My 3rd iMac in 5 weeks has a yet another problem; also: Seagate HDD now loud!??
Hi everyone! I'm new, so please be gentle. (yes, I did perform searches! )
So I exchanged my iMac AGAIN, this time for a 27" 2010 model and again, I love it with the exception of a couple of issues.
First, the audio jack doesn't always "take" whenever I put my (Apple) earphones into the audio out connector on the back of the iMac. It usually takes me anywhere between 1 and 3 add'l times to get it to work, i.e. the sound is actually routed through the earphones instead of the iMac's speakers. I used the very same set of earphones with both previous iMac's and it is certainly not the problem.
Then we have a hard drive issue. Apple seems to be using Seagate drives for its 1TB iMac models, the ST31000528ASQ, to be precise. My previous two iMacs' (one late-2009 entry model, one late-2009 21.5" model with the discrete gfx) hard drives were just fine, but the drive in my current model (the mid-2010 27" "dual-core") is producing a considerable amount of noise.
Looking at the drive model no., it appears to be the same drive at first glance. However, it actually shows a slightly different model number for seemingly the same drive: It's the ST31000528AS. Without the "Q". I've searched this forum for information on what the "Q" could possibly stand for, but it's definitely not "Quiet". That's because my previous 21.5" ST31000528ASQ's were both super quiet when another thread on this very forum talks about several issues with "the Q drive", including noise. Well, now that I have the "Q"-less ST31000528AS model, it is so loud that my girlfriend literally thought she heard her coffee machine percolating! (no, really!) I don't even mind the noise that much, but it just adds to the (long) list of inconsistencies with the (lack of?) build quality of these iMac's, both the late 2009 and mid-2010 models.
My previous iMac's, again both 21.5" and "late 2009" models, had issues that forced me to exchange them for new ones. The first had a screen flickering problem, and the second had a bad WiFi card. Each time, I've paid Apple another $300 and $200 respectively, because I was upgrading to the next higher model. They did not suggest that I do. I did so out of own free will, as I did eventually want a 27" screen. Co-incidentally, the timing of my last exchange/upgrade also got me into the new 2010 model, which is highly appreciated!
However, there comes a time when one wants his beautiful iMac to work without any issues and without having to wipe out the hard drive, box it back up, travel back to the store and take yet another one home, only to set it back up while anxiously going through the re-configuration for a fourth time, hoping that there won't be yet another problem.
Phew! I apologize for the long post and if you're reading this, I thank you very much for your time and consideration. What should I do? I'm actually thinking about upgrading to the highest-end iMac, the one with the Quad-core i5. lol...I really really love this iMac. The screen is sensational. It's super fast! I LOVE Mac OS X! I love the fact that I can even run Windows 7! This is my very first Mac, ever, and I have gone through tons of PC's since the MS-DOS days. I am NOT giving up on this gorgeous computer. Do any of you have similar issues with Apple hardware? I switched to the iPhone platform, as of OS 3.1 and never had an issue. My iPad does not have any problems either. Should I get a 2TB model, so as to hopefully fall into a Western Digital hard drive? I can't keep spending money like this, though. lol...
So I exchanged my iMac AGAIN, this time for a 27" 2010 model and again, I love it with the exception of a couple of issues.
First, the audio jack doesn't always "take" whenever I put my (Apple) earphones into the audio out connector on the back of the iMac. It usually takes me anywhere between 1 and 3 add'l times to get it to work, i.e. the sound is actually routed through the earphones instead of the iMac's speakers. I used the very same set of earphones with both previous iMac's and it is certainly not the problem.
Then we have a hard drive issue. Apple seems to be using Seagate drives for its 1TB iMac models, the ST31000528ASQ, to be precise. My previous two iMacs' (one late-2009 entry model, one late-2009 21.5" model with the discrete gfx) hard drives were just fine, but the drive in my current model (the mid-2010 27" "dual-core") is producing a considerable amount of noise.
Looking at the drive model no., it appears to be the same drive at first glance. However, it actually shows a slightly different model number for seemingly the same drive: It's the ST31000528AS. Without the "Q". I've searched this forum for information on what the "Q" could possibly stand for, but it's definitely not "Quiet". That's because my previous 21.5" ST31000528ASQ's were both super quiet when another thread on this very forum talks about several issues with "the Q drive", including noise. Well, now that I have the "Q"-less ST31000528AS model, it is so loud that my girlfriend literally thought she heard her coffee machine percolating! (no, really!) I don't even mind the noise that much, but it just adds to the (long) list of inconsistencies with the (lack of?) build quality of these iMac's, both the late 2009 and mid-2010 models.
