Last week, I mentioned the loud click noise the trackpad made on my new late 2008 MacBook Pro. I even posted a video comparing the sound to an older, quieter model. Today, I think I may have found a solution.
On YouTube, a user commented on my video and mentioned how stuffing paper between the trackpad and battery could dampen the clicking noise. After trying this, I found that I could reduce the loudness of the click, but at the expense of stiffening the clicking mechanism; it’s actually quite difficult finding the perfect balance between click noise and click resistance.
My solution uses layered pieces of Kleenex that are sized to cover the underside of the trackpad, directly underneath the battery (no tools required). It’s something that takes a bit of trial and error, as you’ll need to put the battery and case cover back in place each time to accurately test any changes that you’ve made.
In the end, I settled with around 6 squares of Kleenex to made the click quieter than my early 2008 model MacBook Pro. The resistance to depress the click pad has been increased a tad, but it’s nothing my thumb can’t handle. So long as the paper doesn’t catch on fire (let’s hope your battery never hits 451 F), this fix has tackled one of my biggest gripes with Apple’s new unibody laptops.
In the future, I want to use some proper sound proofing material to see if I can further quiet the trackpad without increasing click resistance. I’m sure there are better materials to use other than toilette tissue, but right now, this is a very cheap and easy solution to try. Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.
During the inital announcement for the new 2008 MacBook Pro, and the many reviews that followed, I didn’t recall reading about any changes to the notebook’s webcam. But after testing the new iSight in various environments, it’s obvious that the camera captures better content than its predecessors. The improvements are especially noticeable during nighttime, in low-light settings.
The difference may well be software based, but regardless, the camera is now much improved at sensing and adjusting to various light levels. Gone, are most of the under and overexposed shots that would plague the old webcam. Now, when you are seated in front of a bright light or white wall, the camera auto-adjusts to show the subject and background in a much more balanced way. Using the old iSight, it was always a fuss angling the webcam so that a dark t-shirt or a nearby lamp wouldn’t wash out half the image. With the improved webcam settings, there is also less picture noise and video looks as sharp as ever. It’s nice that Apple has tweaked this useful feature.
Ambient Light Sensor
A bane of the previous generation MacBook Pros was the position of its ambient light sensors. In past models, these elements were positioned under the speaker grills and would be sensitive to hand movements, such as when reaching for keys near the top corners of the keyboard. Obscuring these sensors would trigger an immediate darkening of the screen, which can be quite annoying when not intended.
Apple has remedied this nuisance by positioning a single sensor near the top of the glass screen. In this position, it is almost impossible to accidentally set off the sensor, and the feature now works exactly as it should—automatically, without any fuss. I wish the same could be said about my iPhone’s light sensor, which appears to do nothing!
Slot Loading DVD-RW
The new disc drive works exactly as you would expect, but I’ve noticed that it’s slightly quieter than the drives in the older MacBook Pros. Upon disc insertion and ejection, it still makes a sound similar to Robocop tackling a flight of stairs, but it appears that the sturdy unibody casing does a better job of suppressing the vibrations, and perhaps the new SATA drive is a bit better behaved. This is a pretty subtle difference, but it’s yet another refinement that I’ve noticed in the late 2008 MacBook Pro.
My full review of the Macbook Pro, late 2008 model is now live. I didn’t realize how quickly 10 minutes would pass when I was busy listing the pros and cons of this new laptop, so I had to whittle away about half my original footage to meet YouTube’s video length restriction. Still, I think I managed to capture the essence of Apple’s latest flagship product and my impressions of using it. I hope you enjoy my video review!
It’s no secret that many people are alarmed by Apple’s decision to drop matte screen displays from their lineup of ‘professional’ products. Many say that they won’t upgrade their existing MacBook Pro because of this feature. I can’t speak for everyone, but I find the new glass screen a general improvement over earlier models. Having said that, I realize that this is a highly subjective matter, and I expect there to be a lot of variance in opinion.
To summarize my impressions, I find that the display on the late 2008 MacBook Pro is noticeably brighter, has deeper contrast, produces more vibrant colors, and has much truer whites than previous models. Placing the new MBP alongside two older models, and tweaking each display to match for color and brightness, the new MBP easily steals the show.
Under normal indoor lighting conditions, the glass screen MacBook Pro is a star—the colors have so much more pop and viewing photos, videos or text documents is an absolute joy.
With bright, overcast daylight entering the room through open windows, the late 2008 MBP still outshines the old MBP, due mainly to its superior brightness; however, glare becomes much more noticeable and this is where personal opinions begin to diverge.
In my opinion, even under very bright and high glare situations the new MBP is often easier to view. Under such conditions, the dimmer matte screen of the old MBP’s can get washed out to a point where reading anything off of its display becomes a headache. Thus, I think the only people who should really feel resistant towards the new glass screens are those who find themselves in high glare environments, but where the readability of matte screens are somehow not affected. Fortunately, I don’t live or work in a setting like this, but I understand that some types of lighting can produce this effect.
After reading many threads on the topic of glass vs matte, I’ve concluded that much of the issue lies in an individual’s tolerance for glare. Similarly, back in the CRT days, a lot of people were tormented by flickering monitors, whilst others were not nearly as bothered by this phenomenon. Having used matte screens exclusively over the last five years, I find the glare on the new MacBook Pro visibly apparent, but otherwise quite tolerable.
To sums things up, the new MBP offers a tradeoff that provides better brightness, contrast and color at the expense of glare on the screen. For me, I prefer the glass finish, because I rarely find myself in situations where sunlight or harsh lighting is directly hitting the screen. But others working in less accommodating environments, or those who are much more sensitive to glare, may want to compare the new glass screen to their existing matte display before committing to this pricey upgrade.
