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New MacBook Pro Teardown Reveals 'Shoddy Assembly'

CWmike writes "Apple's new MacBook Pro shows some build-quality problems that shouldn't be seen in a notebook that costs $1,800, a teardown expert said on Monday. iFixit.com found several signs of substandard assembly while disassembling a 15-in. MacBook Pro. Among them: A stripped screw near the subwoofer enclosure and an unlocked ZIF (zero insertion force) socket for the IR (infrared) sensor. '[These] should not be things found inside a completely unmolested computer with an $1,800 base price,' iFixit said in the teardown description. iFixit also spotted an unusual amount of thermal paste applied to both the CPU and the GPU. 'Holy thermal paste! Time will tell if the gobs of thermal paste applied to the CPU and GPU will cause overheating issues down the road,' iFixit said. The refreshed MacBook Pro models launched last Thursday in what one analyst called a 'ho-hum' upgrade."

531 comments

  1. Three words: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Made In China

    1. Re:Three words: by MrEricSir · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Unlike those quality, American-made laptops.

      Oh wait... those don't exist.

      --
      There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
    2. Re:Three words: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can't help but be reminded of my experience with RMA on a monitor 15 years ago. The first two were foreign, the 3rd and final one was American made. I thought to myself, hmmm... on the 2nd RMA they send American to make sure it works.

      I wonder if that option is even available now.

      Oh well, we got back at them. It was a CRT. Full of lead. Sent back for recycling. We'll never see that toxic lump of metal again... umm... nevermind.

    3. Re:Three words: by pckl300 · · Score: 1

      Doesn't Falcon Northwest make all their stuff in the US?

      --
      In the beginning, there was null.
    4. Re:Three words: by TrippTDF · · Score: 1

      China has come a very, very long way from when they used to only turn out crap. Look around you- most of the things you'll find were at least partially made there.

    5. Re:Three words: by hey! · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Blaming China or low quality is misplacing the blame in any case. The low quality of so many Chinese-made goods isn't because China is unable to make good quality; it's because Americans are addicted to buying shiny cheap junk and the Chinese give us what the retailers ask for. The market segment that is willing to pay more for quality is quite small in America.

      That said, Apple *does* target the quality minded consumer with its computers. Normally the design and build quality on Apple stuff I've seen is first rate; this example comes from a sample size of one. Even a top notch manufacturer can have a bad unit. Except for the unclosed ZIF socket the problems listed don't seem to be the kind that are easy to spot in inspection. Probably the worst issue was the excessive thermal paste, and that's under the heatsink.

      Does this one unit mean that build quality is slipping at Apple suppliers? Possibly, but not necessarily. The negative publicity about Foxconn could mean Apple has more on its plate than quality these days when dealing with its suppliers, but that's pure speculation.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    6. Re:Three words: by hawaiian717 · · Score: 1

      I haven't looked recently, but a couple of years ago I came across a Vaio at a Sony store that said "Assembled in the United States" on the bottom.

      --
      End of Line.
    7. Re:Three words: by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0

      Normally the design and build quality on Apple stuff I've seen is first rate; this example comes from a sample size of one.

      Translation: "Nunh-UH!"

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    8. Re:Three words: by flappinbooger · · Score: 1

      Aren't there some barebook distributors who assemble in the US? Jetta? Nspire?

      --
      Flappinbooger isn't my real name
    9. Re:Three words: by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2

      Assemble, quite possibly(even Dell does, or did until fairly recently). That just covers the "shoving customer's choice of CPU and expansion cards into motherboard and case" part of the job, though.

      Intel silicon is likely made in the US, AMD Germany, both packaged in Malaysia or other cheaper locations. RAM probably Taiwan or Japan, among other possibilities.

      PCB stuffing and physical assembly(except for last-stage card-level customization) almost certainly China.

    10. Re:Three words: by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      Apple Rev. A's are pretty notorious for having more character than one would like...We'll see if this turns out to be an issue, or just cosmetic.

    11. Re:Three words: by Unoriginal_Nickname · · Score: 2

      The most durable, highest-build-quality consumer electronic device I've ever owned is a Thinkpad. 100% Chinese manufactured.

    12. Re:Three words: by Sarten-X · · Score: 1

      The lowest-quality, most easily-damaged electronic device I've had was a TV remote control that was shipped broken. Second place goes to a Lenovo Thinkpad R60, which had to have major repairs no less than 4 times before the warranty ran out. After that, it ran for another 2 years with a steadily-increasing number of problems and steadily-decreasing amount of mobility. Finally, the hard disk made a nice "KER-CHUNK" noise and the power cord split into two pieces within the same week. I now use an old Dell Latitude X300, which has a loose hinge and a small bit of cosmetic damage after a 6-month trip in Africa.

      Now, the biggest difference between the two is the intent. The X300 was meant to be a business machine, and built to handle constant travel. The R60 was a budget model, meant to be a cheap computer that can sometimes move around. I've heard that the other Thinkpad series generally have better quality, but in my opinion, the quality has more to do with the design goals than the brand itself.

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    13. Re:Three words: by sorak · · Score: 2

      Maybe it is because it is so difficult to quantify quality, but price is a simple, universal, metric that can always be evaluated on an apples-to-apples basis.

    14. Re:Three words: by pckl300 · · Score: 1

      FWIW, Wikipedia says the contrary: "Falcon Northwest maintains one facility located in Medford, Oregon, and it chooses not to outsource any of its operations."
      Source (kinda)

      --
      In the beginning, there was null.
    15. Re:Three words: by pckl300 · · Score: 1

      What about on an Apples to PCs basis?

      --
      In the beginning, there was null.
    16. Re:Three words: by natehoy · · Score: 1

      Most of us who love Thinkpads deny the existence of the R line entirely, in the same way that most Dell fans deny the complete existence of the Inspiron laptop line. It's like a sequel to The Matrix, never gonna happen, doesn't exist, LA LA LA LA LA! :)

      I have a Dell Latitude D400 and my current company issue is a Thinkpad T500. Both are (for their respective timeframes) seriously kick-ass laptops. I've experienced firsthand the horrors that are the Thinkpad R line and the Dell Inspiron line, and both are great if you have a door that keeps opening, or need something to level an uneven chair.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    17. Re:Three words: by Max+Littlemore · · Score: 1

      Blaming it on China is certainly misplacing blame. On the whole, China does a great job of manufacturing electronics (environmental and labour issues aside). Apple on the other hand... Get some 2nd rate hardware, throw it together as cheaply as possible, put it in a shiny case and whack an apple logo on it... then sell it for 50x what it's actually worth. Don't forget to make sure it only inter-operates with other overpriced crap with an apple logo on it.

      Alright, slight exaggeration, but take iPod, iPhone 4... what goes into them is really pretty cheap and crappy. The laptops are ok, but there are cheaper/better alternatives provided you don't mind something that isn't shiny.

      --
      I don't therefore I'm not.
    18. Re:Three words: by Wovel · · Score: 1

      I would rate the two thinkpad's I have received from my employer as the two most shoddily built electronic devices I have ever owned. Complete crap. The things actually just break apart in normal use. I never had one last more than a year with out something breaking off. (with much less than daily use). My heavily used MBPs make it through 3-4 years without anything snapping off somehow.

    19. Re:Three words: by smitty97 · · Score: 1

      Literally- A guy at work said "They don't want to make rubber dog shit anymore"

      --
      mod me funny
    20. Re:Three words: by mirix · · Score: 2

      Funny how that works. I had an old Thinkpad (forget the model now, 600?). It was made in US IIRC.
      Then I got a T21, Made in the UK (I thought that was a bit odd?).
      T23 was Mexican, IIRC.
      X24? Korea.
      T42 ... China.

      And then the whole division was sold to the Chinese around then. Evolution I guess. And that's only going back fifteen years or so.

      --
      Sent from my PDP-11
    21. Re:Three words: by rhook · · Score: 1

      What about the original ThinkPad line?

    22. Re:Three words: by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      The wikipedia article doesn't cite any sources for that though and the only reference I can find to outsourcing on falcon's website is "We don't outsource our technical support". I would be extremely surprised if what looks like a relatively small botique vendor was doing their own PCB design, fabrication and assembly rather than just buying in boards (possiblly with some customisation requests).

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    23. Re:Three words: by Kuruk · · Score: 1

      Until there build by only robots their built by low paid Asian workers.

      Seriously do we have to pretend our brand names are so good. Hopefully their punished into better quality before I buy one.

    24. Re:Three words: by MemoryDragon · · Score: 1

      Actually guess it is a matter of what series you chose, I have a T410 here provided by a customer, and this is one of the best built machines I have had my hands on for years, I would rate it more solid than my by now trusted macbook pro (which I would rate second)
      Guess like most other manufacturers Lenovo runs a high quality line inherited from IBM and probably still done by the same designers and a cheapo line where things fall apart after looking at them for several years.

      It is the same with Acer, Dell, and even Apple with their entry macbooks but there the distinction is made more clear.

    25. Re:Three words: by Sarten-X · · Score: 1

      For what it's worth, the R-series comes from IBM as well. Mine is a particularly interesting model: Lenovo software and labels, but an IBM logo molded into the case. It was manufactured right in the middle of the change, so it has both brands.

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    26. Re:Three words: by macs4all · · Score: 0

      Blaming it on China is certainly misplacing blame. On the whole, China does a great job of manufacturing electronics (environmental and labour issues aside). Apple on the other hand... Get some 2nd rate hardware, throw it together as cheaply as possible, put it in a shiny case and whack an apple logo on it... then sell it for 50x what it's actually worth. Don't forget to make sure it only inter-operates with other overpriced crap with an apple logo on it.

      Alright, slight exaggeration,

      slight?

      but take iPod, iPhone 4... what goes into them is really pretty cheap and crappy.

      Right. Because nothing says "Cheap and crappy" like a custom SoC with a Billion dollars in R&D costs.

      The laptops are ok, but there are cheaper/better alternatives provided you don't mind something that isn't shiny.

      Here we go again. Lets try to compare (once more) some polycarbonate-cased shitbox Wintel laptop with the triumph of industrial design that is the current Macbook Pro line.

      Don't you boys know any nice songs?

    27. Re:Three words: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So using less thermal paste, closing a chip socket and not stripping screws costs more? How much more?

      Most things made in China suck and it is not always directly a cost issue. I bought a Chinese designed and made gas powered scooter for my kids. The top of the motor was mounted directly to the frame though a nut and bolt with metal washers. In about a week or light use, the torque created a stress fracture on the engine block on the mounting tab. Using rubber washers instead of metal ones or a grommet around a smaller diameter bolt would solve that problem. The cost for that change would be just about nothing or only maybe 1 or 2 cents. It does not cost a lot for some very basic engineering and a small piece of rubber and a smaller bolt. A foreign company using Chinese labor can be effective but the foreign parent company has to be very clear on the specifications AND do periodic quality checks. Yes, the price will be slightly higher but not more than a few % and not the double like many people claim. Ask Cisco about their experience with overruns. For Chinese designed and made things? I stay clear as much as possible. They have no idea what they are doing and many people have learned that saving 20% on something cheap is a complete loss when it breaks in less than a week.

    28. Re:Three words: by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      I suspect that they don't do any direct outsourcing(other than possibly hiring some relatively local machinist/metalworking outfit to do custom waterblocks or cases or something, since setting up your own machine shop is a little messy, and there are plenty of fairly local outfits who will take modest sized lots); but they certainly do(if reviews are to be believed) buy standard "enthusiast" parts. That isn't direct outsourcing; but it means that the origins of most of the guts of their systems are exactly the same as those of everybody else. There just aren't that many options, nor do the sellers necessarily tell you which one you are getting.

      Because of the economics of JIT supply chains and CPU/RAM/Option card level customization, it is fairly common for even bulk box guys to have a US(generally southern, because labor is cheaper) or northern Mexican(cheaper still) final-assembly facility, where finished components are put into cases according to customer demand. For systems that offer no customization, and just stock shelves at Worst Buy, all assembly may be done at point of origin; but for BTO systems the increased responsiveness of a domestic finishing step can make up for the higher labor costs...

    29. Re:Three words: by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      You can always find some malcontent that has had problems with a particular "snooty" brand..

      That sounds like my cue...

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    30. Re:Three words: by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      No, Apple targets suckers and hipsters who just THINK they're paying for quality.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    31. Re:Three words: by Max+Littlemore · · Score: 1

      Because nothing says "Cheap and crappy" like a custom SoC with a Billion dollars in R&D costs.

      That there is typical fanboi. Because they spent a billion dollars on it it must be better. Like because some idiot spends more an an ipod than they would on an equivalent iriver, the lower specs of the ipod are somehow magically better? If they spent so much on it, it kind of shows they are idiots, but thankfully there are enough idiots out there who will buy the crap.

      I wouldn't call Macbook Pros a triumph of industrial design, they're ok, but "triumph" is a bit over the top... and for what you get, they are too expensive. The windows tax is bad enough, the apple tax is ridiculous.

      I have no problem with polycarbonate cases. I am more concerned about how well the machines are assembled and how much freedom I have to do what I want with them... right down to ordering them with my choice of OS and partitioning.

      --
      I don't therefore I'm not.
    32. Re:Three words: by NetNed · · Score: 1

      Americans are not addicted to buying shiny junk if they have to replace it time and again. Most items are grossly over priced considering the cost of labor that goes in to products built in china, certainly when they cost as much as when those object were made in the US. I don't know anyone that isn't concerned about buying a lower priced product. If they were not, then brands like Samsung, Sony, and even Apple would not be around. The off brands that a WAY cheaper would become the dominate brands. They don't because people don't want to keeping having to by a product over and over again when it breaks. You can only get a person to buy a crappy product so many times if quality and breakage seems to happen quite frequently.

    33. Re:Three words: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would rate the two thinkpad's I have received from my employer as the two most shoddily built electronic devices I have ever owned.

      Is the apostrophe key stuck?

    34. Re:Three words: by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Because nothing says "Cheap and crappy" like a custom SoC with a Billion dollars in R&D costs.

      That there is typical fanboi. Because they spent a billion dollars on it it must be better. Like because some idiot spends more an an ipod than they would on an equivalent iriver, the lower specs of the ipod are somehow magically better? If they spent so much on it, it kind of shows they are idiots, but thankfully there are enough idiots out there who will buy the crap.

      My comment had nothing to do with how MUCH they spent; but rather that that they spent ANY money on CUSTOM silicon, instead of using some POS Atom or some other, less optimized, bog-standard microcontroller like others have done with their Tablet and other "mobile" offerings. And it is precisely because of Apple's investment in the A4 custom SoC that the current crop of iOS devices are able to whip all over the performance and battery life specs of the competition. The money wasn't spent on "teh shiny", it was spent on "teh SPECS". What is "cheap and crappy" is what EVERYONE else is doing in response to the iPad; that is, rushing some half-baked, inferior (the displays alone! UGH!) product out (or, in other words, every single Android tablet released after the iPad), in a (really) pathetic attempt to play "catch up" with Apple's success.

      I wouldn't call Macbook Pros a triumph of industrial design

      You are entitled to your incorrect opinion, of course. ;-)

      , they're ok, but "triumph" is a bit over the top... and for what you get, they are too expensive. The windows tax is bad enough, the apple tax is ridiculous.

      I have no problem with polycarbonate cases. I am more concerned about how well the machines are assembled and how much freedom I have to do what I want with them... right down to ordering them with my choice of OS and partitioning.

      Ok, you DO realize that, since OS X comes pre-installed on every single Apple computer, the OS is, for all intents and purposes, FREE (as in beer), and yet, there is still nothing stopping you from wiping (or just simply re-partitioning) the HD (don't even have to lose what you have already in most cases), and installing Linux, and/or Windows in a multi-boot configuration, or, if you want concurrent operation of multiple OSes, through one of the hypervisor-based virtualization products available.

      So, did you have a point, again?

    35. Re:Three words: by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

      REPLY:
        E150-SERIES looks crap, not full sized lcd, price difference is not that huge. We arent poor students here any more, ipod is affordable.

      COMMENT:
        macbooks look nice, but 1 usb port sucks (at least one model had that), but I just get the cheapo winlaptops. Not much more in $ than an ipod ;-)

       

      --
      Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
    36. Re:Three words: by Max+Littlemore · · Score: 1

      REPLY:

      E150-SERIES looks crap, not full sized lcd, price difference is not that huge. We arent poor students here any more, ipod is affordable.

      So you would spend more on an iPood with shittier sound because it has a bigger screen? I'm just curious here, I use my phone to play music (it even lets me listen to FM radio).

      --
      I don't therefore I'm not.
  2. HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

    Lets try open an equivalent HP/Dell then eh? Build quality depends on how much you want to pay the little 3rd world country workers to assemble them. For all major companies, that isn't much!

    1. Re:HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

      Might I add, I presume having a very complex/intricate design would make construction a lot trickier.. Compare the innards of a MacBook Pro and any other laptop manufacturer and you'll know what I'm talking about.

    2. Re:HP - Dell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Having worked in laptop manufacture, for General Dynamics-Itronix, these things shouldn't be happening. At any given point on the line, at least, at any decent manufacturer, there should be inspection points. Stripping a screw, OK, it happens, that's more on the employee who assembled it. Now a zif socket left open, that's just silly. But, in the same breath, when we got units back that were worked on at our twinhead facility in taiwan, it was a giant clusterf**k. Stripped screws, bent pins, pinched cables, etc.

    3. Re:HP - Dell? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A complex/intricate design makes one tend to strip screws and leave ZIF sockets open? Sounds more like a lazy assembler to me.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    4. Re:HP - Dell? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lets try open an equivalent HP/Dell then eh?

      Build quality depends on how much you want to pay the little 3rd world country workers to assemble them. For all major companies, that isn't much!

      If you want to open one and take pictures, go right ahead.

      I'll even sell you mine for 600 bucks.

    5. Re:HP - Dell? by commodore6502 · · Score: 4, Funny

      >>>Lets try open an equivalent HP/Dell then eh?

      Damn straight! This whole Slashdot Summary should be modded troll. Apple would never, ever, never have "build quality problems" in their $1800 machines. Everybody knows their laptops are better quality than my - I mean those half-price $900 PC laptops.

      That's why we Apple users pay so much for them!!! It's like buying Lexus/Acura instead of Toyota/Honda, even though they are made by the same engineers in the same factory with identical engines & chassis.

      (kneels before porcelain Jobs)
      Did I do alright master?

      --
      Information wants to be expensive AND wants to be free. So you have Value vs. Cheap distribution fighting each other.
    6. Re:HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

      Perhaps I was just trying to show some perspective, for the all common Apple bashing crowd here. It happens with other computers too, no matter the price. My original point was that it's down to where they manufacture the computers, not the brand.

    7. Re:HP - Dell? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      Compare the innards of a MacBook Pro and any other laptop manufacturer and you'll know what I'm talking about.

      Instead of making me tear apart computers, why don't you just tell us. what you're talking about?

      How is a Mac "more complex/intricate" than say a Lenovo or Toshiba or HP? Does the Mac have "17-Jewel Swiss Movement"?

      I've been inside my Mac Pro as well as my homebuilt i7/1366 and they've got pretty much the same components. I'm not doubting you, just asking for clarification regarding the laptops.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    8. Re:HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

      Too true.

    9. Re:HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

      Logic board design is far neater. Less individual components hanging off the main board, so instead they are integral. This leaves more room for battery/other components. You can compare desktops, as they are well overpriced. No difference between a nice Gigabyte/Asus board and a motherboard in a Mac Pro.

    10. Re:HP - Dell? by VortexCortex · · Score: 1
      So... If the brand doesn't indicate quality, then why do people pay more for the brand?

      One way to combat this is to have the QC label on the outside with assembler's initials.

      "Let's see here, CHS, eww, no thank you. I only buy products of this brand that are assembled by TML, SRS, or MRB."

      Or... Here's a thought: "If you want something done right -- Do it yourself." Can I please get an option to purchase the unassembled "kit" for a discount? You can waive the assembly warranty so long as the individual component MFGR's warranty is preserved.
      (I miss the days when Apple's came as kits... Now that was a Apple assembly line you could trust! Also: Get off my lawn.)

    11. Re:HP - Dell? by sloomis · · Score: 1

      One way to combat this is to have the QC label on the outside with assembler's initials. "Let's see here, CHS, eww, no thank you. I only buy products of this brand that are assembled by TML, SRS, or MRB."

