I have a 17" MBP early 2011, and I had AppleCare install replacement motherboard for this issue about a month before my 3 year AppleCare warranty expired. Everything should be fine for me, right? Well, now I am wondering if Apple's replacement board was identical to the original and will suffer the same problem in a couple of years. Does anyone know if they put in a better chip in the replacement motherboards?
I've had $1800 worth of repairs on my 15" 2011 MBP, making the purchase of AppleCare worth it. I expect another two years from this thing past warranty, and will be disappointed if the issues resurface again before then. My only annoyance is that it took three separate trips into the store before anyone took my claims seriously and I was made to feel like I was expecting too much of my $3000+ computer.
Had I not told the genius that I wasn't leaving till the computer was working as it should that he agreed to have a tech look at it. While all the tests for the third time came back normal I played an HD video and it quickly began to mess up. Sure enough they told me they would take it and run some more tests. Got a call the next day saying I needed to sign off on the repair work and 2 days later it was working like new.
I was so put off that I had gone 8 months with an almost completely unusable computer that I swore I would never buy another Apple product, but once I got it back that quickly faded away. Once they realized I wasn't lying or making it all up they were quick to fix it and we're very apologetic. I just hope I don't have any of these problems with my next computer... Or this again... Reading through posts it seems like it's a bit of a reoccurring issue.
I am not surprised in the slightest about this and am glad it happened. Apple had the chance to fix this problem before it reached this point and they didn't so now a judge will force them to.
My wife and I both have problematic MBP from 2011 and both have had to be repaired outside of warranty at our own expense. Apple did not want to know and as we live in the UK where class actions like this simply do not happen, we have had to suck it up. It goes to show that the problem was not limited to the US. Crazily, we have both stuck with Apple for other products including iMacs, iPhones, iPads, etc., and in fairness have never had a problem with any other product.
Apple should be gutting the GPU card makers involved over this. Mine was Nvidia.
I think Apple is taking most of them out of their lineup. The highest volume machines now have integrated graphics. I would guess that less than 10% of their shipping volume now has dedicated GPUs in them due to the higher price. Intel is starting to make big leaps with their IGPs and it wouldn't surprise me if they ditched all dGPUs in portables with Broadwell.
AMD can't take the hit financially - they already make tens of millions in losses every quarter. They don't make the chips any more either. IMO, Apple should find a hardware or software solution for disabling the dedicated GPU and let people get a working machine that runs of the IGP. People who actually need the dedicated GPU can then at least sell a working machine and upgrade to a newer model.
Every time this comes up it's exactly the same thing. Lead-free solder. The stuff forms very brittle interface layers and then it undergoes thermal cycling and it breaks apart. The oven trick melts and reflows the solder. There's a reason why airplanes and cars and enterprise equipment is exempt from lead-free. It's the consumer that bears the brunt of Euro tree-hugging.
WTF does Europeans, environmentalists... and/or Euro-Environmentalists have to do with this?
1) *IF* Apple was ever found to include dangerous chemicals or compounds in their products, it would be the US Media that would create a panic and shitstorm so big, that people would be running around in HazMats and burning down entire schools with Apple products in them AKA "throwing out the baby with the bathwater"... 'cause "think of the children" (see below).
2) Europeans are more conscious of their environment due to the simple fact that we have less space available to survive on. We have no use for you in our society for thinking we should be so casual and flippant about dangerous chemicals that when released, can danger many millions within miles rather, than needing to travel huge distances and states to poison the same number in US of A.
3) Tree-hugging is actually a beautiful thing; it shows respect and love for that which gives even fools like you the ability to breath. If you've ever been to a place with no trees like the desert, you have even more respect for them, and I'd bet my last dollar that you would hug one as soon as you saw it on the horizon.
4) while your tech assessment was spot on... your scapegoating was uncalled for... and infuriating.
As someone that respects and does there part for a clean environment, I also am doing that for a safe society for everyone to live in, that in this case unfortunately, also includes and benefits people like YOU!
May I suggest you replace your Corn Flakes with paint chips as cereal in the morning, since we no longer need you to reproduce. Or have you been doing that all along and you're experiencing the psychological effects of lead poisoning which your post alludes to?
