Some owners of Apple’s latest MacBook Pro offering say their costly devices came with an unwanted addition: an unusual popping sound. [More]
macbook pro
Apple Issues MacBook Pro Battery Fix In Response To Consumer Reports Testing
By 1.10.17
Two weeks after our colleagues at Consumer Reports said they couldn’t recommend Apple’s new MacBook Pro after testing its battery and finding it wildly inconsistent, the company has released a fix designed to address the issue. [More]
MacBook Pro Battery Life Wildly Inconsistent, Consumer Reports Finds
By 12.22.16 — Updated: 1.12.17
Expecting some holiday money? Thinking of rushing out to spend it on a shiny new MacBook Pro? After months of testing, our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports say, maybe don’t do that just yet. [More]
Apple Cuts Dongle Prices After Users Complain About New MacBook’s Port Shortage
By 11.4.16
Apple wants to bring its MacBook Pro users into the future, and has done so by eliminating every port on the latest version of the computer except for two USB-C ports. The problem? Most of the peripherals on the market aren’t USB-C, so that means users will have to travel with a fistful of hubs and dongles. Responding to their complaints, Apple has lowered the price of the dongles that customers will need to plug in all of their other stuff. [More]
Apple Might Be Planning First Big Update To MacBook Pro Laptops In 4 Years
By 8.10.16
It’s been more than four years since Apple last announced updates to its line of MacBook Pro laptops, but there could be changes coming down the line, according to a new report. [More]
Apple Announces Repair Program For 2011 MacBooks With Self-Destructing Graphics Cards
By 2.20.15
Back in October, we shared some MacBook Pro owners’ complaints about their computers, which had what can broadly be described as “video problems” that often rendered the computers unusable. Apple has now announced a repair program in response to users’ complaints, and perhaps also in response to their class action lawsuit. [More]
Owners Of MacBooks With Self-Destructing Video Cards File Class-Action Lawsuit
By 10.28.14
A few weeks ago, we shared with you the saga of the self-destructing MacBooks, machines manufactured in 2011 with an unfortunate tendency to overheat their discrete graphics cards, rendering the computers unusable and their owners sad. Now lawyers representing MacBook owners have filed a class action lawsuit. [More]
Thousands Of MacBooks Made In 2011 Have Self-Immolating Graphics Cards
By 10.17.14
Models of Apple’s higher-end portable computer, the MacBook Pro, have come to the end of their three-year extended warranties. That leaves their owners at the mercy of Apple when something goes wrong, and at minimum thousands of the computers have had the same computer-killing problem with their graphics processing unit. Apple has not publicly admitted that the machines have a problem. [More]
Apple Tells Me I Should Be Happy To Have A Patched-Together FrankenMacBook
By 11.14.12
The MacBook Pro can be a pricey computer, costing more than $3,000. Maybe you get what you pay for, maybe you don’t, but that price tag is why customers have come to expect world-class customer service verging on groveling when they take it to their friendly neighborhood Genius Bar for repairs. Kristina’s 8-month-old computer has needed to go back to the store for service three times now, including what she calls a “major meltdown” and the loss of all data on the hard drive. [More]
OfficeMax Needs To Get Its Story Straight Before Selling Any More RAM
By 10.14.10
Daniel writes that a recent experience with OfficeMax taught him an important lesson: don’t believe a damn word of what anyone at this particular OfficeMax says. A store employee assured Daniel that he knew what type of RAM was the correct one for his Macbook Pro…and was wrong. When Daniel tried to return the RAM, a manager told him that opened RAM couldn’t be returned, but he could dispute the charge with his credit card company…but the chargeback was denied, with OfficeMax claiming that Daniel should have taken the item back to the store. [More]
Can You Accuse A Mac Genius Of Malpractice?
By 7.1.10
Ryan writes that an Apple retail store’s Genius declared his MacBook Pro dead: the required logic board replacement would have cost more than a new computer. So Ryan moved on, and sold his old MacBook for parts. Only it turned out that the Genius misdiagnosed Ryan’s computer. The logic board was fine, and the real cause of his computer’s failure was an inexpensive-to-replace bad stick of RAM. Ryan dropped two grand on a new computer for no reason. [More]
Macbook Pro Shocks Owner, Leaves Marks
By 3.31.10
Karen says Apple is shocking her. Not with their innovative product design, but literally, her 2004ish 17″ Macbook Pro is shooting electricity into her arms. “We’re not talking, little static shocks,” Karen writes, presumably, using the selfsame laptop, “these are fully legitly painful shocks.” [More]
Apple Store Is Efficient And User-Friendly For Thieves
By 9.3.09
I’ve always found Apple Stores to be open and inviting. A team of thieves in New Jersey evidently agree with me. They smashed the front window of the Promenade at Sagemore store in Marlton, N.J. and cleaned out the display models. How long did it take them to steal 23 Macbook Pros, 14 iPhones, and 9 iPod Touches? Thirty-one seconds. Yes, there’s surveillance video.
Macbook Pro Owner Caught In Warranty Catch-22 Thanks To Apple's Mistake
By 7.7.09
Because of an Apple technician’s mistake, Gennadiy had two options for repairing his 2009 Macbook Pro: either pay $1240+tax to replace the logic board because Apple said water damage voided the warranty, or push the unseated cable back into place and prove that there was no water damage—which would void the warranty. Gennadiy took the second option and saved himself over $1300, but now has no warranty should something actually happen to the logic board that should be covered.
Computer Store Ad Uses Picture Of New MacBook Pro To Sell Old Ones
By 1.12.09
Andrew sent us this picture of a CampusTechShop ad that he says is all over his college campus. The ad trumpets reduced prices on the previous edition of MacBook Pro, then illustrates it with a picture of the new MacBook Pro.
A Tale Of Two Apple Stores
By 6.25.08
Even at Apple where consistency practiced and preached, not all Apple Stores are created equal, just ask reader Adam. The Bluetooth capability on his Macbook Pro was malfunctioning and because he relies on his Macbook for work, he couldn’t simply drop it off for a week to be repaired. Fortunately, Adam had a 1-week vacation ahead, so he left the Macbook at the Millenia Apple Store in Orlando, FL. who promised him that the repairs would be made before the end of his break. Adam returned to pick up the Macbook and discovered that not only had it not been fixed, nobody had even attempted to diagnose the problem. Adam could not afford to miss any work, so on a whim, he brought it to a different Apple Store which produced a dramatically different result. Adam’s letter, inside…