      Thats all good, then they will just hire all the people with the same surname of Li, there are roughly 100 million of them in the world.

    12. Re:HP - Dell? by Simon80 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't know if lazy is really the appropriate word to use when talking about cheap labour.I think it's much more likely that they're actually hard-working people who are overworked and underpaid.

    13. Re:HP - Dell? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      Logic board design is far neater. Less individual components hanging off the main board, so instead they are integral

      OK, but wouldn't that make it less "complex/intricate"?

      My question to you was how is a Mac laptop's innards more "complex/intricate" as you claimed.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    14. Re:HP - Dell? by E+IS+mC(Square) · · Score: 2

      >> Perhaps I was just trying to show some perspective

      By comparing to something half the price?? I smell fanboi fart...

    15. Re:HP - Dell? by Entropy2016 · · Score: 2

      The throw-away issue isn't an Apple one, it's a laptop issue in general. It's not like CPU/Graphics on laptops have had a history of being an easy do-it-yourself job, regardless of brand. Laptops have always been inherently hard to upgrade since they're attempting to be as compact as possible. And at least Apple attempts to mitigate the damage of a throw-away society by putting a checkbox on the order form that gives you an option of mailing in your old computer so they can recycle it.

    16. Re:HP - Dell? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      yeah but then you'd be paying a fraction for that hp/dell. if apple wants to sell overpriced pcs, then they should make sure that their quality is top-notch.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    17. Re:HP - Dell? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      And at least Apple attempts to mitigate the damage of a throw-away society by putting a checkbox on the order form that gives you an option of mailing in your old computer so they can recycle it.

      oh, you mean like dell?

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    18. Re:HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

      Not necessarily - until you've pulled one apart you don't realise how tight everything fits together.

    19. Re:HP - Dell? by Entropy2016 · · Score: 1

      Yes, like Dell also does. Was there a point you were trying to make?

    20. Re:HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

      Presuming because they market it well, and there are many people with lots of expendable income to purchase something 'different'?

    21. Re:HP - Dell? by speedingant · · Score: 1

      Tough crowd... I didn't explicitly compare anything with something half the price, and most brand create comparably priced products in some part of their range...

    22. Re:HP - Dell? by gandhi_2 · · Score: 0

      Noticed I said "repair", not upgrade.

      Repairing isn't really the true Apple user way, is it?

    23. Re:HP - Dell? by Wovel · · Score: 1

      Interesting comparison, more accurate than you obviously know. I am not sure you intended to prove the point you did.

    24. Re:HP - Dell? by rhook · · Score: 1

      And at least Apple attempts to mitigate the damage of a throw-away society by putting a checkbox on the order form that gives you an option of mailing in your old computer so they can recycle it.

      Why would you want to do that when you can just sell it to offset the cost of the new system? It is amazing what some people will throw away.

    25. Re:HP - Dell? by drsmithy · · Score: 1

      Might I add, I presume having a very complex/intricate design would make construction a lot trickier.. Compare the innards of a MacBook Pro and any other laptop manufacturer and you'll know what I'm talking about.

      I would expect the interior design of a MBP to be substantially less "complex/intricate" due to the fewer features and options it offers over PC counterparts.

    26. Re:HP - Dell? by anotherone · · Score: 1

      Both

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    27. Re:HP - Dell? by wisty · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Rushed" is probably more like it. I bet Apple has ordered a large number of items in a short time.

      Good, Fast, or Cheap. Pick one.

    28. Re:HP - Dell? by macs4all · · Score: 0

      A complex/intricate design makes one tend to strip screws and leave ZIF sockets open? Sounds more like a lazy assembler to me.

      More like a new employee. Those two operations were probably close enough to the final build operations that they were likely done by the same employee.

      Get 100 samples and we'll talk; otherwise it's just a bad unit. Shouldn't happen; but things like a stripped screw will never be caught. The ZIF connector lock maybe should have; but like all manufacturers, I'm sure Apple only does random sampling of production units, as long as the warranty return numbers don't start climbing.

      You can be sure that that article DID cause Apple to place a few trans-Pacific facetime calls (is that even possible?) with their Contract Manufacturer, and probably caused some poor QA person in the U.S. to do a complete teardown and "audit" on these units.

    29. Re:HP - Dell? by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      So... If the brand doesn't indicate quality, then why do people pay more for the brand?

      It could be that some people are merely imbeciles. I've seen a few people who buy normal things at absolutely ridiculous prices just because they have the mentality of, "if it costs more, it must be better!"

      Sure, some brands are better than others, but just because many people buy it, that doesn't mean that it's good.

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    30. Re:HP - Dell? by Phoghat · · Score: 1

      A complex/intricate design makes one tend to strip screws and leave ZIF sockets open? Sounds more like a lazy assembler to me.

      Lazy? Some poor guy in China passed out from lack of sleep and food.

      --
      Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
    31. Re:HP - Dell? by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      If you think the only difference between Lexus / Acura and Toyota / Honda are the badge on the front, you are far to ignorant to have an opinion.

      Hint: that particular difference is in the service you get for the extra money.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    32. Re:HP - Dell? by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > Hint: that particular difference is in the service you get for the extra money.

      What? So they have more expensive couches in the waiting area where you sit while they are reaming you on the standard maintenance required to keep your warranty valid?

      No. If you have to whine about "service" then you've already lost the argument. Quality is about the product, not whatever after market band-aids they apply after you've bought the thing. If I ever have to talk to a "Genius", then Apple just failed.

      If their product was really better, they would at least back it up with a standard warranty that would make the other vendors light headed.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    33. Re:HP - Dell? by MachineShedFred · · Score: 2

      I'm talking about your comparison, not Apple.

      In your comparison, you say that the luxury lines of automotive companies are nothing but their regular cars with larger digits on the price tag. I'm telling you that your assumption is completely incorrect. You further define how incorrect this is by making a snarky response about couches in their waiting area, which is a strawman.

      The reality is that every car, no matter how expensive or not, will require maintenance. Most 'luxury' brands build this maintenance into the price of the car up front. You cry about the standard maintenance required to keep the warranty intact. The reality is that I take my car to the dealership, get a loaner to get about my day while they do the work, and then come back at the end of the day to get my car without paying once red cent for the loaner or maintenance service.

      I don't even pay (after purchase) for oil changes because it's covered by the standard maintenance and warranty. When I have a problem - any problem, I just drop it off and drive away in a loaner, and they call me and tell me what the problem is later, asking for approval to fix it, which also doesn't cost me a dime.

      Next time, make a comparison to something you actually know about.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    34. Re:HP - Dell? by Alien7 · · Score: 1

      You mean so they can re-use the parts and overcharge someone else for used parts poorly assembled in a shiny new case?
      What a bunch of touchy-feely philanthropists those mac people are...

    35. Re:HP - Dell? by rjstanford · · Score: 2

      I've been inside my Mac Pro as well as my homebuilt i7/1366 and they've got pretty much the same components. I'm not doubting you, just asking for clarification regarding the laptops.

      Oh, come on. I could buy that argument on the laptops, but the Mac Pro? I've personally never seen such a well-designed and -constructed enclosure. Machined aluminum tracks for everything, swappable sub-assembelies, etc. I wouldn't claim that the components themselves are superior, but the case is phenomenal - easily the equal of the average well-built rackmount server from most companies.

      --
      You're special forces then? That's great! I just love your olympics!
    36. Re:HP - Dell? by jvin248 · · Score: 1

      This is where it starts. Design phase. The Apples are probably designed in the US and then built in China. There may be some back-and-forth between the Engineering design group and the Manufacturing group during development but if the parts are badly designed it's just asking the operators to make mistakes. The operators don't want to make an error - it's bad for them and bad for the company.

      The curious part to know is what does Apple US dictate in the design parameters to the Manufacturing group, what is the detailed specification ... from only requiring "it needs to be white and less than this thick" to minute details like "...and you have to use resistor 100k over here..".

      The other issue is the review model could have been 'hand built' specifically for a press review, not knowing part of the review was a complete tear-down, so one person put the whole thing together rather than a tuned manufacturing process.

    37. Re:HP - Dell? by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Do they mitigate it by making it easy to replace/upgrade the most commonly replaced components?

      http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/manuals?c=us&l=en&s=biz

      perhaps that should be a requirement in the future, since Apple is the only manufacturer that I have ever found who doesn't do these things, due to their obsession with looks over function.http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/02/28/233215/New-MacBook-Pro-Teardown-Reveals-Shoddy-Assembly?from=rss#

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    38. Re:HP - Dell? by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      .. or a new one. Or a distracted one.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    39. Re:HP - Dell? by Doggabone · · Score: 1

      "Rushed" is probably more like it. I bet Apple has ordered a large number of items in a short time.

      Good, Fast, or Cheap. Pick one.

      Why, I remember, back in the day, you used to be able to pick two.

    40. Re:HP - Dell? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      I've personally never seen such a well-designed and -constructed enclosure.

      Yes, it's a lovely enclosure. A work of art. I was talking about the components, though.

      And I would put my CoolerMaster Storm up against it for cooling and how easy it is to work in. It even has a big-ass handle and top-mounted eSATA, USB, FW and audio jacks. And the CM Storm is under $100. Looks pretty cool, too.

      I've gotten a new Mac Pro every other year since the dual G4s came out. They are very nice machines and necessary to me because Logic Audio was my main DAW software for years. It got harder and harder to justify the expense though, since Reaper on Win7 with ReaMote running on a Linux machine in the back room beats the Mac Pro/Logic setup hands down for price AND performance. I can put together the Nephalim Win7 machine fully tricked out and the Linux box for less than the Mac Pro and even pick up a very nice MIDI controller to boot (especially when I figure Reaper costs about 1/5 of Logic Studio).

      Now my Mac Pro is for teaching only, and I probably won't be buying another. I wonder if I could reuse the case. It does look impressive.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. So much for build quality... by silly_sysiphus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The first-generation Macbook Pros were nothing special in terms of build quality, but up until now, the unibody machines had been rather good. If you're not paying for build quality, what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money, given that most of Apple's components are industry standard now? I suppose this is a good reminder that regardless of the brand, most electronics are coming out of the same crappy Chinese factories.

    1. Re:So much for build quality... by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Informative

      I suppose this is a good reminder that regardless of the brand, most electronics are coming out of the same crappy Chinese factories.

      That's totally unfair.

      Why single out electronics like that?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    2. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      If you're not paying for build quality, what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money, given that most of Apple's components are industry standard now?

      You are getting that little Apple logo when you boot? There is no magic hardware differences between different computer makers. Apple just has their OS on their hardware while Dell sells Windows + shitton of bloat. So you are paying for no software bloat, I guess.

    3. Re:So much for build quality... by postmortem · · Score: 1

      what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money, given that most of Apple's components are industry standard now?.

      Although apple's laptops have few unique features, you are not getting as much as you put, according to profit margins of Apple Corp.

    4. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're paying for a slick design.

      In this way Apple computers are a lot like a Ferrari which will spend a lot of time in the shop if you actually drive it very much.

      I always get moderated away for saying it but of all the computer stuff I own my Apple products have been the least reliable. Many dead computers, ipods, bad LCD's, etc. (fortunately most weren't purchased by me, I used to work for Apple).

    5. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're paying for a slick design.

      In this way Apple computers are a lot like a Ferrari

      More like a Ferrari body on a Ford Mondeo.

    6. Re:So much for build quality... by jjohnson · · Score: 1

      You're paying for OS X, for an aluminum unibody, for an awesome keyboard and high-res screen.

      If that's worth the extra money to you, then awesome, you're good to go (which it is to me--I don't imagine I'll have any laptop besides a Macbook in the future, though my assembled desktop runs Windows 7). If not, I have a plastic HP that might interest you...

      --
      Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
    7. Re:So much for build quality... by jjohnson · · Score: 4, Funny

      Anonymous coward offers anecdotal evidence. Well, I'm sold!

      --
      Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
    8. Re:So much for build quality... by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Jaguars are built that way.

    9. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 2

      I suppose this is a good reminder that regardless of the brand, most electronics are coming out of the same crappy Chinese factories.

      That's totally unfair.

      Why single out electronics like that?

      40 years ago the common wisdom in the US said the same thing about foreign quality, except back then it was about the Japanese. Those that don't learn their history...

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    10. Re:So much for build quality... by dave562 · · Score: 1

      The only thing that sets the MBP apart from other laptops is the touch pad interface. Other than that they are the same as every other laptop out there. That touch pad is the only thing I miss when I'm working on other computers.

    11. Re:So much for build quality... by commodore6502 · · Score: 2

      >>>You're paying for OS X, for an aluminum unibody

      That'll come in useful when I take my Mac off-roading this summer. None of that shoddy welded crap to break when the wheels hit ruts. I wonder if the rubber wheels/suspension will hold up.

      --
      Information wants to be expensive AND wants to be free. So you have Value vs. Cheap distribution fighting each other.
    12. Re:So much for build quality... by DeWinterZero · · Score: 2

      If Apple's laptop assembly is anything like Dell's one person is give all the parts and its assembled in one spot. That amount of errors sounds like it was built by a new start and therefore its training/quality that failed. Dell laptop assembly required 10-15 laptops an hour. Servers was 4-5.

    13. Re:So much for build quality... by Haedrian · · Score: 2

      If you're not paying for build quality, what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money

      When you buy expensive brand clothing, you're not paying extra because its made from a rare blend of materials - you're paying for that extra brand which makes people recognise you as cool, modern, hip and rich.

      Same thing.

    14. Re:So much for build quality... by twidarkling · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I've used Macbooks. That keyboard sure as fuck ain't awesome. I could go out and buy OS X and stick it on any machine for under $900, and ...well, okay, yes, damn you, that is a really nice screen. I'd love a better screen on my laptop, and since I should have some cash spare soon, I'm looking in to replacements, seeing if there's anything feasible. As for the aluminium unibody, I've honestly never understood the drooling over that. I treat my laptop carefully, as befitting a costly machine, and it just seems to make Macbooks terribly heavy. Am I missing something about it that just isn't obvious? The protection idea is negligible, it's not really better at dispersing heat, aesthetics are a matter of taste, and it's heavier. I've weighed my 17" HP vs. my friend's 15" Macbook.

      --
      Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
    15. Re:So much for build quality... by sconeu · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the "positive click" (I'm not sure of the official term) threw me the first time I used my daughter's MBP.

      Now I wish I had one on my Toshiba. I'm sick of the skipping cursor/false clicks (and yes, I have PalmGuard on).

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    16. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The first-generation Macbook Pros were nothing special in terms of build quality, but up until now, the unibody machines had been rather good. If you're not paying for build quality, what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money, given that most of Apple's components are industry standard now?

      I suppose this is a good reminder that regardless of the brand, most electronics are coming out of the same crappy Chinese factories.

      HP, Dell, Apple etc are all made by FOXCONN so yeah its not unfair to say they are all made by the same factories, but crappy is another thing...

      Bearing in mind apples penchant for over complicating designs thats probably what impacts their build quality...

    17. Re:So much for build quality... by Threni · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but the Japanese don't make shit stuff now. The Chinese do. So history is irrelevant. That's why you'll see, for example, photographers asking how to identify the lenses made outside China. Perhaps if the Chinese employees stop killing themselves and pay more attention to detail they'll lose the `cheap shit made in prisons by kids` somewhat sooner than in 40 years time...

    18. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've heard this before but how is it really any better than any other Synaptics touchpad that come in most laptops? Most of them are already multitouch capable (and have been for years), you just have to install Scrybe.

    19. Re:So much for build quality... by flappinbooger · · Score: 1

      The only thing that sets the MBP apart from other laptops is the touch pad interface. Other than that they are the same as every other laptop out there. That touch pad is the only thing I miss when I'm working on other computers.

      Sorry, no, looks like they have a little more to their credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Pro

      --
      Flappinbooger isn't my real name
    20. Re:So much for build quality... by spinkham · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You made me spit coffee out at "awesome keyboard".
      My Model M is an awesome keyboard.
      My ThinkPad has a great keyboard for a laptop.
      My new MacBook Pro has a tolerable keyboard at best.

      --
      Blessed are the pessimists, for they have made backups.
    21. Re:So much for build quality... by PReDiToR · · Score: 1

      I'm so annoyed at my Toshiba for pasting crap every time I type on it, but I'm also too busy doing things to edit the policy for it to disable middle clicking on a device that doesn't have a third button.

      Who on earth thought that having a mouse pad that is flush with the palmrest was a good idea?

      Add to that, sometimes the damn thing won't move properly and you're left with give me back my nipple! Come back IBM all is forgiven!

      --

      Do not meddle in the affairs of geeks for they are subtle and quick to anger
    22. Re:So much for build quality... by mr100percent · · Score: 1

      I really don't care much about the hardware, because I mainly bought my MacBook Pro for the OS X. That's what you're getting.

    23. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not having used a mac, what exactly does it do that a synaptics pad doesn't?

    24. Re:So much for build quality... by Missing.Matter · · Score: 2

      You're paying for OS X, for an aluminum unibody, for an awesome keyboard and high-res screen.

      Care to explain my HP Envy, with aluminum/magnesium body, backlit keyboard, slot loading dvd, 128gb SSD, Radeon HD 5650, i5, 1600x900 screen?

      Oh, and I bought it for $980 ($1400 before rebate. I miss you 30% BCB). The closest Macbook configuration (at the time) cost almost $3000, and couldn't even match in some specs (like the video card). Is OSX worth almost $1600? And people scoff at the price of Windows 7.

    25. Re:So much for build quality... by flappinbooger · · Score: 1

      Does that page reference the douchery of their owners, and how those owners seem to need to point out how their laptops are different from every other laptop out there?

      mmmmm, maybe if you read between the lines. It does talk about the "aluminum unibody construction" so many people point out that they have.
      I primarily work on PC's but just recently I had to "fix" a MBP. It would not boot. I tried all the simple fixes but ended up having to install OSX from the disk.
      I have to admit that the MBP was, indeed, impressive. (except for the being broken part)

      --
      Flappinbooger isn't my real name
    26. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Waif: You can't treat the working man this way! One of these days we'll form a union, and get the fair and equitable treatment we deserve! Then we'll go too far, and become corrupt and shiftless, and the Japanese will eat us alive!
      Burns' Grandfather: The Japanese? Those sandal-wearing goldfish tenders? Ha ha! Bosh! Flimshaw!

    27. Re:So much for build quality... by Samalie · · Score: 2

      The fact in my sample size of 4 of the Envy systems at my work, we had 3 defective? The Envy laptops are complete steaming festering floater turds, based on what I've seen.

      Look, my sample size of Apple Computers in my life is exactly zero, so I'm not commenting on their build quality, or lack thereov as suggested by the article.

      But HP licks balls.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    28. Re:So much for build quality... by iluvcapra · · Score: 2

      Although apple's laptops have few unique features, you are not getting as much as you put, according to profit margins of Apple Corp.

      This contention, that a consumer is getting a bad deal if the producer makes a profit, is very strange. Remember, profit come from the fact that manufacturing costs become marginal with volume, producers lock-in low commodity prices through contracts (Apple buys its SSDs and RAM 5 years in advance of you in astounding volumes), and from the various economic rents it gets from proprietary processes and licensing.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
    29. Re:So much for build quality... by Skowronek · · Score: 1

      There have been, long in the past, much better screens in laptops.

      For instance, my IBM ThinkPad T60p has a 15", 2048x1536 screen. This has, as a matter of fact, been an option on that model.

      IBM has pushed screen technology so far that we still have not hit that watermark. Their 22" monitors with 3840x2400 resolution have hit the market in 2001. Of course, when Apple releases a 3840x2160 (16:9, of course, so it's a bit cheaper) as a product, nobody will even remember they existed...

    30. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it makes you come

    31. Re:So much for build quality... by magus_melchior · · Score: 2

      Well, the iFixit guy didn't see any other major problems (other than difficulty of replacing the LCD, but that's more of a design issue than anything), and all of the problems he cited can be solved by tightening the build process.

      It's also possible that he got a unit built by a n00b. Stripped screws, forgotten ZIF locking, and too much paste are novice errors. The problem with manufacturing in China isn't that the build is consistently crappy, but that the build quality is not consistent.

      --
      "We are Microsoft. You shall be assimilated. Competition is futile."
    32. Re:So much for build quality... by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 2

      I have that feeling all the time, and it pisses me off. Sadly, the ONLY company producing quality right now (in that area) is apple.

