I wouldn't buy a PowerBook. Instead, get a PC laptop. The only Mac I would buy is a Power Macintosh G4, the only model that Apple pays attention to quality with. My iBook is suffering from a repair job that Apple did on it, that took 2 1/2 weeks. And I have heard some pretty interesting stories from people that have TiBooks. So my advice: Don't buy a PowerBook G4 until Apple realizes there is something called Quality.
<strong>I wouldn't buy a PowerBook. Instead, get a PC laptop. The only Mac I would buy is a Power Macintosh G4, the only model that Apple pays attention to quality with. My iBook is suffering from a repair job that Apple did on it, that took 2 1/2 weeks. And I have heard some pretty interesting stories from people that have TiBooks. So my advice: Don't buy a PowerBook G4 until Apple realizes there is something called Quality. </strong><hr></blockquote>
You're kidding, right? In terms of quality, nothing can top my iBook. I haven't had one, single problem with it in the 8+ months since I've had it. Nothing. And I have put this thing to the test. I carry it everywhere with me. It's always in my backpack or bag. I took it to Egypt, where there's a hell of a lot of dust and dirty power. I took it to Europe, where it's cold and damp. I take it into smoky coffeeshops. No problems at all. And I run OS X. I will never go back to OS 9. For all the quirks of X (and there are quirks), I would take X anyday over 9. I can do things that I never would have attempted (running a webserver, mail server, ftp server; web programming with PHP and mysql; graphics; in short everything). And the PB would only be better.
You're kidding, right? In terms of quality, nothing can top my iBook. I haven't had one, single problem with it in the 8+ months since I've had it. Nothing. And I have put this thing to the test. I carry it everywhere with me. It's always in my backpack or bag. I took it to Egypt, where there's a hell of a lot of dust and dirty power. I took it to Europe, where it's cold and damp. I take it into smoky coffeeshops. No problems at all. And I run OS X. I will never go back to OS 9. For all the quirks of X (and there are quirks), I would take X anyday over 9. I can do things that I never would have attempted (running a webserver, mail server, ftp server; web programming with PHP and mysql; graphics; in short everything). And the PB would only be better.</strong><hr></blockquote>
iBook? Quality? You must have had a lemon! That is, an iBook that actually worked. I've seen other people's iBooks too, and the most common problem seems to be that the magnet comes apart underneath the numlock indicator that holds the middle of the keyboard down. You call that quality?? Plus, I have TWO iBooks, that are BOTH problematic. And I know two people with iBooks that I've actually used, and they have problems too. So all four out of four iBooks I own or have used are having problems. You call that quality? Plus, when I sent mine to be repaired, it came back worse. And on top of that, 3-5 days, which is how long Apple said it would take, ended up being 2 1/2 weeks. Last time I checked 2 1/2 weeks did not equal 3-5 days
And a couple of friends of mine have PC laptops at school, HPs to be exact - they are clunkier and heavier, but the only way they break is if you drop them.
My iBook has never been dropped, and I carry it arround in bubblewrap. Never been banged, anything like that. I take care of it far better than my friends with PC laptops, who drop theirs all the time, and their laptops still work!! So my point is, iBooks fall apart whether you cause it or not, which is why I won't buy another Mac again (unless I can get a Power Mac G4, but probably not because I don't need one).
2.The keyboard seems to depend, reports seem to indicate that often people who install RAM or AirPort Cards often don't get the keyboard seated in quite right.
