What is happening at Apple?!?!?!?!
The running joke at my creative agency is the number of powerbooks I have and until recently the reasons for upgrading were always my lust for new hardware or my ability to smash good machines in random accidents.
My Wallstreet G3 runs nicely after 9 years, though the power card is wasted and it can’t run from new batteries — only from a cord. My clamshell G3 iBook runs beautifully. My G4 Titanium has sadly been harvested for parts after my twins danced on the keyboard, but it lives on in another Titanium in the office. A smashed 17 inch G4 that got projectile launched across a Costco parking lot runs nicely with a separate keyboard, monitor and mouse connected to its shattered screen and case and is in daily use by one of my copy writers (Never set your Powerbook on the truck canopy of a home tinkerer who has installed high powered springs to flip his entire truck canopy sideways when he wants in to the back of the bed — I never could have imagined such craziness until I watched the machine do a graceful screen open arc through the air). My G4 1.33 Powerbook runs nicely now after a powercord tip snapped off inside it (if you don’t have Apple Care, find an Apple Tech who will work on the side and do this in an hour. The guides out there showing a need for a complete tear down call for more work than is needed and Apple will charge like $500 if you send this in for a $69 dollar part replacement).
The problem for me is my last two iBooks and my Macbook. Both of the iBooks sit dead on my desk from logic board problems. We’ve run all the updates, replaced drives, changed out ram and everything else under the sun and they’re just terminal. Goodbye to an otherwise nice G3 900 and G4 900 or 933 (?).
Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of performance issues with flash programs and switching over to the Macbook with an Intel processor proved to be an AMAZING, almost unbelieveable, performance boost when compared to the G4.
But a month in I started to have random shutdowns. I spoke with Apple Care, re-seated ram, ran all of my repair utilities, discharged power completely with the battery out, zapped PRAM and basically did everything else I could come up with, as I was experienceing up to 30 random shutdowns per day.
Apple Care staff were always friendly, but I have a strong feeling that I’m not talking with people who actually work on computers or know much about them. Sometimes they’ll get a tech to chat them or speak to them on the phone, but the techs aren’t listening very well to the problems.
Whatever issue software they’re using isn’t very good, as I was sent back again and again to install a firmware update only to eventually read on the Apple site that “Note: This update is only or the original MacBook, and will not install on a MacBook (Late 2006).” See www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbooksmcfirmwareupdate11.html
After a week or more of tests where I repeatedly asked for service on the machine I finally convinced Apple Care staff to send a shipping box to collect the machine (Did I pay a high price for Apple Care so I could argue with otherwise nice people about whether to take the machine in for repairs?).
The box was sent by DHL and they failed to deliver for five business days as they had some confusion over my main street, ground level, business address. From there, the machine has disappeared into a black hole. I was told that I should have it back in three to five days. I’m 13 days in from Apple’s receipt of the machine and they are still waiting on a new logic board and now hoping to ship tomorrow.
I’m blown away by this. This is not what I expect from Apple. I’ve dealt with this kind of incompetency from different Windows PC manufacturers on our other machines, but Apple has never seemed so incapable of dealing with bad product.
May 9th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Just took a 5 month old MacBook to my local Apple Repair Centre, and they say the logic board has died. They predict 3 to 5 days for repair. Been a Mac user since 1996 but never had any serious hardware failure before.
May 10th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Apple received my Macbook on the 24, This past Tuesday they finally put a rush repair order on the repair ticket and are telling me I will receive my computer back on the 26th, three days before I leave to work in England. Let me just say, I have never, ever experienced such slow service from AppleCare before. When my G3′s motherboard fried 5 times in 3 months, they replaced the thing with a beautiful G4 upgrade free of charge, and even got it to me in under a week. As a graphic designer it is imperative that I have a working machine. Thankfully I havent sold my G4 yet. When I bugged the Repair status people long enough they finally read to me the part repair entry for the piece they’re waiting for: “m42a better with kionix”
Logicboard isnt even in there as it was for when my G3′s motherboard died. You’d ask them what part they’re waiting on and they tell you. and they ship it out in a couple days. Why is it different now? Now you ask and they tell you they arent a technician and have no expertise in this area.
Ridiculous.
I havent e3ven tried Creative Suite 3 out on the Macbook yet.
