2011 MacBook Pros Confirmed To Crash Under Load

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2011 MacBook Pros Confirmed To Crash Under Load

Posted by timothy on Sunday March 20, 2011 @01:25AM from the switch-to-multifinder dept.

sammcj writes "2011 MacBook crashing under heavy load?... you are not alone. While trying to figure out what was wrong with my fancy new MacBook I soon realized that the issue is very widespread."

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Well of course by Dunbal · 2011-03-20 01:27 · Score: 2, Insightful

You get what you pay for. Oh wait. Defend this one, Apple fans.

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1. Re:Well of course by mikael_j · 2011-03-20 01:30 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Do you want a list of Dell models that my employer has concluded have design flaws or do you just want to fling mud at Apple? (here's a hint: Every manufacturer has issues with their machines, including Apple).
  
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2. Re:Well of course by Anonymous Coward · 2011-03-20 01:37 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Not every company has the balls to charge 2k for 1k in hardware, and 1k in software that is built off of free software... that then freezes under load.
3. Re:Well of course by mjwx · 2011-03-20 01:40 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Do you want a list of Dell models that my employer has concluded have design flaws or do you just want to fling mud at Apple? (here's a hint: Every manufacturer has issues with their machines, including Apple).
  As long as you provide a list of Dell models that did not have problems of this magnitude.
  
  Then provide a list of Apple models that have had serious design flaws and compare it to the list of those that haven't.
  
  Dell release 20 or so laptop models or more a year, Apple releases 3, the price of failure is higher for Apple because they have not diversified as much as Dell.
  
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  Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
4. Re:Well of course by Patch86 · 2011-03-20 02:12 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Dells are cheap mass-produced trash- you get what you pay for, and no less than you expect.
  If you pay nearly twice the going rate for a premium product, you might expect it to be somewhat closer to flawless. You expect your £100k Bentley to run perfectly, while you might forgive the Chevvy Matiz given away free with your Happy Meal for breaking down every time it rains.
  Yes yes, I know, oblig.
5. Re:Well of course by roachdabug · 2011-03-20 02:21 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  From what I've heard, being a "premium" Apple engineer is not so fun... You hear a lot of things like, "The outer metal band HAS to be the antenna, I don't care what the problem is, just make it work!"
6. Re:Well of course by petermgreen · 2011-03-20 02:23 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Note: since the GP quoted in pounds i'm using UK prices from both dell and apple.
  A £999 inc VAT and shipping (closest price in this list to £1000) macbook pro comes with a 13 inch screen and a 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5. Unfortunately the model number wikipedia lists for the CPU doesn't seem to match up with anything on intels website but assuming the turbo is similar to the models that straddle it it would have a max turbo with all cores active arround 2.8 GHz. If you want a 15 inch machine with a quad core (there is no option for a 15 inch with a dual core or a 13 inch with a quad core that will set you back £1,549.00 inc VAT and shipping)
  Comparing to dell it depends what you compare with. If you compare to the 13 inch vostro 3300 with an i5-480M then a machine with similar specs (older processor family but higher clockspeed so probablly overall similar) is £559.00 plus VAT and shipping which will put the total arround £700. OTOH if you compare to the 15 inch vostro line (in PC laptops 15 inch models tend to be cheaper than equivilent 13 inch models) then things get cheaper still.
  So the GP was exaggerating a bit but still there is a fairly steep premium for apple hardware and this is compounded by apple's very limited selection which means you often end up buying far more than you actually require.
  
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7. Re:Well of course by snkiz · 2011-03-20 03:17 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  blow me
8. Re:Well of course by UnknowingFool · 2011-03-20 03:49 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I'm waiting for someone to figure out what the real problem is before I pass judgment. It might be a design problem for Apple or it may have nothing to do with Apple. There's a list of serious of problems that have plagued PC makers for the last several years. The nVidia chip problem: Apple replaced boards even if out of warranty. I think Dell and other manufacturters had to do the same. The exploding battery problem: There was some serious ragging on Apple until practically all laptop manufacturers started to recall their batteries because the problem originated with their common supplier: Sony Battery. Just last month, PC makers might have to delay some product launches because of problems with Intel Sandy Bridge chipsets.
  
