Apple MacBook Pro 2008 Edition (Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD)

Summary: I bought the previous version back at the end of November 07 and loved that one and just upgraded to this one and what an improvement this is blazing fast, ...

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Summary: I bought the previous version back at the end of November 07 and loved that one and just upgraded to this one and what an improvement this is blazing fast, the screen is brighter and new touch pad is awesome. I switched over from a PC in November and bought this machine, and then a 24 inch iMac and a Macbook. I have been very happy with all the machines and they just works every time I turn them on. I have not had one problem. It is very refreshing to know that when I turn it on it is not going to have a blue screen or say an error has happened and shut everything down. I will never go back to a PC. This is a nice improvement and this machine works perfect. And yes I own one unlike a few other users on here.

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Summary: The Hi-Resolution screen with LED is the best laptop screen available, good graphics card, DVI output, and can run Leopard, XP, and Linux together inside OS X. The Macbook is ...

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Summary: The Hi-Resolution screen with LED is the best laptop screen available, good graphics card, DVI output, and can run Leopard, XP, and Linux together inside OS X. The Macbook is plenty enough computer for most non-gaming users, but as an artist the extra performance of the Macbook Pro is appreciated, and with the new processor, in combination with the LED Hi-Res display ther MBP is almost perfect for creating high end graphics, animation, and video. The popularity of the Macbook Pro amongst creative professionals makes the lack of a high definition read/write optical drive a noticeable ommision now that the high-def war is over.

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Summary: As a PC user for over 20 years, I was so pleased when my Mac Book Pro arrived. My first reaction was how beautiful and streamline the body of the ...

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Summary: As a PC user for over 20 years, I was so pleased when my Mac Book Pro arrived. My first reaction was how beautiful and streamline the body of the laptop was. Lighter yet stronger than my Dell laptop, and the quality is not even comparable. PCs just look like they are constructed in a parking lot when compared to MACs. And then under the hood, you are really hooked. FAST, FAST, FAST... and no Windows problems, and no security issues. I will never go back to using a PC again. True the cost of this machine is higher than the typical PC laptop, but you get what you pay for. And I for one am willing to pay a premium for a work of art that out performs. I did several of my own benchmarks with friend's PCs and my MAC excelled in every category. If you want a laptop that will be the envy of everyone, go out and get a MAC BOOK PRO!

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Summary: I am a switcher who bought the MacBook Pro 2008 edition to replace my aging Dell XPS M1210 which was going to be handed down. So far, my experience is ...

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Summary: I am a switcher who bought the MacBook Pro 2008 edition to replace my aging Dell XPS M1210 which was going to be handed down. So far, my experience is as follows:

Exterior:

The MacBook Pro has a slim form factor but feels quite solidly built. The burnished aluminium exterior screams luxury and class and together with the adaptor, is surprisingly light for a laptop of its class at about 2.7kg or so. Although some complain about the lack of a magnetic latch, this is a subjective issue: the physical latch holds the screen snugly and the lid springs open easily when the latch is released.

The matte screen is of very good quality, with excellent brightness and sharp images. The backlit keyboard is very helpful for use in dark environments. Keyboard feel is good with no flex and the touchpad is responsive and is large enough for everyday use. The mouse button is fine but can feel a little plasticky. Speakers are decent for a laptop but bass-lovers should have their own speakers. Battery life is good as noted in the CNET review but it is usable even under quarter-brightness so the actual battery life may be even higher.

Interior:

OS X runs excellently on the system with little lag. I upgraded the RAM to 4GB without any issues and all programs run smoothly. Startup is speedy and Windows runs very well in either Boot Camp or under VMWare Fusion (did not try Parallels). Graphics run smooth as befits a 8600M GT card and benchmarks show that so long as expectations are reasonable, it is capable for gaming as well. The laptop runs cool, and under light load, it is actually cool enough to be used on the lap.

The included programs are typical as with any Mac, with the exception of the removal of trial versions of iWork and MS Office for Mac. This is better for many users as individual users may have different choices of products and no trials means that there is no need to uninstall redundant software.

Cons:

However, the MacBook Pro has a few very minor weaknesses though they may be inconsequential depending on situation. USB lovers will be turned off with only 2 USB ports but liberal use of Firewire/Bluetooth/Wireless/Expresscard devices will ease this lack, but they will increase the cost of ownership.