3.Reports also indicate that scratches can be highly visible. But I think a sleeve would take care of those concerns
I think your report is a little anomalous. Most people seem quite happy with their books. I know of at least as many PC laptop problems, you just don't tend to read about them (since there aren't to many PC laptop forums around dedicated to one particular brand.) I also think that Mac users in general tend to do a little more with their laptops than typical PC-laptop users. I know of at least one person who makes quite a few VCD's on her iBook, while nearly every PC laptop user in my dept uses their machine as little more than a luggable word-processor, and occasional note-taker (when batteries/socketry permit). Heavier usage may reveal more issues, ie. the video out. Some people had problems outputting to TV. An Apple A/V cable ussually solved the problem if they were using some generic cable. If I recal there was also a little potential trouble with the early BTO 20GB units. That's a problem for sure, Apple should have designed an easier to swap HDD mount. Hopefully they will do that in future revisions. Most people won't swap the HDD anyway, but if something goes wrong it's nice to know a service shop can fix it for you without sending back to Apple. However, this isn't different than most PC laptops, whose internals (except for RAM) are absolutely not user upgradeable. I know of some that are sealed with annoying warrantee 'tabs'. Want to fix it, you have to send that back too.
Nah, most reports indicate that the iBook actually stands up to a fair amount of abuse. Your story doesn't seem right, what exactly were the problems with the iBooks in question?
I guess there was also the sleep/wake from sleep issue. But didn't a driver/OS patch fix that?
It is interesting how you all seem to back yourselves up when someone reports true facts about Macs.
Anyway...my iBook 500 dual-USB w/combo drive, a $1,799 computer when it was purchased, has many many many problems. The latch broke (Apple did repair this, but it is having issues again), the hinge got so stiff it pulled the plastic off the LCD, the keyboard won't stay down in the middle, the trackpad has problems, the trackpad button has problems, and Apple replaced all the plastic surrounding the keyboard for no apparent reason, and did a very poor job at it. The middle of the plastic near the LCD around the keyboard is bulging up in the middle, and the screw that usually goes in there to hold it down doesn't even fit. And they still haven't fixed the magnet that came off underneath the keyboard. And yes, I do know how to put the keyboard on properly after installing RAM/Airport card. And the problems with the keyboard surfaced BEFORE anything was ever installed in this computer. Also, the hard drive is starting to make the terrible whining noise that, as I know for a fact, is a problem with the 10GB IBM hard drives that Apple uses in iBooks.
I am also disappointed at Apple's technical support. After waiting on hold for almost 30 minutes last week, I was greeted by a very morbid sounding rep. What a nice way to treat your customer when they've waited so patiently listening to terrible music for half an hour. And they still haven't offered to replace the computer. I asked about that, and they said they would not replace it. However, at this rate it would be cheaper for them to replace my iBook instead of continuing to have me ship it to them to get it repaired. Also, each time it is repaired it comes back worse, so there is no point in getting it repaired.
Being a Mac user since the early '90s, my experience with Apple's iBooks have turned me away from Apple and towards PCs. However, I do not like M$ products either, instead opting for Linux.
Instead of criticizing my report about iBooks, and coming up with ever excuse you can make to back up Apple, is there something you could suggest I do instead of sending it in again which makes it worse??
1: Never write a letter to Apple. Instead send an email directly to Steve Jobs. And yes he does reply to some of his email.
2: You don't need to spend all of your $3500. The 550 TI PB with DVD-CDRW is going for $2300. The 667 model is below $3000.
3: You might consider Tonton's advice and buy an iBook. I've been playing around with th 600 Mhz model at compusa and I personally feel that it is faster than the 550 TI PB.
You seem to have a perticularly bad version of an early chicklet. And people have reported the problems you describe. Still, the vast majority of iBooks, especially since the 600/100 rev have recieved glowing reports. Please post a few pics of your machine. Same issues with the other ones too? Does the drive still work? I've seen many Laptops that make all sorts of grinding and clicking noises yet continue to work perfectly. Do the machines boot-up and run well? Why did the hinge break, because it was too tight, or did you do something ham-fisted?
I don't want to pick on you or anything, but like most internet reports we only know what you tell us. You might just be angry cause Apple won't replace something that you broke, or you might be one of those inane sticklers who has a cow if one piece of plastic is a fraction of a millimeter out of alignment. Just like we don't know if a report is uncharacteristically good, we don't know if one is unfairly bad. The one owner I know personally (very well) is completely happy with hers.