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9. Re:Well of course by Americano · 2011-03-20 05:18 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  the price of failure is higher for Apple because they have not diversified as much as Dell.
  So if Apple adopted Dell's "run it up the flagpole, and see who salutes" hardware strategy, they'd have Dell's vast profit and valuation?
  Wow. I'm sure they'll get right on destroying their business and profit margins in a rush to the bottom, now that you've suggested it.
10. Re:Well of course by Americano · 2011-03-20 05:23 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  450 posts, many of them responses, or follow-on posts from users who already posted of their problems, and we conclude that this is a "very widespread issue" affecting each of the millions of units shipped each quarter, rather than the more reasonable conclusion, that some people are bound to get faulty hardware when you ship a couple million units in a quarter? Defend that, statistics fans.
  And here's the thing: if your system is borked, they will repair it. The repair service is quite good, and if you're still under warranty (and you are, if you have a "2011 Macbook"), then they will repair it.
11. Re:Well of course by beelsebob · 2011-03-20 05:39 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Yep, the 17" MacBook Pro is very poorly priced, and I wouldn't try to argue that it was well priced. That doesn't mean that the 13" and 15" aren't reasonably priced though. This discussion though was over whether you could get a £400 dell that matched a £1000 MacBook Pro. At the moment, it seems you can't even get a £1000 dell that matches the £1000 MacBook Pro.
  So basically – your comment is entirely off the topic of the thread.
  An aside – I'd most definitely hand the MacBook Pro the win on the screen there. You've basically given the asus the win because of a gimmick, the MacBook Pro meanwhile has a higher res screen that doesn't have it's quality crippled by having to do 3D too. The G73SW is also twice as thick as the MacBook Pro, twice as heavy, and has a battery that lasts half the time, so it's not a one way street. Personally, I wouldn't even put the two machines in the same category... One is a glorified desktop with a screen attached, the other is a real laptop.
12. Re:Well of course by slimjim8094 · 2011-03-20 06:31 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Hilarious. You know, because OSX shits all over the command line, unlike Windows.
  Oh wait, never mind. Damn near all of the OS is configurable from it. And it's a real shell (bash) and utilities, not cmd.exe. Hell, they even have an X11 server on the install disk.
  Call me a fanboi if you'd like, but I don't think it's unreasonable to have a powerful Unix machine that most of my favorite Linux software runs without modification on - and then not have to fuck with it to keep it working.
  
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13. Re:Well of course by Wild_dog! · 2011-03-20 17:17 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  2/3 of the machines? Really?
  Sounds like the plant should have been shut down and the manager fired if that was the case.
  How many millions would have been thrown away if 2/3 of the machines coming off the line were non-functional?
  Are you certain of your numbers?
2011 MBP a stinker? by Manip · 2011-03-20 01:33 · Score: 2, Insightful

First we had people pull them apart and report poor build quality, then we had complaints over the insane price of components in Apple's store, and now we have the machines freezing up? I'm all for people spending a little more and getting a higher quality machine but Apple needs to keep up their end of the bargain.

What does Apple have to say one the build quality concerns? The last thing they need is to be considered no better than HP, Gateway, and Dell. Overall I don't think laptops are built "fit for purpose" and haven't been since the IBM days (although business laptops are better). I love all the Dell laptops with 2 hours battery life out-of-the-bx in particular, very useful concept...
1. Re:2011 MBP a stinker? by thetoadwarrior · 2011-03-20 02:11 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  My macbook pro easily meets the 7 hour battery life they've claimed (mine is one version before the 2011), it's almost always nearly as cool as when it's off, it's dead silent, starts up and is at a functional desktop within 5 seconds and yes it looks better with it's metal case than some cheap plastic one and it's thinner than what I'd get from Dell. Despite being thinner things like the lid feel much sturdier than a Dell and it comes with everything. THere are even small touches like being able to check the battery life without even turning it on.
  
  I can't vouch for their newest model. It may be utter shit. But having gone through the process of pricing up laptops to get everything I have in my macbook it would cost nearly as much or more in some cases. Part of the reason for this is it seems to be nearly impossible to get an SSD in a laptop which seems retarded but you're looking at quite a big bump up in the price to add the equivalent sized SSD into a Wintel laptop.
  
  Again even if you do get all those things it will still be in a cheap plastic case, it will almost certainly still be thicker, run warmer and louder. I don't think it's any surprise a lot of developers can be seen with Macbooks even if they aren't running OS X. The hardware is quality and it's built in such a way that you end up with something that resembles what a laptop should be rather than some big ugly plastic thing that gives you back pains carrying it around.
  
  People need to take a break from their anti-apple circle jerk and remember that the newest macbook features brand new technology in it like Intel's Thunderbolt. It is just as likely that can cause problems even if you're not actually plugging anything into the port. One thing Apple does do that many other companies don't is adapt new technologies sooner and as a result are more likely to get bit in the ass by something going wrong. One of two things will happen. It can be resolved in a short period through software or maybe the 2011 models will just be notorious for being rubbish and smart people will pass on them and wait for the next iteration where the issue may not exist.
  