      It ain't just the screen and the unibody: the touchpad, the battery, the power supply, everything about it is awesome. Except the privative software, job's walled garden, and awful microsoft-like business practices. That's why I refuse to buy apple. What I want is a macbook-quality laptop with no software, no restrictions, and no logos or any other identifiable marks. NOBODY is producing such a thing. Same thing with tablets. What is so hard about it? Just take the best touchscreen you can get, the best camera, the best mobo with a good processor and lots of ram and stick Honeycomb in that motherfucker. How hard can it be? It isn't. I own several tablets: an aPad with Rockchip 2808A, a Wopad with Rockchip 2818, another generic one with W8505, another generic one with a Samsung S5PV210 and yet another generic with a Telechips 8902. None of them is what they are supposed to be. The Wopad has the beautiful aluminum body, and the awesome capacitive multitouch screen, but a crappy processor, only 256MB of RAM and crappy hardware acceleration, and the battery sucks. The Samsung S5PV210 is almost perfect regarding hardware, but the latest firmware for that one is Froyo, and the casing is awful cheap plastic, and it's resistive. The other ones are crap.

      Why isn't there a single manufacturer that gets it, and starts producing hardware I would actually want to buy?

      --
      WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
    33. Re:So much for build quality... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      It is arguably the case that the "envy" is so called because that is what "inspired" the HP 'design' team; but prices are prices...

    34. Re:So much for build quality... by Niris · · Score: 1

      Ugh, did you open up the casing of that MBP at all? Every time I have to open a Mac I want to kick Steve Jobs.

    35. Re:So much for build quality... by atlasdropperofworlds · · Score: 1, Interesting

      To me, OSX isn't worth a premium. Linux is technologically superior and both Gnome and KDE offer superior UIs. In fact, I consider Windows to have a superior UI to OSX, mainly because it scales better with resolution and in mutli-monitor situations by keeping all applications functions close together. Aluminium bodies are available on some ASUS laptops, but I'd prefer the aluminium and bamboo case in terms of styling - it's far nicer than anything else out there.

      What MBP has one combination of feature available that are winning, but overpriced for what they are: long battery life and a high resolution (WUXGA) screen option. I would *almost* consider getting the MBP for that reason alone. However, considering I could get the above-mentioned ASUS and a large monitor for the same cost, why exactly would I want an MBP?

    36. Re:So much for build quality... by gandhi_2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think you just made his point.

      Everyone made fun of Japanese quality, and now Japanese stuff is first-rate.

      Right now, China makes shit....

      So history doesn't seem irrelevant at all.

    37. Re:So much for build quality... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Like when they had shitty screens that dithered the colours back in 2007? Those were awesome!

      The same screens are available from all manufacturers for all types of PC. Mac ones are nothing special.

    38. Re:So much for build quality... by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      You're paying for OS X, for an aluminum unibody, for an awesome keyboard and high-res screen.

      Don't forget the slim body and the tiny power brick that, for reasons I'll never understand, hasn't been copied by the rest of the industry. My company sent me on a shoot once with a Dell laptop that had a power brick that looked at home next to an XBOX 360. F'n ridiculous.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    39. Re:So much for build quality... by flappinbooger · · Score: 1

      Ugh, did you open up the casing of that MBP at all? Every time I have to open a Mac I want to kick Steve Jobs.

      I took off the back to re-seat the ram, which is one of the quick fixes of a no-boot. Seemed alright, other than having to remove a handful of tiny screws and the whole bottom of the case just to access the ram.....

      --
      Flappinbooger isn't my real name
    40. Re:So much for build quality... by MidnightBrewer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Most laptops with a MacBook Pro's feature set also cost about the same amount of money. Compared to those around me, I'd say you get a sexy, sturdy exterior and a high-quality screen.

      --
      "Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
    41. Re:So much for build quality... by mR.bRiGhTsId3 · · Score: 2

      I recently did open up an MBP to upgrade it. The only 2 parts that I wanted to touch (RAM/HD) were easy to get at and swapping them out was the work of a minute once I got the case open. Furthermore, the fan vent was super easy to get access to and clean. I found the experience quite pleasant and it was the easiest disassembly I've ever had on a laptop. What precisely is your objection?

    42. Re:So much for build quality... by silly_sysiphus · · Score: 1

      Agreed. As the owner of several Apple laptops as well as Thinkpads, the Apple keyboards are middling at best. (Personally, I don't even like the flat-topped keys on any keyboard, preferring the concave keys on a "traditional" board...but that much is up for argument. Decent quality switches and overall rigidity really aren't.

    43. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I cannot agree more!

      I *love* the touchpads on the aluminum macbooks. They're huge, responsive, and the gestures are very useful (back, forward, show desktop, etc). Whenever I oggle at ThinkPads and wonder if I should switch over, the lack of an awesome touchpad is always a giant point against them. That and the LCD brightness/quality of my last thinkpad, compared to my current macbook, was pathetic. If these factors could be matched, I would switch in an instant.

    44. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except with the Mac, you're also dipping into OS X, which for me is a dream for daily office use. Yes, I could do the same work with another tool, but between Windows and OS X, I choose OS X. You can argue about the Hackintosh all you like, but licensing issues make that impractical in a corporate environment. For the few Windows dependent CRM applications that I have to use, there's VMware.

      If they're having build issues, I'll wait to upgrade. For now, my three year old MacBook Pro is humming along just fine and if needed, I have a year old Windows laptop gathering dust.

    45. Re:So much for build quality... by silly_sysiphus · · Score: 1

      Er. The T60p never had anything better than a 1600x1200 screen as stock (the 15" 4:3 Flexview). The QXGA screen you have was only ever available on the R50p. That said, Thinkpads from a few years back (think 2005-2006ish) were top of class, no argument. Not so much with their current offerings.

    46. Re:So much for build quality... by fabioalcor · · Score: 1, Funny

      what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money

      The Apple Shaped Reality Distortion Field Emmiter.

    47. Re:So much for build quality... by silly_sysiphus · · Score: 1

      (Top of class with regard to screen quality, that is.)

    48. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sometimes its just better to post the truth in something like this as an AC. If you don't, you'll be modded into the ground. I've done the same before. And I've noticed the quality issues of Apple products myself (one of the reasons I don't buy them).

      I've owned 2 iPods, and both died in just under a year and I'm not alone there. Its quite rare I can find someone who's had a iPlayer(Pod, Touch, Shuffle) that has had one live for more then a year and a half. Does this mean there is none? No, but I find them to be quite rare with people who use them. I've had friends had other failing parts in MacBooks (HDs the most common). They just don't live any longer then a good built laptop from other companies. Granted this seems to be were many Mac users get annoying to me when comparing build quality. They will want to compare a $1200+ MacBook to a sub $400-$500 HP or Dell. Thats not a good comparison in any manor. HP and Dell are known to be subpar quality companies. Compare the Mac to something like a Asus, Sony or Toshiba. Do these companies have no failures? No, but they aren't shoddy built either. These are better build quality companies. An suddenly you'll see a more equal in quality build in all these companies. This was even highlighted by Squaretrades review of their records. Thing is, the price tag to the Apple laptops are much higher for the same specs and the review shows that the build quality isn't higher, its just higher priced to make you think your paying for something of higher quality. This is normal in designer products like clothes and perfumes/make-ups because people like to equate "higher price = higher quality" when in many situations, it isn't true but is to make you believe that it is.

      Now, is Apple normally a shoddy build quality company? No, but they aren't the top build quality either. They just know how to give the impression that they are.

      Now does this mean you shouldn't ever buy an Apple product? Not really. You should buy what you enjoy but should approach it knowing the facts and not have false impressions about the product either. In short, if you enjoy the Apple product, then all the power to you, but don't be surprised that not everyone will agree with you that they are the best. Its why there is more then one product out there. Everyone is different.

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    49. Re:So much for build quality... by Y-Crate · · Score: 4, Informative

      Does that page reference the douchery of their owners, and how those owners seem to need to point out how their laptops are different from every other laptop out there?

      No, but I hear they're considering adding a paragraph or two on smug non-Mac users who absolutely insist on throwing non sequiturs like yours into practically every Apple discussion.

      I hear far, far more from people like you than I do from those you're complaining about. And I work in an industry that is disproportionately Mac-centric, and went to a college where easily 95%+ of the student body and faculty used Macs. And I also love to spend time at coffee shops. I mean come on.

      I'm beginning to think it's a bizarre inferiority complex that is triggered by the sight / mention of Apple products. The same way some people flip out and feel oppressed when they spot "Happy Holidays" or something.

    50. Re:So much for build quality... by Skowronek · · Score: 1

      My bad. I do believe you're right - it was possible to install the screens as an addon (I have), but I think they dropped them from the list.

    51. Re:So much for build quality... by screwzloos · · Score: 1

      I know everyone is boycotting Sony these days, but if you've got money to spend on a laptop, Sony's last VAIO Z might interest you. Desktop hardware (i7, DDR3, SSD, dedicated HD video) in a 13.1 inch case, available with aluminum or carbon fiber bodies. It only has the one distinguishing VAIO logo on the back of the lid. It got great reviews, too.

      Problem is, they just stopped making it, probably because nobody could afford to pay three to five grand for it. Damn this economy. I'd take one over a Mac Pro any day. At least they are still on Amazon.

    52. Re:So much for build quality... by vux984 · · Score: 1

      You made me spit coffee out at "awesome keyboard".

      At this point, in my opinion a keyboard with the primary keys in the correct places counts as an awesome keyboard.

      Laptop Manufacturers take note: Please do not stick an extra key between " and enter. I will not buy a laptop with a slash jammed between quote and enter.

      Does anyone like that particular keyboard tweak that is so common on laptop keyboards?

    53. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Off roading with a Mac? That's some hard-to-get-to Starbucks you have there.

    54. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I suppose this is a good reminder that regardless of the brand, most electronics are coming out of the same crappy Chinese factories.

      In my lifetime, the worst products (that were not dollar store) usually came from American factories.

      When young, (early 80s) I remember one of my dad's friends driving into the driveway to show off his newly purchase Cadillac straight from the dealer. He pushed the button for the driver side window to come down, and it popped out! Increduously, he had the passenger side window come down and it did the same exact thing.

      Think he eventually got some European PoS instead.

    55. Re:So much for build quality... by antdude · · Score: 1

      I am not sure if Japan is first-rate anymore. Look at Sony with their rootkits, DRM, etc. :(

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    56. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The thing is, maybe 40 years ago Japanese stuff was low quality, but 30 years ago it had improved immensely. Many South Korea industries went through a similarly fast rate of improvement.

      China's many years further in than when the others started transitioning to high quality, but their quality is still shit. They've got a wildly different government system than the others, and it seems to be missing some important factor that makes the positive feedback loop of quality improvement happen. It's important to at least recognize that before trying to identify what's holding them up; and definitely important to recognize there's a problem before blindly drawing comparisons to other countries and using those to project into the near future.

    57. Re:So much for build quality... by E+IS+mC(Square) · · Score: 1

      Now now! Don't use facts with apple fanbois. That's completely hitting below the belt.

    58. Re:So much for build quality... by jjohnson · · Score: 2

      See, I love Apple keyboards. I love them so much that I use one on my desktop PC and my linux box. They have just the right crispness coupled with the shortest travel. I can't stand model Ms and don't know how anyone who isn't a 'roided freak needing a machine gun soundtrack can use them. When I want exercise, I swim.

      However, I do recognize that this is a matter of personal preference.

      --
      Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
    59. Re:So much for build quality... by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      sony can be evil. but stuff made in japan is still super high quality. like lens assemblies.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    60. Re:So much for build quality... by perryizgr8 · · Score: 2

      i think you might wanna look at some thinkpads. i've found them to be really high quality and devoid of logos except 'thinkpad' (which i think is awesome) and a small 'lenovo'.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    61. Re:So much for build quality... by Niris · · Score: 1

      I'll give you the HD and RAM are easy to upgrade. Problem we had was a CD stuck in the drive and the eject button not working, so we had to pop it open and take the CD out of the drive. Tons of screws to get the case and keyboard off, then unfastening other parts and moving the bluetooth antenna just got annoying.

    62. Re:So much for build quality... by toddestan · · Score: 1

      Probably because Apple power bricks are notoriously shoddy and prone to failure? But while they are new, they are kind of nifty.

    63. Re:So much for build quality... by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      I've had friends had other failing parts in MacBooks (HDs the most common).

      how can hdd failiure be the most common one? i've NEVER seen an hdd fail in my life. even on the pos hp that has failed bluetooth, dvd writer, usb/esata port, overheating graphics, etc. but hard disks i've found to be ultra-reliable.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    64. Re:So much for build quality... by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      it costs you 200% more!
      oh, and it does not have right or middle click.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    65. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My son's Macbook came with a bent chassis right out of the box. (It would rock when you typed on the keyboard.) Sent it back and the second one arrived bent, but not as much as the first. As my son was about to leave for school, I crossed my fingers and performed a chiropractic adjustment on the spine. It hasn't rocked since...

    66. Re:So much for build quality... by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Can't say I've heard of that, and I work in an industry that's pretty Mac heavy.

      Of course I'm probably jinxing myself. ;)

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    67. Re:So much for build quality... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

      My new MacBook Pro has a tolerable keyboard at best.

      The backlight is really great. The only thing I miss from when I used to buy Macbook Pros.

      They did have great build quality, but now I buy $400 laptops and don't worry about failures (component or klutzoid).

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    68. Re:So much for build quality... by Guido+von+Guido · · Score: 1

      i think you might wanna look at some thinkpads. i've found them to be really high quality and devoid of logos except 'thinkpad' (which i think is awesome) and a small 'lenovo'.

      I've used a lot of thinkpads over the years, and long before Lenovo took over the quality was pretty mixed. It seemed that they alternated between good/great and terrible. I had one about three years ago which overheated horribly, and the wireless flaked out every time I unplugged it. I had another where the hinges attached to the screen just worked their way free from the body from opening and closing it once a day. The current one (a few years old now) is decent.

    69. Re:So much for build quality... by clang_jangle · · Score: 2

      I'm beginning to think it's a bizarre inferiority complex that is triggered by the sight / mention of Apple products. The same way some people flip out and feel oppressed when they spot "Happy Holidays" or something.

      It's called "displaced rage". Most geeks have a lot of rage, and one common coping mechanism is venting rage at surrogate issues. Makes it easy and simple to point and blame, which saves one the trouble of actually confronting and taking responsibility for their personal issues.

      --
      Caveat Utilitor
    70. Re:So much for build quality... by narcc · · Score: 1

      This contention, that a consumer is getting a bad deal if the producer makes a profit, is very strange.

      This has absolutely nothing to do with the parent post. Go read it again. This time, pay attention.

    71. Re:So much for build quality... by mbkennel · · Score: 2

      "What I want is a macbook-quality laptop with no software, no restrictions, and no logos or any other identifiable marks. NOBODY is producing such a thing. Same thing with tablets. What is so hard about it? Just take the best touchscreen you can get, the best camera, the best mobo with a good processor and lots of ram and stick Honeycomb in that motherfucker. How hard can it be?"

      To make, easy.

      To sell, hard. Especially as at $1200 your no-name nerdBook looks just the same as some "Big Name" computer company's POS computer at $800.

    72. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 1

      How its the most common I don't know, it might have something to do with the fact its the laptops and not the actual Mac desktops (those are rare for me to see in general). I do know that most people don't seem to be that delicate with their laptops so that might have something to do with it. Possibly reading data of the HDD and walking around with it would be my best guess and then dropping it. Like all people, they rarely tell you the truth of what they were doing when it broke. For all I know they tripped on the powercord and pulled it off (seen this once more or less, before my very eyes with a MacBook. The power cable was connected on the back left but had been pulled around the back and along the right side (so over half of it was wrapped with the cable), the sharp tug on the cable caused enough friction to pull the MacBook into a spin a few times and stopped half way off the table. Didn't matter that the power cord should have let go, but when its wrapped around it almost like a top it won't matter, friction takes over.)

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    73. Re:So much for build quality... by Voyager529 · · Score: 1

      Don't forget the slim body and the tiny power brick that, for reasons I'll never understand, hasn't been copied by the rest of the industry.

      At least a part of that is likely because they require somewhat more wattage. My last several laptops have required more wattage in them than the Macbook adapters are putting out. I would agree that there's less of an excuse for the thin-and-light segment where the power requirements are comparable.

    74. Re:So much for build quality... by dogmatixpsych · · Score: 2

      Sure, some people purchase Apple products because of the hipness factor but many of us (scientists) purchase them because they are better than Windows and Linux based computers for our research. I can use Linux for most of the stuff I do research-wise but there are a number of research tools that I use that are Mac specific (and comparable ones for Windows or Linux are not comparable in actual usability or utility).

      A lot of people also purchase Apple products because they do generally "just work."

      If they also happen to be cool and hip, that's just an added bonus.

      Additionally, I find it actually a pleasure to use a Mac. I have a nice GUI, I have a nice and usable CLI, and I have a lot of bundled and often used software. We cannot discount the costs of the software that Macs include. So while I enjoy using Macs, using Windows is not a pleasure, although Windows 7 is alright. Disclaimer: I was using Apple products long before they were hip and cool (the 80s and 90s). Well, they were sort of cool in the 80s but not really in the 90s. I do own a Windows / dual boot Linux system (recently built because I couldn't afford a Mac; although, even if I could have afforded a Mac I might still have built this computer because I like to have a Windows computer around, especially one with a really nice graphics card for gaming) as well as a Mac.

    75. Re:So much for build quality... by narcc · · Score: 1

      The only 2 parts that I wanted to touch (RAM/HD) were easy to get at and swapping them out was the work of a minute once I got the case open. Furthermore, the fan vent was super easy to get access to and clean. I found the experience quite pleasant and it was the easiest disassembly I've ever had on a laptop.

      You must not work on many. On the majority of notebooks I've worked on, access to RAM and HD can be had by removing a single screw -- I've seen many where removing the HD required no screws at all -- just a slide-switch.

      "Opening the case" to access the RAM and HD sounds like a much more involved and unpleasant experience to me.

    76. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you need to treat your iPods a little better (and no, I don't mean putting them in cases). Except for a first generation iPod Shuffle which inexplicably stopped working and a battery on a 3rd Gen full sized iPod, every iPod or iPhone I've owned and used lasted well past the point at which I cared to keep using it.

    77. Re:So much for build quality... by MasaMuneCyrus · · Score: 1

      I think you just made his point.

      Everyone made fun of Japanese quality, and now Japanese stuff is first-rate.

      Right now, China makes shit....

      So history doesn't seem irrelevant at all.

      Indeed. I have absolutely no problem with purchasing high quality products made in China.

      Unfortunately, I have never found a high quality product made in China (that is purchasable in the USA -- some Chinese goods in China are good).

      I would vote with my wallet if I had any other choice than Made in China ASUS, Made in China Dell, Made in China Toshiba, Made in China Canon, Made in China Fujifilm, Made in China etc.....

    78. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 1

      I took amazing care of them, thank you for asking. In fact, when I sent in the first one to be replaced for warrenty after 11 months of usage, aside for the oil of my fingers on the wheel, you wouldn't have been able to tell it had been used at all. I've banged around my current cellphone (Xperia x10) a hell of a lot more in the first 3 months then I did during the whole time with both iPods and the phone hasn't had a single issue (beyond the chip in the glass when it bounced off a rock, screen first). I never really took the iPod out of my pocket since I didn't need to so it never was banged around or anything.

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    79. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 1

      While its not a computer, but I do own a Made in South Korea MP3 Player (Cowon S9 to be exact).

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    80. Re:So much for build quality... by jjohnson · · Score: 1

      No, I don't care to explain, because i wasn't running down PC choices. I simply said that I prefer Macs enough to pay the Apple tax, and identified the things I like about it.

      See how that works? I didn't piss in your breakfast cereal. You didn't need to piss in mine.

      --
      Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
    81. Re:So much for build quality... by jjohnson · · Score: 1

      And the magnetic power coupling, which has saved my MBP from my cats on at least a couple occasions.

      --
      Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
    82. Re:So much for build quality... by Wovel · · Score: 1

      And of course your MBP price is just a lie...

    83. Re:So much for build quality... by Wovel · · Score: 1

      Good thing the standard iPod warranty is a year then... Kind of hard to take the rest of your post seriously.

