Slashdot Mirror
Apple Begins Fixing MacBook Pro Issues
Hack Jandy writes "For those of you who bought one of the first generation Macbook Pros, a new replacement may be in your future. Flickering LCDs, overheating and intermittent WiFi connections are all common place for many of these first generation machines, but apparently Apple is fixing the problem. The article claims 'According to Apple, it has begun replacing the mainboard inside its MacBook Pros with a new revision. It calls the updated product "revision D," which is identifiable by product serial number.' If you have a reservation at an Apple Store, they may even replace your MBP with a new one."
Sweet. Apple's warrenty and repair service has never managed to let me down. Most other companies would state that the problem is in the users head, and save themselves $$$ by ignoring the issue.
This signature was left intentionally blank.
they may even replace your MBP with a new one. ;)
That's nice, what do I have to do to get them to replace my 3 year old iBook with a new Mac Book Pro? That's infinitely more interesting to me
Why do people even buy first generation products anymore? Why not just wait until the 2nd or 3rd generation when these problems are weeded out?
Because if no one buys the first generation, there isn't any second or third generation to buy...
Hopefully this means that we'll get some sweet, sweet refurbished lovin from the Apple Store. I can't imagine that Apple will simply scrap the defective machines - or am I just not imagining hard enough?
How long will the repair take?
/bots are barely willing to part with their precious laptops while they sleep, much less for a week to get the mobo replaced.
I know some of the
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Beware first generation hardware, and if you decide to load the chamber and pull the trigger, get Applecare. I went through *three* iBook G3's before Apple replaced it with a shiny new iBook G4. Nice of them, but I would really rather have my 40 hours of lost productivity back.
There were two known cases of *prototype* 5200s with batteries manufactured by Sony "catching fire".
From then on, the 5200 had the reputation of the PowerBook that "caught fire", but there were no know or reported incidents.
I guess basically what I'm saying is this: you're lying, or trolling, or both. I kind of think you're trolling because you say it's "pretty embarrassing" to explain that. No it's not. It's not embarrassing at all. If your freaking laptop really did catch fire, it's not because of something you did. But since no consumer issues were logged for the PowerBook 5200 on this issue - and when verified, that is an *extremely serious issue* that requires action - I don't believe you.
Also, Apple has, over the years, maintained a fairly consistent number one position in initial quality, lack of need for repairs, and product support, according to Consumer Reports. This has been consistently maintained, and remains so to this day. Also, the iPod destroys your mass production argument.
Good troll, though. This could replace the "ok, so I'm sitting here and it's taking 17 minutes to copy a 4 meg file from my Power Mac G5" one!
Flicking LCDs, overheating and intermitting WiFi connections are all common place
If you people would stop flicking your LCD panels around they probably wouldn't break so often. They're quite delicate you know.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Not every company will (without hesitation) own up to its mistakes and be generous enough to offer repairs. Even good products can have problems early on. I have owned many laptops over the years and have found IBM Thinkpads and Apple iBooks/Powerbooks to be some of the best. I currently own a G4 iBook as well as an older Wallstreet Powerbook 233 MHz G3 (great for running Darwin). These only problems I have had with either machine have been the CD tray failing to eject once on the iBook (I am running Debian PPC Sarge) and a dead PRAM battery in the old Powerbook (to be expected due to its age). Both of these computers are running 24/7 except when I put the iBook to sleep to keep the disk parked when I transport it each day. Some of my other laptops I own, like my Dell Latitude and Armada have suffered from hinge problems, display problems, etc. I have taken apart the Latitude so many times to repair it that the screws are loose. I plan to buy a Macbook in the near future if I don't see any Intel-based iBooks soon. Even though iBooks require significant disassembly to replace things such as the HDD or logic board, I haven't had to do this. And if I ever do, it will be fun. I think we can expect the next generation of Macbooks to be very reliable. Even this generation should be suitable with the logic board revision applied.
Powered by caffeine and sugar; BSD
A stock copy of Windows XP won't install on my MacBook.
I have contacted Apple numerous times without any response.. what the hell kind of support is that?
I really hope they fix my issue or I am going to be a pissed off Apple customer.
..I was in the libraries basement working on a project, and the macbook pro kept making the intermittent "moo" sound. It was about 11 at night, and no one else was around, so it scared the crap out of me, it sounded like a distant ghost. I felt like an idiot after searching the whole library trying to find out what the noise was when it was right in front of me! I guess I need to make an appointment with the closest apple store to get a replacement.