Post a few picks, so we can have a better idea about the defect and how it was caused.
Lets have a few other's weigh in, good and bad, and the extent of it.
<strong>It is interesting how you all seem to back yourselves up when someone reports true facts about Macs.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Let's see, you had a bad experience with your iBook, lots of the rest of us had good experiences with our iBooks.... is it possible that you were unlucky and that most iBooks are pretty well-made?
Comments
<strong>I wouldn't buy a PowerBook. Instead, get a PC laptop. The only Mac I would buy is a Power Macintosh G4, the only model that Apple pays attention to quality with. My iBook is suffering from a repair job that Apple did on it, that took 2 1/2 weeks. And I have heard some pretty interesting stories from people that have TiBooks. So my advice: Don't buy a PowerBook G4 until Apple realizes there is something called Quality.
You're kidding, right? In terms of quality, nothing can top my iBook. I haven't had one, single problem with it in the 8+ months since I've had it. Nothing. And I have put this thing to the test. I carry it everywhere with me. It's always in my backpack or bag. I took it to Egypt, where there's a hell of a lot of dust and dirty power. I took it to Europe, where it's cold and damp. I take it into smoky coffeeshops. No problems at all. And I run OS X. I will never go back to OS 9. For all the quirks of X (and there are quirks), I would take X anyday over 9. I can do things that I never would have attempted (running a webserver, mail server, ftp server; web programming with PHP and mysql; graphics; in short everything). And the PB would only be better.
<strong>
You're kidding, right? In terms of quality, nothing can top my iBook. I haven't had one, single problem with it in the 8+ months since I've had it. Nothing. And I have put this thing to the test. I carry it everywhere with me. It's always in my backpack or bag. I took it to Egypt, where there's a hell of a lot of dust and dirty power. I took it to Europe, where it's cold and damp. I take it into smoky coffeeshops. No problems at all. And I run OS X. I will never go back to OS 9. For all the quirks of X (and there are quirks), I would take X anyday over 9. I can do things that I never would have attempted (running a webserver, mail server, ftp server; web programming with PHP and mysql; graphics; in short everything). And the PB would only be better.</strong><hr></blockquote>
iBook? Quality? You must have had a lemon! That is, an iBook that actually worked. I've seen other people's iBooks too, and the most common problem seems to be that the magnet comes apart underneath the numlock indicator that holds the middle of the keyboard down. You call that quality?? Plus, I have TWO iBooks, that are BOTH problematic. And I know two people with iBooks that I've actually used, and they have problems too. So all four out of four iBooks I own or have used are having problems. You call that quality? Plus, when I sent mine to be repaired, it came back worse. And on top of that, 3-5 days, which is how long Apple said it would take, ended up being 2 1/2 weeks. Last time I checked 2 1/2 weeks did not equal 3-5 days
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
Anyway...
And a couple of friends of mine have PC laptops at school, HPs to be exact - they are clunkier and heavier, but the only way they break is if you drop them.
My iBook has never been dropped, and I carry it arround in bubblewrap. Never been banged, anything like that. I take care of it far better than my friends with PC laptops, who drop theirs all the time, and their laptops still work!!
1. Keyboard
2. Tight hinge
3. Scratches
1.The hinge issue was adressed.
2.The keyboard seems to depend, reports seem to indicate that often people who install RAM or AirPort Cards often don't get the keyboard seated in quite right.
