Jun 06 2007

My Gripes on My Macbook.

Posted by DummyGeekGurl as Apple, Hardware and Gadget Features, Mac, Notebooks

I’ve been rabidly anti-Windows lately, and with reason. But this time, I will gripe on my Macbook, Sayuri. I had gotten her from my aunt just this March. Its price on Apple was at $1099. Its specs are: 60GB hard drive, 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, and 512MB RAM, combo drive. Today, Apple’s $1099 has an 80GB hard drive, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB of RAM, and still a combo drive. Whoa, look at the difference.

I guess I’m just incensed that it was just two months after I got Sayuri that they upgraded the specs. Made me think that the price plummet seemed exactly the way a cellular phone’s price would go. My friend, who got hers direct from Apple, got the Intel Core Duo version. Not even two weeks later, Apple put out the Intel Core 2 Duo version.

Prior to Core 2, there were so many complaints of random restarts, Macbooks burning up, and other horror stories. In my dummified analysis, this was due to the move from the PPC processor to Intel.

The good part was that Apple replaced the defective units. The bad part was that some users went through hell just to get their replacements. But no matter, things went smoother after the Core 2 versions came out.

But personally, here are my gripes.

The eject button rarely works. I dunno if I have to cajole the thing to work, but it just doesn’t, 97% of the time. If it does, I’d think it was a lucky day. So I just eject my CD’s through the Finder button.

When I turned on the Macbook, it only had 35GB of hard drive space left, due to the pre-loaded software. Ugh. I’m a space hog, so I really detested that.

I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out how to network Sayuri with Phoenix, my ancient PC desktop that runs Ubuntu Linux, Edgy Eft release. So I had to run for help to my geekier classmates who work in a state university running Linux to help me figure out how to network the two.

The need to really comb and sift through applications to find ones I could use is also a taxing exercise. These are the moments when I really love Ubuntu Linux instead. Heck, these are the moments I really miss Windows too.

Opera looks awful on Mac, despite its having a Pink theme. On the same note, the Aqua interface could bore me out of my skull sometimes. Still on the same note, the Dock is visually irritating sometimes. Though I would love to zap it to oblivion, it’s been very useful, so I keep it there anyway.

I couldn’t figure out, for the life of me, how to disable the Frostwire script that launches iTunes! it’s so annoying and such a RAM hog that when I download from Frostwire, I close all other apps, save for iTunes, TextEdit, just so I could get some work done, and Frostwire. I keep iTunes on, because it’s really irritating when it pops up and bounces on the dock like a kid on 3lbs of candy.

NeoOffice, though visually appealing to me because of my magenta background, is such a RAM hog that I have opted to work on TextEdit since two weeks ago. Boo-hoo.

AbiWord on the Intel Mac looks horrible and has major distortions when you edit what you type on it. The saved product is fine, but while you edit it, it’s visual hell. The reason may be that the AbiWord version on AbiSource is still on PPC binaries, i think.

And my biggest pet peeve: before the latest update, Firefox crashed frequently. It still does, when I’ve gone overboard with my RAM usage, but it’s a little better now. I just have to prepare for cold fire flashing through me sometimes when I write my blog posts on bloghosts that do not have autosave.

But the bottom line is, I still love OS X Tiger, and ultimately, Sayuri itself. I’m really wondering how different Leopard is, though, and how Apple laptops will be in the future. As it is, I’m currently happy with OS X and Sayuri.

Visually, I like OS X better than Ubuntu. As for security, the only time things went strange here was when I unwittingly copied a worm, of the Brontok kind, when I copied a friend’s music files from her mp4 player. When I deleted the .exe file containing the Brontok, things went back to normal.

Well, I may be one of the most hated “tech” bloggers on cyberspace, for my aversion (nay, hatred) of Windows, but I have a couple of things I like about Windows too.. Or Microsoft in general. But that, is for another day. Hope my whining at lease elicited a chuckle or two. :p

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32 Responses

J. Angelo Racoma
06|Jun|2007

I guess I should be thankful for my ancient Powerbook, then?

