Apple and reliability?
Adrian, did something bad to his new powerbook—Owwch!—so he’s having an understandable little rant.
I mostly agree, Apple Hardware/Quality Assurance has become more unreliable in the last couple of years (I’ve been buying a new Apple computer every couple years since 1988). Possibly it is a combination of them moving manufacturing ever deeper into the third world (mere speculation) and their penchant for increasingly more ambitious engineering feats.
Recently the latch failed on my Powerbook which is sadly out of warrantee, it just needs a little coaxing so that it hits the right spot and starts locking the lid closed again. The Applecenter repair guy said that he would have to replace the entire casing for which he wanted over $800 AUD in parts and labour to do. I begged him to just go at it with a pair of pliers and if it all ended in tears then no hard feelings - but he would only do the repair in the “Apple recommended” way. Two words - Rubber Band.
I’ve never entertained the extended warrantee before as it has been my experience that the niggling little break downs that sometimes occur usually happen in the first 12 months and Apple just fixes this stuff no questions asked and are usually fairly snappy about it. I think when I buy my next machine I’ll consider the extended warrantee now. It also has to be said I’m a heavy user and pretty hard on machines so all in all I’m pretty happy generally. For instance I knocked my current Ai Powerbook of a waist height table while it was on and just picked it up and started using it again, no drama… and about 4 days after I bought my Titanium Powerbook it suffered not the slightest when a woman threw it across a bar with some force (inside my backpack), but that’s another story.
… by the sound of it throwing his laptop across the room has had a different outcome for Adrian. So it goes, my friend… think of the tax deduction. Maybe you’ll find some other use for it
