

Ask HN: What DON'T you like about your Macbook? - Brewer

People can name quite a few good things about their Macbook, but truth me told, I've probably heard them all.<p>So, answer me this, what do you NOT like about your Macbook? What makes you want to take a sledgehammer to that thing?
======
kevinherron
I'll assume this applies to MacBook Pro's as well:

My MAJOR complaint is that I still can't hook up 2 external displays to it
without resorting to some sort of ghetto USB video dongle. Just put a 2nd
mini-displayport/thunderbolt on the damn thing!

I also don't like the fact that the full-size wired keyboard and the
laptop/bluetooth keyboards have different layouts because of the placement of
the Fn button. I would much rather my MBP have a full-size Ctrl in the lower
left and Fn be moved somewhere else.

~~~
brg
We had a discussion about this in the office the other day. Exacerbated by
having the windows reposition and resize when changing between an external
display and the laptop display, a major complaint was that window resizing is
awkward.

~~~
stevelosh
This bugged me too (I use two external displays with the above mentioned USB
dongle).

I've tried a bunch of the "window management" apps out there and settled on a
combination of Stay and Breeze. Once you spend 10 minutes configuring them the
first time you're only a few keystrokes away from OCD-level window-placement
perfection.

<http://cordlessdog.com/stay/>

<http://www.autumnapps.com/breeze/>

~~~
jrsmith1279
Nice, thanks for these! I've been meaning to look, but I've been too lazy and
just lived with having to move windows around every time I reconnect my
external monitors.

------
jrsmith1279
Major Annoyances

\- The fact that I still have to run a Windows VM to run some of the software
that I use for work.

\- Lack of good support for 3 monitors (Laptop screen + 2 additional). I'm
currently using a Diamond BVU195 USB video adapter for the 3rd monitor, but
it's really quite useless and I use it almost 100% for my instant messaging
client.

\- Exchange Public folder access is pretty useless in both the Mail app and
Outlook 2011. Microsoft Exchange is actually to blame for this, but it's still
an annoyance.

Minor Annoyances

\- Having to use Command-c, Command-v, ..etc instead of Control-C, Control-V,
.etc

\- Mouse tracking speed is odd if coming from a Windows environment. I use a
Magic Mouse and MagicPrefs to make the mouse work more like it does in
Windows.

\- Click & Drag on the trackpad is a little more difficult than I'd like it to
be. It gets easier with practice though.

\- It's pretty and expensive and I'm afraid of breaking it. Dropping my MBP is
probably one of the top 10 things I'm afraid of in life.

EDIT: 1 more minor annoyance is that at full resolution I find it hard to read
the text on the screen. I'm constantly either using the zoom-in/zoom-out
feature in Chrome or holding down Control and scrolling to zoom in on the
screen. Everything looks terrible (fuzzy fonts, skewed icons..etc) if you run
at lower resolutions, so I stay at the highest resolution. Note: I admit I
probably should have my eyes checked.

I'm sure there are other things that I just can't think of right now, but
overall I'm very happy with my MBP and have less problems with it than I did
with my Windows PC.

~~~
pavel_lishin
Most of these seem to be generic OS X complaints - specifically about not
being able to run windows apps, and having to use OS X specific shortcuts.

Not trying to be a mac apologist here, but complaints about OS X is not being
able to run apps designed for OS Y, or using keyboard shortcuts from OX Z are
kind of silly. My MacBook doesn't make toast, either.

~~~
jrsmith1279
Oh, I totally agree that most of these are either not Apple's fault, or are
just part of running a different OS. The shortcuts for copy & paste are pretty
much the same for every OS except for OSX though, so I will blame that on
Apple.

Mine does make toast though - [http://store.theonion.com/product/usb-powered-
toastergift-bo...](http://store.theonion.com/product/usb-powered-toastergift-
box,29/)

~~~
pavel_lishin
Ctrl-C in Windows, Command-C in OSX, and Ctrl-Shift-C in Linux if you're
spending a lot of time in the terminal.

------
drewvolpe
I moved back to Linux after a number of years on a macbook mainly because of
package management. As a developer, it's too useful to be able to do 'apt-get
install foo' for almost every piece of software and have it just work.

~~~
oomkiller
Ever hear of Macports or Homebrew? They have almost everything I need, usually
with the most up to date version. No 2 year old stale packages like Debian.

Edit: Don't presume this for everyone.

