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Apple Starts Logic Board Repair Program
QuantumSpritz writes "In response to issues with iBook logic boards flaking out, Apple has posted an FAQ detailing the problems and what to do if you're affected. iBooks purchased in the last 3 years are eligible, and you may be reimbursed if you've already had to pay for repairs."
Apple logic boards are dying.
This is a lot better than the $50 rebate on Apple store software that users would have probably gotten with a class action. Of course, the class action might happen anyway -- there's a lawyer to be paid, after all.
What i'm wondering is this: will they replace the board with a newer, better designed board that doesn't exhibit the problem? Yes, it's very laudable that they'll repair them without charge if this is found to be the issue, but i'd rather not have a laptop that dies every 3 months, regardless of whether the repairs are free. At least this means that I can sell my iBook 700 (and 900) and get the G4 model, without feeling like scum. I want to turn people _on_ to Apple, not sell them something that will turn them _off_.
Regards,
John
Falling You - beautiful
Macintoshes don't have motherboards, they have logic boards.
The reason is largely historical -- there used to be two "motherboards" in each unit. They were called the analog and digital (or logic) board.
I think the iBook has a single motherboard, however. More's the pity -- when a headphone jack breaks, the CPU gets replaced as well.
Directly from the FAQ:
Moreover, according to this article from Reuters, these models were manufactured between May 2002 and April 2003.
Ok, every company makes mistakes and distributes faulty components. There is no way around it. Software and Hardware have bugs. More companies need to take action like this (albeit they took a while this time). Saying that they'll not only replace faulty components but reimburse customers (in any way) for some of their expenses is truly great. This is why companies like Apple and Toshiba always have incredible customer satisfaction ratings, unlike companies who make faulty products and don't do anything about it *cough* Gateway *cough* Microsoft. When companies can bite the bullet, admit a mistake, and do something about it, it truly impresses me.
its The iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program is a worldwide program covering repair or replacement of the logic board in specific iBook models manufactured between May 2002 and April 2003
any of those models, are insured for 3 years from their purchase date..
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The story about the Linux geek who got burnt by a fault that affects less than 0.2% of units shipped hits the front page, letting him complain about "hardware lock in". The vendor response about replacing the faulty part, and reimbursing people who've paid to get it fixed, makes only the apple.slashdot pages (ie buried in the paper).
So much for "new media".
-- james
I can't say how happy I am for this. My iBook has a UV316... S# and might be afflicted by the same problem in the future (knocks on wood)... Until now I was kind of scared of being presented to the iBook's now famous "screen of death" and specially sacared of having to pay for this failure. Knowing that for the next 2 years (and a few months) I'll be covered by warranty, if this happens, is a huge, huge releif.
It's thigs like this that will make me use mac's for as log as I can, and that take the reason to all those stupid anti-apple comments. Apple DOES listen to their custumers and helds responsability for their producs, and the errors that they might have... What more can you ask?
My iBook had this problem once before, I got a box from Apple on a Tuesday, sent it that night, and got it back with a new logic board Thursday afternoon. My computer began exhibiting the same problems and I had procrastinated on sending it in because it was still slightly usable; my linux machine was dead and I couldnt stand the thought of being without a computer for a few days. My Applecare ran out a week ago, and I had been trying, but failing, to get the money together for the extra two years. I bought it in time, but messed up during the convoluted financial hijinks I had to pull to get it and the order did not go through. The Apple people have been cool about it and are giving me some slack, but it is great to know that if I fuck it up somehow and dont get the extended coverage I dont have a very expensive and unpaid for doorstop.
Apple uk weren't ready for this replacement scheme, but when I found out this morning, I phoned up and they took a while and elevated my technical support call up the tiers rapidly.
:)
:)
I actually asked if there was many calls, but got told that I was the first in the UK & Ireland to call
But they are picking up my iBook so I am happy
chris at darkrock dot co dot uk
http colon slash slash www dot darkrock dot co dot uk
I've got a 700MHz iBook which started demonstrating the problems when it was 2 months over it's 1 year standard cover. I cursed myself for not extending the applecare and had to buy an eMac in order to get working again.
At this stage I had no idea that it was a common problem - I simply counted it as bad luck.
I was aware the problem could be temporarily aleviated by squeezing on certain parts of the case so I diagnosed it as a loose connection or something shorting out. With nothing to loose I took the whole thing apart and started experimenting with putting presure on the logic board at different places.
I discovered that placing a bit of cork to keep the graphics chip in place I could get the machine to be as solid as a rock. I'm writing from it now - it's just the logic board screwed to a bit of wood with the screen standing in an easel. It's been on and working since Christmas with no crashes. I only need to restart for security patches.
What I've done would have voided my warranty - but I didn't have one any more when I started taking it apart. The wording on Apple's page seems to imply this has nothing to do with the warranty anyway.
I feel that I am due some sort of compensation from Apple but I don't really know how to approach them. Should I ask for a new logic board? A new iBook? Cash? It is their fault that I had to butcher my iBook - so I feel justified that I am due something.
What do you guys think I should do?
