60 Responses to “Apple MacBook Pro MB986LL/A 15.4Inch Laptop 2.8Ghz”

1. Unknown Comic says:

   March 2, 2011 at 12:00 am

   overpriced space heater
   Rating:1 out of 5 stars
   like any other computer you could run, be it osx, windows, linux, what have you…this computer will allow you to surf the web and read email (lets face it, thats all you use it for). the difference is this beast will cook your lap. i’ve never had a laptop (even other apple laptops) that generated so much heat. a laptop cooler is required if you buy this computer. furthermore the combo trackpad/mouse button is an utter disaster. i don’t know anyone who really likes it.
2. K. Spicer says:

   March 13, 2011 at 12:00 am

   1st Mac, best computer ever
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   Holy frijole!! This computer is by far the most amazing device I’ve ever owned. I have been a PC user for 18 years, and have recorded full albums professionally on Cubase and Nuendo for years and sworn off the enemy, known as the “Apple Empire”. Well, no more.
   
   Apple has finally addressed all the shortcomings of the PC-MAC transition, and you’ll wonder why you spent all that time messing around with your custom built Fry’s PC and all that Windows drama.
   
   There is something to be said about a company that controls the hardware and software production line. Say what you will, but Apple has built a company that is answering all the dreams of technology and innovation and certainly raising the bar for competition.

   Best built laptop money can buy, period. Best customer service, best looking, easiest most user intuitive OS.

   Spend your time being productive instead of tweaking registries and trying to find stuff on your ‘puter.

   MB986LL/A
   
   2.8ghz, 4g ram, 500gb
   
   15.4″
   
   8 hour battery
   
   SD slot
3. Greg L says:

   March 18, 2011 at 12:00 am

   1 year no problems
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   had this computer for a year and it was the best computer i ever owned..
4. Cory D. Wiles says:

   March 20, 2011 at 12:00 am

   Couldn’t Be Happier
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   I couldn’t be happier with the laptop and the customer service from the seller was outstanding.
5. A. Boghosian says:

   March 31, 2011 at 12:00 am

   Mac beats PC any day of the week.
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   If you are looking for a laptop, this is the one to get. It’s very reliable for school, at the office, at home, etc. Great pricing too.
6. T. J. Oh says:

   March 31, 2011 at 12:00 am

   unibody Macbook pro – solid performer
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   I switched to Mac about 5 years ago and I have used several macs (Powerbook G4 1.66 GHz, Mac Mini 2.0 GHz, Macbook pro 2.5 GHz (pre-unibody), unibody Macbook pro 2.66 GHz). I manually upgraded the MBP with Seagate Momentus 7200 rpm (non AntiShock version) 500GB and it has been great so far. The unibody model seems to have significantly better build quality compared to previous versions and the larger trackpad is a joy to use.

   I compared the system response speed with the default 5200 rpm and 7200 rpm hard disk and found that 7200 rpm HDD significantly improves the performance of this machine. I hear that solid state drives provide even better results so if you can afford it, you may want to consider the SSD option. For 7200 rpm HDDs, make sure that you don’t purchase a anti shock enabled HDDs (in Seagate’s case, this would be the G models) for there are ample of stories how the HDD anti shock technology is conflicting with Apple’s sudden motion sensor.

   The look of the laptop is gorgeous and everything is beautifully built (inside, outside). On top of that, it runs Mac OS X
   
   This is the best laptop I ever owned.

   pros: Uses Mac OS X, solid build quality, very good battery life, 4GB memory by default

   cons: need to purchase mini display port – DVI, VGA adapters separately, smudge on the display from the keyboard, trackpad not aligned in the middle with respect to the spacebar
7. J. A. Pape says:

   April 2, 2011 at 12:00 am

   Good time to upgrade an older Mac Laptop
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   For those considering upgrading from an older Mac laptop, this new line-up is extremely compelling. My previous model was the PB G4 1.33 15″. I replaced it with the new (mid-2009) MB Pro 2.53 a few weeks ago. Benefits noticed so far in order of importance to me…

   1. Speed. Of course, but this upgrade has gone beyond just reducing frustration to actually noticeably improving efficiency.
   
   2. Display. My old display was growing dim. The new LED display is beautiful, bright, and sharp. The reflections are annoying, but less so now than at first and the benefits easily outweigh the disadvantages.
   
