Would you know a bottom if you saw one? - Kevin Delaney, WSJ
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Apple is silent about Macbook Pro hardware woes
PROBLEMS HAVE TIPPED UP with the latest Macbook Pro notebooks, and Apple is keeping mum about why this might be happening.
In a very lengthy discussion thread, reports from Apple users claim that the latest 2011 model Macbook Pro notebooks are overheating and freezing up.
In one of many examples, Apple user Jeffles posted about the problems he or she was having with their 15-inch Macbook Pro. Jeffles said that the system intermittently "freezes hard", where the system does not respond to any input from the mouse, keyboard, trackpad or keyboard.
Jeffles said, "I first started noticing the problem playing back a rented movie in iTunes in fullscreen mode. Then it started happening at other times (has happened a few times playing back a Flash vid on a web page, but also happens when I'm just editing a text file)."
Jeffles tried to restore the system using a configuration from late 2008 and tried reinstalling the Mac OS X software several times, with no luck. It is still happening.
Hrunk was another user who was having problems with freezing, saying, "I asked whether it would be fixed in software but they didn't have an answer and just said I should return it. I've elected for a refund rather than a replacement and will follow this issue closely."
He continued, "I had two 2010 MacBook Pros which I returned due to white spots on the screen, and after that I decided to stick with my 2008 Mac Pro a bit longer and wait until the 2011 MacBook Pro. I'm completely disillusioned with Apple right now."
The INQUIRER has been trying to get a comment from Apple about the problem, but the company has so far said nothing. It looks like the problems will remain unexplained, and unfixed, at least for now.
Apple released an update to its Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system that is thought to have tackled this problem. µ
Tags: Apple
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I bought a MacBook Pro 2 months ago. had start up problems after a software update. apple support could not help. Now in for repairs for hard disk failure since 10 days. I guess I should have read all the postings about Apple hardware problems and should have never bought a Mac. what good is the software when the hardware is good looking but inside it's crap.
I'm on to my third 13" macbook pro in as many weeks! They just keep freezing & failing to start... I'm new to mac & was so excited... Not feeling so now after spending over 13 hrs trying to sort these issues.
I had to take back a brand new 2011 13" Macbook due to this common wireless issue with the new broadcom chipset.
See apple thread on this at: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2775868&tstart=0
or just google Macbook 2011 wireless issue
Oh, how I can't wait until I get my new 17" MacBook Pro... I will be quick to put Mac OS X Lion (Build 11A390) on it just to see how it all maps out.
This problem was fixed in an update released a day ago (OSX 10.6.7) it has nothing to do with overheating.
Users found running windows 7 on the machine and stressing it did not cause it to lockup.
It was a bug with the algorithm OSX used to switch between the integrated and discrete graphics card under load.
Video Chipset??? I did it AGAIN!! NVIDIA graphics!!!!! Only THIS TIME it's the GeForce GT 330M with 512MB. 2 years ago EVERYONE with nvidia chipsets was having trouble. REMEMBER!!! From Apple, to even mighty HP, and DELL.The industry figured the manufacturers of Laptops especially lost BILLIONS. No JOKE.... Check this site.. 18 months-2 years ago.
Hmmm.
just get a pc,mass produced, well tested, no overheating. then you can actually play more than 5 games.
btw you GAME on your mac? what intel onboard graphics? hehe
"The INQUIRER has been trying to get a comment from Apple about the problem, but the company has so far said nothing." Ha ha ha, good luck with that. You might see if one of your competitors could get a comment for you. Were I Apple, I wouldn't give you the sweat off my rosy red if you were dying in the desert. So little Jeffles tried a 2008 configuration? No way with that. The only configuration that will boot is the one that came with it. It's a different build of OS X 10.6.6 and completely 64 bit. For your information, Apple has just released 10.6.7 (389 MB on MacBook Pro) which merges the two builds of 10.6.6 among other things. I've been hearing about various problems e.g. sleep, graphics et al., but I'm happy to say that I've encountered none on my 17" MacBook Pro -- 2.3 GHz Core i7 8 GB. As far as heat goes, when I run a job that uses 100% of the CPU, the system runs cooler than my old 2009 MacBook Pro that only had 2 cores. Of course the fans max out and there is a slight noise, but no worries.
It doesn't matter whether they have active cooling or not, nor whether they are laptops or desktops: Apple have an obsession with silent machines. For most users there is nothing wrong with this (and I'll admit one reason I bought an iMac) but push the machine and brace yourself for the possible consequences.
In my case, this was two replacement "logic boards" before I realised a heat issue and installed an addon to boost the built in fan speeds when gaming. The temp before this was installed made the back of the case almost too hot to touch.
thats going to be one hell of a sized rubber band.
Stalin gave his people more information than Apple cares to.
Apple, just say no.
LoCatus is wrong to suggest that there's no active cooling in the new MacBook Pros - there are definitely fans in there. [see here: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Unibody-Early-2011-Teardown/4990/1] Even the Air has a fan.
However, it certainly sounds like a heat issue going on - I've heard of people who have found sloppy application of thermal paste, so that might account for it... Also suggestions it's a GPU issue...
Only worth an outcry if Apple refuses to exchange units - I think there'd be a bit more noise if it was happening to everyone.
Here we have a prime example of what can happen when a company neglects to realize they can't put that much horsepower under the hood without active cooling.
Nice sleek design, But where's the heat supposed to go? Case can only absorb so much. And packing around a cooling pad defeats the purpose of buying one of these light/slim machines. Come to think of it a cooling pad probably wouldn't help much.
"it just works."... doesn't it?
Oh, wait... my bad