How to determine which production week your Macbook was completed during
Afternoon all, I read this comment in another thread on the site and thought it would be go showcase in a post directly. If you have asked yourself how to find out which week your macbook was produced during, we can thank Tom for this contribution: (thanks Tom!)
If you must have a machine now, open the box at the store before you buy it and do the following:
Turn the computer on. Go to the Apple icon at the top left corner and hit “About This Mac.†Click the “More Info†button. A screen will pop up and you will be looking at a hardware overview of that machine. This window also tells you the serial number of that machine. In that serial number, you can see what week in which Apple has manufactured it.
The serial number will begin with “4H6″ and then a series of numbers and letters. Look at the two numbers after the “4H6.†For example, my serial number starts with “4H621.†The numbers “21″ indicates that my macbook was made during week 21 of production.
The point is that you want the newest computer you can find. This would be the best way to try and avoid any 1st generation issues. I think at this point the latest week of production is in the 50’s somewhere. So, try and find a macbook with a serial number that starts with “4H650″ or higher. As for any other machine aside from the macbook, I don’t know when they started making them, so I don’t know what week to look for.
Sooo all that said and done, if you’re not in need of a computer really soon I’d simply wait. Wait until everything is updated to core 2 duo. These will be much faster computers listed at the same price. That and they will be Apple’s 2nd generation of machines, so hopefully they will have more kinks worked out of the hardware.
Thanks again Tom!
Cheers!
Matthew
October 30th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
matthew, any idea which week onwards the macbook has the new heat sink & logic board.
just read cox news has covered the macbook shutdown and concerns on apple’s quality control…. hope you will cover this with a new post…
best,
shiv
October 30th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
just some further info… apple isn’t in the 50th week of production… that won’t come until mid December. Yes, later is usually better, but production problems can be anywhere in a run. So the the first machines made on the first day maybe fine, but 20 are bad the next day, then a few weeks later you might have 50 that are bad, etc. If apple can track down the actual issue, they will publish the serial number range of machine affedted. If the firmware fix solves the issue, there is no reason for such of course. MOST hardware problems can be fixed “in software”, so hold tight, apple is working as fast as they can for the people that are affected.
more on serial numbers: FOR EXAMPLE:
4H6314TGU9E
the 4H is the Plant Location -
the 6 is the Year -
31 is the Week -
4TG is the SERIAL NUMBER – UNIQUE to that machine.
U9E is the CONFIGURATION of that machine.
if these isolated issues with MacBooks are a misrouted sensor cable, it’s not a design problem but a training issue, so do go yelling at Apple since that can be fixed in software, 99% of the time.
os11
-
October 30th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
Matthew, when you say wait till everything is upgraded to Core2duo, are you referencing the software to get upgraded or further changes in hardware?
I’m asking because I’ve been in dire need of a new laptop and have been waiting until all this RSS problems get resolved.
October 31st, 2006 at 12:33 am
Jay, thanks for your question. I think at this point, we need to get some good user data from the Macbooks purchased after say 10/1 – I am working on a new poll to send out – we might be out of the clear, but I am thinking that it’s not quite yet as many users aren’t getting favorable results with the latest firmware patch.
Cheers!
Matthew
October 31st, 2006 at 6:25 am
I agree with os11 to a certain extent. Yes, Macbooks are definitely in the week 40 range currently- my mistake. As for a certain set of serial numbers being affected, I would assume every notebook made before September is potentially. The logic board and heatsink fix didn’t start until mid-September. I assume somewhere during that time that Apple had started to produce macbooks with the new heatsink and logic board. Therefore, my advice was to shop for the newest machine because it would, at the very least, have the newer version of a few parts and would be less susceptible to RSS.
As for that silly firmware fix. Think about this for a second:
Your wires coming from the heatsink fuse together or the rubber insulation melts off (this is the cause of the RSS). How in the world is a software update going to fix a physical problem? Yes, your RSS may have stopped, but I can’t imagine that a pair of bare wires touching metal is safe. Personally, and mind you all this is just an opinion, but I think the firmware fix is just a bandaid. See the link below as to why I came to this conclusion:
http://techpaedia.com/apple/2006/10/27/random-shut-downs-apple-releases-firmware-update/
The author of this article says it best:
“The question I now ask myself is how can a software update address a hardware fault with the heat sink’s thermal sensor cable. The only thing I can think of for the moment is that the update adjusts the way in which the System Management Controller (SMC) interprets the electrical signal coming from the sensor cable to extend the operating temperature range of the cable.