   3. Battery life. No comparison. I usually plug in, but the times I’ve used it off-grid it’s run 7 hours.
   
   4. Compatibility. Snow Leopard and much other new software will require Intel processors. Also, I occasionally run into a website designed with older, non-standards based software that doesn’t work quite right with Mac browsers. Intel Macs can run Crossover, an inexpensive program that will run certain Windows programs like IE 6 & 7 without actually having to install Windows. Of course, if you actually need or want to run Windows programs extensively you can install it on these Macs.
   
   5. The new larger, multi-function trackpad, backlighted keyboard, rigid uni-body design, magnetic power cord attachment, built-in SD slot, thinner shape, more powerful speakers, built-in mic & camera, better WiFi reception, more comfortable keyboard, cooler on my lap. Which of these is best? I’ve used laptops extensively since the PB 150 (1994) and during that time I’ve kicked ‘em all to the floor on multiple occasions. Based on that experience, the magnetic power attachment wins the prize, but I like them all.

   So, if you’ve been holding out like I was on upgrading a G4-based Mac laptop, upgrading now may be a smart, value-conscious decision. It was for me.
8. Steve Schneider says:

   April 8, 2011 at 12:00 am

   CLOSE TO GREAT….IF YOU CAN STAND THE PAIN!
   Rating:3 out of 5 stars
   After 25 years with Microsoft, I threw in the towel. This Mac seemed to be all that I was looking for: Ability to run Windows, good battery life, light weight, less virus prone. And, I have to say that it pretty much delivered on all counts except one. Apple’s unibody looks great, but if you use your machine on your lap be prepared for a world of pain. The leading edge of the of the machine is razor sharp. Within a few minutes, depending on how you rest your wrist or palm on that edge, you will have to keep repositioning your hands to snuff the pain. After my first few hours of using my Mac, my wrists and palms were raw. Now please don’t tell me about all the aftermarket fixes. Yes, I already tried a couple and they somewhat mask the sharp edge. But for a laptop that costs $2k, I should not have to stick on do-dads to avoid discomfort. What was Apple thinking?

   Wondering if I was the only one that was bothered by this issue, I decided to Google the problem. Well, apparently from the hundreds of comments I read, this issue is widespread among MacBook Pro users (especially the unibody model). One Mac owner actually took sandpaper to his new machine to file away the edge!

   Apparently, for those who use the Mac at their desk, it’s not much of an issue. But is you use this laptop as a laptop (silly me!), I suggest you wrap your wrists and palms with an Ace bandage.

   Before I go….Apple tech support: In a word, poor. I had a problem getting the Mac to talk to my other 2 Windows Vista computers. I was told that this was easy and that the Mac would have no problem doing so. Well, I had no luck. Apple tech support was pleasant but in the end told me to call Microsoft (the arch enemy that I though I had fled!). Apple said all my Mac settings were correct. Fortunately, I happen to have purchased “Switching to a Mac” from Amazon. Knowing nothing about an Apple or my MacBook Pro, I opened the book and had my Mac talking to my Vista machines in 5 minutes. My Apple tech had skipped over an entire window of settings. So much for Mac technical support. A real disappoint and close to inexcusable.
9. Tristan Harward says:

   April 18, 2011 at 12:00 am

   Hardware and Software Perfection
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   This machine is without a doubt the best computer, if not the best piece of technology gear, that I have ever used or owned.

   Going to try to keep this review short, but sweet.

   I’ve had it for about 9 months now, basically since the Unibody MBP’s came out. First, the construction is just outstanding. The solidness of the enclosure makes the whole thing feel sturdy and basically indestructible. In 9 months, I have treated it like I treat all my equipment – I use it thoroughly without too much concern for cosmetics – and there is not a single scratch or sign of wear on the entire machine. The thing still looks new, after 9 months – that’s how durable it is. Incredible.

   The speed and responsiveness and stability of the computer itself is excellent. I’m a programmer and photographer, so I take it to the max every time I use the computer, and I expect a lot of it. With 4 GB of RAM it’s never sluggish and handles everything better than any computer I’ve ever owned.

   Graphics and gaming performance is surprisingly good with the 2nd dedicated Nvidia 8600 video card. I dual boot to Windows XP (however reluctantly) and it works great.

   I don’t even need to talk about the software, hopefully you know all about it by now. OSX is truly awesome, especially for programmers. It’s so refreshing to have a real operating system where you can pop open a real console and still have a nice graphical interface on top of it. The OS is a matched pair with the quality of the hardware.