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I have an Ibook purchased in that time frame.. It seems like EVERYONE is having ibook problems.. Yet mine keeps working like a champ and I use it a lot. Its even hit the floor a bunch of times before we got rid of the ethernet cable...
Sure would be nice if they'd fix (for free) my G4 powerbook with the self-breaking firewire port, though.
I recently bought an iBook myself. It came in the mail on Tuesday, and lo and behold, it died before the day was out. To say I was a bit upset would be an understatement. Being my first step into the Mac world, I was impressed by OS X, but being hit by an issue that has been known about for months(and is still apparently a problem) has left a bad taste in my mouth.
What I want to know, though, is since Apple should have a fairly good idea of the models affected, now, why they can't simply flush these boards out of their system to prevent future problems?
And the masses cried out, "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0!"
I think the the G4 Powerbooks and snow iBooks are all single-board units. The previous generation Lombard and Pismo G3 models did have a separate board for all the back panel connectors. I've never seen the insides of a "toilet" iBook.
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
After having replaced my third logic board only days before my 1 year Apple Care expired, I opted to buy the 2 year extension for fear of it happening again. Now that these problems are covered can I return my unused "Apple Care"? How can a company with such great products have such lousy business policies?
something to note about the program: it only covers ibooks with serial numbers between UV220xxxxxx and UV318xxxxxx. i have an ibook purchased 11/01 with a serial starting UV141 that's been back to apple 3 times for wonky video/freezing video problems. are they claiming that the earlier dual usb ibooks aren't susceptible to this problem? and don't even get me started on the spotty battery on this thing [you can find plenty of info on batteries not holding charges on the apple forums - unless they've deleted those too]
way to go apple! you've definitely lost a 10+ year customer with this crap...
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
I take it as a good sign of the day ahead...
We apologise for the fault in this post. Those responsible have been sacked. -- Signed RICHARD M. NIXON
I bought the iBook July 17th, 2002. The motherboard died August 4th, 2003, two weeks out of warranty.
I just got off the phone with Apple Support. They're shipping me a box to send in the iBook. Free.
Oh Frabjous Day.
Maybe they learned a lesson from the ipod battery fiasco?
Unfortunately, it's out of warranty, and I didn't AppleCare it, so I'm screwed.
If I flex my TiBook ever so slightly or put a little bit of pressure (not very much) in the wrong spot, I get green "crud" (random horizontal lines) all over the screen. The crud winds up in the VRAM, because if I drag a window, it stays in the same spot *in the window*, even if I take the corrective action (flex the case the other way or tickle the other secret spot). If I drag a window off the screen and back on when the machine is in the good state, then the window redraws correctly.
I mean, it's still usable, but programs with very active displays look horrible when it's happening.
I've also got issues with the Superdrive making disks that are unreadable in other machines and not being able to burn CD-Rs at maximum speed, but that's another post.
We've got 3 macs at home, but this TiBook is the red-headed stepchild of the bunch, I guess.
The repair extension program covers iBooks produced between May 2002 and April 2003, almost a full year production (and there are already lots of complains from people with the some problem with iBooks that fall outside these dates). Yet until very recently Apple maintained that there were "no known issues" with the iBook. How do they know there are no problems with the units produced after April 2003 then? If they corrected the problem, they must have known of it for at least over a half year now. I know that iBooks are outsourced to some Taiwanese ODM, but the design and reference come directly from Apple. If it was a manufacturing defect, I can't imagine that the plant silently corrected it in April last year and only informed Apple now.
In short, this problem should have only effected logic boards with *more* than 8 MB of VRAM.
From recent discussion the problem seemed to be narrowed down to models that employed an increased amount of VRAM over the original models. Your model *should* have 8 MB VRAM, whereas the newer models had 16 MB, which apparently had heat-related problems.
Of about 8 friends who purchased iBooks around the time of the transition: Everyone I know with a 16+ MB VRAM model has had problems, and everyone I know with an earlier 8 MB VRAM model has not had problems.
Perhaps they replaced your original 8 MB VRAM logic board with a newer board? Find out how much video memory is on your board, and if it's more than the original 8 MB, give them a call.
I think Apple is doing an amazing thing here... they have to eat the cost of the entire logic board, which is no small repair (even if they are able to get them at cost). PLUS reimbursing for previous repairs... I'm not sure how that is going to work out, but lots of people on the Apple discussion boards and here have had the logic board replaced multiple times.
I couldn't afford the $400 fix, so I live in a world where black=green. Slashdot looks really nice with a luminescent green background, I must say. My website has a certain shade of gray that actually has gyrating green pixels. It's pretty psychadelic.
Unfortunately for me, I was an iBook early adopter and bought one of the first ones out (May 2001) and they are not covered. Neither are more recent iBooks exhibiting the same problems. If you own one of these machines, please call Apple at 1-800-275-2273 and ask to register a comment/complaint on this issue. You can also go to the discussion boards and add your voice.
And I agree, there is no way this topic shouldn't have made the front page. It's huge news. Luckily a friend noticed it on Yahoo and let me know, but isn't this what I read Slashdot for?!