May 11th, 2007 at 12:44 am
I think, and I’m not defending Apple here, but after my own similar troubles with Apple is that they are falling victim to their own success which has all but paralyzed every arm of the computer except sales and development.
It’s too bad, because they do make such darn good stuff.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I wouldn’t waste anymore time with repairs on the Macbook. Put your foot down and get it replaced. Not that it will do much good with the Macbook. I am on my third one and all have had random shut down problems. This time I told Apple I was done and demanded a refund of my money. They won’t refund me but they are going to replace this one and give me a paid upgrade to the Macbook Pro. I sincerely hope the Macbook Pro is more reliable. I like Apple, but I have given up on the Macbook. I am convinced there is a design flaw after three in a row. Hope you have better luck!
Jared
PS For my first replacement they said it would probably only take a week but could take up to 4 weeks. In the end it took 4 weeks and 2 days
May 21st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Remember that Apple is selling more and more devices lately as their sales are way up. More product could mean the percentage of failed devices shows up on more and more doorsteps. Meaning that if Apple had a failure rate of 3% … now that 3% hits a lot more devices in the field. Also, with the rise in sales comes new vendors and suppliers to met the need. Apple is forced to sell what it can to met the needs of all the switchers.
June 9th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
I just had very similar negative experience with a late ’06 macbook–the external speakers went dead [no idea for how long since I rarely use them]. I was told 5-7 business days for repair: DHL box arrived in timely manner but with a town listed that is not in our state. A week later I checked the web repair status to find it “Delayed for part”; two days later, same thing. Called applecare, passed on to someone else, who did a “worldwide search” ; – ) for the part. A week later, got a call from applecare saying the machine would be repaired the next day–a week later still no machine and no update on the web listing. Called again after working at home to wait for the delivery for two days. Finally, it came. I called applecare to find out what was done, but they couldn’t read the codes of “Flextronics,” their sub-contractor. I was on the phone for 37 minutes, asking someone to find out the codes and email me. argh. Why no transparency? why all the stonewalling? why not a bit of truth a. check to see if the standard part is in stock before sending in the machine b. make sure the web/phone sites are updated c. if you don;t know an answer to a customers question, tell them you will find out and do it! this seems so basic to me. Meanwhile does anyone know what this means: service: 630-7736 PCBA, MLB, M42A?
Other repairs, easy to guess, but not why: ASSY, Heatsink, M42; SVC Top case w/ keyboard ASSY.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:53 pm
For some reason, with the iBooks and the new MacBooks, I’ve seen a big jump in logic board failures. Yet, with all the MacBook Pros/PowerBook G4s I’ve used (or friends/associates have used), not logic board has failed. I just returned a MacBook purchased not 2 months ago – and, luckly, got it returned 2 days later. Same problem, blown logic board. I’ve basically given up on the idea of purchasing another MacBook again, with the feeling that the extra $$ I pay will cover the frustration of yet another hardware failure. To answer the above, though, my guess is either the connectors to the video or the mainboard itself.
July 10th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I just got my PowerBook G4 back from AppleCare – took three days, including the July 4 holiday. It was fixed and sent back the day it was received. My problem was with the power control – it stopped charging the battery and would not run without a charged battery plugged in its slot. I figured out that ‘PCBA’ means printed circuit board assembly, MBL means multi-layer-board. My part number was 630-7279, but I have no idea which PCBA inside the laptop was actually replaced. In any case, I’ve been disappointed that I’ve had to send in three Mac laptops to AppleCare within the past year, but pleased with the rapid service and the fact that they were actually fixed each time.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:11 pm
I had a problem with my macbook (wouldn’t start at all, not even from the system cd). Got the box from picked up by DHL a Monday afternoon and am now typing on the fixed computer on Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully, this shows that Apple is improving their AppleCare service.
I work for a school district, and we had purchased 6 macbooks at the same time. Only 1 has had a problem, which isn’t a great percentage but I’m hoping it was just a bad one.
November 7th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
I had a failed logic board, took it to a Mac Genius to diagnose on a Sat am, and had it back on following Tuesday am via FedEx. That’s service!
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June 14th, 2009 at 12:56 am
I am fat and wet the bed daily, I peed on my PowerBook G3 I called Apple and they told me to wear diapers! Now I wear diapers and my PowerBook works again! Yay Apple Yay Diapers!