   In short, this is a seriously great machine. I’m no Mac fanboy – I run Windows, Linux, Mac, whatever – but I’m very impressed with the quality and especially the construction and build durability. It’s honestly at a level above any other laptop, it’s a pretty stunning difference. If it is more expensive, it will make up for it in longevity and resale value alone. Definitely worth it.
10. reviewer says:

    April 19, 2011 at 12:00 am

    I didn’t know apple could get better but they did
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    I had an older version macbook pro but i dropped it with some force and it broke so i had to purchase a new computer. After having a mac for 1 1/2 years, it wasn’t a question of what brand to buy but which mac to buy. I purchased the mac book pro 2.66 ghz with 4 gb ram–which is what i had in my last mac book pro. What i didn’t realize is that this ram is the DDR3 instead of DDR2 which means it is suppose to be better and faster. i’m not a computer geek so i don’t understand it all but basically having the 4gb in the old machine was still not as good as the 4 gb in this machine. Also, this machine has a much, much better track pad that does all kinds of tricks i’m just learning about. 2 finger swipes do one thing, 3 finger swipes do another, 4 finger swipes do yet another. and then you can also configure it to do the windows type double click think. The whole pad can be clicked on so you don’t have to find a particular spot–anywhere will do. It does take some getting use to but it is so beneficial it is worth the learning curve.

    I like the keyboard on this unibody macbook pro as compared to the old one but really don’t know why–perhaps it is a perosnal preference. it is backlighted but so was my old one.

    tech support at apple is superb, another reason i will never consider anything but apple. and if you have an apple store near you, you can get one to one personal training for a little less than $2 per week. in addition, they offer free classes to adults and children. you learn so much that you are finally able to take advantage of the features your computer can do without being a computer whiz.

    the new version of the operating system, called snow leopard, will be out sometime in sept. if you buy a system now with the old version, you can upgrade with apple for $9.95.

    the graphics card is very good in this machine, however, i am not much of a gamer so i don’t really reap the benefits of that. but it is a dedicated card so it has great potential for those that would utilize it.

    another awesome thing about this computer is that the bettery last 7 hours or so. at times, mine has lasted longer. it depends, i guess on what you are doing. and, even with the better battery, i think this computer weighs less.

    if you are debating on whether or not to switch to apple, all i can say is that i am extremely grateful i did and so is everyone else i know that made the switch. one of the things i like, in addition to the ease of use of programs and the seemless integration is that there are no virus programs to run that slow the computer down tremendously. in addition, my old mac book pro ran as fast on the last day as the first and i am anticipating the same for this. unlike my windows laptops that got progressively slower as time went on. another great thing about apple is the seemless backup of files that it will do automatically for you. you don’t have to figure anything out. jut let it do its job and if you ever lose all of your data, you will have a back up to restore your computer. That in itself can be worth tons of money. i know you can do this on windows machines, but it takes knowledge and effort–something i never seemed to posses when it came to computers.

    one thing that i don’t like is that the plug is hooked to the computer via a magnet. it is suppose to be safer so that it will unplug easily if someone snags it. that way it doesn’t drag the computer to the floor. for me, i find it a little annoying because it can become unplugged easily. minor detail but it is a little irritating. if i could change one thing it would be that you have an option of which plug you wanted.

    another thing that is different about the unibody macbook pros is that you can get a 13 inch with a full keyboard if you want. when i bought my last one, the 13 inch had a weird keyboard and as a typist, i couldn’t even consider that size. i still chose the 15 inch because that is what i wanted, but now i can also purchase a 13 inch for my children rather than buying them the 15 inch.

    one thing that the mac store employees recommended to me rather than getting a desktop was to get the 13 inch laptop for my kids and use my existing desktop monitor, hook up the lap top, add a keyboard and mouse if desired, and use that as a desktop. but you could always have the portability of a laptop if you ever needed it. i haven’t done that yet, but that is going to be my next apple purchase.

    It took me over a year to decide to switch to mac. It was a very tough decision for me. change is hard. i didn’t know if i could do everything i wanted on the mac. i have never regretted it once. and if you are one of those rare users that has an application that can only be used in windows, you can use the program preloaded on the macbook pro or buy another program so that you can run your application–its like 2 computers in one. one caution, however, whatever portion of the computer you dedicate to windows is subject to viruses so you will have to run an antivirus on that portion. for me, i have found no need to use any windows application. and i even found that i work is much better than ms office in my opinion. but if you are partial to ms office, you can purchase a mac version.

    Good luck with your decision and purchase. if you buy any of these macbook pros, you will be happy.