What this means is that the SMC logic will NOT trigger a shutdown anymore when it receives an unusual current reading from the sensor cable as a result of increased temperature (increased resistance). If this does not make much sense to you, see my post on the heat sink and sensor cable.”
os11- is anyone really “yelling” at Apple in this post? Is your statement about the misrouted sensor cable not being “a design problem but a training issue” fact or opinion? I’m just curious and would respect either one.
October 31st, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Ummm… if the box is sealed (as all Mac boxes are), then just look at the bottom of the MacBook box. The serial number is right there in plain sight. Of course, testing the unit is better. But not all stores allow opening boxes until you’ve actually paid for them. And some stores don’t actually want you opening a bunch of boxes just to check the serial number. You can probably get an exchange if the serial on the unit doesn’t match the box after paying for it and opening it for inspection.
If I remember correctly, there was a report on ThinkSecret that says MacBooks upto 4H635 don’t have the updated hardware, and 4H636 and up do. Of course, it still all depends on luck. I have a week 36 and week 38 MacBook, no problems of any kind with them so far. And they’ve had tremendous load placed on them for long periods of time.
October 31st, 2006 at 4:49 pm
yes, software can do more than most people realize. for example this sensor cable can be measured for temp and if the spike is related to a cable being melted, that “footprint” in software can quickly subtract “40%” of the temp (for example) to reflect the missing insulation, arriving at the correct value of the temp, then no shutdown.
this is not an electrical problem, it’s just a sensor, there is no danger of shock or anything remotely related, so a software patch can actually resolve most of these issues. All this could boil down to a “training” or production issue. (just a hunch) It would only take “1 person” on the line over a course of a few weeks to cause this issue. A misrouted cable done repeatedly might be the whole issue. Apple is certainly looking into it, but it’s not as easy as it sounds to resolve since the very word within this problem is “Random”. And if you’ve ever been inside a iBook, or PowerBook, you’ll realize it’s FAR more complex internally than the exterior implies, so discovering the exact cause isn’t easy, it takes time, and takes even longer to resolve it, when you are are talking about 10,000 machines out of 375,000 sold.
as for the “yelling at apple”… we need to keep in mind, Windows trolls will use this website to post false information, i’ve read through most all the 1,600 complaints and about 20% of them are created by trolls that do not even have a MacBook.
Lastly, I’d like to see an in-depth Poll… covering the following:
How many Apps were running when it last “shutdown”.
1-3
4-8
9-15
16-25+
Do you ever use your MacBook on a Bed/Pillow other insulated surface?
yes
no
How bright was the screen setting when it last shutdown?
low
med
high
How was the battery being used at the time of the last shutdown?
Fully charged
Charging
No connection to power outlet, battery only
Do you use a processor intensive ScreenSaver?
yes
no
What was the room temp when it last shutdown?
50-60F
61-70F
71-80F
81-90F
— etc, etc… once that data is complied, you could graph it, and you’ll see the pattern. It’s almost certainly related to HEAT, and couple that with a poorly working, incorrectly installed, or non-working sensor cable and the fix will become fairly obvious.
Lastly, if you are having trouble, CALL them, don’t take it to an Apple Store, you add a several day delay via a store for no reason.
os11
October 31st, 2006 at 7:11 pm
os11- I see exactly what you mean. Thank you very much for such in-depth information! I am also getting tired of the phony slams on Apple as that doesn’t help anyone get closer to a solution. I was also very questionable as to how severe this problem with the sensor was until I read your post. This definitely makes me feel better about downloading the SMC update. Your idea as to one person screwing up the assembly line, I think, is likely as well. It would make sense considering the percentage of working macbooks to those that don’t.
***I also think the idea of a detailed poll would greatly help narrow down the problem***
Also, big thanks to follerec for simplifying the serial number idea and the ThinkSecret info. I can imagine how big of a headache it would be to search through boxes and boot up several machines just to find a serial number.
In conclusion, I guess the best thing to do if someone is buying a new macbook is to check the serial number for week 36 or above and, above all, download the SMC update.
November 2nd, 2006 at 4:06 pm
When I went to check my serial number in the System Profiler it gave me no number but said SystemSerialNumb
Isn’t this strange?
November 26th, 2006 at 5:55 am
My serial number does not begin with a “4H6.” Rather the first three letters are “W86.”
December 22nd, 2006 at 1:45 pm
hi i have been following the debate on the rss. i am considering buying the macbook black 2ghtz version. but now have my doubts. should i wait until next year maybe.
December 24th, 2006 at 11:53 pm
I would definetly wait. I bought a black macbook a week ago, and started using it for teh last couple of days. Has worked fine until today (Christmas eve!!), and now it just shuts itself off within anything from 3 – 60 seconds. Production week is 46. Cannot update the firmware as I don’t get enough time before it is “killed”.
Also, why is the charger cable light blinking green at times? Always used to be steady green or orange… =/