MacBook Pro 15" LED screen - opinions wanted

Hello people!.

As a potential buyer of one of the new MacBook Pro 15" LED Santa Rosas, I am here to ask for advice and opinions:

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1/ How does the LED screen look? - Can you please post some YOUTUBE or Google Video and/or clear JPEGS of the screen, at various stages of dimming.

2/ Is it true that the LED screen, really does improve on battery life?

3/ Is lid warping still an issue (or non-issue)?

4/ How is the screen resolution, compared to - say - a MacBook

5/ Why would I, or someone else stumbling across this thread, choose one type of screen (gloss or matte) over another?. Which screen is preferred by the majority of buyers?

6/ Does the Santa Rosa MBP run hotter than the previous generation, and is it uncomfortably hot?

7/ VERY important; I'd love to hear about the total average battery life - someone told me that I *could* get SIX hours from one!

Having stumbled upon some VERY poorly made footage on YOUTUBE (so-called "reviews") I couldn't really tell much difference between the new LED backlit screen, and the older CCFL tube backlight.

Any more information you think may come in handy?

PLEASE POST IT HERE!.

Thankyou so much chaps!.

Well, I've got a few minutes to kill so let me see if I can answer some of those.

2) Definitely improved battery life!

3) I haven't had or seen any lid warping... but then again they've only been out for a month.

4)If you take into account screen size, screen resolution is just as comparable to a Macbook.

5)Search for this, plenty of threads. I have a glossy and I love the extra kick it gives colors. I haven't had any glare issues but I don't use it outside very often. Matte is a must for any graphic designers.

6)Mine only gets uncomfortably hot when I'm gaming on it for a couple hours (which is obviously not what it's made for). It will get pretty warm if left on for a long time, but still bearable to put on my lap.

7)Six hours is not realistic. You could MAYBE get in the high fives if you're only running one non-intensive app, bluetooth and wifi are off, and screen brightness is set to the absolute lowest bar before it's completely off. Doing everything said above, except with wifi on, my battery calculator right now is hovering at 5:15. Soooo you'd really have to find some other ways to stretch it out. Again, under normal use... not realistic.

Normal use for me on battery: around 3 apps running (usually safari, mail, ichat, quicksilver, word), bluetooth and wifi on, screen brightness set at 50% - 75% depending on ambient light, consistently switching between apps and dashboard. I'll get between 3-4 hours.

As far as footage, don't have any videos but I have a pic in this thread from when I first got it.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64757&page=2

Hope this helps! I'll try and add more later if I have time.

-Dave

Wow!. That thread is just what I need. Thankyou so much, Dave!.

I have one also and will comment that the screen is great. At the bottom of the display you might notice the spacing of the LED's slightly...you barely notice it but it's there. As for the lid warping, mine does not close perfectly on the left side but only just by a little bit. Please consider that the macbook pro's are made out of aluminum so they are susceptible to a little bit of warping but the case will hold up much better than plastic...aka if it drops it won't shatter into pieces. All in all great machine and a lot less of a hassle than my old fluorescent model. Also the LED flickering is not an issue any more due to the MBP update 1.0. I hope that helps.

provid said:

I have one also and will comment that the screen is great. At the bottom of the display you might notice the spacing of the LED's slightly...you barely notice it but it's there. As for the lid warping, mine does not close perfectly on the left side but only just by a little bit. Please consider that the macbook pro's are made out of aluminum so they are susceptible to a little bit of warping but the case will hold up much better than plastic...aka if it drops it won't shatter into pieces. All in all great machine and a lot less of a hassle than my old fluorescent model. Also the LED flickering is not an issue any more due to the MBP update 1.0. I hope that helps.

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Can you put this "LED spacing" issue, into more detail/video/photos please. I'd love to know if this is a really noticable thing, or just you being meticulous like me. thanks.

Good answers!

Is it not possible to go to a store to check one out for yourself? Seems like it'd help with 1, 4 and maybe 7.

haribo said:

Is it not possible to go to a store to check one out for yourself? Seems like it'd help with 1, 4 and maybe 7.

Click to expand...

Yeah - going to do that ASAP!