Apple fixes MacBook Pro, when till next fix?

[stevegong]

Today in the news, Apple has been making revisions to its MacBook Pro to fix some problems it's had. I'm struggling with the following dilemma:

I want to buy the computer for my father who's in Italy. I leave USA mid May. I need to buy it before then.

I can:

1. Buy it now, make sure it has no problems, and then bring it back.

2. Buy it as close to the day I leave as possible, so that I can get the latest revision that apple puts out.

My question is: Will other revisions happen before then? How safe is it to buy one now?

I just don't want to deal with things like minor issues that don't really qualify for a repair.

Thanks, please give me some pointers. And most valuable is feedback from current owners of the MBP. What problems should I expect/live with?

[MCQ]

Just to fill everyone else in on the news...

http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1584

I'd basically use their information as guidance... try to get something with a serial number in the revision D range or newer.

[stevegong]

since no one cared to post, I ordered it.

[Mac+]

What? You waited two days and then decided to order - even though you had another month and a half left? I hope it works out for you, but a bump could have netted you some information too you know. :\

[stevegong]

Well I figured the question I asked is pretty much unanswerable. It was kinda tempting too. I can still cancel the order. Post away. Tell me why I shouldn't cancel.

[graphik]

Don't cancel. They are great! :)

[Mac+]

Oh, I don't have any crystal ball to tell you either way. Personally, though, it's just in my nature to wait until I have as much info as possible. In this case, that would mean waiting until a few days before I left the US to make the purchase.

That said, I believe they are great machines and wouldn't necessarily cancel the order.

The only thing I can think of is that if you can verify that you have a Rev D motherboard (Serial numbers starting with W8611), or later, then this should be solid enough ... or at least better than the earlier incarnations.

[stevegong]

Ok, my MBP came in today!!!!

I can't complain about anything, except the fact that some sharewares I used to love cannot be used. Still trying to find a way to link progs to the function keys.

I can see what people mean by the "whine" but it really is so minor. In comparison, I'm very glad that the fan doesn't come on easily, which is something that the 12" pb always pissed me off about.

The screen is beautiful, this thing's really thin. I really love it.

I think it is a huge improvement over the 15" powerbook in every single way.

I wonder why the trackpad is so wide. I wonder if it's a future feature designed to be used with some new input method.

[Dave]

I wonder why the trackpad is so wide.
Cause the screen is wider?

[stevegong]

Cause the screen is wider?

No, this is not as you'd think. In fact, the 15" pb did not have it this wide. I really don't think it has much functional purpose as of now since my finger never moves around the whole trackpad. I imagine most people take their finger off, move it and put it back on since that doesn't require you to move your whole hand.

[chucker]

The screen is, indeed, wider, in the sense that the aspect ratio changed from the unusual 15:10 (3:2) to the typical 16:10 (in terms of pixels, the screen actually became less tall compared to the last-revision 15-inch PowerBook). However, based on other changes (such as the design of the battery and RAM trays underneath), it is much more likely that the trackpad was simply inherited from the 17-inch PowerBook, which had been like this all along.

[scratt]

What chucker says.

[stevegong]

I'm very impressed with the quality of the internal speakers. They're quite an improvement over the 15" and the audio processing chip must be way superior because when I put on my headphones, the audio sounds great!

[scratt]

I wonder if new machines have the same setup as 17" PowerBooks always have had.
The sound on those has always been to die for.