3.Reports also indicate that scratches can be highly visible. But I think a sleeve would take care of those concerns
I think your report is a little anomalous. Most people seem quite happy with their books. I know of at least as many PC laptop problems, you just don't tend to read about them (since there aren't to many PC laptop forums around dedicated to one particular brand.) I also think that Mac users in general tend to do a little more with their laptops than typical PC-laptop users. I know of at least one person who makes quite a few VCD's on her iBook, while nearly every PC laptop user in my dept uses their machine as little more than a luggable word-processor, and occasional note-taker (when batteries/socketry permit). Heavier usage may reveal more issues, ie. the video out. Some people had problems outputting to TV. An Apple A/V cable ussually solved the problem if they were using some generic cable. If I recal there was also a little potential trouble with the early BTO 20GB units. That's a problem for sure, Apple should have designed an easier to swap HDD mount. Hopefully they will do that in future revisions. Most people won't swap the HDD anyway, but if something goes wrong it's nice to know a service shop can fix it for you without sending back to Apple. However, this isn't different than most PC laptops, whose internals (except for RAM) are absolutely not user upgradeable. I know of some that are sealed with annoying warrantee 'tabs'. Want to fix it, you have to send that back too.
Nah, most reports indicate that the iBook actually stands up to a fair amount of abuse. Your story doesn't seem right, what exactly were the problems with the iBooks in question?
I guess there was also the sleep/wake from sleep issue. But didn't a driver/OS patch fix that?
Anyway...my iBook 500 dual-USB w/combo drive, a $1,799 computer when it was purchased, has many many many problems. The latch broke (Apple did repair this, but it is having issues again), the hinge got so stiff it pulled the plastic off the LCD, the keyboard won't stay down in the middle, the trackpad has problems, the trackpad button has problems, and Apple replaced all the plastic surrounding the keyboard for no apparent reason, and did a very poor job at it. The middle of the plastic near the LCD around the keyboard is bulging up in the middle, and the screw that usually goes in there to hold it down doesn't even fit. And they still haven't fixed the magnet that came off underneath the keyboard. And yes, I do know how to put the keyboard on properly after installing RAM/Airport card. And the problems with the keyboard surfaced BEFORE anything was ever installed in this computer. Also, the hard drive is starting to make the terrible whining noise that, as I know for a fact, is a problem with the 10GB IBM hard drives that Apple uses in iBooks.
I am also disappointed at Apple's technical support. After waiting on hold for almost 30 minutes last week, I was greeted by a very morbid sounding rep. What a nice way to treat your customer when they've waited so patiently listening to terrible music for half an hour. And they still haven't offered to replace the computer. I asked about that, and they said they would not replace it. However, at this rate it would be cheaper for them to replace my iBook instead of continuing to have me ship it to them to get it repaired. Also, each time it is repaired it comes back worse, so there is no point in getting it repaired.
Being a Mac user since the early '90s, my experience with Apple's iBooks have turned me away from Apple and towards PCs. However, I do not like M$ products either, instead opting for Linux.
Instead of criticizing my report about iBooks, and coming up with ever excuse you can make to back up Apple, is there something you could suggest I do instead of sending it in again which makes it worse??
1: Never write a letter to Apple. Instead send an email directly to Steve Jobs. And yes he does reply to some of his email.
2: You don't need to spend all of your $3500. The 550 TI PB with DVD-CDRW is going for $2300. The 667 model is below $3000.
3: You might consider Tonton's advice and buy an iBook. I've been playing around with th 600 Mhz model at compusa and I personally feel that it is faster than the 550 TI PB.
I don't want to pick on you or anything, but like most internet reports we only know what you tell us. You might just be angry cause Apple won't replace something that you broke, or you might be one of those inane sticklers who has a cow if one piece of plastic is a fraction of a millimeter out of alignment. Just like we don't know if a report is uncharacteristically good, we don't know if one is unfairly bad. The one owner I know personally (very well) is completely happy with hers.
Post a few picks, so we can have a better idea about the defect and how it was caused.
Lets have a few other's weigh in, good and bad, and the extent of it.
<strong>It is interesting how you all seem to back yourselves up when someone reports true facts about Macs.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Let's see, you had a bad experience with your iBook, lots of the rest of us had good experiences with our iBooks.... is it possible that you were unlucky and that most iBooks are pretty well-made?
I'd say I'm preatty thrilled with Apple.
The 600 has had not the first problem at all.