this is probably a five star system. But it is striking to see such disparity between Apple on these two sides of an issue (OS X support vs Windows support), and it’s really a shame. I had hoped for far better.
As good as it can get
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Macbook Pros are indeed fascinating, specially if its your first mac. All the small details, the neat reworking of features of other operating systems, the WAY better performance/hardware ratio provided due to software optimizations and less middle-men (software abstraction layers), everything.
The purchase in itself was great: quick shipping, amazing customer service from the seller, product is as described. I just wish I could have bought it with the 512MB of video memory version without having to go all the way up with other hardware specifications, along with an extra $300+ in budget.
BEST COMPUTER
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
honestly if you have enough to buy this computer but feel like saving money and going for the Dell, DONT. Dells suck terribly and even though you are paying a lot more up front for the mac and you might not be used to it at first, in the long run you are saving money and its just a way better computer. Dell screwed me over with tons of money and three computers that all became outdated very quick and even crashed, I have yet to encounter a problem with my mac and I do alot of work with music on it! Seriously the best investment I ever made, I will never consider buying windows again. The best part about this computer is the touch trackpad for the mouse, once you understand how to use all of its features, which is pretty quick, you will wish every computer had one. It makes web browsing and everything else so much easier!!! Go for it, this computer rocks the screen looks amazing!!!! Apple MacBook Pro MC118LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop!
15 year PC con-vert to Mac. THIS model MacBook made me do it.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What can I say? Maybe it’s my age catching up with me. I am not sure. I know that I was just tired of all the mess there is in keeping a PC up to date and always running. Drivers, inter-application support, all of this is just something PC owners deal with and have gotten use to. I’m tired of it.
I found the iLife suite of applications a perfect answer for everything I needed. iPhoto, iMovie and of course iTunes (which I was already using on the PC along with my iPhone) are just a joy to use. iPhotos “places, faces and events” are super cool. And it’s amazing how easy it is to get photos in and tagged. Everything about OSX just flows easily and never gets in my way. Everything works together smoothly and nothing competes with each other. i.e. WIndows Photo Viewer and Media Player both wanting to manange your pictures and videos DIFFERENTLY. Typical PC reply is “oh just download this other app and install this service and then run this codec pack and set this registry entry and you’re all set’” NO…I’M DONE WITH THAT. iLife and OSX WORK.
Now to the hardware.
I liked the previous generation MacBook Pro. It was missing some things though for the price. For one, it seemed to not really offer much in build and features I couldn’t get elsewhere much cheaper in a PC laptop. This was not to say I would buy a PC but it meant I was looking at the MacMini or possibly even the iMac. Something I didn’t really want to do. I wanted a laptop. So I waited. Another year with the PC…then finally these new ones hit.
I was blown away by the features videos and when I got to handle one in person…WOW. They are thinner yet completely SOLID. Picking one up or just smashing the keys and you feel like you’re using something God would use. I can rest my fat palms on the faceplate without worry. The new black backlit keys are MUCH easier to see and feel great! The buttonless touch pad (the entire thing is a button) is amazing. It’s like the iPhone except with the addition of a button. Which is perfect. Be nice if the iPhone could get this feature some how. The gesture support is spot on. It’s the first time I’ve ever used a touchpad and NOT wanted to get a mouse instantly. You can really use it all day and it’s transparent. It operates so smoothly. FINALLY.
The sound from the speakers is much improved. iTunes in the background or jamming out loud is very clear and full sounding for a laptop speaker. Nothing sounds harsh or crushed. They are laptop speakers mind you, but for that, they are the best I’ve heard.
The display is very clear and off angle is nice. I find the contrast to be pretty good and the 3D performance to be awesome. (and should be with a 9600). The auto switching to the slower power saving 9400 is a pretty neat trick too. I play World of Warcraft and EVE-Online and they both run quite smoothly. When running on battery there is a performance hit with the cycled down cpu and slower 9400, but you’d expect that. I also tried Team Fortress 2 via “Crossover for Games” and it ran very smoothly. With only a couple of small display glitches.