My previous iMac's, again both 21.5" and "late 2009" models, had issues that forced me to exchange them for new ones. The first had a screen flickering problem, and the second had a bad WiFi card. Each time, I've paid Apple another $300 and $200 respectively, because I was upgrading to the next higher model. They did not suggest that I do. I did so out of own free will, as I did eventually want a 27" screen. Co-incidentally, the timing of my last exchange/upgrade also got me into the new 2010 model, which is highly appreciated!
However, there comes a time when one wants his beautiful iMac to work without any issues and without having to wipe out the hard drive, box it back up, travel back to the store and take yet another one home, only to set it back up while anxiously going through the re-configuration for a fourth time, hoping that there won't be yet another problem.
Phew! I apologize for the long post and if you're reading this, I thank you very much for your time and consideration. What should I do? I'm actually thinking about upgrading to the highest-end iMac, the one with the Quad-core i5. lol...I really really love this iMac. The screen is sensational. It's super fast! I LOVE Mac OS X! I love the fact that I can even run Windows 7! This is my very first Mac, ever, and I have gone through tons of PC's since the MS-DOS days. I am NOT giving up on this gorgeous computer. Do any of you have similar issues with Apple hardware? I switched to the iPhone platform, as of OS 3.1 and never had an issue. My iPad does not have any problems either. Should I get a 2TB model, so as to hopefully fall into a Western Digital hard drive? I can't keep spending money like this, though. lol...
Comments
I think you need to rub your favourite lucky charm. I've had many Macs and know quite a few people with recent iMacs, and none have had any issues with them (invoke anti-jinx superstition here). Apple has one of, if not the, best build quality track records in the industry. There will always be issues here and there, but overall their record is quite good.
Agreed. I just wanted to get an idea as to how many Apple customers would respond to this. Of course, I also realize that happy people don't voice their high level of contentment other than in a survey perhaps. Thanks for the cheery post!
Agreed. I just wanted to get an idea as to how many Apple customers would respond to this. Of course, I also realize that happy people don't voice their high level of contentment other than in a survey perhaps. Thanks for the cheery post!
Four of my last 6 mac purchases have had problems either out of the box or within the first month or two of use. This is going back about five or six years, mind you. I had one that wouldn't start out of the box, one that had system board failures within the first couple of months, and of the two that I have now--a MBP 15" and a MacPro 2008, the MBP has kernel panics within minutes of starting if I install the maximum 4 GB of RAM in it (but never if I put in 3 or less), and the MacPro's bluetooth is simply unusuable even after 3 returns to the Apple Store to fix it. Having said that, nobody makes a computer that's as aesthetically pleasing to look at an use as Apple, and my attitude is to return them when they have major issues and just live with the minor ones... in balance I still prefer them to the Windows experience, although Windows 7 has really made this a more difficult decision for me.
Four of my last 6 mac purchases have had problems either out of the box or within the first month or two of use. This is going back about five or six years, mind you. I had one that wouldn't start out of the box, one that had system board failures within the first couple of months, and of the two that I have now--a MBP 15" and a MacPro 2008, the MBP has kernel panics within minutes of starting if I install the maximum 4 GB of RAM in it (but never if I put in 3 or less), and the MacPro's bluetooth is simply unusuable even after 3 returns to the Apple Store to fix it. Having said that, nobody makes a computer that's as aesthetically pleasing to look at an use as Apple, and my attitude is to return them when they have major issues and just live with the minor ones... in balance I still prefer them to the Windows experience, although Windows 7 has really made this a more difficult decision for me.
Wow, you guys must be lemon magnets.
I don't think I've ever seen a dead Mac out of the box in this millenium, but at work I certainly have seen a substantial number of Dells, HPs, IBMs flake out immediately or soon after being put into action. Of course I see many more PCs, but still Apple seems to do relatively well. As these brand names are really from the same sources and built by the same manufacturers, the main difference is in the design... where Apple is generally quite good. There were a few lines of Dells and Compaqs a few years ago that were just terrible, and back in the early-90s Apple's track record was quite troublesome.