I'm Starting To Hate My MacBook Pro

-Does anyone have issues wth the internet on thier MacBook Pro? (I have slow connections and wireless range sucks. The internet crawls and I am in a dorm room 12x12 with an airport express for a router, that is in my room with me.)
-The keys look screwed up, the apple store had to take some off to fix something now they don't sit level with the rest.
-While typing my screen dims and brightens if my hand moves anywhere near the sensor. At night time a white page comes up then the screen brightens itself because it thinks it s light in my room now.
-Programs close randomly..
-Runs slower than some of my friends standard dells.. only has like 20 songs on my computer and iWork.

Its just frustrating for $2000 something dollars, I expected it to work. Nothing but problems so far.. if you can help me with any issues, that would be great!

1) No, my MBP is in almost constant use when I am at home and most of the time and sitting a few rooms away and approx 75' from the router. Also, no issues when sitting outside at almost 100'.

2) Take it back and have 'em fix the keys and while it's there have them check out the airport card and your settings.

3) The sensor does not control the screen dimming nor brightening - it only controls the keyboard backlight - If you would like to take control of the keyboard backlight and set it the way you want it, try Lab Tick - wouldn't be without it myself.

If it is problems you are having with the screen going dim - you probably have the energy save settings too short for the way you use your MBP - Go to System Preferences - Energy Saver - you can increase the period of time prior to going into sleep mode and you can also click on Options - take the check mark out of "Automatically reduce the brightness of the display before sleep". This setting can be adjusted for both Power Adapter and Battery.

4 & 5) You're not providing enough info for anyone to help.

How can you compare it's slowness to a Dell if all you have on it is 20 songs and iWork? Do you put the two together and see how long it takes an app to open?
If you want a slow laptop, I can trade you my 500MHz iBook straight up.
If you're in such a small room, why aren't you connected with a wire? It's faster than any wireless connection.
What apps close by themselves?

The keyboard is just something you have to live with. Mine came with crooked keys, I had the whole keyboard assembly replaced, and it was shipped back with crooked keys on the new assembly.

landersmike said:

-While typing my screen dims and brightens if my hand moves anywhere near the sensor. At night time a white page comes up then the screen brightens itself because it thinks its light in my room now.

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Mine does this some too when I am in dim rooms but it's something I live with. If you want to turn off the sensor go to System Prefs > Displays > uncheck "Automatically adjust brightness setting as ambient light changes"

That will turn that sensor off and you will just have to manually lower the brightness in a dark room.

3) The sensor does not control the screen dimming nor brightening - it only controls the keyboard backlight - If you would like to take control of the keyboard backlight and set it the way you want it, try Lab Tick - wouldn't be without it myself

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How much you want to bet on that? Do you really think I would be online complaining about it, if it didn't.. Trust me, I am not the only person with the ambient light issue..

landersmike said:

How much you want to bet on that? Do you really think I would be online complaining about it, if it didn't.. Trust me, I am not the only person with the ambient light issue..

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Well, not saying you don't have a problem with your computer, but before you start screaming about Apple and there faulty products, maybe you should learn how to use your computer and how your computer works. School's in son. You bought a $2000 professional grade laptop that you have know idea how to use. And Apples "it just works" is true, you just have to know how to work it, which you don't.;D

System preferences will probably be your best friend right now. So would some reading about your $2000 investment. You have two things you can do: learn, be patient and let people help you, or get rid of your computer and go back to using windows.

Good luck!

landersmike said:

How much you want to bet on that? Do you really think I would be online complaining about it, if it didn't.. Trust me, I am not the only person with the ambient light issue..

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Ok, can take it when I'm wrong and I stand corrected - I probably found this adjustment the first week I had my MBP and forgot all about it. So, follow PunkRockTuba's advice above and this issue will be eliminated for you also.

First thing to do - always with any computer - is to become familiar with all the system settings available and get the system set up the way you want to use it. It's what I did and really haven't had to spend much time there since then. If you haven't taken the time to do so, now would be a good time to go into System Preferences and take a look at all the items you have available there.

Can't help with the issues, my MBP hasn't had them... but I do have to comment...

landersmike said:

Its just frustrating for $2000 something dollars, I expected it to work.

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Well that right there is the source of the problem!

Seriously. I know how you feel, and I wouldn't say that expecting a computer to work properly is unreasonable. However. I don't know how many notebooks you've had before, if any, or what make or model they were, but... Notebooks are not as good as desktops from a reliability standpoint. They're just not.

Doesn't matter if they're built by Apple, HP, Dell, Compaq, Sony, Toshiba, ASUS or Clevo (Sager, Alienware, etc.). Some are better than others, but for whatever reason I have yet to find a notebook that's properly designed and totally problem free that has the power I expect out of it. Not even my MBP meets all of those expectations completely.

That's just the way it goes with notebooks. It's annoying, but it's how it is.

dadsgravy said:

Well, not saying you don't have a problem with your computer, but before you start screaming about Apple and there faulty products, maybe you should learn how to use your computer and how your computer works. School's in son. You bought a $2000 professional grade laptop that you have know idea how to use. And Apples "it just works" is true, you just have to know how to work it, which you don't.;D

System preferences will probably be your best friend right now. So would some reading about your $2000 investment. You have two things you can do: learn, be patient and let people help you, or get rid of your computer and go back to using windows.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

I can run the software.. trust me.. I looked all the settings over in the first week I had my computer. The light, yes there is settings to shut the sensor off, but what the **** is the good in paying for them to install a faulty design.

I acually know a good deal about it.. but thanks for the help, dad! ;D

It sure seems like you are very unhappy with your MacBook Pro. Why not take it back and get your $$$ back? Get a PC with Vista and maybe it will be more to your liking.

People have tried to help.

Your too used to Dells...it was a little weird for me going from a Dell XPS M1210 to my MBP but I l love this thing (as my profile says). Those little quirks aren't that bad. OS X runs just as fast or FASTER than XP and Vista. Funny thing is, this thing seems to runs Vista and XP faster than my gaming PC at home which isn't a slouch. And what is th deal with people complaning about heat on these machines? They need to use an Alienware and they will know what the term "overheating" means. This thing runs like a freezer compared to the AW i had for a total of 2 weeks which felt like the surface of the sun and my Dell which sometimes runs like a heater after being on the lap for an hour or two.

I have never bought a dell, and never will.. XP is one of my favorite OS, vista is a pile of crap. Windows 98 was awesome too.. I still have a copy of 2nd edition.

I love me mac, its a bad computer, but I just wish they would make there stuff more sturdy and durable, not shiney and fragile.

Sorry to double post, I am not sure of the rules here.

Okay, all of those problems may just be bad luck. There is one issue though: audio.

It seems like there is a buzzing noise in my headphones/speakers hooked into the headphone jack. Is this a common problem because I heard it was..

Is there any update to fix it besides the Apple Updates?

I don't get any of that. Maybe you should just exchange it....possibly again if you already did before. I don't want to brag about the good luck with my machine but I haven't had any of the problems you have described above. Like I said earlier, try using an AW and you will get so frustrated with the machine and their non-english speaking call center that you will want to rip your hair out.

sounds like you got a "bad" one... i've not had any issues with mine whatsoever...