New MacBook Pro Teardown Reveals 'Shoddy Assembly' 531
CWmike writes "Apple's new MacBook Pro shows some build-quality problems that shouldn't be seen in a notebook that costs $1,800, a teardown expert said on Monday. iFixit.com found several signs of substandard assembly while disassembling a 15-in. MacBook Pro. Among them: A stripped screw near the subwoofer enclosure and an unlocked ZIF (zero insertion force) socket for the IR (infrared) sensor. '[These] should not be things found inside a completely unmolested computer with an $1,800 base price,' iFixit said in the teardown description. iFixit also spotted an unusual amount of thermal paste applied to both the CPU and the GPU. 'Holy thermal paste! Time will tell if the gobs of thermal paste applied to the CPU and GPU will cause overheating issues down the road,' iFixit said. The refreshed MacBook Pro models launched last Thursday in what one analyst called a 'ho-hum' upgrade."
Re:Sample size: n=1 (Score:5, Interesting)
We have 4 Macs (2 iMac, 2 Powerbook) that have been in the shop a total of five times (1 iMac twice, everything else once). Their build quality has gone down a lot.
Yes I'm now a troll (Score:2, Interesting)
I think this is it - the last time I bother with Slashdot. Troll posts (like this one) I can bypass, but the constant troll articles are getting out of hand.
Screw it. It's not just the Apple crap, I get it, you hate Apple. It's the ridiculous sensationalism that has crept into all of it. I won't let the door hit me on the way out.
Re:So much for build quality... (Score:1, Interesting)
To me, OSX isn't worth a premium. Linux is technologically superior and both Gnome and KDE offer superior UIs. In fact, I consider Windows to have a superior UI to OSX, mainly because it scales better with resolution and in mutli-monitor situations by keeping all applications functions close together. Aluminium bodies are available on some ASUS laptops, but I'd prefer the aluminium and bamboo case in terms of styling - it's far nicer than anything else out there.
What MBP has one combination of feature available that are winning, but overpriced for what they are: long battery life and a high resolution (WUXGA) screen option. I would *almost* consider getting the MBP for that reason alone. However, considering I could get the above-mentioned ASUS and a large monitor for the same cost, why exactly would I want an MBP?
Re:So much for build quality... (Score:4, Interesting)
I think you just made his point.
Everyone made fun of Japanese quality, and now Japanese stuff is first-rate.
Right now, China makes shit....
So history doesn't seem irrelevant at all.
Re:So much for build quality... (Score:5, Interesting)
I have that feeling all the time, and it pisses me off. Sadly, the ONLY company producing quality right now (in that area) is apple.
You should have a look at the T-Series ThinkPads, the quality is top notch, best keyboard on the market, touchpad is great, carbon fiber reinforced plastics, a titanium rollcage, liquid drain ports in they keyboard (just in case you spill your drink), and the 1080p display is one of the best displays you can get on a laptop. Did I mention you can get one of these with more options and onsite warranty with accidental damage protection for less than a Macbook Pro? I ordered one about 2 months ago with almost every option and it came out to less than the base 15" MBP.
Re:So much for build quality... (Score:1, Interesting)
- It comes with windows, I don't give money to microsoft.
- It's plastic
- It's a thinkpad. I had a PII Thinkpad years ago. This ones look exactly the same, but on the wrong side of the century.