Since my last post was simply a pointed rant against one member's (stupid) response, I'd like to say that as big of an Apple fan as I am, they really do need to take a bit more care in dealing with customer complaints... especially when it appears that it is affecting more than a few people and their machines.
With that said though, I have yet to ever have a situation or obvious defect that hasn't been dealt with promptly by Apple. Some times replacing an entire device like an iPhone, to repairing iMacs as many times as necessary under warranty or Apple Care.
The "tone" of many of the replies here and on Apple's support site, tells me that a lot of these folks have human interactivity issues, and are always in conflict of one kind or another, and go into an Apple store with a battle-face and stance before they even enter the doors. These same people are often known to have their pizzas spit on.
As with "trees"... if you treat people with courtesy and respect, it's amazing what they will (both) do for you. One keeps you alive, the other your MBP.
Whilst agreeing wholeheartedly with you that Apple generally are brilliant at dealing with faults and repairs claimed under warranty or Apple Care, especially when dealt with politely, they can be disappointing when dealing with items like these graphics failures. My wife and I have each had problems with our respective 2011 MBP's and these problems came outside of the warranty period. We did not have Apple Care. We are British based here in the UK and inherently polite possibly to the point of being walkovers when we complain. Managers and Geniuses in Apple stores told us repeatedly that there was no inherent fault with the MBP from 2011 despite whatever evidence we found to the contrary online and presented to them. We were, we told, the only people experiencing our particular problems. So we had repairs made and we paid - in my case twice. Our loyalty to Apple continues to be expressed in our continued commitment to buying yet more Apple products as they appear - but here we are with a class action ongoing over in the US of A over the same problem we have had and no recourse here. My wife gave up her MBP last year and I bought her a Mac Air. My MBP staggers on regardless - but having failed twice will there be a third time?
I dropped off my late 2011 MBP on Monday. I had no idea how pervasive the issue was with this laptop. I'm still covered by AppleCare for a few more months. Not feeling confident my $2400 investment will endure a few more years.
My 15" MBP is same vintage: 8,2 designator with the AMD Radeon HD 6490M w/256MB. Purchased this in Oct 2012, like 2 wks before the "new" ones came out (yea, was a bit pissed). Had the Quad-i7 (hyper threaded) and 8GB RAM (upgraded from the stock 4GB). This is my "primary" machine at home, and as such, generally stays on my desk, hooked up to a Viewsonic 22" LCD flatscreen (DVI connector). Up until ~ 6 mos ago, all was well, no real graphic issues. Then, I began seeing some "pixel dirt" on a few lines in the middle of the screen. After a while, would go away. Not doing anything horribly intensive, mainly "user" type stuff (surf, e-mail, letters, etc) though I do use it for work (Software developer) on occasion. This "pixel dirt" was getting a bit worse lately. ONLY seen on the external monitor, not the internal screen. And I do switch back/forth on occasion, would say I'm using 80% w/External hookup, 20% as a notebook. Recently I switched out the monitor (was a ~ 2006 vintage setup, getting long in the tooth) for a 27" Hanns-G LED setup (though CPU still only drives 1920x1080, poo. . . ) Have not seen the "pixel dirt" since the swap. Maybe it was the monitor? I might be lucky in that my machine is a "newer" vintage of the production run, so things were somewhat addressed?? Given what I've read/seen, it's a definite issue and should be addressed. I would agree that AMD shares some blame here.
I think Apple is taking most of them out of their lineup. The highest volume machines now have integrated graphics. I would guess that less than 10% of their shipping volume now has dedicated GPUs in them due to the higher price. Intel is starting to make big leaps with their IGPs and it wouldn't surprise me if they ditched all dGPUs in portables with Broadwell.
AMD can't take the hit financially - they already make tens of millions in losses every quarter. They don't make the chips any more either. IMO, Apple should find a hardware or software solution for disabling the dedicated GPU and let people get a working machine that runs of the IGP. People who actually need the dedicated GPU can then at least sell a working machine and upgrade to a newer model.
I agree. I love the strides Intel is making and glad that Apple pushed them to that level. I hope Intel keeps making these strides and never stops as long as it possible so that nVidia and AMD only are ahead of the pack with hardcore gamer notebooks.
Instead of a 3 post incoherent rant, why don't you educate yourself about ROHS and how lead-free failure is a industry wide problem.
