Forums | MacLife

It doesn't cover accidental abuse, so you can't drop kick your MacBook Pro into a lake and say "I want a new one."

Other than that, it pretty much covers everything else.  If the hard drive did go south, they would replace it, but they would not recover your data for free.

In other words, back up

My personal opinion is that all computers be "outdated" in a few years so I always buy bottom of the line, unless there's a difference other than proc speed of course. A .16 ghz processor advantage ain't gonna mean jack in 2008. I'd rather save the cash now.

Do you actually HAVE the MacBook already? Or did you just preorder?

They say that they are shipping February 15th and it will arrive at my door February 23rd however, on some sites Apple management are leaking that there maybe a shortage because of high demand.

I got the 512 MB Ram and kept it standard because 512 I felt is enough since Mac allocates RAM better than a PC. Also, I didn't upgrade the harddrive and kept it as 80 because I plan to get a external hardrive later, thanks for your guys response.

MacBoy4139 wrote:

It depends on how much you need the video memory and the .16 extra GHz.  They are charging $200 for it.

You can take a base model, up the HD to 100 GB for $100, and up the RAM to 1 GB (one stick - keeping it equal) for $200.  That brings the total to $2,299.00 plus tax.  The other model is $2,499, and includes the 1.83 GHz processor and 256 MB of Video RAM.

If you don't do gaming (like hard core Doom 3 gaming) or ever plan on purchasing a 30" display, I say you made a good choice.

I also should elaborate a bit on AppleCare.

It doesn't cover the battery.  Unless it goes dead in like 2 months or other extreme circumstances.  Even then, they are not likely to replace it.  (They used to).

It does cover Apple accessories (mouse, AirPort base stations, etc.) but NOT iPods.

Don't expect much life out of it if it is connected to AC all the time.

Honestly, they keep changing their battery policies.  Last time I checked, AppleCare didn't cover batteries at all, as they were expected to lose capacity over time.

Macrules0208 wrote:

I got the 512 MB Ram and kept it standard because 512 I felt is enough since Mac allocates RAM better than a PC. Also, I didn't upgrade the harddrive and kept it as 80 because I plan to get a external hardrive later, thanks for your guys response.

You'll want as much RAM as you can stuff in there. However, you don't want to get it from Apple anyways, they charge too much.

Crucial is good, but not the least expensive. Some people swear by 1880memory (or something like that). Hunt around the forums if no one else pipes up here.

You'll want to run the battery down once in awhile, or the calibration gets out of whack. Don't skip the calibration process when you first get it, either. I bought a second battery when I got my TiBook in 2001, and while I've never actually had to use it in an emergency, I swap them every few months so they don't die of disuse (or how ever you phrase that).

It seems odd to me that they wouldn't cover the battery under Applecare They seem to cover everything else.

How about unusual cosmetic damage? I'm noticing some black pitting on the left side handrest area of my 12" PowerBook G4 (purchased Feb. 24, 2005), and I'm pretty darn careful with this thing. I don't have AppleCare currently, but I'm planning to buy before the 1 year coverage is up...especially if it covers such damage.

Yeah. I've used iClean (I use it regularly), and I've even tried scraping at it with my nails. It ain't goin' anywhere

I've seen a similar pitting/corrosion issue on camera casings before, so I'm thinking this might be some sort of chemical reaction. I know it's not paint, being aluminum and all...it just struck me as odd that this would happen here. It almost looks as if someone wearing a lot of jewelry was using it carelessly,  but I know that isn't the case, because I only wear one ring (my wedding band), and it's on my thumb...well out of the affected area.



I'm stumped as to what it could be. But I'll probably end up getting AppleCare anyhow for all the other smart reasons to do so.

EDIT: Come to think of it, that's the "hot" side of the 'book, where the HD lives. I just looked at how my hand rests on that side of the 'book when I'm using it, and it seems as though that's a sweaty area of my hand (when it's hot, of course). I wonder if the aluminum is having a chemical reaction with my sweat....

Last edited by CaptKevMan (2006-01-26 4:13 pm)

The manual should tell you how to upgrade the RAM when you get it.

Macrules0208 wrote:

I know how to add RAM in Desktop PC's and everything, how would I install more RAM in the Macbook Pro. My brother's friend who is a Apple Rep for his college said they do charge too much, and that is the main reason I didn't upgrade to 768 or 1024 MB. What is the calibration process for batteries?

Turn it over, there is a rectangular plate on the bottom.  UNPLUG THE BATTERY.  Remove the 4 screws, pop in the ram at an angle, push the RAM in all the way until it is "springy" in the slot, and push down all the way until it clicks.

They may have changed it with the MacBook Pro from the 15" PB, but that is how it was on the 15" PB.

As for the calibration process, when you receive it, plug it in.  DO NOT TURN IT ON.  Leave it plugged in until the orange light turns green.

Then unplug it.  Use it until the computer goes to sleep - the display will turn off and everything.

Plug it in.  Again, let it charge all the way.

Unplug and use as normal.

Macrules0208 wrote:

In the months following it's release will there be a confimed tutorial on how to do it on this site?

MacBoy4139 wrote:

Macrules0208 wrote:

I know how to add RAM in Desktop PC's and everything, how would I install more RAM in the Macbook Pro. My brother's friend who is a Apple Rep for his college said they do charge too much, and that is the main reason I didn't upgrade to 768 or 1024 MB. What is the calibration process for batteries?

Turn it over, there is a rectangular plate on the bottom.  UNPLUG THE BATTERY.  Remove the 4 screws, pop in the ram at an angle, push the RAM in all the way until it is "springy" in the slot, and push down all the way until it clicks.

They may have changed it with the MacBook Pro from the 15" PB, but that is how it was on the 15" PB.

As for the calibration process, when you receive it, plug it in.  DO NOT TURN IT ON.  Leave it plugged in until the orange light turns green.

Then unplug it.  Use it until the computer goes to sleep - the display will turn off and everything.

Plug it in.  Again, let it charge all the way.

Unplug and use as normal.

It will be in the manual that comes with it.  Graphics and all.  Same thing with the battery thing.

An example:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PowerB … rDrive.pdf

Chapter 4 (page 57).

Worth the read.