Sig: I stole this sig.
If anyone's interested, I just picked up a new 2GHz Macbook Pro yesterday, serial number starting with W8612.
I have the CPU whine, which is fixed by running MagicNoiseKiller. Not a problem at all, since I just set it as a startup item.
My screen is perfect, no flickering or dead pixels, really bright and vivid. Once MagicNoiseKiller has done its thing, this laptop is really pretty incredibly quiet - a lot better than the Toshiba P4 mode it's replacing.
I think the recent cries to the effect that Apple's build quality is slipping are pretty overrated - this laptop feels incredibly solid and well built. I'm a very happy Apple customer - to the point of chuckling madly.
Your fanboyness is seriously clouding your judgement.
Huh? Where's the "fanboyness"?
Do some research and you will find that they have problems with almost every product they produce. This isn't unique to them. It's common.
Actually, I don't disagree with this at all. Considering I've been working with Apple products in varying capacities for over 22 years, I've seen *plenty* of problems, and publicly take Apple to task for various issues (e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc...and that's just from the last couple days.)
Apple products have problems, defects, and failures, like any other product.
The point I'm making is that they are no more perfect than anyone else so get over it. Overall they make good quality stuff but so do many other companies.
No, no one's "perfect". But Apple actually is better, statistically. By the measure of various consumer reporting organizations like Consumer reports, they are consistently (valid from a statistical standpoint) better than all other computer manufacturers in the categories of support, repairs, and quality in a quantifiable way. Someone's got to be the statistical best in these categories, and Apple is consistently it. Sorry to disappoint.
What of it? Is this guy not alowed to have a problem with his iBook without some fanboy flaming him?
Um, "a problem"? Catching on fire is "a problem"? No, it was a myth of epic proportions that never affected any shipped consumer units for which Apple suffered on its portable line for years afterward. See this post for numerous examples of proof of this.
Oh yeah, I forgot...clearly he must be a troll...
If the shoe fits...
To be fair, the laptops only caught fire because they got too close to the light that shines out of Steve Jobs' asshole.
No. It was a myth because no 5300 in consumer hands was ever known to have exhibited any fire problems. It was an occurrence in a laboratory setting with a Sony Lithium Ion battery. And I'm dismissing it as a myth because it was. People talked about the 5300 like it was the PowerBook that routinely caught on fire. Except that it was a problem with only Lithium Ion batteries, and only 100 units actually got into end-user hands, none of which were known to have exhibited the issue (no, really - no one has EVER recorded any fire issue in consumer hands with the 5300 (except one person here, today, coincidentally, claiming that he had one that caught on fire)).
And I do know that because my job for the past 11 years has been to be intimately familiar with all Apple products, problems, business issues, etc., from all perspectives, supporting one of the top three largest institutional Apple sites in the world. The 5300 issue was a myth, period. It was the thing everyone asked about when they were thinking of buying an Apple laptop. "Oh, is this the one that catches on fire?" And the store staff would explain to them, no, there was an overheating/fire incident with a Sony LiIon battery in a 5300 in Apple's testing lab, and all LiIon 5300's were recalled. Every battery after that was NiMH. So, yeah, it was true that a 5300 "caught on fire". A prototype, in a lab. Tens of thousands were shipped, all but 100 without LiIon batteries, and even those LiIon units were all recalled, with no issues reported to regulators (except for the one person here claiming that it happened to him and that he "never reported it").
So, that's why it's a "myth". Because it is. Someone else summed it up nicely here.
Also, I did ask him for proof, which he sidestepped by calling me a "stupid goon". I predict no such "proof" is forthcoming, but if it indeed exists, I told him I'd be more than interested in seeing it since it would be the first known actual 5300 fire incident in consumer hands, that conveniently was never reported to Apple or any regulatory or consumer agency, unearthed about a decade later.
A unit (ONE, 1, Uno) AT APPLE caught fire because the BATTERY MANUFACTURER (Hi Sony!) LIED about the specs of the Lithium Ion battery. ~1000 units had shipped to resellers and ~100 made it to customers, but Apple was able to get them ALL back. None of them caught fire except the lab unit.
http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/tidbits-295.htm l#lnk2
In short: 1)Apple's supplier was at fault, not Apple. 2)Apple caught the problem and acted immediately instead of waiting for consumers to discover the problem.
Seems like they did everything right, chief. Next time, troll harder.
Please help metamoderate.