    84. Re:So much for build quality... by FishTankX · · Score: 2

      If you want premium quality Chinese made components, a lot of Chinese audiophile class equipment, like dark voice headphone amplifiers, are of exceptional quality. Massive transformers, point to point wiring, and the housings to match.

      China is excellent on quality when doing high margin stuff, because they can afford to use extremely labor intensive techniques and still be cost competitive due to their lower salaries. However, what most of the west demands, and what causes all of these problems with Chinese manufacturing (labor discontent, mistakes) is an overworked, underpaid worker cranking products out as fast as they can. Japan started cranking out GOOD stuff when their technological expertise rose to the point where they could rise out of contract and low margin manufacturing into high tech, domestically designed products.

      Because when you move 20 million products, saving a buck a product (which could otherwise go towards, you know, giving the Chinese worker a living wage, instead of having them living in a dorm and skipping breakfast because they can't afford it) can save you 20 million bucks. CHINA is not the problem. The corporate-consumer complex demanding that Chinese product manufacturers make AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE to pad their own pockets, is the problem. And if a particular Chinese manufacturer doesn't want to pay his workers horrible wages and make them work 25 hours of overtime a week (which causes mistakes to happen) to keep things rolling, then another Chinese manufacturer will step in to fill the void. If not that ,maybe a Vietnamese one.

      In summary, China isn't at fault for the poor quality of it's products, the corporations that demand the low price of manufacturing (which leaves very little room for quality checks and healthy, happy, alert workers) are responsible for the poor quality of their products. This quality level is maintained at JUST a high enough point that people don't bail from the product line in droves, so they're locked into buying low quality products which break often and create more opportunity for the manufacturer to sell additional products. High quality products don't tend to produce repeat purchases. If it aint broke don't fix it.

    85. Re:So much for build quality... by rhook · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I have that feeling all the time, and it pisses me off. Sadly, the ONLY company producing quality right now (in that area) is apple.

      You should have a look at the T-Series ThinkPads, the quality is top notch, best keyboard on the market, touchpad is great, carbon fiber reinforced plastics, a titanium rollcage, liquid drain ports in they keyboard (just in case you spill your drink), and the 1080p display is one of the best displays you can get on a laptop. Did I mention you can get one of these with more options and onsite warranty with accidental damage protection for less than a Macbook Pro? I ordered one about 2 months ago with almost every option and it came out to less than the base 15" MBP.

    86. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What the fuck is wrong with you chinks? How fucking hard is it to drive a screw into a hole, or to lock a connector? Why are we paying you instead of trained monkeys?

      Oh, me so solly! Me so solly! A, so! Ah, so! Me frappy dickie!

    87. Re:So much for build quality... by rhook · · Score: 1

      Don't forget the slim body and the tiny power brick that, for reasons I'll never understand, hasn't been copied by the rest of the industry. My company sent me on a shoot once with a Dell laptop that had a power brick that looked at home next to an XBOX 360. F'n ridiculous.

      What's this? It even works with other devices.

      http://www.laptoppicker.com/archives/lenovo-think-pad-and-idea-pad-90-w-slim-ac-dc-combo-laptop-power-adapter.jpg

    88. Re:So much for build quality... by rhook · · Score: 1

      Add to that, sometimes the damn thing won't move properly and you're left with give me back my nipple! Come back IBM all is forgiven!

      ThinkPads still have the TrackPoint.

    89. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      40 years ago the common wisdom in the US said the same thing about foreign quality, except back then it was about the Japanese. Those that don't learn their history...

      Except 40 years ago the Japanese weren't building and selling us things that were regularly found to be toxic.

    90. Re:So much for build quality... by Duradin · · Score: 1

      Welcome to the land of tomorrow!

      Since you've been unthawed you should know that it is now the year 2011, Macs do have right clicks but we don't have flying cars yet.

    91. Re:So much for build quality... by Duradin · · Score: 1

      "My Model M is an awesome keyboard."

      How's that fixed gear bike treating ya?

    92. Re:So much for build quality... by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 1, Interesting

      - It comes with windows, I don't give money to microsoft.
        - It's plastic
        - It's a thinkpad. I had a PII Thinkpad years ago. This ones look exactly the same, but on the wrong side of the century.

      --
      WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
    93. Re:So much for build quality... by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 1

      They cost more than a macbook and they ship with windows. I don't give money to microsoft.

      --
      WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
    94. Re:So much for build quality... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 0

      So...just because Japan followed a certain route, that means China must as well? Wow, that is incredibly racist. Those yellow slants all look alike, eh?

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    95. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I suppose this is a good reminder that regardless of the brand, most electronics are coming out of the same crappy Chinese factories.

      That's totally unfair.

      Why single out electronics like that?

      And where are you going to find a US factory that can do better than a "crappy" Chinese factory.

    96. Re:So much for build quality... by afabbro · · Score: 2

      So...just because Japan followed a certain route, that means China must as well? Wow, that is incredibly racist. Those yellow slants all look alike, eh?

      No, because one developing nation that set out to develop its industrial base by exporting consumer goods to North America has already paved the trail and the next developing nation that is trying to develop its industrial base by exporting consumer goods to North America is probably going to follow a similar path. That was the poster's point, and only you saw anything racist in it.

      How can you possibly walk, staggering under the weight of that giant chip on your shoulder?

      --
      Advice: on VPS providers
    97. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're also paying for the ability to sell it for a decent price a couple of years down the road. Look at the market for 2-year-old MBPs vs the market for 2-year-old PC laptops, even the top-of-the-line variety. 2-year-old MBPs compare favorably with the cheapest new Macbook and, in the 15"+ screen sizes, have no direct equivalent. The 2-year-old PC has a $399 equivalent with the same specs that's brand new.

      Being able to sell it for $1,000 when you're ready to upgrade takes a lot of the sting out of the $2,000 price tag.

    98. Re:So much for build quality... by zzg · · Score: 1

      I believe that is the difference between a US keyboard and an english international keyboard, at least with apple equipment. Here in .at you can actually select between those two and the german qwertz, since about a year I think.

      FWIW, I kinda prefer the "vertical" orientation of the enter key.

    99. Re:So much for build quality... by winwar · · Score: 1

      "You're also paying for the ability to sell it for a decent price a couple of years down the road."

      And you think this is a good thing? This must be the reality distortion field they talk about.

      "Being able to sell it for $1,000 when you're ready to upgrade takes a lot of the sting out of the $2,000 price tag."

      No it doesn't. It just makes you bad at math.

    100. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Most laptops with a MacBook Pro's feature set also cost about the same amount of money. Compared to those around me, I'd say you get a sexy, sturdy exterior and a high-quality screen.

      Two years ago I bought an HP dv7 with 17", 2.0GHz Core2Duo, 4gb RAM, 500GB HDD, GF9600M-GT 512MB (can also share up to 2GB), blu-ray, and vista home premium 64bit (sp2) for $1199. At the time MacBook Pro with the 17" had the 2.66GHz, 320gb HDD, but no blu-ray, for $3299.

      My laptop is sleek and stylish, and I could have almost bought three of them for the price of the one MBP.

      My laptop has a blu-ray player and a bigger HDD; the MBP's monitor was higher resolution. I figure that was a wash as far as price. I think I got the better deal, and it has served well as my main media player/portable gaming system.

    101. Re:So much for build quality... by MMInterface · · Score: 1

      Most laptops with a MacBook Pro's feature set also cost about the same amount of money. Compared to those around me, I'd say you get a sexy, sturdy exterior and a high-quality screen.

      Maybe 2 years ago or if you don't know what you are doing. Have you seen the PC configurations you get for the price of an MBP? An MBP gets you a nice case and a temporary cpu spec advantage: also gpu for the 15 and 17in models, but that's about it. I get Macs for the OS and build, but features and specs have been a joke for a long time, especially on the 13in. Also, the screens look nice but the screen real estate is bad, expect for the 17in. And what's with the netbook level hard drive configurations?

    102. Re:So much for build quality... by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      And cars! *Cough*Prius*/Cough*

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    103. Re:So much for build quality... by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      I think you mean the Nipple mouse

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      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    104. Re:So much for build quality... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Looks like you didn't learn the lesson. How much stuff do you buy that's made in Japan now? Almost none, because manufacturing in Japan is too expensive. As the quality of life improves in China, somewhere else - maybe in Africa this time - will be the next place that manufacturing moves. Then people like you will be saying 'remember when Chinese manufacturing was crap?' while buying cheap crap made in Nigerian factories by underpaid and overworked employees.

      --
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    105. Re:So much for build quality... by KozmoStevnNaut · · Score: 1

      You can get a refund if you refuse the license for Windows. Lots of people have done this before.

      Oh boo hoo, it's plastic? Could it be that plastic is actually a damn good material for building laptops, especially when it's reinforced like the stuff Lenovo uses? Not all plastics are equal, some are superior to metals for certain applications. Anyone with even the slightest technical bend should know this.

      Thinkpads look like Thinkpads for a reason. They're black, sleek, no-nonsense machines. Why make something shiny if matte works better? (I hate those damn shiny abominations that can also be found on Thinkpads these days, unfortunately) They're for people who value performance and reliability over whizz-bang gee-gaws.

      --
      Eat the rich.
    106. Re:So much for build quality... by KozmoStevnNaut · · Score: 1

      A bit I forgot:

      I bought a T42 back in 2004 for school. I used it every single day, messed about with it and had Windows XP, FreeBSD and various flavors of Linux on it at various times. Power management in Linux was flaky at best, especially standby and hibernation, where it would wake itself up and burn 100% CPU. So it overheated in my backpack and hit the automatic thermal shutdown a lot for a couple of weeks until I figured out the problem.

      When my then-girlfriends Acer laptop died, I bough an Asus Eee and gave her the T42. She's lugged that damn thing around everywhere, used it outside, on the bus, on the train, for school work. We're not together anymore, but keep in touch and she's still using my old Thinkpad as her only computer for everything she does. The keys are worn shiny from all the writing she does on it and it is looking slightly worn around the corners of the lid from being pulled in and out of bags every day for years, but it's never had a single problem, it keeps on trucking and working flawlessly. The battery only lasts 10 minutes or so, but that's lithium-ion batteries for you, new ones are still being made and are quite affordable.

      Best piece of hardware I ever bought. Serious hardware for serious work.

      --
      Eat the rich.
    107. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well apparently not, if you believe this article.

    108. Re:So much for build quality... by Straterra · · Score: 1

      Except until this very last hardware refresh, you were buying a DUAL CORE i7 in the Macbook Pro when one could easily get a QUAD CORE i7 in other manufacturer's laptops. Also, the graphics card that tends to get put in to Macs are typically mid range at best. So..no, the feature set isn't about the same amount of money.

    109. Re:So much for build quality... by w_dragon · · Score: 1

      The nice thing about this is that it is a limited-time problem. Give it another generation or two and all the cheap labor in the world will be used up. Africa, parts of South America, and then what? India and China represent a sizable portion of the world population, as they get out of poverty manufacturing is going to get more expensive. No big deal, we'll just automate it all since the robots will be cheaper than humans in the end.

    110. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The weight of that aluminum has a market price of about $1 max and it stamped from sheets in about 0.2 seconds. It takes less processes and equipment to make that case than it does to make a soda can. Less, that does increase the price but $500? I can buy a 100% aluminum radiator for my car for $100 and it was far harder to make and uses about 50x the amount of aluminum.

    111. Re:So much for build quality... by nobodie · · Score: 1

      ditto, remember that the people who built these machines probably saw their first flush toilet when they went into the factory they are working in (assuming it has flush toilets). When I was working as a consultant in Thailand on a pricy resort project the workers (Hmong tribespeople) lived in (and I mean this exactly and literally) bamboo huts and shit in their rice fields. Then went to work where they were supposed to install European model low-water flush toilets. Duh, they didn't work.

      When I was in Kunming, Yunnan, china, they (the school I was working for) decided to "remodel" the building we were living in. The workers who came in lived in the buildings as they did the work. The first thing they did when they moved in was tear out the plumbing and pipes: but they left the electrical in so they could watch TV.

      People here (like people there) have no idea what the little things they make actually do and how they actually work. It is magic, plain and simple. Watch a repairman here repair computer stuff, they NEVER tighten screws all the way. You quickly learn here that a tight screw is a stripped screw. So, what did you really expect, no, I knew that Apple crap was the same crap inside, I've stripped down a few Apple boxes for fun.

      --
      Subversion of spatial scale luxury decoration ideas.
    112. Re:So much for build quality... by spinkham · · Score: 2

      Pretty damn well.

      Are you implying there's some great functionality I'm missing out on? I've used tons of keyboards, and the Model M is my favorite by far. The only thing I occasionally miss is a "windows" key, but everything else I might want a "fancy" keyboard can do can be done in software. The Cherry MX key switches are decent also, but have a few niggles like the reset point on the most common ones.

      If you want a simplicity analogy, the Model M is more like a sword, and less like a fixie. Fixies are fashionable, not designed for practicality except for a few tricks. The best swords today are still made the same way they were many years ago, and the modern mass produced varieties are worse, despite their flashy handles or detailing.

      The model M is far from fashionable. It's a serious tool, built well, that has stood the test of time. I've been using my current model since 1997, when I bought it 2nd hand. It was built in 1990. I type measurably faster on it with less subjective fatigue then any other keyboard I've tried.

      If you've never used a Model M (or other tactile response and/or clicky keyboard like the Cherry MX based ones) I suggest you do. You might have less to smirk about, and be more productive. ;-)

      --
      Blessed are the pessimists, for they have made backups.
    113. Re:So much for build quality... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Germany exports more than China does. It is perfectly possible for a country to have both a high standard of living / wages and manufacturing. The Germans have shown that not every market is a race to the bottom.

      Japan is similar. There is still plenty of manufacturing here, it just tends to be of higher value goods where quality matters or things which cannot be imported (freshly prepared food for example).

      Even now some of the stuff coming out of China is very high quality too. They make some excellent audio gear (I own some Yuin PK1s and they are fantastic) and some pretty good trains to name just two.

      You really need to get beyond this idea that wage levels are the absolute bottom line in manufacturing. In fact since so much manufacturing is automated and the cost down to the tooling etc the labour cost (mainly assembly) often isn't the primary concern. Taxes, availability of equipment, materials, knowledge and maintenance are important too.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    114. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depending on what you buy, you pay for quality and design. Not entirely denying what you said, but there are exceptions.

    115. Re:So much for build quality... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Thing is Macs don't use particularly high quality components. They look like they do on the outside, but inside they are average or sometimes below. Construction wise the over-use of thermal paste is a classic Apple gaffe and one they seem to keep making. Other manufacturers struggle with heat dissipation too of course, my point being that Apple is no exception.

      These machines have the same chipsets, the same hard and optical drives, the same voltage regulators, fans, capacitors etc. as all others do. The motherboards are made by the same company, IIRC Foxconn, or is it ASUS, either way those two account for the majority of laptops. Being a top spec machine you would expect the casing and LCD to be high end which it appears is the case, but Apple only provide assembly instructions and not their own assembly lines so really it isn't surprising to see the same issues other high end gear has.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    116. Re:So much for build quality... by Duradin · · Score: 2

      "The model M is far from fashionable." Isn't that the pinnacle of hipster fashion, in this case /. hipsterism?

      Swords are a bad example. Modern metallurgy shatters ancient techniques. You know why katanas were made with folding techniques? It's because the iron that was available sucked and folding drove out impurities and homogenized what was left. A milled blade out of modern alloys with temperature controlled (to the fraction of a degree and second) tempering may not seem as sexy as your 2,000 fold blade but it will cut through your precious like it wasn't there.

    117. Re:So much for build quality... by iluvcapra · · Score: 1

      Are you sure? The contention of the post is that a company's profits somehow affect the consumer's value, and I'm saying it doesn't work that way.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
    118. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm looking at a picture of a mac book pro right now. One mouse button.

      Sure, you can buy a two+ button aftermarket mouse, and carry it around with you. This is still a weakness of the product.

    119. Re:So much for build quality... by spinkham · · Score: 1

      As for "slashdot hipsterism", I've owned my model M longer then my Slashdot account. Heck, I've owned it longer then Slashdot has existed.

      You still haven't said whether you've actually used a Model M, or just like sounding snobby. I've tested (and continue to test) many different keyboards and use the one I like. I spend ~10 hours a day using it heavily, and so have invested a decent amount of time to find the keyboard and mouse I like the best. Have you done the research? Have you tried a Model M (or a fixie for that matter)? If you have and it doesn't work for you that's your preference. If you haven't, then you're an empty windbag.

      Test your equipment, and use what works for you. Making snide comparisons about other choices (especially if you haven't tried them) is exactly the "hipsterism" you claim to hate.

      --
      Blessed are the pessimists, for they have made backups.
    120. Re:So much for build quality... by Duradin · · Score: 1

      Try looking for some pictures of multitouch use of the trackpad.

    121. Re:So much for build quality... by afex · · Score: 1

      Ford's Jaguar: Yes
      Tata's Jaguar (post-2008): possibly not?

    122. Re:So much for build quality... by Duradin · · Score: 1

      Last "fixie" I had was when I was 12 and gave it up when I got enough money for a ten speed. I don't need, or want, my keyboards to provide machine gun sound effects.

    123. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money, given that most of Apple's components are industry standard

      The main reason I am thinking about getting a MacBook is the track pad! Mac Book track pads are how all track pads should be

    124. Re:So much for build quality... by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Yeah, great. So compact, it comes with a bag to carry it all.

      So are you recommending this or did you just do a google search?

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    125. Re:So much for build quality... by Dog-Cow · · Score: 1

      I've had my Macbook since 2005. I replaced the HD with a larger capacity drive that died in short order because the laptop fell off a car seat onto the floor repeatedly. The original HD works, so far as I know, but I replaced it again for more capacity. The power brick failed on me as well, after 5 years of ownership. There are a few cracks in corner from being banged up so much, but it works just as well as it ever did.

      I have also owned an iPod Touch since late 2008. Works perfectly well, even after several hundred hours of listening in the rain or sweltering heat on longer bike rides.

    126. Re:So much for build quality... by Dog-Cow · · Score: 1

      I've been doing "right" clicks on my Macbook since 2005 (the year they were introduced). Your hatred is palpable and your ignorance is amusing.

    127. Re:So much for build quality... by ejasons · · Score: 1

      Care to explain my HP Envy, with aluminum/magnesium body, backlit keyboard, slot loading dvd, 128gb SSD, Radeon HD 5650, i5, 1600x900 screen?

      Oh, and I bought it for $980 ($1400 before rebate. I miss you 30% BCB). The closest Macbook configuration (at the time) cost almost $3000, and couldn't even match in some specs (like the video card). Is OSX worth almost $1600? And people scoff at the price of Windows 7.

      My current laptop is a Sony "CW" series, a 14" laptop, with an i5 processor and a 1600x900 screen, which I bought a year or so ago, for $950. I bought it mainly for the hires screen.

      I wish I hadn't. The viewing angle on the screen is awful, and, other than the resolution, it just basically sucks. Apple would never put a screen that crappy into one of their systems. OTOT, the screens that they do use generally don't have the resolution that I would like. Hopefully, with the resolution-independent changes for Lion, they'll change that philosophy...

    128. Re:So much for build quality... by dave562 · · Score: 1

      The original point I made was that other than the touchpad, a Macbook Pro is more or less the same as any other laptop out there. The response I got was a link to a Wikipedia article, which presumably went into details about how a MBP is not just another laptop.

      I actually own a MBP and think it is a decent piece of hardware. However it is still just a computer. It has a CPU, some RAM, a hard drive and it runs an OS that lets me do things like organize files, create documents and access the web. It suffers from the same problems (programs don't work like they should, hardware has problems) as any other computer I've ever worked with.

    129. Re:So much for build quality... by narcc · · Score: 1

      The contention of the post is that a company's profits somehow affect the consumer's value

      Not quite. What the company makes per unit is irrelevant to the consumer -- that much should be obvious -- and it's a point on which we agree. Still, this is not what the GP was trying to say.

      The GP suggested that the higher profit margin /indicates/ that the higher cost isn't balanced by added value. That is, you're not getting as much as you give.

      The GP wrote: "you are not getting as much as you put" -- It's not the most eloquent statement ever made, but I thought it was clear enough.