~~~
drewvolpe
I used Fink and then Macports. Both were miserable. They did a terrible job
with dependencies and many common things (MySql, memecache, ..) either weren't
in them or wouldn't install properly. Homebrew concerned me because it
defaults to using the base libraries installed by OS X.

That's really the core problem; on linux, all of the software on my machine is
from the open source ecosystem and it tends to follow the unix patterns and
work well together. On OS X, it was a mix of open source and what comes out of
Jobs' Garden. It also meant that ports to OS X package systems were always
behind linux.

~~~
oomkiller
I've never used Fink, but the main problem I had with MacPorts is that it
pulls down so much stuff and takes forever to compile things, since it doesn't
use the built-in stuff.

I can understand your trepidation when using XCode to build things, but in
reality I've never had any trouble using Homebrew. The packages are updated
often, and if you want to contribute something, it's super easy (I've done it
myself), since they're on Github.

------
jinushaun
Unibody Macbooks are bloody sharp, especially the notch below the trackpad. I
was constantly getting cut and scraped the first couple of weeks. I understand
now why Windows laptops are so round and pudgy. Unfortunately, that's also why
Windows laptops are ugly... C'est la vie.

MBPs are also really heavy. I'm using a 15" MBP from work--can't imagine what
the 17" is like! When the time comes to buy my own personal laptop, I think I
will get an Air.

No USB plug on the right side.

When hooking up to a 27" iMac and running audio through to the iMac speakers,
the volume controls are on the iMac and not on the MBP. Switching controls
back to the laptop also switches the sound to the laptop speakers. You can't
win!

The whole MiniDP/Thunderbolt BS. Adapters are expensive. Apple doesn't even
sell a MiniDP-to-MiniDP adapter to support MBP to iMac! I had to buy one from
Belkin.

Lack of a docking station. I plug and unplug my MBP a lot and it's so time
consuming. I wish I could just dock it and instantly have all my peripherals
available to me.

~~~
phaethonx
I've read good things about these docks: <http://www.hengedocks.com/>

~~~
bradleyland
They do look great, but you can't use your Macbook as a second monitor with
it.

------
silencio
My MacBook Air is light to the point that whenever I use it on a non-level
surface (like my lap) or perched on the edge of something (like a table), the
entire computer bobs up and down and moves around as I type. Heavier laptops
by definition do not have this problem to a similar extent.

The other problem with the weight is that if someone brushes past and snags
something (a bag strap, clothing) on the display, I get really nervous that
the entire laptop will go flying. With my 15" MBP, I'm just worried about the
hinge breaking, or maybe if the surface is slick enough, the laptop sliding
around.

The Air has changed the way I use laptops and makes a noticeable difference in
the weight of my purse every day, but some days it gets pretty nerve-
wracking...

------
teilo
First, the fact that Apple has stubbornly refused to support USB3. The first
Thunderbolt hard drive is due this summer. Seriously? Would it have killed you
to support USB3 _and_ thunderbolt?

In the past, Apple has tried to push the hardware world into this new standard
or that, and invariably have failed, and adopted the industry standards.
Appletalk gave way to Ethernet (Yes, I'm that old). Various Mac busses yielded
to PCI. They gave up on SCSI and went all IDE. They eventually buckled and
replaced proprietary serial ports and ADB with USB. Intel replaced PowerPC.

Don't get me wrong. I love having Firewire, and I use it for audio and video.
But I'd rather have USB3, because I have massive choice in USB3, very little
in FW800, none at all in Thunderbolt.

Next, and similarly: Bluray. I know this one is more debatable, but I have a
large library of Bluray movies. I'd love to take them with me and play them on
my Mac. I'd love even more to have a Mac Mini with a Bluray drive, so I can
eliminate my standalone player in my entertainment center.

------
rbritton
I hate the trackpad with the integrated button. I much prefer the older style
where the button was separate from the dragging area. I also do not like
glossy screens, so I'm forced to pay more to get a matte screen.

~~~
div
Absolutely hate the glossy screen, should have gotten the matte version :(

------
nxn
Well, before my macbook was stolen:

\- Optical drive was unusable if you had the macbook in your lap; slight
movements would cause the disc to scrape against something in the drive.
Somehow when I mention this to mac owners they get into a rant about how it's
unreasonable to complain about this. Forgive me for trying to use a laptop in
my lap.