I love working on TextEdit. It’s just … so … simple.

Try holding down the Eject button instead of just tapping it. As for searching for stuff, Spotlight is just a CMD-space away.
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

Oh. You know, I actually just recently figured out how on earth to do “home” “end” and “pagedown” and “page up”?? I’m such a dummy on mac hehehe. But it works for me, as everything is click and drag.

Spotlight.. I rarely use it. But i use it when i really couldn’t figure out where i put my stuff. As for my satisfaction with it.. Too many results, too confusing, that’s it. I’d use Google Desktop if I wasn’t too creeped out when my files would appear on the search engine results.

re: Your ancient powerbook. Yeah, had you gotten the core duo, and you were one of the “lucky” ones to get the dud machines, you would have thanked PPC.

As for space, that’s a different story. Overall, i still wanna try Vista. When I get a new box, I will. The question is when. Then I’ll wipe it out and then skip off to Ubuntu bliss.
Eric Burnheart
06|Jun|2007

Lets go down the list:

1. Apple came out with a faster/better machine right after I bought mine for the same/cheaper price.
Yes, that happens all the time with Apple products. Your point being?

2. Your eject button doesn’t work.
Actually it probably does. You DO know there is an intentional delay built-in, don’t you?

3. Applications and other things don’t look and work like they do on my PC/Linux machine.
No, they don’t. This is an Apple Macintosh. If you didn’t want to learn how to use it, why did you buy it?

4. Third party apps use tons of resources, and are hard to configure/disable.
Hello. This is a Mac, not a PC. Just why are you putting all these odd duck apps on there in the first place, when the bundled ones work just as well, and usually better. It’s not Apple’s fault when things go bad with third party apps that you choose.
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

As my name suggests, I’m still a tech dummy. as for bundled apps, I have yet to get a credit card, and I’m scared to. I have uncontrollable spending habits, and I’m guarding against going into the debt abyss if I get one when I pay for stuff like iWork.

I like Open Source, and I am all for using them. So far, I can live with Firefox’s bugs. And I am not blaming Apple at all for the crashes and other glitches. I am fully aware of the nature of open source apps, since I use Ubuntu too, and Beep Media Player crashes all the time.

And yes, I am learning new things with Sayuri every day. I’m totally loving it, and I’m looking forward to being an Apple user for the rest of my life.

The price… Well, being a fresh grad, I do not have the spending power that established professionals do, yet. Besides, a buck saved is still a buck saved. Since now I know that that is the nature of Apple products, I will watch till prices stabilize before I get new Apple machines, if I see the need to get one then, and if I have the money then. :p

But I’m wondering if Apple’s machines will still be the same once Steve Jobs passes on, due to pancreatic cancer… I will surely miss him, despite not knowing him personally. Till then, Viva Apple!
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

oh! the long press on the eject button works! yay! heeeeee!
DaveD
06|Jun|2007

(1) As already mentioned, starting with the Core 2 releases, MacBooks (and Pros) have an intended “feature” of hesitating 2 seconds before ejecting.

(2) A question - if you purchase a Vista PC with a 60G drive, how much space do you think will be available out of the box? I’m guessing about the same as your Mac. But one thing - your PC will be filled with drivers, sampleware, and other true garbage put there by the OEM. The only sampleware you usually get with a Mac is Office for Mac - which if you aren’t going to use, then I’d suggest simply dragging it into the trash.

(3) Until 4 months ago I wouldn’t have agreed - but lately, yes, FireFox has gotten buggy. THat’s not Apple’s fault though. As for Opera… ouch. I quit using that 4 years ago!

(4) I use NeoOffice all the time - but only the spreadsheet app. Do you know why it’s such a resource hog? It’s a Java port. If yoou can handle a non-Aqua app (and I’m guessing you do since you sound like you use Ubuntu) - why not give a shot at running OpenOffice via X11? That’s one of the REALLY nice things about a Mac - it’s BSD underpinnings.

