What is this business about logic board failures?

ganondorfganondorf
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I recently placed an order for my first Apple and first notebook computer, a 14" 1GHz iBook G4 with 640 RAM. I am very excited and can't wait until it comes in, but I recently have caught wind of this news about the iBook logic board class action suit, and I'm just curious if this problem extends to the latest line of iBooks.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    *waves arm in front of Ganondorf*



    There is no logic board failure. This isn't the laptop you're thinking of......
  • Reply 2 of 7
    jubelumjubelum Posts: 4,490member
    The Mighty iBook problem... that is, the iBook problem that never was, at least not now according to Apple. This "forward-thinking" company has gone rather, well... "Nixonesque" or "Clintonesque" depending on your persuasion.... either "This book is not a crook" or "It depends on what the definition of 'problem' is" ...



    There is obviously a SERIOUS issue with the logic board on some machines. Three of the fifteen people in my MUG have had this issue. One of which complained to Apple, both in the (now removed) discussion forum and to tech support over the phone. None of them have had their issues settled. Apple keeps promising return calls that never come.



    Anyone here still have their 5300? \



    Apple... do you REALLY want ANOTHER class action notice on your homepage, to match the G3/OSX settlement?



    There are many I know that are delighted with their iBooks. People who love em, well.. LOVE EM. People who cannot get their computer to boot or find a hard drive want to send them back to hell, whence they came.



  • Reply 3 of 7
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    It refers to the 600, 700. 800 MHz iBook revisions I believe from May/Nov of last year. I'm not sure that iBook owners prior to/after those revisions have had similar levels of logic board problems.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MCQ

    It refers to the 600, 700. 800 MHz iBook revisions I believe from May/Nov of last year. I'm not sure that iBook owners prior to/after those revisions have had similar levels of logic board problems.



    Nope. Earlier iBooks like my iBook/500 only had Reed-switch failures, which cut the video cable in the hinge and made the screen go blank. Cost me friggin' $300 to repair. The blank screen problem almost deserves its own class action suit.



    Next time I'm getting AppleCare!



    Escher
  • Reply 5 of 7
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    iirc, the problem was based on some bad capacitors that Apple and other computer companies bought from a cheap dealer. turns out the company they bought the parts from had stolen the electrolyte recipe (or something along those lines) and had gotten it wrong. made the things leak all over the place.



    not that it makes your situation any better, but that's why they were fine, had massive problems, and are now fine again.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Any hardware company is going to roll out the occasional problem child. Apple's hardware quality is above average, but things still can and do go wrong.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Amorph

    Any hardware company is going to roll out the occasional problem child. Apple's hardware quality is above average, but things still can and do go wrong.



    Very true, Amorph. I just wish my Apple laptops were as reliable as my TV set or my stereo. I don't have to pay $300 to get AppleCare for those items, just in case they break. I just don't like the move to all these "service" plans. Manufacturers should be able to stand behind their products for more than a year.



    Case in point. I bought a new $300 vaccum cleaner a few years ago, which included a 1-year warranty. The Sears guy tried to sell me a service plan on top of that, which I refused, thinking that a vaccum wasn't a complex machine and should be reliable. 10 months into ownership, the switch on the damn think broke. When I brought it in for repair, the guy told me that the 1-year warranty only covered the motor, and wanted me to pay an additional $30 for the repair. In my book, that's completely screwed up. I had to talk to a manager to "waive" the repair fee, which they admitted was caused by a poorly designed switch. The vacuum has served very well since.



    Similarly, I have gotten a lot of use out of my iBook/500 and don't regret buying it at all. But I'm still pissed that I had to pay $300 to repair the screen when it broke because of a design defect, a few short months out of warranty.



    I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy AppleCare the next time around. But I sure as hell won't like it. My only comfort is that friends with Dell laptops have had significantly worse experiences.



    Escher
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