\- Loud mooing fan and other noises that were hard to identify.

\- The magnetic latch put so much pressure on the cheap plastic that it would
crack it.

\- The cheap plastic would get discolored after a while of use.

\- Trackpad was horribly inaccurate causing the cursor to noticeably jump if
you had your finger over a certain portion of it.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other hardware issues, the whole thing just felt
incredibly cheap for the price. Biggest annoyance actually came from the mac
communities and how defensive they got when someone would mention these
problems.

~~~
NickM
I've had the same problem as you with the case cracking, and have seen it
mentioned in other places on the internet. Definitely a design snafu there.
That being said, Apple will fix it for free, even if it's out of warranty.

------
rranshous
I bought my first macbook pro when the thunderbolt hit so that I could support
3 monitors in the future. I've overall been pretty pleased with it. I would be
100% more pleased if it didn't cost me ~3K. When I use something which has
such a relatively high cost I expect a lot.

The things I do not like about the hardware:

* Once you start doing something CPU heavy it sounds as though a jet is taking off from your desk

* I've already had to return one due to overheating

* Mine makes a _super_ annoying small "clicking" noise when you torque it in any way. It sounds as though two internal pieces don't quite meet, but touching the case causes them to meet and possibly "stick" (will happen when you push down w/ your palm against the body, click the trackpad, move it etc)

* My (annoyingly located) ctrl key pops off at least once a day. This seems to be due to my torquing it slightly when using it as a modifier key. All keys may suffer from this, ctrl certainly seems to suffer the most

* the stock hard drive is _slowwww_. This can not be over stated.

* There are no hardware lights which indicate IO activity (very frustrating when you are just staring at your unresponsive computer)

* All the ports (except CD) are on one side of the body

* The space between the keys seems to be a dirt / grunge magnet.

------
MichaelStubbs
Every one I have encountered so far has gotten very hot when doing any kind of
light CPU/GPU task. Sure it's by design, but it's also very unpleasant.

------
dguaraglia
Short list:

\- Keyboard. For programmers not having Home/End/PgUp/PgDown are a major
drawback. Even as a Vim user I feel the keyboard is still kind of wonky.

\- There's no standard for 'cycle through document windows'. Some programs
cycle using Ctrl-Tab, some using Cmd-Alt-Arrows, some Cmd-Shift-Arrows.

\- Small Enter key (although I guess that's mostly an American layout problem,
rather than Macbook specific)

\- Finder sucks, every other file manager is $30 or more

\- When coming from another OS the whole 'closing the last window doesn't quit
the application' paradigm is really confusing.

\- Cmd-Tab-Option to unminimize a window from the program switcher is the most
RSI-friendly keystroke _ever_

\- Two USB ports? On a $1100+ notebook? On the same side? Really?

\- Package management does suck indeed. Even windows has a centralized
'uninstall this crap' list. AppCleaner does a good job though.

Probably a bunch of things I'm forgetting right now. I still love it, it's
just that we are going through a 'phase'...

------
veyron
\- Many strange default characteristics, like auto-dimming (had to install
caffeine <http://lightheadsw.com/caffeine/> in order to disable auto-dimming)

\- Since 2008, uncomfortable edges (oh how i love the older macbook pro keys
and body ...)

\- having to clean the screen

\- uses bsd getopt rather than gnu (the difference is that if you try to
something like

$ rm foo -rf

then it parses -rf as if it weren't a getopt flag)

\- the apple logo (which makes you look like a hippie character vis-a-vis the
"professionals" who use windows or linux)

\- PITA to deal with custom USB devices (I have a delcom 904005-SB led light +
switch + buzzer and had to hack together a solution because libusb doesnt work
well)

\- Office can't compare to windows office versions

\- poor bloomberg support

\- the default tab order skips drop-down menus (can be changed, but the
default bothers me)

~~~
pavel_lishin
How do you fix the drop-down menu skip?

~~~
veyron
The keyboard shortcut is ctrl-F7

The syspref way is:

Apple -> system preferences -> keyboard -> keyboard shortcuts

At the bottom there's an item which says "Full Keyboard Access". Choose 'All
Controls'

------
kbob
I have never bought a MacBook, because I don't understand how you're supposed
to survive without a dock. I have two desks. When I drop my ThinkPad onto the
dock on either desk, it lights up the second screen, external mouse and
keyboard, speakers, wired Ethernet, and battery charger.

I do that twice a day. I don't want to plug in half a dozen cables every time.

There are easy workarounds for Ethernet (WiFi) and mouse/keyboard (Bluetooth),
but not for the other three.

It's ironic, because Apple invented the laptop dock with the PowerBook Duo,
circa 1993. (I think.)

