Terrible Nasty iBook

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Anyway...my iBook 500 dual-USB w/combo drive, a $1,799 computer when it was purchased, has many many many problems. The latch broke (Apple did repair this, but it is having issues again), the hinge got so stiff it pulled the plastic off the LCD, the keyboard won't stay down in the middle, the trackpad has problems, the trackpad button has problems, and Apple replaced all the plastic surrounding the keyboard for no apparent reason, and did a very poor job at it. The middle of the plastic near the LCD around the keyboard is bulging up in the middle, and the screw that usually goes in there to hold it down doesn't even fit. And they still haven't fixed the magnet that came off underneath the keyboard. And yes, I do know how to put the keyboard on properly after installing RAM/Airport card. And the problems with the keyboard surfaced BEFORE anything was ever installed in this computer. Also, the hard drive is starting to make the terrible whining noise that, as I know for a fact, is a problem with the 10GB IBM hard drives that Apple uses in iBooks.



I am also disappointed at Apple's technical support. After waiting on hold for almost 30 minutes last week, I was greeted by a very morbid sounding rep. What a nice way to treat your customer when they've waited so patiently listening to terrible music for half an hour. And they still haven't offered to replace the computer. I asked about that, and they said they would not replace it. However, at this rate it would be cheaper for them to replace my iBook instead of continuing to have me ship it to them to get it repaired. Also, each time it is repaired it comes back worse, so there is no point in getting it repaired.



Being a Mac user since the early '90s, my experience with Apple's iBooks have turned me away from Apple and towards PCs.



What do you suggest I do, since I do not find sending it to Apple particularly appealing since last time it came back in worse condition.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    ijerryijerry Posts: 615member
    Sorry to hear all of that, my experience has been fantastic..I too have an ibook....total cost after upgrades $2200. My experience with technical support has been great and there are absolutely no problems with my ibook. if you are close to an apple store i would take it in there and go straight to the genius bar.(Face to face customer service). if this is not available to you then I guess...quit. But I have NEVER had a good call with customer service until I migrated over to apple.
  • Reply 2 of 33
    [quote]Originally posted by ijerry:

    <strong>Sorry to hear all of that, my experience has been fantastic..I too have an ibook....total cost after upgrades $2200. My experience with technical support has been great and there are absolutely no problems with my ibook. if you are close to an apple store i would take it in there and go straight to the genius bar.(Face to face customer service). if this is not available to you then I guess...quit. But I have NEVER had a good call with customer service until I migrated over to apple.</strong><hr></blockquote>





    Unfortunately, the nearest Apple store is about 1,000+ miles away <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
  • Reply 3 of 33
    how the f*** did the magnet under the keyboard come off in the normal use of an iBook.



    dude, you took your shit apart and weren't good enough to put it back together. suck it up.



    lol, i had my iBook in about 3 dozen pieces, and got it all back together fine. there's no way that magnet comes off unless you're seriously f*ing aroudn with it. esp. for someone with a hardware hacks site.
  • Reply 4 of 33
    fobiefobie Posts: 216member
    I agree with alcimedes, you HAD to have something to do with why the iBook is so messed up. Maybe dropped it or took it to pieces (like alcimedes said).
  • Reply 5 of 33
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    well, that magnet is really, really strong. there's a screw underneath it to hold it there by magnetism. there is no way, unless you had your ibook unpside down and were dancing with it while you had the keyboard off, that the magnet comes out.



    now, if you were trying to pry it out and you lost it, that would be believeable. sorry man, but especially for someone with a site devoted to hardware hacks, i find your story a bit unplauseable.
  • Reply 6 of 33
    You're all being a bit harsh. Maybe he got a lemon.
  • Reply 7 of 33
    serranoserrano Posts: 1,806member
    he's posted this several times before
  • Reply 8 of 33
    I don't even know how to take the ****ing thing apart!!! And I don't do mac hacks - and all the hacks I have ever done are creating K'NEX cases for PCs. And I've treated my iBook very nicely. Other people abuse theirs and their iBooks work fine. I don't get it - isn't it supposed to be the other way around?