My only real complaint is the lack of USB ports, it has two. I really wish it had TWO more. My model has the express slot instead of the mini card slot. I find you have many more expansion options with the express slot. Including putting in your own mini card reader. So why limit your options?
Finally, Amazon’s price was $200 cheaper than Apple’s. I got no tax and free 2 day shipping on top of that, pretty sweet.
Great computer, but with scratches
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
As the title says, the computer is great, it is much more than I expected considering I moved from PC platform to Mac. Every thing just works fine, no bugs, no hassles. This Macbook Pro is a 2008 model, but I found it very powerful and fast compared to my Vaio FZ-180e.
The only annoyance had nothing to do with the laptop conception or functionality: it came with scratches on the right side of the lid. Also, when I installed aditional memory I found a lot of dust inside it, which made me wonder that this notebook could have been in some showcase at Datavision Computer Video store in NY, from where it was delivered.
I’ve tried to contact the store by e-mail through the proper service at Amazon’s site, but received no word about it. And since I’m not in the US right now, I just got stuck with a new computer that looks old. So, the reason I rate it no so good is due to its handling by the store, not because the quality of the equipment which I think it is superb.
Awesome Computer!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Having spent most of my computer time with PC, I have had far too many gliches and down times with viruses and malware to be optimally productive. Not having my own personal IT Department to tend to my many computer concerns, this became expensive not to mention a bothersome nuisance. Since switching to Apple, I’ve been very impressed with superior customer service I got from the Apple Store! I am also AMAZED at how user friendly this MacBook Pro laptop is! The screen is very clear and image-sharp, the icons are readily available at the bottom of the screen, I can customize this desktop many different ways, I LOVE how the keypad lights up in diminished room lighting so that the letters and numbers don’t wear off like my old PC and most importantly for me, I especially enjoy not getting PC hassles and computer downtime any more….. I’m converted!
The Promised Land…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I never thought it was possible to be this excited over a laptop but I have done it. This machine is spectacular! I have been a windows user for my whole life (NOT by choice) and I thought computing was going to be mediocre and droll but Apple has flipped my world upside down. This is going to be a very short review because All I can say is I will NEVER buy a PC again!
WOW Best laptop your money can buy.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I own the latest 2.8Ghz MacBook Pro with 512MB of VRAM, 4gb 1024mhz RAM, new polymer battery, and optional 7200 RPM 500GB drive. I am using both Mac OS and Vista Premium using Bootcamp. I have used my MacBook Pro for a month.
Compared to my previous laptop (Dell XPS 1530: 2.0 Ghz, 2GB RAM, 256MB 8600GT VRAM), which was a very good laptop, the MacBook Pro is stunningly awesome. The MacBook Pro is far smaller and portable yet performs at MUCH higher level than my Dell ever did.
LOOKS
If the MacBook Pro was a woman, it would be Miss Universe. It is thin, light, and as portable as 15.4 inch laptop can be. Its aluminum casing is not only pleasing to the eye, but also pleasing to the touch as well. There is no cheap plastic anywhere to be found.
PERFORMANCE
Vista Performance Index rates my MacBook Pro at 5.5 (5 is considered very good). The only reason why it is not higher is because the Nvidia 512MB 9600 is not awesome (but still very good) in 3D graphics performance. It is worth noting the 9600 laptop graphics card still performs better in 3D graphics than majority of desktop graphics cards of today.
From a usability perspective, this laptop is blazing fast. There is no noticeable lag between CPU and Memory as I have seen with my Dell XPS 1530 laptop (Dell is undermining the performance of its laptops by using cheaper and subpar memory chips). The BUS on this system is also top notch as well.
When I play BioShock on Vista, the graphics looks very crisp and the overall responsiveness is very good.
Bottom line: you will not be disappointed with the performance of this laptop unless you are comparing it to that of a high end desktop. Certainly, you will be hard pressed to find any medium size 15.4 inch laptop that can even duplicate MacBook Pro’s overall performance.
