Is my Apple MacBook Pro Retina a Lemon?

Question

Brand new(7 days old) MacBook Pro Retina 2.4GHz 16GB SSD 15" with latest OS updates. I treat this MacBook like it is my newborn child. I am extremely careful with the hardware AND software configuration, almost to the extent that it's a compulsion. I have used multiple computers with Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems. I take extra time to find out the best way to treat computers as to avoid troubles like these, so I feel especially upset about losing two hours of work on my clients project. Luckily everything is backed up on GitHub and Dropbox.
I used a great tutorial from mactuts on setting up a new mac the way that developers do, and I have set up Windows and Linux just fine. I doubt there is a system or program configuration issue on my part. I was running a few programs that are not processor or RAM intensive.
- Sublime Text 2
- Google Chrome
- CodeKit (Sass compiler)
- iTerm2 (terminal)
- Dropbox (was not syncing)
- Moom (window arranging utility)
- Alfred (app and file finder utility)
There were absolutely no peripherals connected to the MacBook, no mice, USB devices, or even headphones. Only apps running.
I was typing code into Sublime Text 2 and I saved the file, watched the browser for live changes on the web site I was working on (thanks to CodeKit) and the page refreshed fine, when I moved the cursor via the touchpad back to Sublime Text 2 from the Google Chrome window, I was greeting with a 100% frozen MacBook Pro. The entire GUI was stuck, no keys would function at all, and I didn't know what to do. I searched for answers, couldn't find anything, and I held down the power button until the MacBook turned off. The computer was not hot at all during this time.
I restarted the computer after some more searching and found instructions on verifyng the disk. All is fine according to the system Disk Utilities. I just got done with a 1 hour and 6 minute Apple Hardware test with the extended testing option checked. No errors were found. The aluminum north of the function keys got SUPER hot.
The MacBook has done something similar twice before but I shrugged it off. I was doing similar tasks as may have triggered the recent problem, but the freeze only lasted seconds instead of forever. How could a 2600 dollar computer freeze during text editing and web browsing? Have I been sold a lemon? Is this a common problem? Can this problem be corrected? Can the cause of this problem be eliminated?
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.
Thank you so much.
Chad

Answer 1

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.