The MacBook Pro Over the Years
MacBook Pros are one of the most popular laptops in the world. Apple has been producing the MacBook Pro line since 2006, and over the last 16 years the MacBook Pro has come a long way. The first generation MacBook Pro was essentially a PowerBook G4 with Intel core processors. The second generation MacBook Pro was released in 2008 with a machined aluminum ‘unibody’ shell. This machine was the first to include Intel Thunderbolt capabilities. Like the first generation model, the second generation MBP was available in 13, 15, and 17 inch editions.
The third generation MacBook Pro first saw the market in 2012. This laptop was the first to offer a higher resolution retina display and made solid state drives standard (as opposed to an optional add-on with the second generation). This computer also eliminated the optical drive, ethernet, and FireWire ports. The fourth generation MacBook Pro was released in 2016. This computer featured the controversial ‘butterfly’ keyboard, and replaced all data ports with USB-C.
The fifth-generation, latest edition of the MacBook Pro was released in 2021. This computer is the first to exclusively use Apple M1 Max and M1 Pro chips in place of Intel Core Chips. It also adds a 1080p webcam, a 6 speaker sound system, an HDMI port, SD card reader, and function keys in place of a touch bar. While the MacBook Pro has certainly improved over the years, MacBook Pros are not perfect, and they still encounter problems.
MacBook Pro Problems
A few common MacBook Pro problems are slow performance, frozen and unresponsive apps, the clocking color wheel, black screen problems, and startup failures. This piece will go into greater detail on each of these problems and provide some suggestions for remedying your particular issue.
Slow Performance
If your MacBook Pro is having performance issues, it will probably take longer than usual to open and run applications, the fan may be on, and the laptop may get hot. Your first response in this situation should be opening Activity Monitor and seeing which applications are consuming CPU resources. Another solution to this problem is upgrading your RAM. This is only an option if you’re running a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation MacBook Pro.
Unresponsive Apps
This issue will likely be one of the easier ones to diagnose. You can ident you open an app and your MacBook freezes or starts acting irregularly. There are a number of factors that can contribute to unresponsive apps. If one of your apps is frozen and the system is struggling to function, click command + option + escape. This will bring up the force quit menu, and you will be capable of force quitting the offending app.
Clocking Color Wheel
The MacBook Pro clocking color wheel is an indicator that your computer is struggling to process instructions from an application or the operating system. This is a similar problem to unresponsive apps and the solution is essentially the same. Attempt to identify the application that is causing your problem, and force quit that application if necessary.
MacBook Pro Black Screen
Encountering a MacBook Pro black screen issue is likely a very unsettling scenario. You may need to complete a project for school or work, you may want to log in to a banking website or do your taxes, you may want to view the photos from a family vacation. If you attempt to turn on your MacBook Pro and see a black screen it’s easy to assume the worst. While there is little that you can do to resolve this scenario, a professional data recovery lab may be able to help. Gillware has years of experience with Mac data recovery, and has actually written an in-depth overview of the MacBook Pro black screen issue.
Startup Failures
Some MacBook Pro users may encounter issues upon starting their computer. If you have a startup application that is causing problems, the best course of action is opening system preferences > users & groups > login items. Take some time unselecting some of these items and restarting the computer. Through trial and error, you should be able to determine which of these is causing your startup errors.
In Conclusion
With the widespread popularity of the MacBook Pro, it should come as no surprise that these issues are not uncommon. If you are encountering keyboard, trackpad, screen, or logic board issues; the Apple store will likely be your best option for a repair. If you have encountered a data loss scenario, reaching out to a data recovery lab is almost certainly your best option for restoring your data.