    130. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All I can say is that I'll never buy a mac again. I bought a mac book pro (2,1) for film school, it lasted a little over 2 years. While I had it

      1) the hard drive failed - twice
      2) the superdrive failed
      3) I had to replace the RAM
      4) it got so hot while using it for mundane tasks that if I missed the top row of keys I would burn myself
      5) the aluminum case warped
      6) the mousepad/buttons would start working on it's own if I put too much pressure on the palms of my hands
      7) the hard drive casing had no support so putting to much pressure on my left hand would cause drive errors and force the computer to reboot (by pressure I mean any light press nothing significant... probably the cause of the above hard drive failures)
      8) the NIC card failed
      9) OSX would decide randomly not to boot (I believe due to running multiple operating systems)
      10) Before failing outright the system would need to be turned on/off repeatedly to warm it up before it would decide to boot - no lie. I suspected this was due to it's average operating temperature of 70 degrees C
      11) The system would hit the 100-105 degree emergency shutdown point under any kind of stress

      That's what I've come to expect from a mac. I don't know anyone who has one older than 3 years. I would say their screens are sexy... except I've had 2 Cinema HD 30" screens develop hot pixel epidemics. The mac book pro luckily only had 2 hot pixels.

    131. Re:So much for build quality... by rhook · · Score: 1

      It is compact, the bag is just to store the stuff you don't carry every day. Or you you carry around unused accessories that you will not be needing? Quit trolling.

    132. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 1

      Why is it so hard to take most of my post seriously? Yes the iPods warranty is a year, thats how I ended up with a second one. Paying $40 for the S&H of a new iPod (since it was was past the first 3 months) was cheaper then buying a whole new MP3 player.

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    133. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 1

      Not all computer products will die soon. I had an old Toshiba laptop built in 1996 then when I finally recycled it in 2007 (was always using dekstops and that old one as the laptop, oddly enough I got more done with it then any desktop) the only thing that broke with it what the battery was long since dead. One night I even slipped on ice with it under my arm causing me to slam it corner first into the cement, worked perfectly still. Sometimes its luck of the draw. My friend's MB power brick died too easily I found. Our art friend came by one night and dropped his sketch pad (150 page one) on it from about a foot or 2 in the air and broke the power brick. Wasn't happy over that (though gave me a great idea what to buy him for Christmas after that).

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    134. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If that's all then at least I know I'm not missing anything. O WAIT! There is that 1 fast I/O connector... because I never connect more than one peripheral... right.

      O WAIT! It has two channels! I love me some daisy-chaining and dongling! Are MBPs for any sort of professional anymore? As a music performer and producer, I reject the notion that 1 I/O port with dongles coming out of it (for those expensive peripherals that haven't been close to developed yet and will remain proprietary for apple until well into 2012) is better than the 4 USB ports I have on my sub$1000 Lenovo (which outperforms apple's on build quality AND overall performance). One high end 8-in-x-8-out sound card, a music keyboard, some MIDI controllers... oh wait I'm already well over the MBPs limit.

      Useless status symbol. If you're paying that high of a premium you either have money to waste on status symbols or you're not serious enough about whatever work you must doing on a mac.

    135. Re:So much for build quality... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Most laptop manufacturers allow you to get an upgraded screen that matches or exceeds the Macbook screen, take a look at the custom configurations from your favorite manufacturer (I can speak for HP and Dell, but don't know many others).

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    136. Re:So much for build quality... by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Quit trolling.

      Hahaha. I suppose the irony of that statement was lost. Anyway, I'll ask again: Are you recommending it because you own one or did you just do a Google search?

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    137. Re:So much for build quality... by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      I'd take a Japanese battery cell over Chinese any day.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    138. Re:So much for build quality... by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      I have myself a Das Keyboard. It was a bit pricy, but it's all Model M without the 10-pound push. The keys are light and very crisp.

      The sound can be irritating, but to be honest I'm so used to it that it just feels right.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    139. Re:So much for build quality... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't give him the HD and RAM, on any other laptop, it is very easy to access these components (and cd drive too!) on a MBP, it is tearing open the whole case, how is that easy?

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    140. Re:So much for build quality... by Lord+Kestrel · · Score: 1

      High res screen? Since when is 1280x800 a high resolution on a 14" laptop? Or worse, 1440x900 on a 15"? My 3 year old HP is running 1920x1200 on a 15". That's the *minimum* resolution needed to be considered high resolution.

      And the keyboards, holy christ are they shitty. I'm glad for you that you enjoy them, but I'll stick with a non-chiclet keyboard thank you very much.

      I'll agree with you on the case however, I wish this one wasn't a metal/plastic hybrid, and a solid metal case. It doesn't flex much, but even a little bit of flex makes me worry.

    141. Re:So much for build quality... by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      i dont see any mouse button on this macbook in front of me.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    142. Re:So much for build quality... by Raenex · · Score: 1

      I don't know if I've used the true "Model M", but I probably have at one point. I remember beastly clicking sounds on my roomie's IBM PC when I was in college.

      I've always liked the rubber squishies. Light to the touch and don't make a ton of noise.

    143. Re:So much for build quality... by Raenex · · Score: 1

      Sometimes its just better to post the truth in something like this as an AC. If you don't, you'll be modded into the ground.

      This is a pet peeve of mine. First off, who cares if you make the occasional post that gets modded down? Once you get enough positive karma it doesn't matter at all, and it just isn't hard to do that.

      The other pet peeve is when people mention how they are going to get modded down, and then, presto, the upmods follow. Stupid Slashdot trick.

    144. Re:So much for build quality... by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      I see your anecdote and raise you another anecdote. The residents of my household have owned multiple Apple products, including iPods, iPhones and assorted desktop and laptop computers over a period of about 20 years and have had very few hardware issues.

      The hardest to resolve was an intermittent temperature related video issue on an iMac which was resolved under warranty (AppleCare) and which only exhibited when playing processor intensive games at high resolution.

      I still have a Gen 2 iPod which works perfectly fine and was used daily until I got my iPhone 3GS. We still have a working PB150 and original Tangerine iBook. I think both those laptops had their hard drives replaced at some point for capacity reasons.

      Does my anecdote cancel out yours?

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    145. Re:So much for build quality... by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      When you say 'the eject button' were you referring to the software command or the mechanical lever normally triggered by a paperclip.

      If you meant you actually disassembled the CD-ROM drive to remove the disc, I hope it worked afterwards, cos you've blown the OEM component warranty by breaking the seals on the assembly, they aren't meant to be disassembled and can be thrown off alignment very easily.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    146. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 1

      It doesn't always work to mention how they will be modded down, I've seen it happen. And yeah, I don't care anymore about being modded down. The entire modding system is horribly broken with it just being handed out at more or less random so then people will try to use them to censor anything they don't approve of or to use them against others they've come to dislike.

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    147. Re:So much for build quality... by Kitkoan · · Score: 1

      No, it doesn't cancel out anything and with you asking that it showed that the entire point went above your head. The problem is people like to claim that only Apple products can live more then a few years and they never break. My point was that Apple products do in fact break (go to your local Apple store and ask people waiting in the Genius Bar to see more). And Apple products can live as long as other well built products by other maker (as I mentioned with "They just don't live any longer then a good built laptop from other companies"" and didn't say "Apple products always fail within a year or 2"). The problems with Apples perceived quality is when people want to compare an Apple product verse another makers, they need to make it a more equal comparison and not purposefully choose a low quality product to compare against. This is a very common issue that I notice when talking about Apple quality. I also notice that whenever I mention anything that is less then stellar about Apple someone has to pipe up to try to make it seem like my answer should be cancelled out and dismissed for no other apparent reason beyond it was Apple I was speaking about.

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    148. Re:So much for build quality... by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      You said: "Its quite rare I can find someone who's had a iPlayer(Pod, Touch, Shuffle) that has had one live for more then a year and a half.", I was pointing out that this was anecdotal, and that my anecdotal evidence had as much validity as yours.

      As for going to your local Apple Store - I spent nearly 10 years working in the Apple Reseller chain at various locations. Generally their hardware failure rates back then were in the 1-2% of units sold range, and this was during the time of the PB190/5300 and Performa 5200 debacle.

      Any mass produced manufactured goods are going to have a number of units which are less than perfect. A handful of personal experiences does not a meaningful statistic make.

      Or maybe that point is going entirely over your head.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    149. Re:So much for build quality... by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      He's making a fair point, the net cost depends on the difference between what you originally bought it for and what you can sell it for. He's only paying 1 grand to change, which is less [1] than if you'd paid 1300 for something that you can't give away two years down the line.

      Similar thing with the depreciation on cars - sometimes a more expensive model works out cheaper.

      [1] blah blah disclaimer time value of money yada yada discount rates

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    150. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now you're just trying to disguise your irrational, screaming hatred of Apple. Too late troll, we've already seen your real feelings.

    151. Re:So much for build quality... by Raenex · · Score: 1

      It doesn't always work to mention how they will be modded down, I've seen it happen.

      Not always, but more often that not.

      The entire modding system is horribly broken with it just being handed out at more or less random so then people will try to use them to censor anything they don't approve of or to use them against others they've come to dislike.

      It could be better, and it's really bad on topics like global warming or file sharing, but it still does a reasonable job to keep the site readable. Certainly better than sites like Reddit, where everybody has a vote for each post.

    152. Re:So much for build quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I spent nearly 10 years working in the Apple Reseller chain

      Anything you have to say about the topic is automatically invalid. You're a shill.

    153. Re:So much for build quality... by badkarmadayaccount · · Score: 1

      Which ones?

      --
      I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
    154. Re:So much for build quality... by rhook · · Score: 1

      I own one.

    155. Re:So much for build quality... by rhook · · Score: 1

      All of them except the Edge.

    156. Re:So much for build quality... by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      I own one.

      Thank you. Now your suggestion is more credible.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    157. Re:So much for build quality... by rhook · · Score: 1

      My mistake, all of them have it.

    158. Re:So much for build quality... by Lord+of+Hyphens · · Score: 1

      I remember that power brick -- saw one attached to the ill-fated inspiron model that used a prescott P4 (I believe it was the 9100) a few years ago.

      --
      "I've spent my whole life figuring out crazy ways to do things. It'll work." -- Montgomery Scott, "Relics"
  4. Ho hum? by mozumder · · Score: 2, Informative

    These MacBook Pro's are the top laptops in the industry. There is nothing better.

    This refresh is almost as fast as my 8-core Nehalem Xeon Mac Pro, which is rather incredible.

    All great products have high resale value... I just sold my 4 year old MacBook Pro 17" for $920.

    1. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Amazing you can speak with your mouth full of Steve Jobs' cock.

    2. Re:Ho hum? by Jackdaw+Rookery · · Score: 1

      Wait, didn't you get the memo? We now have to dislike Apple!

      Sarcasm aside, I agree with you, I think the update that just happened was the biggest leap forward since the introduction of the unibody enclosure. Big enough to make me sell my 2 year old MacBook Pro and upgrade.

    3. Re:Ho hum? by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

      I still have my 4 year old Dell XPS M1710 17" notebook as my main machine.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    4. Re:Ho hum? by Jackdaw+Rookery · · Score: 1

      Well done, you. Nice and thrifty, plus no laptop in a landfill. Though I'm unsure of the point you were making with that post.

      Was it to say that Dell laptops don't ever need replacing?

    5. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These MacBook Pro's are the top laptops in the industry. There is nothing better.

      Clearly the quality isn't the best.

    6. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is this labelled Troll? WTF, mods.

    7. Re:Ho hum? by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

      Nope, but the OP sold his after 4 years, presumably because he needed a new machine.

      Actually, my M1710 is nearer 5 years old, I put in a new hard disk and upgraded the memory from 2GB to 4GB but it still runs beautifully (64-bit Gentoo Linux and 32-bit XP), does all I need it to and won't be being upgraded any time soon.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    8. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahh, Anonymous Coward sure knows how to dish out the beats.

      Wait, that's me.

      Anyway, the grandparent poster is right on the mark. The latest MacBook Pro's seem like heaters. Now, you can accept that with or without Steve's appendage - your call.

    9. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you for astroturfing. Your check is in the mail.

      Sent from my iPhone.

    10. Re:Ho hum? by pandrijeczko · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Yes, but you are a fanboi, that's what you're *supposed* to do, for God's sake - in fact, how you escaped the hypnotic clutches of Steve's Charisma Beam and lasted two years without an upgrade is probably worthy of some deeper investigation by the clerics of the Holy Church of Apple.

      Look at it from my perspective - if I proudly crowed about standing outside queuing in the rain the day before a new Dell Laptop or Ubuntu Linux 11.04 was released, you'd call me a sad loony!

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    11. Re:Ho hum? by Jackdaw+Rookery · · Score: 1

      "presumably because he needed a new machine." Or he might have wanted an upgrade more significant than just memory or HDD. Or he broke his last laptop by dropping it. Who knows. Remember what they say about assumptions, it's asses all the way down. Or something. Anyway, how about this one:

      Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in. ~ Alan Alda

    12. Re:Ho hum? by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

      Would he have got $920 for a broken one he'd dropped?

      "My face, your ass. What's the difference?" ~ Duke Nukem.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    13. Re:Ho hum? by Jackdaw+Rookery · · Score: 1

      Oh I've gone from fan-boy to fanboi? Hurrah, you have managed to upgrade me. Hopefully without injuring yourself.

      *Stares at hand built (hand put-together? I dunno, it's not like I designed anything inside it) PC running W7 64/Ubuntu, is typing on a ThinkPad X61 running Vista, notices MacBook Pro happily sitting in the corner, printing out my fanboi badge*

      Oh wait. I run Vista, Win7 64, Linux and OSx. Arg, can I still be an Apple fanboi? Please??

    14. Re:Ho hum? by Jackdaw+Rookery · · Score: 1

      You quoted Duke Nukem? You clearly win my dear sir, I cannot compete with intelligence at your level.

    15. Re:Ho hum? by monkyyy · · Score: 0

      yeah..... it was more flamebait

      --
      warning pointless sig
    16. Re:Ho hum? by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

      Thanks. I do a pretty mean Lo Wang and Caleb also, for future reference.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    17. Re:Ho hum? by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

      Badge???

      I'd heard it was a tattoo... back of the head, just beneath the hairline... three little Apples in a triangular shape... look at it from the correct angle and it looks like "666".

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    18. Re:Ho hum? by .tekrox · · Score: 1

      Damn, I was hoping for a Codename 47 style barcode

    19. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahaha

      Whooooosh

    20. Re:Ho hum? by node+3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes, but you are a fanboi, that's what you're *supposed* to do, for God's sake - in fact, how you escaped the hypnotic clutches of Steve's Charisma Beam and lasted two years without an upgrade is probably worthy of some deeper investigation by the clerics of the Holy Church of Apple.

      The problem with the Apple haters here is the rampant hyperbole. He upgraded his two year old computer, but you have to spin it into some sort of insanity. It's strange that you first call him a "fanboi", then note that he somehow managed to avoid this imaginary mystical superbeam emanating from Cupertino which would have made him a fanboi.

      In other words, you just called him a fanboi while noting that he wasn't a fanboi. Fantastic!

      Look at it from my perspective - if I proudly crowed about standing outside queuing in the rain the day before a new Dell Laptop or Ubuntu Linux 11.04 was released, you'd call me a sad loony!

      Ignoring the fact that he didn't say anything about lining up in the rain a day in advance for the new MacBook Pro (in fact, no one has ever done this, the lines have only been for the iPhones and iPads, more on this in a sec), yes, you would look insane waiting for Ubuntu or a Dell laptop.

      Why do people line up for iPhones and iPads? Because demand far outstrips supply. People in line know that if they don't line up, they will have to wait some uncertain amount of time before they can get one. Has this ever happened with a Dell laptop? Is this even possible with Ubuntu?

      On the other hand, there have been plenty of geeks downloading Ubuntu (and other distros) the day of availability. Haven't you ever tried to download an ISO on release day only to find download speeds horribly slow? Do you hurl the same "fanboi" insult at people who line up for video games, concerts, movies, etc?

      But no, only Apple users are "fanbois", because, well... "Fuck you, that's why"? That's all it really boils down to. What sort of insecurity leads someone to throw about effeminate insults to someone who upgraded his two year old notebook? What is it about other people's computer choices that bothers you so much?

    21. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Better? My laptop has higher specs in every aspect than the top end Macbook Pro and cost about $700 less.

      If you really want to waste a bunch of money, at least get something that is unique and not some boring Apple piece of shit.

    22. Re:Ho hum? by atlasdropperofworlds · · Score: 1

      >Face it dude, the Apple products are better than what you use.

      You apple products may be, but my Apple products have been mediocre which is why I unloaded them. I also didn't get a great price in the end, either. I have no need to cry anymore, I'm free of OSX.

    23. Re:Ho hum? by mozumder · · Score: 1

      Actually, it was $920 with dents and bumps on the case, and a DVD drive that didn't work because of rough handling. Other versions of the same product were going for several hundred more on Ebay.

      The resale value on MacBook Pros are amazing. If you buy any other laptop, you're just pissing away money.

    24. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "superior Apple product" is a contradiction of terms, but hey, whatever you need to tell yourself to justify your overpriced, underpowered purchase.

    25. Re:Ho hum? by monkyyy · · Score: 0

      "because Apple products are awesome, and theirs is bad."
      on slashdot the first part is flame bait
      the rest is trolling

      please read the art of trolling, in order to troll in a more artful way

      --
      warning pointless sig
    26. Re:Ho hum? by E+IS+mC(Square) · · Score: 0

      Yep. We need Apple-fag mod immediately!!

    27. Re:Ho hum? by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Interesting you would cling to a brand that you have to SELL to feel like you got your money's worth. Very interesting indeed. And sad.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    28. Re:Ho hum? by Buelldozer · · Score: 1

      Wasn't that long ago and and the same thing was said about Harley Davidson motorcycles too.

    29. Re:Ho hum? by toddestan · · Score: 1

      I find it amazing that Macs are so expensive, that people on eBay will pay $920 for a 4-year-old scratch and dent special. You could buy a new PC laptop for that kind of money that would smoke the Mac. Or settle for a similar era PC for a fraction of the cost.

    30. Re:Ho hum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sold a dented laptop with a busted DVD drive for $920? I think the guy who bought it from you was pissing away money.

    31. Re:Ho hum? by narcc · · Score: 1

      Actually, it was $920 with dents and bumps on the case, and a DVD drive that didn't work because of rough handling.

      Neat. Even broken Apple products are over-priced. I really feel bad for the idiot who bought your old machine.

    32. Re:Ho hum? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I find it amazing that Macs are so expensive, that people on eBay will pay $920 for a 4-year-old scratch and dent special. You could buy a new PC laptop for that kind of money that would smoke the Mac. Or settle for a similar era PC for a fraction of the cost.

      Again: a PC is not a Mac, it does not run OS X.
      And most of the Mac specific software, neither.
      But your point exactly shows why the market share of Apple is meaningless. As old systems rarely get thrown away but are kept running or sold on eBay.
      If you have a 6 year old Pc, you likely have 2GB max ram. It likely ran perfectly with Win XP and could run Vista, but was awful slow under Vista. Now you want to put Windows 7 on it and what does it say? Does not meet hardware requirements, I wont install.
      Old Macs usually install the most recent OS X Update with no problem at all, and guess what? They usually become faster, not slower.

      angel'o'sphere

      P.S. OS X 10.5 however did no longer run on PowerPC hardware

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    33. Re:Ho hum? by capnkr · · Score: 1

      If you buy any other laptop, you're just pissing away money.

      Heh... nice one. I buy mid-range PC laptops (say $600-900 retail at initial release) 6 months to a year after they have come out, when their price has dropped by 30-50%. I then use them for 2-3 years, taking care of them cosmetically (avoid scratches & dents, keep them clean, etc..), and then when I am ready to upgrade, sell them to friends or clients for 1/2 to 2/3 of what I paid for them originally. So my cost per computer / year is usually less than $100. Considering that might be $0.30 or so per day max, and I make my living with them, how is that "pissing away money"?

      What is the price difference from a new Apple laptop, to the resell value you get 2-4 years down the road? From what I can see looking online, this means that after selling your MB for $920, you likely paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $600-1000 for the 'privilege' of using it for 4 years. This puts you at a 150-250% higher annual cost/use ratio than what I experience with PC's.