~~~
MatthewPhillips
You have a transformer arrangement that turns your thinkpad into a desktop. I
like desktops too. So i bought a desktop.

~~~
bradleyland
I use my MacBook Pro at my desk a lot -- probably 80% of the time -- but I
invested in the fastest model I could get, and bought an SSD hard drive, so
performance is great. I'd rather not spend another $2500 on an iMac when I
have such a great MacBook Pro.

Not to mention, I really love working from a single machine. I used to do the
iMac + MacBook 13" shuffle. Even with tools like Dropbox, it's next to
impossible to keep everything synced. I don't want my 30 GB Aperture library
syncing in my Dropbox. It's just much more convenient to work from one
machine.

When you factor in that Apple sells more laptops than anything, I'd say it's a
fair argument that there are a lot of people running a MacBook (Pro) attached
to an external display, keyboard, mouse, and related peripherals. The lack of
a dock makes this a real exercise.

------
nhannah
Have a MacBook Pro Circa 2006/7. I could fry an egg on the bottom and have
burned myself holding it before. That battery (3rd one) dies after 5 minutes
disconnected and says service battery. The machine was fully replaced
internally 1 yr ago due to it killing batteries under warranty. Now 1 yr later
it is closer than ever to dying. I have treated it well, but the internal
hardware seems to fail fast. On the other hand the newer unibody MBP's my
friends have don't seem to have these issues. Other ppl with the same version
as mine do have these problems though.

------
Brewer
So the three biggest complaints seem to be: 1) Macbooks get too hot, too fast.
2) Noisy fans. 3) Ridiculously lame support for 2 external displays.

I would think that the first problem could be solved by getting a decent
cooling pad. You would think that a noisy fan would prevent problem #1, but I
guess not. Not much we can do about that.

As far as displays go, I would barely be able to afford the Macbook, I won't
be buying two extra monitors!

Does anyone have any tips on how to fix the fan problem?

------
diem
NVIDIA display driver heat sensitivity.

Due to Mr. Jobs' pathological hatred of fan noise, Macintoshes always seem to
run hotter than their PC brethren. Consequently when it's a hot day (like only
27°C) occasionally the screen of my 2010 MBP locks solid (check the Apple
Discussion Forums for the phrase "Channel Exception!" to see how widespread
this problem is). Frustrating.

Also the leading edge of the Unibody design is too sharp. Pretty but not good
for the palms/wrists!

------
Omatic810
Ctrl and fn are in reversed positions relative to most machines I use, so I
find myself hitting the wrong buttons semi-frequently if I'm not paying
attention.

Despite having paid a high premium on this thing, it still can't multitask in
chrome like my Sony Vaio, which I paid only a little more for.

Automatic switching of the display doesn't occur when I plug something into
the display port, I have to toggle it manually usually.

The standard HD is still 5400rpm!

------
joblessjunkie
fn key where the ctrl key should be

~~~
MaxGabriel
Having used a mac for half a year, after having to go back to windows to use
some windows-only software, I actually find the mac command key much better
placed than the windows control key. Its much easier to reach, which feels
natural for a key used so often.

~~~
joshma
I don't think joblessjunkie is criticizing the command key (I personally don't
mind either the Windows or Mac placement).

He's saying that the ctrl and the fn key (used to access the function keys
instead of brightness/expose/volume/etc) should be swapped. I completely
agree; I never use the fn key and my pinkie ends up bending for the control
key.

------
eqdw
Heat issues. My MBP is by far the hottest-running laptop I've ever had. I
chalk it up to the fact that it is significantly thinner than any other laptop
I've had. No ventilation in there. The fact that it's an aluminum case doesn't
help, either. I mean, if my CPU was hot, but my fingers were cool, I wouldn't
mind so much. But I had to stop playing SC2 on my laptop directly (ie use usb
keyboard/mouse) because I was burning my fingers.

------
mgkimsal
Beach balls

lack of pageup/pagedown on 13"

I got a new 13" last fall and didn't notice until after the 2 weeks that
they'd got rid of the mic-in, and now its software toggle on that headphone
port (sound out or sound in). Really annoying, and I wish the sales guy had
pointed that out, as I said I'd had an earlier white macbook (which did have
that). I have a useless (to me) expresscard port instead of useful mic-in :/