(5) Want to know another nice thing about it? Open any app… Safari, Opera, TextEdit, anything… go to the print menu - and you can create a PDF without jumping through hoops.

(6) About the only Apple-related gripe you really have is the release cycle for Macs. Generally, Apple puts out upgrades every 6-8 months. Today they updated their MacBook Pro line. If you understand their release cycles, you’ll be less disappointed:

January - MWSF, and usually brand new products, not mere upgrades.

April - NAS, and top end upgrades for the professionals.

May/June - With the school season ramping up, MacBooks. With WWDC (annual developer’s conference), everything from OS previews to MacBook Pros.

September/October - iMacs and iPods for the holidays.
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

oh. whoa. pretty informative! yeah, i tried using OoO before, but i was annoyed when the X11 popped up. i think i’ll be fine with using TextEdit. as for the .pdf thingie, it’s something that would be useful for me someday. when i saw that feature a couple of weeks ago, i went, “oh, cool!” but i haven’t really had use for it yet.

as for other favorites, i have these:

-i can play my media in Finder
-i have a window clock! though most people hate that, i’m a big fan of it.
-i luuuurve the address book!
-i love the pink flower desktop background that came with it. :p
-i love the way i can just drag the icon to the applications folder to install a program
-i love it that with Expose, i can set the corners of the screen for shortcuts. i particularly like the shortcut for seeing all the windows of the application at once. i only set the lower corners because they’re less prone to accidental dragging of the mouse pointer in that area. the top ones, being more prone to stray mouse syndrome, i left blank.
-i love that softpedia is my best friend for apps. i was also able to find a word counter there i think, which was the only other function i needed on NeoOffice anyway. so now i use TextEdit then the word counter when i work. i just miss the magenta background.. :’(
-there is so much to love and so little to hate on Sayuri the Macbook. i wrote that piece mainly to be fair that Macs have flaws, too. i am rabidly into Mac and Ubuntu now, and there is no turning back for me.

i have only one other gripe: the case is too prone to scratches. will there ever be an Apple laptop that will come out in 13 inches, but with the MacBookPro’s metal finish? dreaming, wishing, hoping..
heymikey
06|Jun|2007

“But I’m wondering if Apple’s machines will still be the same once Steve Jobs passes on, due to pancreatic cancer…”

Steve did have pancreatic cancer nearly 3 yr ago, but it was a rare, treatable form (islet cell neuroendocrine tumor), for which he had successful surgery. I haven’t heard anything recently about this, so I suspect you’re dealing with old info, since chances are >90% he’d be dead by now (5 yr survival ~3%) had the treatment not been successful. I don’t know if having this tumor puts one at risk for developing the more deadly disease, but if Steve’s cancer were back, I suspect we’d all have heard about it by now, the Mac community being connected as it is…
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

well, what i do know is that anything that hits the pancreas is pretty lethal. i really wouldn’t know the extent because i didn’t research on it because i don’t want to accept the reality that steve jobs is mortal. :p
Jocko
06|Jun|2007

You don’t need a computer, you need a pen and paper, because you are griping about nothing. Your complaints are nothing more than growing pains while moving to a new operating system. If you do your homework, you’ll find that the Mac is just as easy to use as Windows (to make an understatement).
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

actually, i find that OS X is much easier to use than Windows. :p i just like griping. :p
DaveD
06|Jun|2007

“will there ever be an Apple laptop that will come out in 13 inches, but with the MacBookPro’s metal finish? dreaming, wishing, hoping..”

Probably not. I know what you mean - among the 4 Macs I own, I still have a soft spot for my 12″ PowerBook G4.

Many do expect some new form factor later this year, but even more are waiting for Apple to change from the aluminum cases to something else.