    And don't go assuming someone did something unless you know for a fact.
  • Reply 9 of 33
    kHack, I'd take it to Apple as many times as it takes while it is under Applecare.



    Do it!
  • Reply 10 of 33
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    ok khack, please explain to me how the megnet came out then.
  • Reply 11 of 33
    [quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:

    <strong>ok khack, please explain to me how the megnet came out then.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    The mAgnet (hehe) came out on its own. The keyboard just popped up underneath the num-lock light. At first, pushing it back down worked for about 5 minutes, then it would pop back up. Now it doesn't even stay down at all. The reason for that, though, is because Apple for no reason replaced all the plastic around the keyboard when I sent it in, and they put a screw in there that doesn't fit. And now the little magnet on top of THAT is off. And Apple scratched the battery badly when they were "repairing" the computer. I know I didn't do it because there were no visible artifacts on the machine when I observed it before sending it to Apple. And they didn't do a good job fixing the bulging plastic around the LCD, and they didn't fix the trackpad or HD either. And now the latch that they actually fixed (!) is having a few problems from time to time again, and will most likely break sometime soon.



    For $1,800, you would expect better than this.
  • Reply 12 of 33
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    So it could have been their repair tech that f-ed up your iBook? hrmmm... I thinks it's likely that you did something you weren't supposed to, but it's also possible that some minimum wage tech took out his frustrations on your book. However, based on a pretty good overall impression of thi iBook in the press and on the net, I think it's more likely that you want Apple to pay for one of your mistakes.



    [ 02-17-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
  • Reply 13 of 33
    serranoserrano Posts: 1,806member
    so why didn't you send it back in
  • Reply 14 of 33
    He complained about his iBook constantly on AppleFritter too... he will never be happy with it
  • Reply 15 of 33
    [quote]Originally posted by Stefan:

    <strong>He complained about his iBook constantly on AppleFritter too... he will never be happy with it </strong><hr></blockquote>



    The day Apple offers to replace my iBook will be the day that I think about buying another Mac.
  • Reply 16 of 33
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    lol, ok kHack, i'm supposed to believe that the certified tech at Apple is more likely to have screwed up your machine than you were?



    i had to have my iBook sent in for tight hinges, it came back in one piece, go figure.



    and as for spending $1,800 on your iBook, you can pick them up for under a grand, so stop your bitchin'.
  • Reply 17 of 33
    [quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:

    <strong>lol, ok kHack, i'm supposed to believe that the certified tech at Apple is more likely to have screwed up your machine than you were?



    i had to have my iBook sent in for tight hinges, it came back in one piece, go figure.



    and as for spending $1,800 on your iBook, you can pick them up for under a grand, so stop your bitchin'.</strong><hr></blockquote>





    Well I wanted mine brand new, and I wanted it from a place I could trust (a local Mac store in Portland, Oregon). Unfortunately, both of mine are LEMONS that have multiple problems (esp. the dual-USB one). And I am disappointed that my iBook came back damaged by the "certified" techs.
  • Reply 18 of 33
    In reading similar posts in the past, a few have had luck emailing Steve Jobs himself with their nightmarish stories. They spill their guts to him and he has a replacement shipped out. At this point, if I were you, I'd do it. You've got nothing to lose.
  • Reply 19 of 33
    [quote]Originally posted by DanMacMan:

    <strong>In reading similar posts in the past, a few have had luck emailing Steve Jobs himself with their nightmarish stories. They spill their guts to him and he has a replacement shipped out. At this point, if I were you, I'd do it. You've got nothing to lose.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    What's his E-Mail Address? At this point, I have nothing to lose!
  • Reply 20 of 33
    Can anyone provide me with Steve Jobs' E-Mail address?
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