Should we expect the issues with MBP 17" as we saw with the other models?

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I'm a newcomer to the Apple world and am looking at buying the MBP 17". My only concern at this point is if they have the same problems as the other models. Do you think they would have resolved these issues for the release of the 17" or should we expect to see the same overheating, whining, etc. with the first round of 17"?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    copsecopse Posts: 64member
    I dont think the 17" will have those issues. But no one can know for sure I guess.



    The best thing is to wait for a review. should be around the corner.
  • Reply 2 of 14
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacSardine

    I'm a newcomer to the Apple world and am looking at buying the MBP 17". My only concern at this point is if they have the same problems as the other models. Do you think they would have resolved these issues for the release of the 17" or should we expect to see the same overheating, whining, etc. with the first round of 17"?



    I don't have any personal expirence with these issues, as my friend bought the 15" model recently and it has none of the issues i'm hearing of. They might have already being ironed out though. I highly doubt that apple would release the 17" if it had the same problems as the 15" since they're as aware of those issues as everyone else.



    You must also take into account that apple Mac users are far more vocal than other computer users, so it doesn't necessary mean that other new notebooks are any less buggy
  • Reply 3 of 14
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    For starters, the 17-inch is going to have a different motherboard since it includes Firewire 800 and an additional USB port. Further, the so-called whine reported with the 15-inch model emminates from the DC board, and is affected by power draw (i.e. adding a Bluetooth mouse, turning on the iSight camera, removing MagSafe Power Adapter, etc). The 17-inch is a more power hungry notebook with its bigger display and higher capacity (68-watt hour) battery versus the one in the 15-inch MBP. Therefore, given all of the above, it's a fair (and hopeful) bet that it will be quiet in that regard. As far as heat goes, that could be a crap shoot.
  • Reply 4 of 14
    neutrino23neutrino23 Posts: 1,562member
    There are systematic problems and there are random problems.



    Systematic problems are like the white spot problem that affected so many of the early 15" Al PBs and was caused by use of a particular LCD screen. If there are problems like this they show up fairly quickly and are quickly fixed.



    Random problems can affect any product. Everything may be perfect but if the worker assembling your particular machine sneezes when working on your machine you can wind up with a loose wire, crimped antenna or something that causes all sorts of mysterious problems. Getting one of these is the luck of the draw.
  • Reply 5 of 14
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Ireland

    I highly doubt that apple would release the 17" if it had the same problems as the 15" since they're as aware of those issues as everyone else.



    Yeah right.



    Apple has a track record of shipping dubious kit ? and continuing to ship it even although there are a lot of people shouting about it. Ship today, and only fix tomorrow if you can't get away with it.



    In saying that, Apple is pretty good once it decides to act on something.



    Just bear in mind that this is the first 17" Intel laptop, so it's ripe for niggly problems which Apple couldn't be bother to fix...
  • Reply 6 of 14
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Messiah

    Yeah right.



    Apple has a track record of shipping dubious kit ? and continuing to ship it even although there are a lot of people shouting about it. Ship today, and only fix tomorrow if you can't get away with it.





    While it wouldn't surprise me if Apple did this...they've got to change. How long can they go replacing computers that were shipped early with problems?



    That's gotta cost them a lot to replace.



    They can't do this indefinitely.
  • Reply 7 of 14
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Messiah





    Just bear in mind that this is the first 17" Intel laptop, so it's ripe for niggly problems which Apple couldn't be bother to fix...




    That's an awfully pessimistic viewpoint...seems to me that since the 17" is the second Intel laptop, they'll have had the time to iron out some of the problems, and that the bigger form factor will allow for extra breathing room that could keep some of the known issues in check. I can't see how a size increase is enough to make it "ripe for niggly problems". If the initial impressions are good, I may very well buy one on May 8 or 9, at the very tail end of the window for Amazon's $150 rebate. I had planned to go 15", but the price/config ratio is too sweet to pass...
  • Reply 8 of 14
    Its just got a bigger screen, nothing new. They are aware of the problems with the macbook. There could be more. But probably not too many.
  • Reply 9 of 14
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Yes, I may be guilty of glass-half-empty thinking, but that's experience talking. I've been an early adopter of Apple kit, and consequently had my fingers burnt, too many times ? and there seems to be an incresing number of people on these boards with the same sentiment.



    Whilst the 17" MBP is the second Intel laptop, it's the first 17" Intel laptop.



    I would be very surprised if the 15" & 17" MBPs share the same logic board, and a new logic board means that new niggles will unavoidably creep in. Niggles which the early adopters will have to deal with. There are so many inter-affecting variables that you can't assume that increasing the form factor will be simple.