OK... ya got me. So you were able to link to Europeans taking a health and environmental safety initiative. Goody for you! I did mention that we take environmental measures rather seriously for many a good reason.
Now explain why ROHS is bad.... and why tree-hugging (respect for all foliage and fauna actually) is the reason for Apple's failed replacement policy in regards to the MBP problems.
I'll give ya credit for linking your reasoning behind "Euro"... but bringing the derisive "tree-hugger" part into it makes you just another egoistic waste of valuable resources in my book. Especially the air you breath to spout your trash.
Besides... why wouldn't the consumer take the brunt of Euro tree-hugging even if it was the source of the problem, or future problems to a safe coexistence on this rock we live on? Surely you wouldn't want to tap into taxes to do that now would you?
So... let's just ignore it; maybe it'll all go away and regulate itself for free; companies the world over will be responsible all of a sudden what they use to produce products and how they dispose of waste; or we'll just keep on doing what each person "thinks" is right to alleviate the problems of an ever more polluted environment. Sorry, but none of the aforementioned are viable solutions. :no:
Whilst agreeing wholeheartedly with you that Apple generally are brilliant at dealing with faults and repairs claimed under warranty or Apple Care, especially when dealt with politely, <span style="line-height:1.4em;">they can be disappointing when dealing with items like these graphics failures. My wife and I have each had problems with our respective 2011 MBP's and these problems came outside of the warranty period. We did not have Apple Care. We are British based here in the UK and inherently polite possibly to the point of being walkovers when we complain. Managers and Geniuses in Apple stores told us repeatedly that there was no inherent fault with the MBP from 2011 despite whatever evidence we found to the contrary online and presented to them. We were, we told, the only people experiencing our particular problems. So we had repairs made and we paid - in my case twice. Our loyalty to Apple continues to be expressed in our continued commitment to buying yet more Apple products as they appear - but here we are with a class action ongoing over in the US of A over the same problem we have had and no recourse here. My wife gave up her MBP last year and I bought her a Mac Air. My MBP staggers on regardless - but having failed twice will there be a third time?</span>
It's really sad and disappointing to hear that story. What do you say you right a short letter in that wonderful Oxford prose to Tim Cook, explaining your situation and why you still value Apple products. Stranger things have happened than TC actually replying... so I would say it's worth a shot.
I do mean this in all seriousness, and of course did not mean "all people" walk into an Apple store with a chip on their shoulder. It just appears that way from the knee-jerking crowd coming across the loudest in these cases.
Thanks PixelDoc, you may have a point. Mr Cook will get a letter and should I get a reply I will let you know. As for the "Oxford prose", you have no idea just how accurate you were with that aside - I actually work within the 'dreaming spires' - so best wishes and again thank you for your thoughtful comment.
This is long overdue. For a company with billions of $$$ that charges a premium price for what is supposed to be premium products they should be in the lead as far as helping their customers when component failures become a common issue. Instead they're one of the most stingy in this area. I don't mind paying the premium prices but I expect premium service. In the last few years there have been a number of flaws in everything from iPhone to MacBooks that Apple has refused to acknowledge or address. Not cool.
My iPhone 5 had to be replaced 4 times in the first month. While Apple paid for that under warranty it says a lot about the lack of quality in a premium priced product
Agreed.
They've been making hardware slips of an unAppley scale since the iPhone 5. To give them the benefit of the doubt, Steve Jobs died, and they went through a period of transition. With luck, they will get a grip on things, and we consumers will not have to endure the shoddy mistakes that have become too common in recent years.
Comments
Had I not told the genius that I wasn't leaving till the computer was working as it should that he agreed to have a tech look at it. While all the tests for the third time came back normal I played an HD video and it quickly began to mess up. Sure enough they told me they would take it and run some more tests. Got a call the next day saying I needed to sign off on the repair work and 2 days later it was working like new.
I was so put off that I had gone 8 months with an almost completely unusable computer that I swore I would never buy another Apple product, but once I got it back that quickly faded away. Once they realized I wasn't lying or making it all up they were quick to fix it and we're very apologetic. I just hope I don't have any of these problems with my next computer... Or this again... Reading through posts it seems like it's a bit of a reoccurring issue.
Same here..
