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Apple's Growing Pains
Tyler Too writes "Is Apple having an unusually large number of quality control problems since its switch to Intel? Ars Technica runs down the litany of problems MacBook and MacBook Pro users have experienced since their launch. From the article: 'Is Apple's quality control slipping through the cracks with this Intel transition? Given the volume of available evidence that has appeared in such a short timeframe, it's simply impossible to say that Apple isn't having problems.'"
I have to second this.
However, let me say that the new Intel Core Duo Mac Mini has been rock solid. I have two of these. I also have an Intel iMac which is also rock solid.
We have a MacBook Pro that has had some problems, but Apple recently changed the motherboard. I don't use that machine day to day, so I would have to ask the guy who uses it all the time. The desktop machines are totally fine. This is a laptop issue - and the worst 80% of the problems are probably already over.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
Let me third this. My Mac Mini Core Duo has been absolute spectacular. Rock solid. Great to use.
My wife's MacBook has been great. It did suffer the discoloration, but the local Apple store fixed it free in a couple of days. She's now recommending Macs, especially the MacBook, to her non-computer literate friends, on the basis of all the cool iLife apps.
Posted from perhaps the best all-rounder machine ever, the 12" PB. Woot.
Apple fanboi. Never!@!!
-- "It's not stalking if you're married!" My Wife.
I work in an operation where we service about 300 new Mac computers per month (and, of course, many more PC computers). At this time, about one-third of our service involves brand new Intel-based Mac computers. I can say that the amount of problems coming through related to these brand new machines is no different from the amount of the problems we have had over time with PowerPC-based Macs. My personal experience is that there is no basis for any claim of any increase in problems. I have, however, observed Apple being more responsive to problems than ever before in their history. Our PC's are generally Dells and it looks like Apple is taking on the leader of the Windows makers. I can only expect good things from vigorous competition.
We've had a lot of problems with certain Dell Optiplex models, like leaking motherboard capacitors and bad hard drives. Dell never acknowledged a defect with them even after every single computer from one order died with the same problem. However, they were fast about shipping out new parts or an on-site service tech next day when we did have a problem. So no problem getting hardware warranty support. Don't bother calling for any software support, though.
There are complaints everywhere. Take this, for example:m l
http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/macbooks.ht
Your argument about first gen problems would make more sense if there were also problems with the other Intel products, but there don't appear to be.
I've found this site to be a valuable resource in understanding product cycles. To save you the time of clicking the link (although you should anyway, to at least bookmark it), it says it's been 85 days since the last update. While there's no historical data to base a buying recommendation on, the MacBook Pro has an average of 104 days in a cycle. Since the MacBook is a consumer model it was unlikely to be updated at WWDC, but my guess is that the new MacBook will show up close to the Merom, which Apple should be receiving in the first week of September. I would not be surprised to see MacBook and MacBook Pro updates at the same time in September.
-mrxak
Onions Will Kill You
Have you read the latest stuff on the new Intel chips? Those Core 2 Duo's are running faster and MUCH cooler clock for clock than anything AMD can contemplate. i'm sure the technology from the Conroe and Merom chips will traverse to the Xeon family (at least it would be logical)...and these will be nice in future Apple products. What would be dreamy is if Apple gained all that market that Microsoft has in the OS department...and sell OS' on the x86 arch, of course we know who will win in terms of reliability :P
Of course, it's always a back and forth battle.
"In the kingdom where everything dies, the sky is mortal."
I recall reading on digg (I'd go and get it to give you a link, but the way the site works makes it hard to find older stuff) a month or 6 weeks ago about how Dell have had this exploding laptop thing going on for a couple of years, but have just carried on selling them, and replacing them when customers complained. As soon as the Apple one went up in flames, it all came out of the woodwork that there'd been a couple of hundred cases over 2 (maybe 3, can't recall exactly) years...
I don't have a problem with Dell - I have one of their servers too, and I think it's well engineered. I just think Apple come in for more-than-their-fair-share of criticism. If you disagree, fine - it's a big world, plenty of space for multiple opinions.
Apple do push the limits, I think. More than most (not all) manufacturers, anyway. It hasn't stopped me from ordering a Mac Pro though (4x3GHz will *really* help on those FPGA place-and-route calculations. I've had them run for 2 weeks before now). Of course, I chose it on price as well as it being a Mac - the equivalent Dell was ~$2400 more expensive ($6638 vs $4249).
And I'm very, very rarely scary. I have to try *really* hard, and even then it doesn't really happen [sigh]. I don't put words in people's mouths then say "what a load of crud", though, either.
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
Actually if match product specs (including brands..) you'll see they are around the same price of other computers now. if you looked at the keynote you'd see their high end MacPro is cheaper than a same spec Dell.
If a user is happy with Windows as their OS, it doesn't make much odds whether they buy a Dell, HP or a Gateway.
If, however, they are particularly keen on using Mac OS, they don't have any choice in the matter.