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Apple Starts Logic Board Repair Program

Posted by pudge on from the put-down-your-stencils-and-back-away-from-the-wall dept.

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."

9 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. Apple Confirms It... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Apple logic boards are dying.

  2. Figures ... by JMZorko · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The _day_ I purchase APP for my iBook 700 (which has been sent back to Apple 4 times for this problem in 11 months), Apple does the right thing imho. Oh well -- i'm covered for lots of other things, so it's cool.

    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
    1. Re:Figures ... by Trillan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Apparently it's a particular component that's failing. From what I understand, the component (not the logic board) is defective.

      In other words, once you get a good motherboard it'll stay good. If you keep getting bad ones, they'll die in a few months so just keep trying!

      That said, it seems likely that Apple will try to flush the defective logic boards out of the parts inventory. Who knows how succesful they'll be, though? One would think eventually they'd run out...

    2. Re:Figures ... by babbage · · Score: 5, Informative
      Does anyone know a way to find out your iBook serial number via ssh connection? :-)

      Try this:

      /usr/sbin/system_profiler --help

      A while back I did a run of that -- I forget what flags I used, something like system_profiler -detailLevel 1 -xml -- and saved it to a .plist file in my home directory for later reference (generating the report takes a while; grepping the report output is very fast). One of the keys I've got in my report file is serial_number, and the value given does match what I get if I go to the Apple Menu and click About This Mac....

      So, yeah, you can get this info via ssh using system_profiler. It's basically a CLI version of the GUI Apple System Profiler, so you can get acceess to any system data that the graphical ASP program can show.

      --
      DO NOT LEAVE IT IS NOT REAL
  3. Re:"Logic Board" by Trillan · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

  4. A small but meaningful correction by LippyTheLip · · Score: 4, Informative
    According to the FAQ, it is not that iBooks purchased in the last three years are eligible, but rather that some iBooks are eligible for three years after purchase.

    Directly from the FAQ:
    How long is the iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program available?
    The program covers affected iBooks for three years after the first retail sale of the unit. Apple will continue to evaluate the repair data and will provide further repair extensions as needed.

    For which computers is the iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program available?
    The program is available for iBooks with serial numbers in the following range(s):
    UV220XXXXXX to UV318XXXXXX
    iBooks with the serial numbers listed above may be referred to as:
    iBook (16 VRAM),
    iBook (14.1 LCD 16 VRAM)
    iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)
    iBook (32 VRAM)
    iBook (14.1 LCD 32 VRAM)

    Moreover, according to this article from Reuters, these models were manufactured between May 2002 and April 2003.
  5. No Reason To Complain by Mork29 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  6. I love this place by hype7 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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

  7. I've got one by jos3000 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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?

    --
    ___ www.lingo24.com Language and translation solutions - online