      Oh yeah, right - you didn't have to worry about viruses, malware, etc... Ah! But I run Linux on my machines as well as Windows, and work in IT, and it is no challenge to keep my machines clean.

      So then you'll argue that I am more "computer savvy" than most users, which I will then counter with the fact that the 7 or 8 year old Acer which I sold a friend 4-5 years ago is still in daily use by a regular porn viewer, after I gave him the brief instruction on which programs to run, and how often, to keep his machine going strong despite his proclivities for questionable website viewing.

      And it still is running just fine, that little originally-$400 Acer, even though it has no trendy glowing logo in the lid. By now, the cost of that machine is about $0.07 per day, and continues to fall.

      "Pissing away money"? Hardly.

      --
      "...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can." ~ Mark Twain
    34. Re:Ho hum? by atlasdropperofworlds · · Score: 1

      Exactly, I run my systems into the ground - if I can. I actually end up running them for 6-7 years, then maybe donate them because I want something newer. Aside from battery packs, they continue to run like champs. I think only idiots beat up on their systems enough to make them break.

    35. Re:Ho hum? by mikael_j · · Score: 1

      Uh, the machine you linked has a six core CPU, weighs 5.3 kg (11.66 lbs), has a 17.3" monitor and is more of a luggable than a laptop to most people. It's kind of like the Dell Precision I use for work, a "mobile workstation" that's not really meant to be brought everywhere, it's just portable enough to qualify as portable although no sane person would actually use such beast if they wanted true mobility (except of course for truly niche purposes such as someone who absolutely has to have both portability and a local six core CPU with 24 gigs of RAM to do his/her job).

      --
      Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
    36. Re:Ho hum? by mozumder · · Score: 1

      Why would anyone waste their money on a PC?

    37. Re:Ho hum? by FxChiP · · Score: 1

      What is it about other people's computer choices that bothers you so much?

      When those other people get up in your face all the time crowing about how damn good their computer is and how superior it is to everything else ever made EVER, you start to get pissed the fuck off. I'm just saying. (Yes, this cuts both ways.)

    38. Re:Ho hum? by FxChiP · · Score: 2

      Actually, Apple has a regular habit of making the next given version of Mac OS X simply not run on what they deem "old" hardware, regardless of whether or not that old hardware is actually still capable of running the OS or not. It's not even a technical check; it's a "if allowed_vendor(venid) && allowed_product(prodid) then run else fail" type check. It's one of the things that's most irritating about Apple. Thankfully and luckily, those machines they choose to arbitrarily obsolete usually wind up running Linux extremely well in OS X's stead, since no distribution is going to play that kind of silly game.

    39. Re:Ho hum? by MrNiCeGUi · · Score: 1

      First, Mac is a PC. And most PCs can run OS X, they are just not allowed to.
      Windows 7's system requirements are the same as for Windows Vista. And guess what, 7 was faster, not slower than Vista.

    40. Re:Ho hum? by Alioth · · Score: 1

      I guess Steve won't like me any more. My laptop is not a Macbook, it's a 12in. PowerBook G4 that's still going and going... it'll be 7 years old this year.

    41. Re:Ho hum? by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > Face it dude, the Apple products are better than what you use. ...and just how do you know exactly? You're a clueless follower. You revel in your own ignorance.

      You wouldn't know quality or performance if it bit you in the arse.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    42. Re:Ho hum? by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

      More fool the people who paid that much for a dented laptop...

      Plus you probably have too much spare time if everything you buy has to take resale value into account - I have a fantastic 8 year old IBM T40 laptop that runs Gentoo Linux beautifully, goes everywhere with me and wouldn't be a great wrench if it was stolen. Resale it's probably worth £20 and more than one Apple snob has snickered at me digging it out in a coffee shop - but it does the job I need it to and it's a tool, not a fashion accessory.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    43. Re:Ho hum? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Actually, Apple has a regular habit of making the next given version of Mac OS X simply not run on what they deem "old" hardware, regardless of whether or not that old hardware is actually still capable of running the OS or not. It's not even a technical check; it's a "if allowed_vendor(venid) && allowed_product(prodid) then run else fail" type check.

      Sorry, that is wrong, no idea from what you got that.

      angel'o'sphere

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    44. Re:Ho hum? by node+3 · · Score: 2

      What is it about other people's computer choices that bothers you so much?

      When those other people get up in your face all the time crowing about how damn good their computer is and how superior it is to everything else ever made EVER, you start to get pissed the fuck off. I'm just saying. (Yes, this cuts both ways.)

      The guy posted about how he upgraded his old MBP to a new MBP, in a story about the new MBP. He didn't get all up in anyone's face. He did not say they are "superior to everything else ever made EVER". This is exactly what I'm talking about when I mentioned the rampant hyperbole.

      If a Mac user says he likes the new Macs in a story about the new Macs, that's not something that should piss you off.

    45. Re:Ho hum? by toddestan · · Score: 1

      That's a funny point you make there. Apple likes to cut off support for their older machines on a regular basis. With Lion coming out, all the PPC machines running OSX 10.5 will no longer receive updates, and anything slower than a Core 2 Duo will be stuck running the last release. Chances are when 10.8 comes out in couple of years, that 4-year-old MacBook Pro will have its support cut off too. So as of now, if your Mac is older than about 5 years, you're S.O.L.

      Meanwhile, Microsoft still supports XP, an OS from 2001, for another 3 years. That means you can run a supported OS from Microsoft on any PC from about 1998 on. Granted, you'll only get 3 years, but that's about all that Apple plans on supporting their current OS for. Vista runs quite well actually on some crappy 2.6 GHz P4 Dell I retrieved from a dumpster about a year ago. That's a PC from about 2003. I even get the Aero eye candy, despite the dated FX 5200 GPU. I would guess it would also run Windows 7 too if I tried. Windows 7 64-bit runs nicely on my 4-year-old Lenovo, though that isn't too surprising as its still more powerful than the netbook segment, and only lags slightly behind the hilariously overpriced Mac Mini.

    46. Re:Ho hum? by FxChiP · · Score: 1

      Ever try installing Leopard (10.5) on a Mac with a PPC G4 < 867 MHz? Or Tiger (10.4) on a Mac without built-in FireWire? Or Panther (10.3) on a Beige PowerMac?

      "Miraculously", XPostFacto allowed this to happen (well, the Leopard/G4 requirement has to be bypassed some other way); without it, it wouldn't happen because the vendor wanted to force obsolescence on systems still at least somewhat viable. The unfortunate side-effect of this is that applications that start supporting the new versions of Mac OS X start dropping support for the older versions -- effectively rendering a rather sizable number of machines stuck without application updates for a given application simply because Apple decided those machines shouldn't run new software anymore. If I recall correctly, you can't even get a newer version of Firefox installed on those machines unless you entirely exchange the operating system for Linux or start running Windows in a VM and using that exclusively (which defeats the purpose).

  5. Maybe that is a Chinese fake? by slasher157 · · Score: 0

    I have seen a http://tinyurl.com/63avlna>story about Macbook fakes.

  6. OK. We get it. by BearRanger · · Score: 1

    People click on Apple stories. People post to Apple stories. Slashdot editors, could you please pull a George Bush and just say "Mission Accomplished" already?

  7. So... by rabblerabblerabble · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...does this mean suicides will be up at whatever sweatshop Apple is building these or will they do what they did at the iPhone factory that had the same problem: put up more nets to catch the jumpers

  8. Re:Maybe that is a Chinese fake? by slasher157 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Correct link

  9. Could be better than the alternatives by swebster · · Score: 0

    Perhaps this is what you get for your top dollar and the other manufacturers are even worse!

    1. Re:Could be better than the alternatives by heypete · · Score: 1

      *shrugs* My cheap $360 Asus Eee PC 1015PEM netbook seems to have better build quality than that. No stripped screws or unlocked ZIF connectors from the factory. (Naturally, I partially stripped a screw opening it up to upgrade the hard disk.)

      That said, the MacBook beats the everliving hell out of the Eee PC in terms of performance. Still, $1,800 for a laptop is entirely too much in my view -- I have my netbook for portability and my desktop at home for high-performance stuff.

  10. What's the point of this story? by dicobalt · · Score: 2, Informative

    It was made by people who are in a daze, overworked, and totally unskilled. Apple always overcharges for their hardware. There is no revelation here.

  11. Sample size: n=1 by Entropy2016 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They found a bad apple. So that makes our sample size is n=1 so far. Can anybody cite evidence of additional issues, or is this being hyped up like the iPhone 4 antenna story?

  12. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Jackdaw+Rookery · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You now have to be a fan-boy to buy Apple products? They are no longer available to the public? Since when? Do I need a badge? To join some kind of club?

    Oh wait, maybe Apple came around your house and clubbed your puppy to death? No?

    Perhaps take a deep breath and relax. People are free to choose Apple, Linux and even Windows. Each has strong points and reasons why they are good at what they do, so no need to start dropping both your IQ and elitist tech wang on the table by throwing the term 'fan-boys' around.

  13. And, yeah? by bryan1945 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What new computer line doesn't have problems? And Apple is known for having 1st generation problems. A stripped screw, extra thermal paste, and an unlocked ZIF? Shocking, pure shock I say.

    The best part it was ONE sample, yet somehow because it got attention from a sorta-credible source it is given more credence than the usual ancedotal observation.
    And no, I'm typing this on a Dell.

    --
    Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
    1. Re:And, yeah? by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      yes apple has once again innovated and brought us a first macbook

      sorry but where do you get this is a first gen product from a company that has been making said product for nearly 20 friggin years!

    2. Re:And, yeah? by dakameleon · · Score: 1

      This is far from a 1st generation Apple product. They might have the new Sandy Bridge chips and mobo, but by and large these are identical to the previous unibody line.

      --
      Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
    3. Re:And, yeah? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The best part it was ONE sample, ...

      With assembly line manufacturing, that one sample represents many units that came off of that line. Many manufacturers would have caught that - at least in the old days when electronics were made in the USA. I have no idea what Apple's Chinese contract manufacturers do about QA.

      In short, that's really shitty QC, dude.

    4. Re:And, yeah? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you have a computer case. You put a new mobo/hd/video card HD in it. Is it not basically a new computer?

    5. Re:And, yeah? by EdIII · · Score: 1

      Yeah. I did not think much of it either. Was that system put together by a drunk monkey? Absolutely.

      I don't think that just because you get a particular brand name that it is going to be guaranteed to be of any better quality, and I don't think one sample is indicative of an entire line.

      I am typing this on a Dell too. The first one I received was a complete disaster. Looked like the dude was eating Burger King, no excuse me, In-N-Out when he put it together. I took off the back plate and their was greasy ass fingerprints on the inside. Total dud, BSOD'd every 10 minutes, and an overall POS.

      The 2nd one is immaculate and has no build problems at all and just some not advertised caveats of ATI EyeFinity is all I have issue with.

      If you actually read the the iFixIt teardown (I know... I know..) you will find that other than the little mention and complaint about those two small issues the overall tone of the article is quite neutral and they give credit where credit is due on good design features.

      The wireless card bracket is aluminum, rather than the plastic in previous revisions. Perhaps this change was made for thermal reasons, as a visible pink thermal pad is used to transfer heat from the board to its aluminum bracket.

      The main board lifts out along with the heat sink still attached. This is a nice feature, as this way you have to remove the heat sink and reapply thermal paste only if you're completely replacing the logic board.

      Totally. This sounds like the Apple is a complete disaster in design and build quality. Maybe somebody should just isolate the two problems and then draw sweeping unsupported conclusions about the entire line so we are sure to understand how bad Apple is......

    6. Re:And, yeah? by Solandri · · Score: 2

      The best part it was ONE sample, yet somehow because it got attention from a sorta-credible source it is given more credence than the usual ancedotal observation.

      Actually, the fact that it was from ONE sample makes it even worse. If these types of defects/shoddy assembly were rare, you'd expect to find one in a typical laptop teardown. Maybe two if you got an extraordinarily unlucky sample. The fact that they found three suggests that statistically, this sort of stuff is present in a high percentage of the laptops.

    7. Re:And, yeah? by rthille · · Score: 1

      Or, it was the one laptop which made it out the door before the new employee's poor work was discovered and they were fired...

      --
      Awesome furniture, accessories and cabinetry in Santa Rosa, CA: http://humanity-home.com/
    8. Re:And, yeah? by Solandri · · Score: 1

      Or, it was the one laptop which made it out the door before the new employee's poor work was discovered and they were fired...

      They're made on an assembly line. One person installs one part.

    9. Re:And, yeah? by Mark4ST · · Score: 1

      And no, I'm typing this on a Dell.

      They're both made by the same ODM, possibly in the same factory. Quanta makes most laptops. It's all the same faulty crap. Designed, manufactured, sold, purchased, and serviced by imbeciles.

    10. Re:And, yeah? by GizmoToy · · Score: 1

      Do you know that for certain? At least one other manufacturer, Dell, assigns the assembly of an entire machine to a single employee. Somebody's first day on the job could result in a machine like the one shown here.

    11. Re:And, yeah? by Anarchduke · · Score: 1

      And they are charging 1800 dollars for a shoddy example of this computer

      --
      who prays for Satan? Who in 18 centuries has had the humanity to pray for the 1 sinner that needed it most? ~Mark Twain
    12. Re:And, yeah? by isomer1 · · Score: 2

      And Apple is known for having 1st generation problems.

      This is hardly a first generation product. You could get away with that excuse on the FIRST imac (poor bondi blue) or the FIRST ipod. But this is just another re-up of what is supposed to be a stable product evolution.

    13. Re:And, yeah? by MemoryDragon · · Score: 1

      Actually improperly applied thermal paste has been an ongoing saga in apples machines for years. This is a problem which constantly crawls up and causes heat problems. I guess this is mostly due to the manufacturing process and most people simply think that more is better.
      The first gen Macbook Air to some degree was plagued with the problem which caused the overheating problem the machine generally had become worse than normal.
      It is always a golden rule never to buy a first series from apple, because after the initial problem period those problems are sorted out and faulty designs are fixed. Dont rely on Apple to replace your machine if you are plagued with such a lemon, I was left hanging dry with my overheating first gen macbook air. Needless to say I did thorough research before buying the next Apple machine, and only bought it after I asked people around whom I knew were stressing their machines out and I bought it mostly three months before the next overhaul of the machine. I was not so shiny anymore but it now is the machine i needed, a well built workhorse I can rely on.

      I cannot say the same about time machine though, Apple did not really document that time machine drops old backups after a while and loses files which you delete. Guess I now have to add rsnapshot to my backup mix.

    14. Re:And, yeah? by silanea · · Score: 1

      Which means that QA failed. "New employee" is no excuse for shipping a flawed product.

      --
      Rudolf Hess edited Mein Kampf. He was the very first grammar nazi.
    15. Re:And, yeah? by tibit · · Score: 1

      No, this doesn't suggest anything. People win lottery, you know.

      --
      A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
    16. Re:And, yeah? by dakameleon · · Score: 1

      Not if the issues were with a stripped screw and a unseated connection on the IR device. Chances are the screw would not have moved, and the IR device connection would be the same. Build procedures should still be the same.

      --
      Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
    17. Re:And, yeah? by bryan1945 · · Score: 1

      I guess I should have worded it better. It's a 1st gen of a new evolution. It seems like every time Apple upgrades/revamps a product the first ones out the door have problems. My own Macbook had the power unit, graphics card, and something else (been a while) replaced with the first 3 months, It was the new 2008 model. Shoddy? Yes. Normal (for Apple)? Yes. Acceptable? No.

      I miss those old iMacs- they were so cute.

      --
      Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
    18. Re:And, yeah? by bryan1945 · · Score: 1

      This I did not know. I figured they would at least come from different companies. Gotta agree with the servicing bit- I had a fan go bad, and the Apple techs decided that I needed a complete overhaul. And they won't do just the fan, once they decide that it needs full service, it's all or none. So the support guy told me to just have it shipped back to me and go to an authorized dealer to have it fixed. Way to go Apple, you're pissing me off and I'm a fairly big Apple backer. [insert your jokes here]

      --
      Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
  14. Re:Sample size: n=1 by pushing-robot · · Score: 5, Funny

    I asked a friend; he said the line between this one data point and his preconceived notions shows a definite trend.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  15. Re:Maybe that is a Chinese fake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is goatcx. I dont know why idiot bother posting that, it is not shocking anybody anymore. Renew your shock images, you are fail atm.

  16. observation notes corepirate nazi deals life0cidal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    so, it looks like there's not much relevant can occur until we CAN solve out our tendencies to neglect/pillage/destroy our fellow humans (sometimes by proxy), & their property, in secret, or not. that's guaranteed. do the math; 1 humvee=17 solar powered refrigerators. on&on it goes.

  17. Re:Sample size: n=1 by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 1

    Agreed, the issues also seem relatively minor. Still if this article will lead to Apple doing some extra quality control that'll be a good thing. Sort of a little reminder to Apple that we hold them to a higher standard than other pc makers.

    --
    If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
  18. Re:Sample size: n=1 by BradleyUffner · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They found a bad apple. So that makes our sample size is n=1 so far. Can anybody cite evidence of additional issues, or is this being hyped up like the iPhone 4 antenna story?

    Well, they found at least 3 independent problems on a single sample. Since each of these problems is possible separate from each other, the fact that all 3 show on a single item could indicate that the rate each problem is fairly high in general. There are other possibilities besides high problem rates, but it does raise the chances that this isn't just a single isolated incident.

  19. Assembly, not Engineering by iMouse · · Score: 0

    Assembly (or the assembler) is one thing. Engineering is a whole other beast.

    No other PC manufacturer spends the time and the resources building engineering marvels like Apple does.

    The last Dell I worked on had 4 bad hard drives in 2 years...why? Because some idiot engineer at Dell decided that pushing the heat radiating off of the heat sink of a Pentium 4 3.4 HT directly over a hard drive was a good idea.

  20. Re:Sample size: n=1 by sqlrob · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We have 4 Macs (2 iMac, 2 Powerbook) that have been in the shop a total of five times (1 iMac twice, everything else once). Their build quality has gone down a lot.

  21. ZIF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You had me at zero insertion force

    1. Re:ZIF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You had me at zero insertion force

      I don't like it loose.

  22. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by chill · · Score: 1

    Actually, he's scheduled for next Thursday on the puppy clubbing list. Apple is running a bit behind with both Steve Jobs and possibly Jonathan Ive out.

    --
    Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
  23. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So now my dad, who has no idea who or what Apple is, is an Apple fan boy because he bought an iPhone after seeing mine and loving it?

  24. Damagecontrol by santax · · Score: 1

    Lol, lots of AC"s all of a sudden here to state that the macbook is the best you can get. And that is a pretty strange statement coming from the IT-crowd... Damage controle @apple I assume...

    1. Re:Damagecontrol by mozumder · · Score: 1

      I'm not AC, and I say the MacBook is the best you can get.

      There is nothing better in the industry.

      Happy?

    2. Re:Damagecontrol by santax · · Score: 1

      Not sure, you work for apple? Come on man, a laptop in this price range should not have this issues. And you know it. Everyone knows it. And that's a shame, I hope they fix it because these kind of issues just can't be happening with a triple A brand at this price.

    3. Re:Damagecontrol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol, lots of AC"s all of a sudden here to state that the macbook is the best you can get. And that is a pretty strange statement coming from the IT-crowd... Damage controle @apple I assume...

      Wow, some basement dwelling mouth breather speaking for the whole professional IT industry, that's original.

    4. Re:Damagecontrol by BitZtream · · Score: 1

      Apple could cease to exist tomorrow and you'd still find a reason to bash them.

      You're just trying to show us how cool you are for hating apple, and I'm just trying to show you how cool I am for defending them.

      The end result, we're both douche bags for talking about an amazingly retarded thing since no matter what happens, you'll still feel the need to rant and moan about the apple story posted on slashdot instead of doing the simple thing AND TURNING THEM OFF IN YOUR FUCKING PREFERENCE YOU WHINEY LITTLE PRICK.

      Seriously, the Apple stories are out of hand, but theres an easy solution if your done with them.

      Thats not what you want though, if the Apple stories ceased, you'd come up with something else to hate.

      You're just troll, and a use that term lightly as you fucking suck at it.

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    5. Re:Damagecontrol by santax · · Score: 1

      Ignore this comment, I was being an incredible stupid prick that only dares to insult someone when using AC. I am very sorry for this but since my mom is going to take away my keyboard till I am 18, I won''t be bothering you anymore. Again I am very sorry for being such an utter prick that is to fucking scared to use my real account.