My wife and I both have problematic MBP from 2011 and both have had to be repaired outside of warranty at our own expense. Apple did not want to know and as we live in the UK where class actions like this simply do not happen, we have had to suck it up. It goes to show that the problem was not limited to the US. Crazily, we have both stuck with Apple for other products including iMacs, iPhones, iPads, etc., and in fairness have never had a problem with any other product.
I think Apple is taking most of them out of their lineup. The highest volume machines now have integrated graphics. I would guess that less than 10% of their shipping volume now has dedicated GPUs in them due to the higher price. Intel is starting to make big leaps with their IGPs and it wouldn't surprise me if they ditched all dGPUs in portables with Broadwell.
AMD can't take the hit financially - they already make tens of millions in losses every quarter. They don't make the chips any more either. IMO, Apple should find a hardware or software solution for disabling the dedicated GPU and let people get a working machine that runs of the IGP. People who actually need the dedicated GPU can then at least sell a working machine and upgrade to a newer model.
WTF does Europeans, environmentalists... and/or Euro-Environmentalists have to do with this?
1) *IF* Apple was ever found to include dangerous chemicals or compounds in their products, it would be the US Media that would create a panic and shitstorm so big, that people would be running around in HazMats and burning down entire schools with Apple products in them AKA "throwing out the baby with the bathwater"... 'cause "think of the children" (see below).
2) Europeans are more conscious of their environment due to the simple fact that we have less space available to survive on. We have no use for you in our society for thinking we should be so casual and flippant about dangerous chemicals that when released, can danger many millions within miles rather, than needing to travel huge distances and states to poison the same number in US of A.
3) Tree-hugging is actually a beautiful thing; it shows respect and love for that which gives even fools like you the ability to breath. If you've ever been to a place with no trees like the desert, you have even more respect for them, and I'd bet my last dollar that you would hug one as soon as you saw it on the horizon.
4) while your tech assessment was spot on... your scapegoating was uncalled for... and infuriating.
As someone that respects and does there part for a clean environment, I also am doing that for a safe society for everyone to live in, that in this case unfortunately, also includes and benefits people like YOU!
May I suggest you replace your Corn Flakes with paint chips as cereal in the morning, since we no longer need you to reproduce. Or have you been doing that all along and you're experiencing the psychological effects of lead poisoning which your post alludes to?
Lead Toxicity - What Are the Physiologic Effects of Lead Exposure?
With that said though, I have yet to ever have a situation or obvious defect that hasn't been dealt with promptly by Apple. Some times replacing an entire device like an iPhone, to repairing iMacs as many times as necessary under warranty or Apple Care.
The "tone" of many of the replies here and on Apple's support site, tells me that a lot of these folks have human interactivity issues, and are always in conflict of one kind or another, and go into an Apple store with a battle-face and stance before they even enter the doors. These same people are often known to have their pizzas spit on.
As with "trees"... if you treat people with courtesy and respect, it's amazing what they will (both) do for you. One keeps you alive, the other your MBP.
This was in my feed from a photo site this morning, PetaPixel:
[URL=http://petapixel.com/2014/10/28/stop-taking-selfies-bears-us-forest-service-says/]Stop Taking Selfies with Bears, US Forest Service Says[/URL]
... with this photo... which is far sadder what's going on in the background in a National Forest, than that idiot's expression.
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/51585/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
Whilst agreeing wholeheartedly with you that Apple generally are brilliant at dealing with faults and repairs claimed under warranty or Apple Care, especially when dealt with politely, they can be disappointing when dealing with items like these graphics failures. My wife and I have each had problems with our respective 2011 MBP's and these problems came outside of the warranty period. We did not have Apple Care. We are British based here in the UK and inherently polite possibly to the point of being walkovers when we complain. Managers and Geniuses in Apple stores told us repeatedly that there was no inherent fault with the MBP from 2011 despite whatever evidence we found to the contrary online and presented to them. We were, we told, the only people experiencing our particular problems. So we had repairs made and we paid - in my case twice. Our loyalty to Apple continues to be expressed in our continued commitment to buying yet more Apple products as they appear - but here we are with a class action ongoing over in the US of A over the same problem we have had and no recourse here. My wife gave up her MBP last year and I bought her a Mac Air. My MBP staggers on regardless - but having failed twice will there be a third time?
agreed, damn shame, I had today pay $800 to fix this problem.
Before any comments, repair bill is more expensive in Thailand, then USA.
