It was March 2006 when I received the 15.4-inch: 2.0GHz MacBook Pro I currently use.
MacBook Pro on grey.
It feels longer than 4 years and I’m desperate for a newer machine. I’ve been desperate for quite a while, actually, but last year’s income was extremely tenuous, and the year before that was already thin.
There has been almost no new technology coming into the house — hardware or software — unless it was either very inexpensive or really necessary.
This machine’s had its problems. To start with, my finger slipped while doing a firmware update when the machine was still very new. I killed it dead. That was fixed under warranty, but involved several new motherboards and a replacement screen.
There have been a couple of new batteries, after suspiciously early failures.
These days the keyboard is very worn and I seem to quite often have suspicious and unresolvable problems with software. I guess I need to reformat the drive and reinstall everything, but I keep hoping a new model will be announced soon.
It’s a good machine still, but I maxed out the RAM at 2Gb, and I sometimes think that’s not enough. If I need to run WIndows XP (under Parallels) it seems to take a while to get going.
24 hour shipping.
I suppose it could be that I run Windows off an external drive, but then I don’t want to clutter up the internal drive with a Windows disk image.
Other software that needs grunt, such as Aperture, also gives the machine a hard time, as does exporting my weekly MacTips videos.
My pal, Mark Webster, seems to think new MacBook Pros may not be too far off, although the Apple Store shows 24 hour shipping on most models:
Constrained MacBook supplies hints at refresh: Constrained supplies of MacBook Pros suggest an anticipated notebook refresh is growing closer — one that could further differentiate the premium lineup from the low-end MacBook.
[Via : Hints of new Apple, Adobe.]
Although I’ve had a flurry of work lately, I’m still not really in a position to buy a new laptop. But I’m really starting to feel very frustrated when I try to do serious work.
Here’s hoping for stacks more work to build up my funds, and a revamped MacBook Pro coming down the line soon.
Anyone want me to make them a WordPress website, or provide some great writing?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, it is very likely that there will be quad core MacBook Pros quite soon, as Intel now has suitable mobile versions of Nehalem.
I still occasionally use my circa 2006 15″ MacBook Pro. It runs fine and Apple replaced the battery and power cord for free under Applecare last year. But I’m really forcing myself to use the 13″ MacBook Pro I bought last year to replace it. Need to shift software over to it. If I can make the permanent switch soon, I might be able to sell the old 15″ machine on eBay and get a few bucks.
In related matters, I still have my old 12″ MacBook Pro (a G4 machine!). It needed a hard disk replacement (which I got), but the battery is toasted and I’m not about to replace that. The machine can’t run Leopard or Snow Leopard well, so it’s stuck in Tiger time. I’ll likely use it (or an old eMac I have) as my fax/Internet machine in the kitchen. Just need to get it all set up. One of these days.
It’s probably a good idea to wait a while before buying a new machine. If new models will have better/faster processors, they’ll wind up lasting longer for you, even if they cost more.
If you can’t wait, try buying refurbished from the Apple store. I assume they offer that in NZ? You can often save up to 30% off list prices on current models.
Thanks for the info Bruce. A quad core would certainly be a big step up.
Maria: I’m hanging out for a new model. I certain;y wouldn’t buy a new machine right now unless the current one was run over by a truck or something. It’s frustrating me more and more often, but it works fine 99% of the time.
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