DO NOT BUY Apple MacBook Pro

I have been a moderate Apple devotee for several years. Although I never rush out to buy the new product releases the day of delivery I usually wend up with it sometimes.

Well I had a MacBook that I enjoyed for over 2.5 years with no problems – only the usual software glitches. I am far more a Windows/Linux person for work and personal use but a couple years ago I bought the MacBook because I liked the simplicity for leisure use and the relative few potential virus problems of the platform when I am out on public wifi networks.

After two years on the MacBook I decided I wanted the MacBook Pro – even though it offered very little different than the MacBook offered but oh well I was a good consumer – the old is perfectly fine but I wanted something new and shiny. And as my mother used to say: “I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket that I was itching to spend”. So off to BestBuy I go and with their upgrade/exchange buy back program it was a couple simple transactions – prepare and submit the buy back paperwork online, go purchase the new computer, package up the old laptop and send to the buy back program, then wait for them to send a credit for the old laptop. Makes a lot of sense I get what I want, they get me to buy something I don’t really need.

So I got the MacBook Pro (early 2011 model) in July 2011 and for the most part it functions exactly as the two-plus year old MacBook had for me except a little slower for many things even though the processor is faster. But that’s the way technology works sometimes – faster multi-core processor and faster memory equates to slower response times in the actual applications. (By the way MS Office for Mac routinely takes well over a 90 seconds to open any of the suite – Word/Outlook forgetaboutit!!!

Then last week I get an Apple update that per the usual I allow to install and wouldn’t you know it I don’t see any major difference. That is until one day the AC power cord was knocked out of its magsafe connector and the machine powers off. Whoa – the battery was fully charged so what gives? I try to power it on and nothing. I plug in the AC power again and the unit cranks up like everything is fine.

Now I have known about the crappy parts Apple uses – “Designed in California – Assembled in China” means you get this great thing designed by America’s brightest but put together buy people making pennies using parts that cost about a dime. All for a device that costs a fortune but only cost about $199.95 really. But I had had such great luck with my MacBook predecessor!!!

So I think the device is still under warranty they should replace whatever is the problem. WRONG!!!! I speak with the Apple person who kindly informs me that the battery is just like the battery in my TV’s remote control and is not a covered expense – but unlike my TV’s remote battery it costs $179. I’m thinking this should be considered more like the battery in my car which has a warranty. Something 10 months old does not go bad and mind you this is the leisure computer. I have others for work and personal – this is the one I take to the park or on personal trips because it is light and of course because the iPod Touch doesn’t like to connect to my PC. (A whole other story.) So I am responsible for a bad battery and Apple is out a customer because this stuff should not happen and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth real quick.

Moral of the story, I should have just stayed with the original MacBook and at least if the battery died it would have been 28 months old and not just ten and I would have gotten my money’s worth.

Another thing that cuts my teeth on this is the computer had only been power cycled a total of 78 times. I don’t know if that really is significant but when I looked at the power statistics it seems like it was very low – even my TV’s remote control battery has lasted longer than this.