    Recent 'Pro' launches such as the Rev. A, B & C G5s, and the 23" and 30" ACDs have all suffered problems which should have been caught at the QA stage. Apple new about the problems and decided to keep shipping faulty product whilst they worked on a solution. If you're stuck with one of the faulty products, the promise of a fix is cold comfort ? you're the one who has to cover the cost of downtime and other associated expenses. It's not uncommon to receive a replacement unit that suffers from exactly the same problems ? I'm on my 3rd 30" ACD and I'm still not completely happy with it.



    The ACD line was a perfect example. Whilst the 20" ACD seemed to be free of problems, the 23" ACD suffered the 'pink' problem and the 30" ACD suffered from the 'dancing pixels' problem. You therefore can't assume that just because one of the models is fine, that the others will be fine too.



    The MBP is supposedly already into it's fourth revision of its logic board with the WB12. What does that tell you? Because of the competitve nature of the industry, these products have been rushed to market.



    My advice to anyone is simple ? don't be an early adopter unless you're willing to accept a degree of hassle.
  • Reply 10 of 14
    All good points, Messiah, but I don't think you can really blame Apple for rushing the products to market--under the circumstances, they have little other option unless they want to alienate customers by letting the company get outspec'd by Dell, Lenovo, Acer, etc. In the iPod world, it's different--since Apple is the unquestioned market leader, they can take their time.



    Now that we're in the Intel market and prices are always about to fall 'cause there's always a new chip around the corner, the question of when it's safe to buy is a lot trickier--the products are going to change a lot more frequently, so in a sense it'll be hard not to be an early adopter. When the eagerly-awaited MacBooks arrive, people will also say "wait and see", perhaps with good reason, perhaps not...and as soon as any platform achieves a certain degree of stability, we'll be on to the next chipset, the next new processor, etc., each with its own potential for problems. Things change so frequently in the Intel world, and the game has changed a lot now that Apple is on the same platform as its rivals and you don't have to do any conversion math to compare a Mac with a Dell or what have you. It sort of seems to me that we're in an era where we'll all have to choose between being early adopters (to some degree) or, if we want something proven, buying second-hand kit.
  • Reply 11 of 14
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by andrewjnyc

    All good points, Messiah, but I don't think you can really blame Apple for rushing the products to market--under the circumstances, they have little other option unless they want to alienate customers by letting the company get outspec'd by Dell, Lenovo, Acer, etc. In the iPod world, it's different--since Apple is the unquestioned market leader, they can take their time.



    Now that we're in the Intel market and prices are always about to fall 'cause there's always a new chip around the corner, the question of when it's safe to buy is a lot trickier--the products are going to change a lot more frequently, so in a sense it'll be hard not to be an early adopter. When the eagerly-awaited MacBooks arrive, people will also say "wait and see", perhaps with good reason, perhaps not...and as soon as any platform achieves a certain degree of stability, we'll be on to the next chipset, the next new processor, etc., each with its own potential for problems. Things change so frequently in the Intel world, and the game has changed a lot now that Apple is on the same platform as its rivals and you don't have to do any conversion math to compare a Mac with a Dell or what have you. It sort of seems to me that we're in an era where we'll all have to choose between being early adopters (to some degree) or, if we want something proven, buying second-hand kit.




    Yep, there's definately a buzz in the air which I haven't felt since the heady days of the G3 iMac. I can remember that every time you finalized what you were going to buy Apple would up the spec further...
  • Reply 12 of 14
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    I'm reading this thread with interest. I'm probably, hopefully, in a few weeks going to land a full time job. I will be working with GIS/ ArcGIS extensively most likely. Which does not run on the Mac. I will probably buy a MacBook over the summer to thus be able to run it in Parallels or Boot Camp.



    So, what do you guys think? Is a 17" MBP or a MacBook really a Rev 1? or like a Rev 1.1. After all, they have had time to play around with MacIntel portable logic boards, so hopefully all the major bugs will be straightened out by the time they release the MacBook. And another question: before they officially update a model with new specs like faster CPU, they usually go through tiny revisions, where the specs don't change but the serial number does, and the logic board gets minor fixes. My question is, after a few of these, is that almost as good as waiting for a Rev 2 MacBook? SO let's say they come out in a few weeks, would it be a bit safer to buy one in July or late June after a rev 1.1 or 1.2 at the manufacturing process? Thoughts? Discuss. Thanks.
  • Reply 13 of 14
    Thank you all for your feedback! Some comments have made me feel confident in buying the 17" this week, while others have made me feel a little worried. I think I'll go ahead with it and make sure to report when I get it.
  • Reply 14 of 14
    skatmanskatman Posts: 609member
    I don't see why not? They're still made in a southasian sweatshop like the previous models.
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