Own a MacBook Pro? Tired of the incessant whining, heat problems, or that faint lone cow mooing somewhere inside your MBP?
Well, the good folks over at the OSx86 Project have designated Saturday, May 20th The Day The Whining Ends, and I have to say, I’m totally onboard with this.
The plan, as you can imagine (if you haven’t clicked one of the above links) is for everyone with a problematic MacBook Pro to call Apple’s technical support specialists and inundate them with requests to fix the problems we’re all finding in the MBP line.
However, I’d like to suggest taking this another step further. Rather than just calling Apple Care to complain and have them do nothing, get in their face. How, you ask? Well, if you have an Apple Store near you, take some time and drag your MBP down to the Genius Bar for a little fun. Rush the bar, sort of like last call on St. Patrick’s Day, except instead of wanting the final pint of Guinness, tell the Apple Store Geniuses that you want your MBP fixed of whatever ails it. Personally, I’m a little tired of hearing MBP moo at me while editing. I’m also tired of the whining noises that occasionally come from it. And, if it wasn’t for the fact that I had a vasectomy a few years ago (okay, I know, I’m over-sharing a bit there), I would also worry that certain parts of my body might bake, burn, and fall off.
So go on, set an iCal event for May 20th and tromp down to your local Apple Store to complain about whatever ails your MacBook Pro. I’m sure the one thing that Apple doesn’t want is a long line of customers in the store complaining about their latest product line. Our request is simple: Fix our machines and we’ll quietly go back to working (and hopefully we won’t take part in a class action lawsuit, either).
And here I thought it was going to be a declaration that after Saturday, we would all agree to stop whinging about the insignificant little noises made by our MBPs.
Really, I haven't had a silent computer since I sold my Cube three years ago. I've used some iMacs with very whiny drives, an iMac G4 with a constant audible (though quiet) fan, PCs that sound like airplanes, and am now on my third Apple laptop. My first Titanium G4 was nearly deafening when the fan started up, and my AlBook had an irritating -- though much quieter -- clicking sort of fan. The so-called whining and mooing of my MBP is really barely noticable in comparison, and completely unnoticable in comparison with any Windows laptop I've used.
Years ago I bought a Timex wristwatch with a very loud tick. It irritated me no end until I made the decision to embrace the click. It ended up becoming very soothing, and I actually kind of miss the watch since I stopped wearing it. (I passed it off to my son, and the battery has since died. I know it's somewhere in the house, but without the click it's impossible to find.)
So come on, folks. Join with me today and embrace the whine! Relase your inner dairy farmer and embrace the moo! Your computer has aspects of a personality that its Windows brethren will never understand, because they spend all of their time whooshing like nobody's business.
As an ex-genii, I beg you take it easy on my brethren still on the line. While I personally have yet to see a MBP with the problems you recount, I imagine I would be just as testy as you are if I had purchased one. Still, please try to remember that the good people at the Apple Store can do nothing more for you than dutifully log your issue and send your unit off for repair. If they do that, call it even.
After all, they didn't make your MBP and, for legal reasons, are prohibited from apologizing on behalf of the people who did. So if someone decides to "get in their face", they have no choice but to internalize it. The Genius Bar is a labor of love for most. They work it because they honestly want to help. Yelling at genii about something he/she has no control over is like beating up some kid on the playground just because you can.
I read someone could detect some indication before the whining starts.
http://takaakikato.jp/2006/05/macbook-pro-whining-issue-precursor.html
well, if you're going to the genius bar at the apple store, make sure you make a reservation online...they've gone to an appointment-only system and the chances of fitting you in on a saturday are slim to none...
The only whining I see is the people whining about their sweet new computers. Give it up, people. My TiBook (G4) whines on occasion and that's NOTHING compared to what I have heard IBMs and Dell laptops deliver in terms of fan noise and performations. If you really don't like your whining laptop, I'll trade you my fully loaded 1GHz TiBook for it.
You don't _have_ to use the MBP on your lap just because it's called a laptop ;) Take the heat as a signal: when you can't touch the keypad it's time for an RSI-break, eye-rollin and neck stretching. Close the lid, have a walk. Also I'd have thought the MBP is cheaper and less painful than a vasectomy... not that I'm inviting you to comment on that, of course :)
Dweebert, I know what you mean about the roar from the TiBook fan. I don't remember it always being that bad; I've been assuming it had to do with age, maybe the fan needing lubrication.