  Alternatively they could have had a bad batch of components. It happens to everyone. Just look at how many companies that were affected by Sony's shitty laptop batteries. But of course some people just like to hate on things they can't afford.
If someone is going to state "very widespread"... by acidfast7 · 2011-03-20 01:45 · Score: 4, Insightful

which I don't think one can do ... because it's either widespread or not ... can that person at least provide a percentage? I'm mean ... even if a few 1000 machines have problems it's still a negligible percentage. And, how would this value compare to the normal failure rate from other manufacturers? I don't know, and I can't really compare it, because this fantastic article doesn't provide any information for gauging what "very widespread" means. It's just another anti-Apple article.
why do I even read /. anymore ... I must be addicted to the internet in an unhealthy manner :(
Much ado about nothing ... by SirJorgelOfBorgel · 2011-03-20 01:49 · Score: 5, Insightful

Look, I severely dislike Apple, their products, their methods, and their policies.
However, this seems to be much ado about nothing. I have actually read the entire thread, and it appears to be a simple software issue that can be resolved by disabling some fan control package. The issue does not occur under stress testing in Windows 7. Put those two together, the issue becomes one or two bad packages, which will be resolved in an update sooner or later (for those that blew $3k on a computer, I hope sooner).
Of course, how Apple has handled the situation is abysmal, and I'm quite surprised seeing the people in the thread defending Apple support as they do.
In the end though: nothing to see here, move along, this is not a reason for major Apple bashing or Apple vs PC debates, and yes, even Apple can and does release bugged software now and then.
1. Re:Much ado about nothing ... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-03-20 02:07 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Look, I severely dislike Apple, their products, their methods, and their policies.
  The fact that you have to start your comment with that phrase here on Slashdot only shows that they are beyond rational discourse.
  I'll take the "article" for what it's worth, and if it turns into something more then I'll base my buying decisions upon it.
  Until then, I'll watch the flame wars with bemusement and curiosity on how people can get so worked up over a manufactured product.
Gold plated by perpenso · 2011-03-20 02:16 · Score: 2, Insightful

Last time I went and customised a laptop to have everything my macbook pro like a lit keyboard and bluetooth (yes Dell considered that an extra) it was reach the same price.
This type of argument has been bogus for *many* years, ie "but Macs have SCSI drives" of decades past. Its not the features present its the features actually needed/used. Macs have often been "gold plated" to a degree, including features only a small number of high end users needed/wanted. It is honest to say this inflates the price for more ordinary users. Last time I took a close look, a few years ago, the MacBook looked like to be a better deal than the MacBook Pro due to the "gold plating". The ordinary MacBook would have made a better comparison against Dells.
1. Re:Gold plated by mellon · 2011-03-20 02:50 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I'm puzzled. "Argument?" "Bogus?" To whom? If you want a computer that runs MacOS, you buy a Mac. If you don't, you can buy whatever you want, Mac or non-Mac. And you buy the Mac that does what you need, if you buy a Mac. I have a 13" MBP because I do not want the extra weight. I'd have to have a *really good reason* to spend the extra money for a 15" or 17"--not just to show off. My wife just got a 15", because she needs the extra screen real estate. Her backpack weighs a *ton*.
  These aren't arguments--they're explanations for why the person making the explanation made the choice they made. You aren't that person, and you might not make the same choice given the same constraints for a variety of reasons, but that doesn't mean that the person's choice was "bogus," or that their explanation is wrong.
  I will admit that I get a little ticked off when my non-geek friends buy Windows machines and then expect me to help them when they melt down, but if you're willing to be responsible for the downsides of your choice, buy what *you* want. Who cares what some guy on Slashdot thinks? If I were a Windows geek I'd probably feel the same way about my friends buying Macs and expecting me to help when they melt down.
Re:Software Related by jmaline · 2011-03-20 02:20 · Score: 5, Insightful

Smcfancontrol is 3rd party software, not Apple.
I've long wanted macfixit.com to have some prominent indicator on stories about problems. The indicator? I'M AN IDIOT AND I INSTALLED SOME LOW-LEVEL "HAXIE" AND IT CAUSED PROBLEMS. BECAUSE WHO COULD IMAGINE THAT PATCHING CHANGES INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S SOFTWARE COULD HAVE BAD SIDE-EFFECTS. AS I SAID I'M AN IDIOT.
OK, maybe a little wordy. But it'd help me quickly skip articles reporting "problems" where the "fix" was to uninstall some crazy low-level hack.