TOUCHPAD and SOUND
The new touchpad is the mouse reinvented. The new touchpad is so good, this is the ONLY laptop which I do not carry a separate portable mouse. The new touchpad is large, responsive, and just has that WOW factor to it. THE NEW TOUCHPAD, BY ITSELF, IS A GOOD REASON TO GET A MACBOOK.
On Vista, the touchpad works almost as well as it does on Mac OS. The only feature missing in Vista is the ability to twist pictures and other objects (not all apps in Mac OS support this feature either).
The sound quality is good, but not terrific. On Vista, the MacBook produces maybe 60% of maximum volume it can produce on Mac OS. I have tried reinstalling drivers on Vista but to no avail. I wish MS or Apple will fix this problem (I am sure this is a driver, and not a hardware, issue).
PORTABILITY, BATTERY, and HEAT
Because of its small form factor and solid all aluminum body, the MacBook Pro is eminently portable. I have had many of laptops (about
both for work and for personal use, and this laptop is BY FAR the most portable of all.
The battery lasts around 7 hours when I run the Mac OS (9600 graphics card turned off). The battery lasts 4 hours when I run the Vista Home Premium edition (9600 graphics card turn on because it can’t be turned off in Vista). My main concern, however, with running Vista on this laptop is not with the battery life but with excess heat output.
This laptop is flat and the hottest portion of this laptop is concentrated in the rear bottom. When placed on a flat surface, much of the heat is trapped underneath. The MacBook Pro can overheat to a point where it is uncomfortable to touch the upper surface near the keyboard. The heat isn’t much of a problem with Mac OS, but with Vista, the user must be careful. I strongly advice using MacBook on a open bottom surface, such as laptop stand with an open bottom surface area for ventilation, when using Vista. You laptop will last longer.
Mac OS vs VISTA
I was pleasantly surprised that Mac OS can now run Flash and Adobe Acrobat Reader. The compatibility between Mac and PC is closer than ever. MS Entourage (part of Mac Office 2008) is compatible with MS Exchange email, calendar, and contacts. Overall, I am impressed with the Mac OS Leopard. But its achilles heel is still software availability. Although Apple has greatly expanded its library of available Mac compatible software, most softwares, particularly video games, still do not run on Mac. For Vista, and its successor Windows 7, to better compete against the Mac OS in the laptop market space, it needs to greatly enhance its battery life and substantially lower its heat output.
FLAWS
I have only two gripes
1)Vista cannot utilize the full range of sound the MacBook hardware is capable. Notably, the maximum volume is too low. This can be easily fixed by Apple by updating the sound driver in BootCamp (HINT).
2)The Caps Lock button is extremely easy to press. So easy, I wish I could find a way to disable the key.
Apple Macbook Pro 15.4″ laptop
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
After been alienated by microsoft and its ms-dos and windows world for over 30 years, I have to confess that it is not easy to deal with this new environment (particularly the “finder” shell of its operating system). Analyzing the product from a computer first timer perspective, there is no doubt that will beat any intuitive machine contest in the world. Perhaps is like almost everything else in life: just a matter to get used to it, but if you asked me now, after having the machine with me for a couple of weeks, and still having this frustration sense of knowing what I’d like to do, but don’t knowing how to get it done, I would think it twice before getting into the mac world.
Good Computer
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased the Mac Book Pro and it is a great laptop, I have the one that has 500GB hard drive space. The only down fall about Mac is that they have their own programs which I do not like.
I have used Windows since forever, I love my brand new Mac Book Pro but I am not satisfied with it because I cant use my old programs, it is very frustrating. So I have decided to convert my files.
Besides that problem that I have, Mac Book Pro is an amazing computer and it is beautiful but, before buying this laptop, prepare yourself and look around. Alot of people dont buy Macs like the way they do with other laptops like Compact,Sony Viao, Acer, and so fourth.