    6. Re:Damagecontrol by santax · · Score: 1

      Hey, at least you used your own account. Respect for the disrespect in this way. I hope you feel better now. (You still got ripped off though.)

    7. Re:Damagecontrol by MemoryDragon · · Score: 2

      I guess so to, or the Stockholm syndrome is applied at full force. Build quality problems have been there in the past.
      And it always was a random luck if apple fixed it on the machines or not. Most of the time Apple acnowledged it only after they have been dragged to court with a class action lawsuit. If that did not happen users were left hanging dry in the air.
      Been there done that, first gen macbook air, constantly overheating if you did more than websurfing.
      A problem which according to apple never existed and yet there were thousands of complaints and they rolled out a fixup model half a year later which fixed exactly this issue!
      But no the problem does not exist and we wont fix it for you, thank you for your 2500 Euros!

  25. Haters gotta hate by gmhowell · · Score: 0

    Damn Taco, all these years, and you still have to hate on Apple to justify your lame misreading of the original iPod. Glad to see you are still a petulant child.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    1. Re:Haters gotta hate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn Taco, all these years, and you still have to hate on Apple to justify your lame misreading of the original iPod. Glad to see you are still a petulant child.

      Whatever brings in the page-views. Take a look at mega-troll John C Dvorak. Surprised anyone listens to a word he says.

    2. Re:Haters gotta hate by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      Damn Taco, all these years, and you still have to hate on Apple to justify your lame misreading of the original iPod. Glad to see you are still a petulant child.

      Whatever brings in the page-views. Take a look at mega-troll John C Dvorak. Surprised anyone listens to a word he says.

      Hell, in the 80's, his was the first article I read every month in MacUser.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  26. So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Jobs fanboys and girls would buy the thing if it was a block of wood with a paper screen and keyboard glued on.

  27. A fluke by MaWeiTao · · Score: 2

    For now I'd say it's a fluke. You're not likely to find any of these problems even in a cheap Dell computer. In all the years I've owned and happened to open a computer or some other bit of electronics I can't say I've seen improperly assembled components. The only exception being toys where it's an absolute disaster how things get put together.

    It is possible that in the rush to anticipate demand that factories are forgoing some quality control and maybe even overworking their employees.

    1. Re:A fluke by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 1

      For now I'd say it's a fluke. You're not likely to find any of these problems even in a cheap Dell computer. In all the years I've owned and happened to open a computer or some other bit of electronics I can't say I've seen improperly assembled components. The only exception being toys where it's an absolute disaster how things get put together.

      It is possible that in the rush to anticipate demand that factories are forgoing some quality control and maybe even overworking their employees.

      It may be a fluke or it may be an assembly plant issue, but either way it's the sort of thing that makes an anal-retentive tyrant like Jobs go ballistic. I'm betting it gets sorted out posthaste, even if he is out on extended medical leave.

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    2. Re:A fluke by avandesande · · Score: 1

      Soon shoddy work will be punished with hauntings.....

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    3. Re:A fluke by microbee · · Score: 1

      Would you listen to yourself?

      So when other manufacturers screw up the quality, they are just bad manufactureres. When Apple screws up, it's because it's so damn successful?

      Wow. I can only, Wow.

  28. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Draek · · Score: 0

    People are free to choose Apple, Linux and even Windows. Each has strong points and reasons why they are good at what they do

    True, but according to the Apple loyalists, "build quality" and "getting what you paid for" were one of the things Apple was good for. Let's see how many jump ship with this, and how many try whatever half-arsed justification they can find to stay with Stevie.

    --
    No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
  29. OS X? by pak9rabid · · Score: 0

    If you're not paying for build quality, what ARE you getting (hardware-wise) for the extra money, given that most of Apple's components are industry standard now?

    Running OS X without a mountain of hacks?

  30. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by pandrijeczko · · Score: 0

    Actually, it's "fanboi" not "fan-boy"... but there's nowt quite like casting a hook and reeling in a particularly rabid frothing one.

    --
    Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
  31. Re:OK. We get it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pull your head in. Apple are part of the tech industry. They release hardware and software and quite rightly it makes nerd news. Just because they're successful and/or you don't like them doesn't mean it's not newsworthy and of interest to readers.

    You're welcome not to read it, not to purchase their wares and not to give a shit, but don't assume that your opinion should be shared by all the other 'The Man'-hating Slashdot readers because you think it's cool to hate them. This whole fanboy/non-fanboy bullshit is so fucking old and lame.

    Also, perhaps consider submitting other worthy news.

  32. 1 cloud spraying boeing tanker = 3,000 fridges by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    plus, we'd save all that jet fuel. not that we need it. it just stinks & is poison.

  33. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except this isn't the first time Apple has had thermal paste problems. I'm not surprised you don't remember since they engaged in a propaganda campaign to expunge the incident from human memory. The last time, it plagued an entire product line causing overheating problems.

  34. Holy Macro! by nOw2 · · Score: 0

    Two internal marks that look tiny even in macro photographs! Oh my, we'd better put in a link to Computer World!

    Wait, make that two!

    These ill researched, amateur summarisations make me fucking sick.

  35. Re:Sample size: n=1 by thesandtiger · · Score: 1

    They have not made PowerBooks for years.

    --
    Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
  36. Hate to say it by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    but you haven't been able to cheat the system and buy a Mac for top quality hardware in ages. Ever since they stopped using Power PC it's been the same PC Junk that Dell sells. You're paying $1400 dollars for a titanium shell...

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Hate to say it by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      don't forget the stagnant OS!

    2. Re:Hate to say it by Culture20 · · Score: 2

      You're paying $1400 dollars for a titanium shell...

      Robocop approves.

    3. Re:Hate to say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah, and their operating system, its worse than windows. why'd they do something dumb and base it on that linlux thing?

    4. Re:Hate to say it by nloop · · Score: 1

      You're paying $1400 dollars for a titanium shell...

      And OS X. Sure, there's hackintosh, but who wants to use a dell mini? Finding a decent laptop with a full-size screen that has 100% OS X driver support is pretty difficult for those tech oriented and impossible for your mom.

    5. Re:Hate to say it by Fallingcow · · Score: 1

      Stagnant and crappy.

      Maybe I just don't get it, but the OSX GUI seems like a mess to me. I'd class it as slightly less user-unfriendly and obtuse than most non-Gnome-or-KDE Linux WMs/DEs, but also way less customizable. I can't imagine how a n00b wouldn't be totally lost, trying to use it.

    6. Re:Hate to say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agree.

      I'm beginning to think my Powerbook will last forever. Certainly has outlasted Apple software support, so it is probably destined to run Linux at some point.

    7. Re:Hate to say it by VynlSol · · Score: 1

      ...crappy...I just don't get it... I can't imagine...

      Not everyone suffers from those issues.

      Stagnant OS? That's laughable.

    8. Re:Hate to say it by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      What exactly do you want to customize?

      angel'o'sphere

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    9. Re:Hate to say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what are you smoking? i want some.

    10. Re:Hate to say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The placement of the recycle bin is retarded

    11. Re:Hate to say it by multipartmixed · · Score: 1

      I'd like to make it so that when I hit F10 the current window occupies the entire screen.

      I tried to some AppleScript snippets I found on the web, triggered them off the key, no dice. Not sure why -- I may have to bite the bullet and learn AppleScript.

      I'd also like to propagate keys like Again and Compose forward, through to X11. They get as far as the HID layer, but don't make it through to the X server for reason, and I don't know enough about Mac kernel architecture to fix easily.

      --

      Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
    12. Re:Hate to say it by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Sorry about that, as I don't use X on Macs (I hate it to be honest) I can not help you there.

      However I would assume that you can find help in the Apple forums?

      angel'o'sphere

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    13. Re:Hate to say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They haven't used titanium shells since the Powerbook G4 which was discontinued in late 2003.

  37. It's still better... by hort_wort · · Score: 1

    than the annoying piece of junk mentioned in the Clean the Fan video a while back:
    http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1943659

  38. Did they tear down a second machine? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does anybody know if iFixit tore down more than one unit? This could just be a bad unit where the inspector was just not into that day. Does anybody have a link to get more info on iFixit's teardown process?

  39. Re:Sample size: n=1 by kwerle · · Score: 1

    We have 4 Macs (2 iMac, 2 Powerbook) that have been in the shop a total of five times (1 iMac twice, everything else once). Their build quality has gone down a lot.

    Oh yeah? Well my anecdotal is bigger than yours!
    N = 7
    S = 1

  40. Re:Sample size: n=1 by nOw2 · · Score: 1

    But not in this case.

    Yes, iFixIt have found problems which should not exist, but there are only two internal, inconsequential assembly errors in an absolute engineering marvel which is cranked out in massive numbers.

    These machines are generations ahead of the PowerBooks in terms of sophistication and precision engineering.

  41. Yes I'm now a troll by VoxMagis · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I think this is it - the last time I bother with Slashdot. Troll posts (like this one) I can bypass, but the constant troll articles are getting out of hand.

    Screw it. It's not just the Apple crap, I get it, you hate Apple. It's the ridiculous sensationalism that has crept into all of it. I won't let the door hit me on the way out.

    --
    -- I really need to bleed off some of this /. karma.
    1. Re:Yes I'm now a troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn, you will be missed. I checked your posting history, and even though you never had a post modded up, I surely believe your contribution to the site is very great... Notice the sarcasm?

  42. Not stripped by Culture20 · · Score: 3, Funny

    That screw wasn't stripped! It's Apple's new screwdriver design. They take their ordinary pentabular screws, and apply a drill to eat out the head of one of them, forcing you to drill the screw out if you open it yourself.

    1. Re:Not stripped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not sure if serious.

    2. Re:Not stripped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wasn't sure if you were joking. You must be, because looking at the picture the relevant screw is an ordinary Phillips.

    3. Re:Not stripped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple switched to "pentalobe" screws, not intentionally damaging screws. Drilling out screws is a careful procedure, especially on super small screws like this. Apple still wants to be able to service your device.

    4. Re:Not stripped by MemoryDragon · · Score: 1

      You are joking right? Even Apples repair techs would have to drill it out after your logic.

  43. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

    Nope, that would make him a "fandad".

    Stick with it, there's a logic to it, you'll get it eventually.

    --
    Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
  44. Sorry, But Your Wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You call that shoddy assembly, simply because you're trying to do something with the laptop you are not intended to. Leave it alone, and it works. Wow.

  45. Re:Sample size: n=1 by timeOday · · Score: 1

    But a bad apple will spoil the whole barrel!

    Not really. I'm just very, very jealous of your impeccable timing in using that figure of speech in this context.

  46. extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by the+agent+man · · Score: 1

    > Time will tell if the gobs of thermal paste applied to the CPU and GPU will cause overheating issues down the road,' iFixit said The only problem with thermal paste is if there NOT ENOUGH. Thermal paste increases thermal conductivity between chip and heat sink. Not having it would be a problem. Too much may, worst case scenario, look a bit sloppy.

    1. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by quicks0rt · · Score: 1

      Not true. Having too much can have an insulating effect. Thermal paste was designed to fill in crevices that may prevent two surfaces from making flat contact.

    2. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i used to work at a non-apple shop that was licensed for warranty repair. when they switched over to the intel processors, overheating on the new macbook pro was affecting nearly every box we sold, especially the ones where people dual booted to windows. I remember it being a huge problem. And lo and behold, only one of the buyers was pissed off about it. All of the customers brought it in, said "I have a spinny ball and screen-go-black problem", gave us the machine and they got it back the next day. It was like they were getting their puppy back from the vet.

      The official apple repair guide they released on the issue was simply; unseat the heatsink, apply copious amounts of thermal paste (with picture showing a complete topping overflowing on all four sides), re-seat heatsink and you're good to go.

    3. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 5, Informative

      Thermal paste increases thermal conductivity between chip and heat sink.

      Overclocked your first gaming rig, huh? No. Thermal paste is a crappy conductor. From Wikipedia:

      The metal oxide and nitride particles suspended in silicone thermal compounds have thermal conductivities of up to 220 W/(mK). (In comparison, the thermal conductivity of metals used particle additions, copper is 380 W/(mK), silver 429 and aluminum 237.) The typical thermal conductivities of the silicone compounds are 0.7 to 3 W/(mK). Silver thermal compounds may have a conductivity of 3 to 8 W/(mK) or more.

      So, "good" silver compound will be approximately 1% as conductive as aluminum. The only thing near a CPU less conductive than thermal paste is air. You want to use the bare minimum necessary to fill the minor imperfections in the surfaces of the CPU and heatsink. Any more than that and you might as well wrap your processor in a nice cozy wool sweater.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    4. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by andyr86 · · Score: 1

      > The official apple repair guide they released on the issue was simply; unseat the heatsink, apply copious amounts of thermal paste (with picture showing a complete topping overflowing on all four sides), re-seat heatsink and you're good to go. I'm assuming you through that repair guide in the bin.

    5. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by the+agent+man · · Score: 1

      yes true: if you strap down the chip with sufficient pressure the paste will just overflow. That may look a bit messy but unless you started with about a gallon this is completely OK.

    6. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by catmistake · · Score: 1

      Interestingly, with the same gen MacBooks in our shop we had similar overheating problems. There was too much thermal paste... in some cases it was melting onto the logic board, requiring a logic board swap. The repair was scraping off the superfluous paste, leaving the correct amount, which eliminated the overheating problems. IIRC this was the major issue with that 1st run, and I heard about it from all over... oddly, I never heard there wasn't enough thermal paste in that run.

    7. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      Thermal paste even the good stuff is a far worse conductor of heat than pretty much any metal however it is far better than air. The aim therefore is to use just enough to fill the surface imperfections in the surfaces being mated.

      To some extent it will squeeze out if it's overdone but it's still likely to result in both an overly thick layer of paste and paste in places where it shouldn't be (which can cause other problems especially with something like arctic silver)

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    8. Re:extra thermal paste is NOT a problem by MemoryDragon · · Score: 1

      too much thermal paste is a huge problem and it has happened in the past with Apple products several times. Result
      overheating machines, graphic problems etc...
      It will be interesting if this is a serial issue as well here like it was with the first gen unibody macbook pros and the first gen macbook air and some other apple series.
      And if it is how long again it will take apple to acnowledge the problem or if they try to keep it under the rug like they did with the first gen macbook air, and then quietly shove out a fixing series leaving the old users hanging dry in the air.
      Face it apple can build solid machines but they often also build lemons and the changes of being left hanging dry in the air are huge!

  47. Re:OK. We get it. by BearRanger · · Score: 1

    You're missing the point. It's not about the fanboy nerd rage. It's about the frequency of marginal "stories" that are really advertising-driven click bait. Fanboy nerd rage can make a lot of money for a site, so lots of them are posting Apple news because it feeds the frenzy. Slashdot used to not do this sort of stuff but it seems to be on the increase. In my opinion.

    A review of my posting history will show that I'm not anti-Apple (really, quite the opposite) so that's not at issue here. And in spite of iFixit's teardown it's impossible to judge the *quality* of a laptop after it's been on the market for three days. Their opinion is that the one laptop they disassembled had issues. Perhaps they should use a larger sample size.

    Good point about submitting worthy news, and when I find something worthy I do that. I would not consider this story worthy.

    OK Anonymous Coward, that's all you'll get from me. Post publicly next time if you'd like to continue the conversation.

  48. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Grogan+The+Destroyer · · Score: 1

    As opposed to what? Wintel fan-boys, who have Stockholm syndrome from decades of abuse from crappy hardware and software? In 5 years of running a MacBook Pro, I have reinstalled my operating system exactly: ZERO times. That's worth several hundred bucks in saved time and aggravation each year.

  49. Good news everybody... by thestudio_bob · · Score: 1

    I say this is great news! Now they will return it to Apple, where they will fix it and sell it for $400 cheaper with the same warranty on the Refurbished Mac store!

    --
    The real Sig captains the Northwestern. This one captains /.
  50. Re:Sample size: n=1 by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

    hyped up like the iPhone 4 antenna story?

    Get a load of that: "Hyped up like the iPhone 4 antenna story".

    You mean the "hyped up" story that had Jobs and Apple tap-dancing like the Nicholas Brothers and then shipping out hundreds of thousands of cases to "fix" the problem? That hyped up story?

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  51. Must be from SuicideProof factory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where they don't drive that extra bit of quality out of them - so help'em or they drive them to jump.

  52. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...thanks to the Apple fan-boys.

    Yes I'm a fan because my computer does what I want it to, doesn't require anti-virus running non stop, shows some design considerations, has a *nix shell that I can jump into, and makes a great development environment. I have used windows at work, and god help me if I'd ever bring that crap into my house. If I wasn't on a Mac, I'd be running Ubuntu, fanboy that!!!

  53. 1 teardown is not decent a stat' sample, by qwerty8ytrewq · · Score: 1

    While it is indicative, one teardown is hardly a statistical sample to base QC on. The things mentioned all sound like non-core functionality. It is dissapointing, but this is precisely the maths that good statistical tolerancing would do. If we replace eg 5% of units in the 1st 12 months with warranty, we save 15% on unit assembly costs if we let the workers strip a few screws. Good enough is what matters to Apple and consumers.

    --
    Waiting for the other shoe to...
  54. OK by SnarfQuest · · Score: 3, Funny

    So, you spend $1800 on a status symbol, and you expect quality too?

    --
    Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
  55. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Jahava · · Score: 2

    ...thanks to the Apple fan-boys.

    I bought one. I'm not an Apple fanboy. This is, in fact, the second (alongside a third-generation iPod) Apple product that I've ever purchased. I've generally been rather anti-Apple, namely due to their shoddy Linux support (remembering early iPod days), their gross bloatware that is Windows iTunes (slash Safari, slash QuickTime, slash who the fuck knows), and my experiences working with Objective C and the Cocoa APIs professionally some early OSX builds.

    That said, I went laptop shopping and, after soliciting several opinions, reading dozens of reviews, and looking at numerous potential models, I decided to go with the MBP. It was the only laptop (that I could find) that matched my criteria in terms of weight, battery life, touchpad functionality and size (was a huge selling point), keyboard layout, screen resolution, and power. I intend to use Boot Camp to dual-boot a Kubuntu distribution and will likely give both OSX and Kubuntu equal face-time. I also hope to contribute to various Linux drivers and software tweaks that target MBP hardware (camera, touchpad, etc.).

    That said, let's talk Apple fanbois. I will use my experience with this device as almost my sole judge of my opinion of Apple software. How it boots, how it operates, and my experience with the UI will determine whether or not I become an Apple fanboy. I sincerely hope I do; from what I've seen, Apple is one of the few companies that is actually innovating in terms of user experience (I'll cite every music player, laptop, phone, and window manager that is playing catch-up; I understand things go deeper, Superkaramba, etc., but largely most modern composed UIs were first fully-realized by Apple). I really hope that Apple is as good as it seems on paper.

    Now, granted, Apple has a negative reputation for several things. Overpriced hardware is one, for sure, but the one that really bothers me is their gatekeeper role in device software. I've always written this off because part of me definitely sympathizes with their perspective on users - that a device that "just works" is more valuable than an open platform. This definitely reflects what I've observed in the amateur computer user base, and is why I have an Android phone (and will never own an iPhone). If they had similar lockdowns of their notebooks, I'd feel similarly.

    What Apple products need, I suspect, is a thriving open-source community, and looking at the thousands of Apple-targeting OSS projects out there, this seems to be the case. Just as with Windows, and MS-DOS before it, the open-source community needs to thrive in the face of adversity, provide compelling alternatives, and change both the foreground and background of the operating system - in other words, do what it does best.

  56. Only one macbook by SilverJets · · Score: 1

    They disassembled only one macbook and draw these conclusions?

    If they pulled five apart and all had the same problems, then sure. But come on.

    1. Re:Only one macbook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They disassembled only one macbook and draw these conclusions?

      If they pulled five apart and all had the same problems, then sure. But come on.

      They have torn apart 100's of consumer electronics of all types, including almost every piece of hardware Apple has ever made, and do not normally see QC issues like this. 3 different issues in one device is not okay regardless of any sample size. The number of stripped screw heads I'm seeing while repairing both new and refurbished Apple products has gone up.

  57. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by IANAAC · · Score: 0

    In 5 years of running a MacBook Pro, I have reinstalled my operating system exactly: ZERO times. That's worth several hundred bucks in saved time and aggravation each year.