Also, the laptop is much more expensive (about 30% or more) compared to most PCs with similar specfications. However, it should be noted that a MacBook Pro has many minor but unique advantages compared to PC competitors, including a stylish design, light weight, back-lit keyboard, Firewire 800 port, etc. It is also the only laptop that runs both OS X and Windows. Although a fully outfitted Sony will be even more expensive, the user should be clear about why the premium should be paid. Direct comparisons based on hardware alone should be avoided.

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Summary: Buy this if you have the money you wont be disappointed.

Summary: Buy this if you have the money you wont be disappointed.

Summary: Do not buy it just yet, unless you buy applecare with it. Or wait till the nvidia chips are replaced with something else in the macbbok pro line (say no ...

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Summary: Do not buy it just yet, unless you buy applecare with it. Or wait till the nvidia chips are replaced with something else in the macbbok pro line (say no to nvidia 8600m)

Dell already acknowledges problems with the same chip:
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/07/25/nvidia-gpu-update-for-dell-laptop-owners.aspx

Also See:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1215037160521.html
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1478474
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pV-CKzYqbB6dLQRx8wpC2aw

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Summary: I love this laptop, except when I hate it! :) I bought it for my consulting business, and use it daily for my work and hobbies, mainly photography.

I purchased mine ...

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Summary: I love this laptop, except when I hate it! :) I bought it for my consulting business, and use it daily for my work and hobbies, mainly photography.

I purchased mine in 8/2007 and it failed completely within 10 days - just completely dead. Apple replaced it with a brand new one. The display partially failed after about 6 months, so Apple replaced the whole display. Power supply failed after 8 months - replaced. Now just 2 weeks past warranty (I didn't buy AppleCare - I recommend you do), the display (internal and external) doesn't work - exact symptoms of the nvdia 8600M GT chip failure. The machine will boot, as evidenced by using voice-over or screen sharing from another mac, but the display is completely dead. Twice I got it working again after about 20 boots, and it works fine until you sleep or power off.

The only saving grace is that Apple agreed to repair it again at no charge, even a few weeks out of warranty. But according to other posts in Apple forums, the same faulty chip is going back in, and will eventually go bad again. I hope Apple eventually agrees to extend the warranty for this defect.

I would give it 5 stars without hesitation if the hardware was reliable, but with the failures I have experienced, I don't think I would purchase this computer again. If I did, I would be sure to get AppleCare, which extends the warranty to 3 years.

Updated on Sep 17, 2008

Update - I would change to 4 stars if I could. Apple decided to replace the whole laptop at no charge due to my repair history. So I now have a brand new 2.6 GHz MPB, with a bigger hard drive too (was 160GB, now have 200GB). But the best part is that they let me purchase Apple Care on the new laptop, so I'm covered for 3 more years (yes, 3 years, even though I originally purchased a year ago).

My faith in Apple Customer Service has been restored! But I would still highly recommend that you purchase Apple Care - it's worth the extra cost in my experience!

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Summary: The Nvidia8600 chip appears to be failing. Many MBP are failing every day and the way to fix them are changing the logic boards. The problem we (the affected users) ...

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Summary: The Nvidia8600 chip appears to be failing. Many MBP are failing every day and the way to fix them are changing the logic boards. The problem we (the affected users) is the overheating of this chipset.

Also, the displays for this computeres have (often) particles inside the screen and flurry areas.

Other physical problems may occur.
Goog some and find the macbook pro problems.

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Summary: I'm back to Mac after 15 years on PCs and am I happy. I started in the 80s with Macs at home and Work, but my employer, the US ...

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Summary: I'm back to Mac after 15 years on PCs and am I happy. I started in the 80s with Macs at home and Work, but my employer, the US Govt., forced me to PCs. Now after 10 Window's PCs, I decided to give Mac a chance, even with the $3,000 price tag for MacBook Pro with 4 GB RAM and the faster 200GB drive. What a machine! I'm not an expert, but an advanced user and the transition was easy. I loaded Parallels, XP SP3 and about 15 Windows programs and upgraded 4 PC programs to Mac, two were free. Programs running under Parallels do lose some printer functionality with my Kodak 5300, but they all have worked. Wireless worked fine with both Mac and PC, but I'm still having problems with my PDA Sync with MS PC Outlook using Mac Bluetooth, but it syncs with the USB cable . I find great pleasure downloading my 4 and 8GB CF cards using USB 2.0 and my I-rocks flash card reader with USB ports and the faster ExpressCard 34 CF drive. Downloads are amazingly fast and viewing the files in the M