Is my Apple MacBook Pro Retina a Lemon?

I would suspect the problem is one of the add-on "utility" programs that you are running. Could you post the crash log? That would help figure out what the problem was. The crash logs are in ~/Library/Logs/Diagnostic Reports.

~/Library is hidden by default; to see it, hold down the option key, go to the Go menu in the Finder, and scroll down to Library.

You have 14 days to return a new system to Apple no questions asked. If you feel you have problems contact Apple ASAP and either get this resolved or get a new system.

regards

I honestly don;t think you have a hardware problem. But in your situation I suggest getting to an Apple store for a genius appointment to get this worked out before the 14 days are up.

It sounds like you are new to Mac's and it is possible you have bitten off a bit to much to start with. If it were me I would wind the system back to how it was when delivered and add to it a little at a time testing each addition to see how the system responds.

Try looking in /Library/Logs/Diagnostic Reports.

It's possible that you have a lemon, but that's less likely than one of the "utilities" has made a problem.

I have a MBP that's about a year old and it's awesome. I just put a SSD in it too, so it's mac nerd heaven.

I've been a mac guy since 1984. I don't have the experience you have with Linux or Windows, except that whenever I try to use the Windows machines at work to do a simple task, like burning pictures to a disk, I end up wanting to kill myself. The machines are incredibly slow, the software obtuse, uncreative, poorly written, the opposite of intuitive, whatever that is. OK, that's enough of a rant.

The thing about those third party "utilities" is that they are cute and huge time wasters, as your 20 hours will attest; they don't add any useful functionality for me, and they are notorious for causing problems. I try to stick to the GUI as Apple intended it. An Apple fundamentalist. If I want to find files, I use the Finder. If I want to arrange windows, I use Mission Control. If I want to use the Terminal, I use the Terminal. I can't remember the last time I had a crash. I can't really fault Apple if some 3rd party software is the problem. They can't supervise every developer on the planet.

In answer to your question, if I were you, I'd get rid of all those "utilities" and focus on your work rather than the GUI. But then, that's your call. Then, if I still had a problem, I'd take it back to the Geniuses at the Apple Store. In my experience they are very helpful. I've never had to return an Apple product like that, but my daughter brought her dysfunctional refurbished iPhone in, and the Genius just got her a new one from the back room.

chadshores wrote:

I have another laptop that is over 4 years old (Toshiba Sattelite) running Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. It has never had a problem running simple text editors, code watchers/compilers(Sass/Compass/Guard), or browsers, even all at the same time. From the reputation that Apple has, I was expecting more. I figured the computer might have a few hiccups if rendering a huge video file, or running 3 external monitors with Photoshop and Illustrator open and working, but definitely not with the programs I had open.

I switched to Apple to learn iOS and OSX development, to make awesome apps. I am 90% sold on taking this back to Apple and getting a full refund, never to go back. I hope someone can help change my mind and fix my computer.

Ah! A Linux user. That explains things. 🙂 I wondered why you were installing a bunch of stuff I had never heard of on a week-old computer.

The bottom line is that OS X is not Linux. It may look like it sometimes, it shares a few libraries and some command-line tools, but it is completely different. Your old Linux habits will only cause you trouble.

The big question is what 3rd party software have you installed? You listed a few, but there have got to be others. It is a sad fact that OS X has zero credibility among most most corporate and open-source software developers. There is a vast amount of software that hasn't been updated in almost 10 years. How far would you get installing the latest and greatest Linux tools on a Linux box circa 2007?

As a new Mac user, you are unfamiliar with what software is good and what isn't. Some of the software you listed above is fine, but why install it if the operating system already comes with equivalent functionality? There is nothing wrong with doing that if the Apple software doesn't do what you need. But just doing it out of habit or because it is some open source project is likely to have poor results. For example, OS X version 10.8.4 was recently released. Well-written software from 2006 will run fine. Poorly written software from last week will crash, cause slowdowns, and all kinds of other problems.

If you don't have a good reason for using Chrome instead of Safari or iTerm instead of Terminal, then you are likely going to be at the mercy of 3rd party developers who have more control over your system than you do. Make yourself at home and learn your way around before you invite a bunch of rowdy kids over for a party. Later on, you can throw some parties and have fun, but you will be the one in charge. Right now, they are probably running wild in your basement reconfiguring your plumbing.

This is so common that I wrote a little diagnostic program to help show what might be causing these problems. Download EtreCheck from http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck, run it, and paste the results here.

Disclaimer: Although EtreCheck is free, there are other links on my site that could give me some form of compensation, financial or otherwise.

So doesn't it seem like this is either a lemon mac or a rare software error? Especially because I was so careful and thorough with the installation and configuration of my applications. I'm absolutely not new to computers, however. I've been using them for 15 years and I've picked up a thing or two.

I really think you need to get to an Apple Store for a Genius appointment at this time. I think, reading what you have written, that no matter what happens here you will not have confidence in this system.

good luck

regards

Different folder. The first on was ~/Library, the second one is /Library.

Awards or no awards, the third party utilities are trouble, in my experience.