~~~
jinushaun
Page up/down should be mapped to fn-up and fn-down. Spacebar also does page up
and page down in both Windows and OSX.

~~~
mgkimsal
Still would be nicer to have one key.

I've gotten used to the swiping on the trackpad for the most part, but I miss
the keys :)

------
rdouble
Wish there was a matte screen option on the MBA.

------
mieses
Glossy screens. Big apple logo on screen lid. (Ignore the marketers and stop
putting logos on the hardware. Let the hardware design speak for itself.)
Difficult to service internal parts on certain models. Trash lacks restore.
Poor window management (no tile, maximize height/width). Numerous issues with
OS X and the included Applications.

~~~
koichirose
Trash has restore: the menu item is "Put Back". I'm on Snow Leopard.

------
JshWright
Both the battery and power adapter failed on mine (just outside the warranty
window). The Chinese knock-off replacements have now outlasted the original
OEM equipment by a couple years.

That, and the crack in the casing under the right palm-rest (but I assume
they've fixed that by now).

~~~
dadro
I never knew the crack in the casing was a known issue. Thanks for info, I
have same problem.

------
ppetty
MBA no longer has a backlit keyboard

------
nicksergeant
Gets way too hot on the lap when plugged in and using a bunch of applications.
By way too hot, I mean, me wanting to sell it because it's completely
unusable-hot.

No support for more than one external monitor. Hopefully Thunderbolt will fix
this.

------
smallegan
Sharp edges.

~~~
jesstaa
I agree, and in winter the metal case gets really cold. I already solved the
'it runs MacOS' problem.

~~~
jrsmith1279
Ahh yes, I agree with both of these.

------
pkamb
The ridiculously annoying "breathing" sleep light on the front lid. Don't plan
on sleeping in the same room as your Mac, your room will be completely dark
then brighter than 1000 suns every 30 seconds or so. Repeat all night.

------
damienkatz
Shiny silver body is hard to use use in the sun. Was worse when the keys where
silver too.

The sharp edges could be more round.

Numerous small gripes about OS X, but that's not really a Macbook gripe
specifically.

~~~
Brewer
Gripes about OS X are more than welcome, seeing as if I migrate to Mac I will
probably use it a fair bit.

I've heard that OS X has some pretty good software.

------
hollerith
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642333> \-- a couple of things I dislike
about the physical design of the Macbook.

------
brosephius
the hardware itself, not much. I don't like the magnetic latch on the 13"
plastic macbook, it makes it annoying to open with one hand and occasionally
when I'm closing it if my hand slips it slams down. I would also love bigger
arrow keys.

one thing I still don't like in OS X is how you can't navigate menus via
keyboard like you can in windows. I know there's some keyboard shortcut to
focus on the first menu, but I prefer the alt+_ shortcuts in windows.

------
CLaRGe
The number one thing I don't like about my macbook is the keyboard. As a
developer I have to learn, and re-learn, twice the amount of keyboard
combinations to write code.

------
instakill
Lack of home/end keys.

------
crcastle
palm rests get too hot. not enough to burn, just enough to make me sweat.

i use my MBP 15" (mid 2010) on my desk almost every day. i didn't know the
underside of one's wrists could sweat so much. i actually look forward to
opening it in the morning when i know the metal will be cool to the touch.

------
jrussbowman
The fact my 13in MBP has a lower max resolution than the air models, and the
air has no backlit keyboard.

------
kenneth_reitz
I have a 15" i7. It gets VERY hot.

------
Morendil
Fan noise.

~~~
nxn
MMMOOOOOOOOOOO

~~~
MaxGabriel
I had this problem with my macbook air. It wasn't there when I first got it,
but later it did. I think it might have been an update to the OS that caused
it.

Anyway, I upped the minimum fan speed to where I still couldn't hear it but
louder than before, and that prevented the computer from getting too hot and
the fan turning loud. Since then, its been fine, except when running intensive
applications (say, Starcraft or Flash video), but that's always temporary and
I have headphones on for those tasks anyway.

------
cubtastic71
Endless spinning beach ball of death due to lack of a good video card.

------
wlievens
No HDMI output. What's that about?