From the terms and conditions at http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan_term s.html
7. Cancellation
You may cancel this Plan at any time for any reason. If you purchased the Plan in the United States or Canada, cancel by sending written notice to AppleCare Administration, P.O. Box 149125, Austin, TX 78714-9125, U.S. Your notice must be accompanied by a copy of your proof of purchase of the Plan. Unless state law provides otherwise, if you cancel within 30 days of your Plan purchase, or receipt of these Terms and Conditions, whichever occurs later, you will receive a full refund less the value of any service provided under the Plan; if you cancel more than 30 days after your receipt of this Plan, you will receive a pro-rata refund of the Plan's original purchase price, less (i) a cancellation fee of U.S. $25 or 10 percent of the pro-rata amount, whichever is less, and (ii) the value of any service provided to you under the Plan. Unless state law provides otherwise, Apple may cancel this Plan if service parts for the Covered Equipment become unavailable, upon 30 days' written notice. If Apple cancels this Plan, you will receive a pro-rata refund for the Plan's unexpired term. For Plans purchased and enrolled/activated outside the U.S. or Canada, please contact the regional Apple subsidiary for the country of purchase.
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the toilet iBooks were single board too from what I remember of disassembling mine.
T Money
World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
I work as an Apple Tech in a Mac shop.
We've had many of those iBooks come in. One customer who had bought about 40 of them had 12 of them with the issue - about a 33% repair rate, which is definitely abnormal. We know at that point that there was an issue.
But we've had almost no repeat repairs for this issue. We had maybe one or two which came back for slightly different problems (one was overheating, the other had a keyboard issue) for which we had to replace the logic board but was unrelated to the original issue.
Apple, a few months ago, issued a program to add to those iBooks a small plastic holder around the video chip on the backside of the logic boards. Most boards coming in for replacement already have those, and we've been instructed to install them as a preventative measure on any unit we open and on any new logic board which doesn't have them yet. I suspect (although Apple have not confirmed) that this measure is related to the logic board issue, as most symptoms are related to video. So far all iBooks which have shown the video issue did NOT have this little plastic parts installed.
So I can confidently affirm that repeat failures should not occur if the technician follows the Apple procedures.
If he explores all forms and substances Straight homeward to their symbol-essences; He shall not die.
The correct nomenclature is: Boards with a CPU attached via a daughter board are called "Mother Boards" where as boards - like those found in all current Apple laptops and the iMac & eMac - with the CPU soldered directly to the board are called "Logic Boards"
I've had no luck with my Mac. Apple has been trying to even push the 'logic' board problem on the entire ibook owning population. I showed up at one of their genius bars, with my broken ibook - the HD would crunch away for hours until finally crashing. Sometimes I'd even start it up and get greated with a sad computer.
Apple decided the logic board was the issue and replaced it. I don't think it's any suprise that a day later I came back with the computer again, experiencing the same problem...
"But they fixed this computer, the logic board was replaced."
You know, the logic board isn't the only problem with the ibook...
as stated here and in an above post. you can return apple care
Live EVERY week... Like it's Shark Week
Here is what I found out... I have one of the oldest covered iBooks, a 700MHz model with S/N UV2206.... She confirmed the machine S/N, my contact information and the approximate date of repair, in my case, early Nov, 2003. She looked up the details the tech had entered and confirmed that the repair I had done was indeed covered.
She then told me that Apple would be contacting all affected users via mail (not sure if you have to call in, or if they will proactively contact ALL affected iBook owners). Apparently, I am due a full refund ($450), but I don't know when I'll actually see that money!
Cool, now they just need to start replacing those crappy white square power adapters with something ugly but unbreakable ones, like those included with any cheapo windows Notebook.
the end that plugs into the computer, breaks the wires inside and develops shorts and funky sparks after few months of regular use.
check here for more info: Broken power adapters
Have they actually identified the problem and found a way to stop it from reoccurring? Free service or not, continuing to be plagued by faulty logic boards would suck.
Also, since they're specifying machines made within a certain date, and with a specific serial number, does this mean only those machines were susceptible to logic board failures? I personally haven't had any problems with the iBook I bought in July, and neither has my friend's that was manufactured in March 2003, though his serial number is different than those listed as eligible for repair. How is it that certain machines (like my friend's) manufactured between May 2002 and April 2003 aren't eligible? What exactly is different in how his and mine were manufactured that make them 'safe?' From the looks of his serial number it may be a refurbished machine.
Just curious. Maybe someone with experience disassembling them can shed some slight on this.
I bought mine in November 2002 and the logic board failed in October 2003. Hopefully they fixed the logic board issue in the replacement I got so I won't need to send it in again in another 11 months. It's sad really, if it wasn't for this nagging issue I'd have to say my iBook has been a fantastic little machine. I would've highly recommended them to friends and family... but now I'm not so sure. I was going to pickup a 12" Powerbook but if it will have similar problems? Obviously it's not the same motherboard or design, but does Apple have a Q&A problem lately? I'd say yes.
Indeed it does - I took mine apart. It occupies the entire left side of the case, with the right side taken up by optical drive and battery.
http://saveie6.com/
Since my 12" iBook G4 isn't included in this program, I take it they don't have the same logic board risks? Whew!
WTF?