I've been beaten by the Pro (a rant from a loyal Apple user)

Question

I purchased a MacBook Pro thinking that I would have the same wonderful experience I have had with both my Mac Mini and iPod. I was wrong.
So far:
1) The battery has been recalled. I assume the issue is severe enough (i.e. PowerBook) to warrant a return. I am waiting for the new replacement.
2) The unit buzzes annoyingly. My first call to support stymied the rep as evidenced by his "who knows?" response. Conversation with Tech Support today required me to help troubleshoot location of noise before sending in. Isn't the fact that this has been documented by Apple enough to warrant a return? Since I could not locate the source, I will have to take it in and leave it at the store. If possible, I will leave it there for good.
3) The new chipset is sporadically supported by 3rd party plugins, specifically those from Microsoft. Goodbye video news feeds, and any review of my own multimedia work. (Apple's tech support referred me to "Flip4Mac" - but wait! - this 3rd party has not yet released their plugin patch, so keep waiting... For years, video card (and other hardware) manufacturers have jumped on non-compatibility issues created by popular software for which they are not responsible. THEIR engineers create a patch. Apple seems to take an opposite approach: so what if our hardware is non-compatible? The customer will just have to hang around long enough, hoping someone else comes to their rescue.)
4) I spent $2,000 on a device that has LESS internet functionality than my $499 Mac Mini. So far I have a nice looking, very fast word processor. (That is, as long as Microsoft continues to support Office, since Apple currently does not offer a replacement for Office. Apple's party line is that Pages and Front Row are "companions" to Office, not replacements. I would agree.)
5) Apple has no software that allows a laptop and a home-based Mac to automatically synchronize documents (ala PocketPC, or PC docking stations). This is a glaring ommision. iSync & .Mac only synchronize app data, not useful things like Word documents or spreadsheets. Crucial tools for business travelers.
I don't have the luxury to spend this type of money for limited value and a monolithic response from Apple. Either Apple can get it together and resolve issues PROACTIVELY on behalf of their loyal customers, or watch support for their Intel products erode.
As for me, I cannot afford to wait for Apple's success at my expense.

Answer 1

Some answers to your....questions(?)
1) They are replacing the battery? The rest of what you're saying is a bit unclear.
2) I'd call back and speak to someone else. Refer them to the knowledgebase article telling you to call.
3) Flip4Mac universal plugin has been out for a few weeks. Windows Media is a closed format produced by Microsoft. Compatibility is actually Microsoft's responsibility not Apples. Apple tends to support open sources and opens it's sources up to the wider base. The hardware is perfectly compatible - you can easily install windows and run windows media player on it. The issue is the Microsoft will not support WMV on Mac OS sufficiently. You might as well say that Apple should take it upon themselves to release a universal version of Adobe Photoshop.
4) I'm not sure what you mean by less internet functionality, unless you are still talking about Flip4Mac - which incidentally also worked under Rosetta before the universal version came out.
Pages and Keynote are actually pretty good. Microsoft have said that they are committed to supporting Office on the Mac in the future. It runs well on my machine at the moment and there are some open source alternatives out - Open Office and Neo Office amognst others. I think Open Office is awaiting a universal binary, but if your complaint is that Microsoft has a Monoloply on the business software market then I'd agree. A good reason to make alternatives to Microsft work for you.
5) Can't comment on this. Surprising if true. I would have thought that there was some software out to do this.
It strikes me that you seem to expect Apple to be able to do everything - make the hardware and all the software you might ever need. The problem is that there is no computer or software company on Earth that does this. Apple produces more and better hardware/software combinations than anyone else - Microsoft/HP/Dell. - and in any event, doing so would stifle 3rd party development and innovation and probably lead to Anti Trust action like Microsoft have faced in the past and currently in Europe ($300million+ fine).
I'm not by any means an aplogist for Apple, and I appreciate that you're a bit frustrated by your experience, but I can't say that your expectations are entirely reasonable. It seems that Flip4Mac will solve some of the issues you are complaining about.
You could run Windows in parallels or Bootcamp to plug some of the other compatibility gaps you face, or find work arounds. If you want 100% Windows style compatibility then Windows is the only way to get it at the moment.
Anyway, I hope it works out for you.
Best of luck.