The Leopard previews more and more have a “unified” look instead of that “brushed metal” look. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, compare the look of Safari 1.x to iTunes 7.x. I think it’s a trend that will carry over to Apple’s hardware too.
Taras
06|Jun|2007

My biggest peeve about my MacBook Pro is that it uses the Masushita DVD drive which enforces region coding in hardware, which kills using VLC to view those discs. Since you are limited to 5 changes of region codes for DVD playback, if you watch DVDs from multiple regions often (for example if you travel between London and New York a lot), you will only be able to play only play discs from one region code. For a laptop for travelling users this is unacceptable. I believe that region coding does more to encourage piracy than discourage it. I currently cannot play region 2 discs that I purchased legally, but it is trivial to find copies of that content available illegally that will play on the computer.
TMan
06|Jun|2007

You have to hold the eject button down for a couple of seconds to get anything to eject. Just quickly depressing it doesn’t work unlike XP.

Sounds like you could use a RAM upgrade. Prices are at an all-time low. $50 per gigabyte at places like http://www.macsales.com It is very simple to install.
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

DaveD: I think 13″ is the best size for me. Not too small, like my friend’s toshiba that awfully looks like a toy, and not clunky either. I carry it in an ordinary bag, to lessen the risk of theft, as it’s not obvious that the bag contains a laptop. Good thing I had a bag that fit Sayuri perfectly. I don’t worry about the bumps anymore. This baby has been road-tested, and through the two months of severe abuse… Still standing. Hmm. Unified look? I’ll look it up. Currently busy on my Linux post.
Mr Butterscotch
06|Jun|2007

Interesting. I’ve still never really had a chance to get to grips with a mac and those adverts really REALLY annoy me so I’m unlikely to get one. Form factor wise though they are pretty beautiful!
Carlos
06|Jun|2007

TMan:
Get Handbrake or Mactheknife. Encode DVDs to MP4.
David
06|Jun|2007

About that pesky dock. Hide the darn thing. Under system preferences select “Dock” and choose to “hide” it. It will disappear completely unless you move your mouse to the bottom of the screen–at which point it will jump up for your use. Move your mouse up and away and it falls away into nothingness. It takes a very small amount of getting used to but I like this function. Who needs to see the dock when you don’t need it?
MacGuy
06|Jun|2007

The dock can easily be hidden by pressing CMD-OPT-D.

I usually use TweakFreak to change the pinning of the dock so I get extra screen real estate. Right now, my dock is at the bottom-right corner of my screen.
Monsolo
06|Jun|2007

A couple of apps that you may find useful.

Monolingual scans OSX and deletes unnecessary language files

Xslimmer does the same for applications

Quicksilver is great for finding apps, files, folders, etc. With Quicksilver, I rare use the dock.
dummygeekgurl
06|Jun|2007

yeah i could hide the dock, but.. i doan wanna. so it’s a dilemma. :p whoa, i think i’ll try the apps you recommended. jangelo actually recommended tweak freak before, but i’m scared to fudge up my system..
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[...] If I had that kind of talent, I’d make an ode to Sayuri too! I just never thought to do that, before I watched this [...]
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[...] Windows or even on Linux. So I was scared for a while. But the MacBook redeemed that notion: I let Sayuri just sleep on me for days, heck I haven’t shut her down in more than a month I think, and [...]
steve
08|Jul|2007

Your eject button inst working because you are not pressing it for long enough, the button is designed so that yo have to keep it pressed down before it works to stop you accidently ejecting your cd.
DummyGeekGurl
08|Jul|2007

hi steve, yes someone told me how to work the eject button.. thank you for reminding me.
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[...] in the video that there were at least three white Macbooks. I think that there was another Macbook up at the center table, but the video wasn’t that [...]
Andros
04|Aug|2007

Cool…
Andreas
18|Aug|2007

Nice!
Apostolis
25|Aug|2007

Nice
Andonios
06|Sep|2007

interesting
Themestoclis
19|Sep|2007

Nice!
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[...] I would bring home three big D-Ring Binders, and these had been used as… A laptop stand for my Sayuri. Those days, I had had a roommate, and while she slept, I would try to work. Since I had taken the [...]

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