I hope get my money back via this class action suit,
Soul
Purchased this in Oct 2012, like 2 wks before the "new" ones came out (yea, was a bit pissed).
Had the Quad-i7 (hyper threaded) and 8GB RAM (upgraded from the stock 4GB).
This is my "primary" machine at home, and as such, generally stays on my desk, hooked up to a Viewsonic 22" LCD flatscreen (DVI connector). Up until ~ 6 mos ago, all was well, no real graphic issues. Then, I began seeing some "pixel dirt" on a few lines in the middle of the screen. After a while, would go away. Not doing anything horribly intensive, mainly "user" type stuff (surf, e-mail, letters, etc) though I do use it for work (Software developer) on occasion.
This "pixel dirt" was getting a bit worse lately. ONLY seen on the external monitor, not the internal screen. And I do switch back/forth on occasion, would say I'm using 80% w/External hookup, 20% as a notebook.
Recently I switched out the monitor (was a ~ 2006 vintage setup, getting long in the tooth) for a 27" Hanns-G LED setup (though CPU still only drives 1920x1080, poo. . . ) Have not seen the "pixel dirt" since the swap. Maybe it was the monitor?
I might be lucky in that my machine is a "newer" vintage of the production run, so things were somewhat addressed??
Given what I've read/seen, it's a definite issue and should be addressed. I would agree that AMD shares some blame here.
I agree. I love the strides Intel is making and glad that Apple pushed them to that level. I hope Intel keeps making these strides and never stops as long as it possible so that nVidia and AMD only are ahead of the pack with hardcore gamer notebooks.
WTF does Europeans, environmentalists... and/or Euro-Environmentalists have to do with this?
Instead of a 3 post incoherent rant, why don't you educate yourself about ROHS and how lead-free failure is a industry wide problem.
OK... ya got me. So you were able to link to Europeans taking a health and environmental safety initiative. Goody for you! I did mention that we take environmental measures rather seriously for many a good reason.
Now explain why ROHS is bad.... and why tree-hugging (respect for all foliage and fauna actually) is the reason for Apple's failed replacement policy in regards to the MBP problems.
I'll give ya credit for linking your reasoning behind "Euro"... but bringing the derisive "tree-hugger" part into it makes you just another egoistic waste of valuable resources in my book. Especially the air you breath to spout your trash.
Besides... why wouldn't the consumer take the brunt of Euro tree-hugging even if it was the source of the problem, or future problems to a safe coexistence on this rock we live on? Surely you wouldn't want to tap into taxes to do that now would you?
So... let's just ignore it; maybe it'll all go away and regulate itself for free; companies the world over will be responsible all of a sudden what they use to produce products and how they dispose of waste; or we'll just keep on doing what each person "thinks" is right to alleviate the problems of an ever more polluted environment. Sorry, but none of the aforementioned are viable solutions. :no:
It's really sad and disappointing to hear that story. What do you say you right a short letter in that wonderful Oxford prose to Tim Cook, explaining your situation and why you still value Apple products. Stranger things have happened than TC actually replying... so I would say it's worth a shot.
I do mean this in all seriousness, and of course did not mean "all people" walk into an Apple store with a chip on their shoulder. It just appears that way from the knee-jerking crowd coming across the loudest in these cases.
Thanks PixelDoc, you may have a point. Mr Cook will get a letter and should I get a reply I will let you know. As for the "Oxford prose", you have no idea just how accurate you were with that aside - I actually work within the 'dreaming spires' - so best wishes and again thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Calm down.
This is long overdue. For a company with billions of $$$ that charges a premium price for what is supposed to be premium products they should be in the lead as far as helping their customers when component failures become a common issue. Instead they're one of the most stingy in this area. I don't mind paying the premium prices but I expect premium service. In the last few years there have been a number of flaws in everything from iPhone to MacBooks that Apple has refused to acknowledge or address. Not cool.
My iPhone 5 had to be replaced 4 times in the first month. While Apple paid for that under warranty it says a lot about the lack of quality in a premium priced product
Agreed.
They've been making hardware slips of an unAppley scale since the iPhone 5. To give them the benefit of the doubt, Steve Jobs died, and they went through a period of transition. With luck, they will get a grip on things, and we consumers will not have to endure the shoddy mistakes that have become too common in recent years.