    That's not being very genuine. Since you said "a" Macbook pro, you've probably bought more that one. And I'm gonna bet you've probably gone through an update or two with the OS, too.

  58. one bad apple does not make the tree all bad by Zameru · · Score: 1

    Agreed, poor assembly is unfortunately a cost of doing business in China today. But...one poorly assembled unit (yet still working?) doesn't say anything. Manufacturing QA is mostly a numbers game, it would be much more informative if ten, or better yet, one hundred units were compared to get a more accurate picture of build quality. IF you want to compare across computer companies pull 100 from each brand then we will have some real data to analyze, compare, and contrast. BTW: I found the bit about too much thermal grease having potential "future" heating issues interesting... the whole point of thermal grease to to spread/conduct the heat from a CPU to the heatsink .. I don't see how too much of it could possibly be an issue...unless of course they got their hands full of it while doing the dis-assembly, I'd be pissed too! But... the fact remains that MACs are more expensive than other PCs with very similar hardware... I guess some folks are willing to pay more for "looks" and OS X over Windows...not me.

  59. "Ho Hum" WTF? by rthille · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The machine is 2x as fast as the one I bought last year, has 10Gb I/O, for the same price.

    Please have the "analyst" compare my 1989 VW Jetta to today's model for a "ho hum" upgrade...

    --
    Awesome furniture, accessories and cabinetry in Santa Rosa, CA: http://humanity-home.com/
    1. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by rs1n · · Score: 1

      The machine is 2x as fast as the one I bought last year, has 10Gb I/O, for the same price.

      Please have the "analyst" compare my 1989 VW Jetta to today's model for a "ho hum" upgrade...

      Actually, if your Jetta is in good condition, it may even be worth a lot more in three years-- in 2014 it'll be considered a classic! =)

    2. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      yeah tell me one thing, how did you arrive at the 2x figure? 2x faster at what? graphics? cpu? ram i/o? what? and no, you can't average together everything to get a total '2x faster!'

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    3. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a "Ho Hum" upgrade because other manufacturers have been shipping quad core i7 notebooks for a year already (maybe longer, I just know that my M4500 came out about a year ago).

    4. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The machine is 2x as fast as the one I bought last year, has 10Gb I/O, for the same price.

      Please have the "analyst" compare my 1989 VW Jetta to today's model for a "ho hum" upgrade...

      You're making an Apples to Oranges comparison with that analogy. Try comparing your '89 to a '90 Jetta. Now you're making a lemons to lemons comparison.

    5. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The machine is 2x as fast as the one I bought last year, has 10Gb I/O, for the same price.

      Also keep in mind that this is the only Macbook that has 6Gbps SATA bus... which is really important if you happen to slap one of those new Vertex 3 or Intel 510's SSDs in there.

      This is not a ho-hum upgrade, unless you were expecting the rumor mill to be true (hint: it never is).

    6. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This.

      I was figuratively GREEN with envy at seeing the new specs. How is quad-core i7 sandy-bridge (Do these have AVX?) "ho-hum" compared to dual-core i5's ?
      Hell, the 13in went form dual-core core-2 to dual-core i5. How the fuck is this 'ho-hum'?

      tl;dr Which analyst, I want to avoid him.

    7. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A VW!? What self-respecting apple fan isn't driving a Prius yet?

    8. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ok, not quite 2x:
      http://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/25/new-macbook-pro-benchmarks-show-massive-improvement/

      (posting anon because I changed my password on the other laptop and haven't copied it to this one)

    9. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is your '89 assembled in mexico like the new ones are?

    10. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by rthille · · Score: 1

      No, I picked mine up from the VW factory in Wolfsburg. Still my favorite car so far, though less reliable than the Subaru I had after it (but not by too much).

      --
      Awesome furniture, accessories and cabinetry in Santa Rosa, CA: http://humanity-home.com/
    11. Re:"Ho Hum" WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Try looking at GeekBench scores. 10,049/5,695 = 1.8

      MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2010) 1 hour ago 5695
      Apple Inc. Mac-F22586C8 MacBookPro6,2 dclsmit
      Intel Core i7 M 620 @ 2.66 GHz (1 processor, 2 cores, 4 threads)
      Geekbench 2.1.12 for Mac OS X x86 (32-bit)

      MacBookPro8,2 12 minutes ago 10049
      Apple Inc. Mac-94245A3940C91C80 MacBookPro8,2 Sigma4Life
      Intel Core i7-2820QM @ 2.30 GHz (1 processor, 4 cores, 8 threads)
      Geekbench 2.1.12 for Mac OS X x86 (32-bit)

  60. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

    Well, I could say the same for my self built notebook & desktop machines that run Linux, Windows & OSX (Hackintosh in a VM).

    That's worth the thousands of dollars I've saved in the initial purchase as opposed to a single similar spec'ed Apple, or multiple computers... wait, I have saved aggravation, time AND money ? (I win?)

    Granted the "well, reinstall the OS" solution is the only way to disinfect some Windows infections, fortunately I don't do dumb things with Windows (Like let it run outside of a VM). Load a snapshot != Reinstall...

  61. you mean like... by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 1

    The Jobs fanboys and girls would buy the thing if it was a block of wood with a paper screen and keyboard glued on.

    you mean like the P-p-p-powerbook?

    --
    ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
  62. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Grogan+The+Destroyer · · Score: 1

    I bow in your general direction. You clearly have the skill to do all this yourself, and the general understanding to avoid trouble and be resilient when it does strike. But you did probably spend considerable time researching which components to put together, installing the operating systems, applying the patches, making the snapshots, etc. I took my machine out of the pretty box, turned it on, and started working. So we just spent our money/time differently . For the average user, it's not just "infections" that drive a reinstall... it's also registry corruptions and god-knows-what... my corporate brick, for example, just seized up the other day, puking on all the security and encryption shite that's been loaded on to it (by our corporate guys). Blue screen of death.

  63. At $1800 each by voss · · Score: 1

    1) They should be able to have people separately inspect them at every stage before the case is put on.
    2) Have a 4 year warranty

  64. Thermal Compound by idontusenumbers · · Score: 0

    Looks like this is in accordance with Apple's service manuals from many years ago: http://www.cybercoment.com/Pictures/news/february17th2007f.jpg

  65. Re:Sample size: n=1 by BitZtream · · Score: 1

    Powerbooks eh? And exactly how old are they? Hmm? I'm guessing your iMacs are old too.

    --
    Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
  66. Statistics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So now when you find 1 of something you can declare them all to be like that? Doesn't this violate a number of scientific and statistical rules? Seriously- I got a Dell system and the memory was loose too. But we order 3 others and they're fine. So now should I post a blog about shoddy assembly of Dell computers?

    Do slashdot editors really consider such nonsense worthy of repeating here?

  67. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by TheNinjaroach · · Score: 1

    Anybody who spends more than $1000 for a laptop is a fanboy in my opinion.

    My employer spent quite a bit more than that to equip many of us with a Thinkpad. Was it worth the price? I would say every last dime of it.

    Thin, light, fast. My laptop is a workhorse. I'm not sure you could deliver something this nice for less than a grand.

    --
    I went to eat some animal crackers and the box said, "Do not eat if seal is broken." I opened the box and sure enough..
  68. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by PrimalChrome · · Score: 1
    No one will be jumping ship. Excuses will be made and more 'quality seeking' geeks and hipsters will continue pushing the Apple bandwagon.

    Every mac I've had resulted in hardware issues. Every one. Since '98, I've had a laptop and at least two desktops in regular use. During that time, I've really tried to buy into the Apple koolaid. iBook, Macbook pro, clamshell, top of the line aluminum iMac. All had hardware failures. Admittedly, some were very minor and didn't interfere with standard day to day operation...... But the flip side is that I've owned any number of Dells, HPs, and IBMs in that same period....with no where near a 100% hardware failure rate.

    Maybe all four of them were lemons.....but when you start looking around at support forums and talking with fanbois about more than the sleek look...... You find a surprising number of failure rates for an elite, top of the line, bit of hardware with a fairly limited release in comparison with the PC market.

  69. Re:OK. We get it. by indiechild · · Score: 1

    The thing about the haters is that they're like those annoying religious fundamentalists -- they're all about "freedom" and choice, but they get all frothing and up in your face if you happen to choose Apple. Nutcase zealot haters.

  70. Re:OK. We get it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just because someone supports your right to choose, doesn't mean they have to agree with your choice.

  71. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by mattack2 · · Score: 1

    So then there are plenty of HP and Dell fanboys too?

  72. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Which Acura is a Civic with a new badge? The closest thing that described that was an RSX, which hasn't been built in years. And it only cost ~18K.

    You seem to have fallen victim to middle class syndrome. I.e., what I can afford is great, but anyone who spends more is frivolous. People a lot poorer than yourself might charge you with the same offense...

  73. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

    nobody's gonna jump ship. look at what came of the fact that the latest iteration of their iphone does not connect to any kind of network if you hold it in your left hand. nothing. nobody who cares about functionality buys apple. so they aren't bothered by such problems. people will buy apple laptops and get them repaired again and again while in warranty then upgrade after 2 years. everyone is happy. customers get to brandish around a cool, hip laptop. apple charges 5 times the cost (random number) so it can easily cover the warranty repair cost.

    --
    Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
  74. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

    yes, buying stuff just because its shiny and apple is fan-boyish behavior.

    --
    Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
  75. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've owned four Macs over the last six years and I've never had one in the shop. Studies have shown Apple computers to have the best build quality and reliability. This doesn't mean that an occasional bad egg can't get through. This assessment is meaningless given Apple's track record, until and unless additional data surfaces to support it.

  76. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

    and i've not reinstalled my os since the last 10 years. not once. and none of my machines was made by apple. so what's your point.

    --
    Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
  77. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by joeyblades · · Score: 1

    Anybody who spends more than $1000 for a laptop is a fanboy...

    Guess that makes me a PC fanboy...

    No wait! I'm a Mac fanboy...

    What kind of fanboy am I if I have both a PC laptop and a Mac laptop that cost more than $1000?

    ...in my opinion.

    Whew! You had me going there for a second... Thank god it's only your opinion...

  78. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by eiiiI'monslashdot · · Score: 1

    you guys love to pick on easy prays don't u..

  79. Too much thermal paste again? by Paska · · Score: 1

    Having previously worked several years for a technician role with a local Apple reseller, and now owning my own repair, support and Apple consultancy business (macexperts.com.au) I have worked on the insides of literally tens of hundreds, probably thousands of Macs from the G3, to the pain in the ass PowerBook 12-inches to the latest and greatest.

    I can attest that build quality over the years has definitely suffered.

    Specifically on the subject of thermal paste the original MacBook Pro's suffered from this exact same defect, causing heating problems and graphics issues that plagued *a lot* of customers. Apple's own internal documentation, replacement parts and Service Manuals stipulated that all three thermal tubes supplied were to be applied to each chip, when in fact and only after hundreds of repeat repairs it was acknowledged that too much thermal paste was applied. Specifically the "fix" was to only apply one tube to all three chips - presto! problem fixed.

    My advice has always been: Do not purchase first generation of a major revision of Apple hardware, it will save you pain and problems down the track such as repeat repairs.

    1. Re:Too much thermal paste again? by MemoryDragon · · Score: 1

      Not only the first gen macbooks had improperly applied thermal past, the first gen macbook airs also among other things.
      The improperly applied thermal paste is a constant problem plaguing apple machines pretty much ever second year. I dont know why the problem repeats itself every second year, by now even the lowest support drone should be aware of those issues, and those guys who control the manufacturing output also.
      And I second that advice, never buy any first gen revision of a macbook always wait for the second one and even then wait another couple of months.

  80. Re:Sample size: n=1 by joeyblades · · Score: 1

    And yet no one complained when Apple quietly shut down the free bumper program without changing the antenna design...

    What changed? ... media attention... or rather, lack of.

    If it looks like a hype, smells like a hype, and quacks like a hype... it might just be a hype.

  81. subwoofer enclosure in a laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What on earth are they talking about?

  82. Re:Sample size: n=1 by dogmatixpsych · · Score: 5, Informative

    And we have 5 Macs (3 iMacs, 2 MacBooks/Pro) that have never been in the shop. Out of the about 30 different Mac owners that I personally know and interact with regularly, only one has had his Mac in for repairs. My anecdote is just as valid as your anecdote. Further, based on my anecdote, I can argue (just as validly as you argued) that the build quality of Macs has at least remained stable or even increased.

    My point with my reply is that when we look at objective data (I'm not commenting on the quality of these data but they have to be better than your anecdote and my anecdote), Apple computers are the most reliable: http://www.rescuecom.com/2010-annual-computer-reliability-report.html

    Here are some somewhat subjective data (but still data with a larger sample size) showing Apple on top: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368167,00.asp

    Maybe Apple's build quality has gone down but objective data don't seem to show that at all.

  83. Re:Sample size: n=1 by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

        Not really. You're trying to apply the idea that multiple faults in the same unit make for extra counts of errors.

        That would be like if you received a monitor with 15 dead pixels, it would have 15 faults.

        So in a sample set of 1, you now have 15/1 faults.

        If the real failure rate were 2%, and your sample set was 100 units, you're claiming 30/100 failures, rather than 2/100.

        Sadly, I've seen exactly this logic in virtually every industry. "I bought a X brand TV once, so all X brand TVs are horrible." "I drove a X brand car, and it got a flat, so all X brand cars are lemons."

        I do find it unusual that the one that they tested had horrible faults, but there's always a chance it can happen. How many units from various manufacturers over time have they tested? Hundreds? Thousands? For them to not get a bad one is a statistical improbability. Now, for them to get the latest greatest Apple laptop, assuming a very low error rate, is slim but not impossible.

        And I should say for the record, I am not an Apple Fan-Boy (tm). They sell generally very nice, very pretty equipment, for several times over their retail value, and Apple fans will eat it up. I'd be willing to bet they could take a lump of dog feces, spray paint it white, put an Apple logo on it, call it an iPaperWeight, and people would buy it.

        With all that said, my girlfriend has a Mac. She loves her Mac. We've been playing FPS games. She's seeing that I'm getting better performance in the games from my PC. She's seeing games that she wants, that aren't available for Mac. I had built out a new machine to be a Hackintosh as a spare machine. It's a bit faster than hers, and I built it out of my own spare parts (I upgraded on a whim). I haven't gotten around to making it a Hackintosh, so it's been a very nice machine sitting on the floor. She asked a couple days ago "So, can you still make that into a Windows machine for me to game on?"

        She's not giving up her Mac for day-to-day use. But when the Mac can't do it, she'll switch the KVM to game. As I tell people, use the right machine for the right application. I use Linux machines for Internet servers. I use Windows and Linux for productive desktops. I use Windows to game. Big deal. I'm not an OS zealot . I use the best platforms for the task. And when it's time to game, on any substantial variety of games, Windows is still the best platform. Sorry zealots. That's the way it is.

        Let the arguing begin.

    --
    Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  84. Re:Sample size: n=1 by narcc · · Score: 1

    an absolute engineering marvel

    Now THAT'S what I call reality distortion!

  85. Re:Sample size: n=1 by narcc · · Score: 1

    If they say that the story was "hyped up" enough times it will magically become true.

  86. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Anybody who spends more than $1000 for a laptop is a fanboy in my opinion.

    You know, it is not that easy to install OS X on a random PC Laptop. And it is not exactly legal either.

    I use Macs because Windows just sucks. Every day I'm forced to use Windows on a random job, something suddenly goes wrong. And all peopler around me say: it is like that deal with it. The day to day experience with windows is just frustrating.

    It starts with sleep mode, or the way how an anti virus software is opening a file and preventing it from being able to copy it etc. Or by being unable to overwrite it .... You know my Java IDE has just written that shiny object file, and the anti virus jumps on it to to "verify" it and my next build step is failing because the object file "is open" and can not be put into a zip (jar) file ... retarded.

    The left side of a Windows Explorer window: it is always changing!!!
    I want to search something, a file with a certain name pattern, I have to make several clicks to do that annoying!
    I close the window and open it later again, AGAIN something else is on the left side ... WHY?

    My neighbour installed a WLAN card into his PC, to connect to my WLAN. Took us *hours* to configure. Completely retarded dialogs to connect to a WLAN.

    Why should I punish myself every day by using a windows pc?

    angel'o'sphere

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  87. Man the flamers! by H0p313ss · · Score: 1

    There's gold in them there FUD!

    --
    XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
  88. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Wovel · · Score: 1

    Anybody who thinks $1000 is a lot of money for a laptop needs something..

    Yes the Acura is just like the Civic, maybe you should crawl out of your bubble and drive one.

  89. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Wovel · · Score: 1

    I could build that, of course I know why putting a desktop CPU in something that I want to run with a battery is a bad idea... I am glad you enjoy your laptop, it seems clear you do not use it anywhere but on your desktop..

    My 2007 MBP was about .5" thinner too..

    Oh well Asus abandoned the home built laptop market for a reason.

  90. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Wovel · · Score: 1

    I am also an

    N=7
    S=1

    and that was a marginally loud fan on an MBP I had replaced.

  91. Not a fluke! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I work in IT, in a place that has both Macs, and Dell machines running Windows. I work on more Macs with hardware issues than Dells. Were talking 3 to 1 at least. Apples are nice, and good for certain jobs, but they cannot replace Windows in a business environment until they learn to play nice with others.

  92. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

    N = 3
    S = 1, but would've been 5 if not for warranty issues.

    Looks scary until you see that three of the shop trips would've been because of my old iBook's power plug desoldering itself (the G4 iBook was built shoddily) and the other two were my first MacBook Pro failing because of the Geforce packaging flaw (which Apple had no control over).

    I've had no Apple-attributable hardware failures since switching to an MBP and no hardware failures at all since getting a unibody MBP. Those things really are built well. Of course it's concerning to see that they shipped a unit built to such low standards but it remains to be seen if that's actually common. The new MBP might be a lemon or it might not and a single sample isn't going to tell us everything.

    Of course Slashdot doesn't do followup stories anymore, else we could've gathered teardowns and, well, done one.

    --
    USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  93. Yeah, comparing a crap PC with a topend mac doesn' by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It is the same old story, people comparing a top end Mac with a bottom end PC and then complaining about the price difference. Mac is now the first with the new intel stuff, so HOW exactly do they come up with this price comparison when there isn't a regular laptop out there with the same hardware?

    Not that I think Apple is all that hot myself. They are to me the old sony. You pay a bit more then you should but know you get reasonable quality in return. In the real world, that matters. I might get the same cheaper but it might be crap or I can lots more and it can still be crap. Old Sony made good mid quality stuff that gave you the insurance that you got decent gear for an okay price. I would be wilinng to pay more for my ordinary hamburger if I knew that the service would always be great, the hamburger always hot etc etc. That MID range, decent quality for a decent price is VERY hard to nail. Cheap and crap is easy, expensive and good is easy. Hitting the middle reliable, that is where you can make a fortune.

    Until you start cutting costs. Sony went bye bye. Apple is not imune to this. For all the Sony haters now, once they were a darling just like Apple is. The mighty do fall.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  94. iFixit is not an uninterested party by Kyusaku+Natsume · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Of course they will trash today Apple after the bad joke of iFixit's iPhone Liberation Kit. They need this to help their Google score and certainly it is working. They are not the only one web site for macbook repair but is the most known, the guys at http://www.powerbookmedic.com/ for example haven't done any of iFixit's theatrical gestures buy they are fine, they don't have has many guides like iFixit but over time they will grow to be a good competitor.

    --
    Mexico: 100% conservative's America now!
  95. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh please, quit whining about how you're such a computer noob. The fact that you adore Apple and spit on something you can't figure out how to use is fucking pathetic!

  96. Limited release? What are you smoking by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1

    You are aware that Apple is the BIGGEST (not sure if they still are the top, but they are in the top three) pc maker in the world? What is limitted about selling more then Dell?

    Almost every forum has people complaining. The simple fact is that Apple is middle of the road, not top end. A mainframe, that is top end hardware. There really aren't any top end PC makers, commodity hardware and quality don't mix. The top end cars are hand build machines, they do not come of a Chinese production line.

    And as for the price, really, compare the specs. I can easily get a Thinkpad that costs the same if not more. Stop comparing your cheapo Dell with a mid-range Apple.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Limited release? What are you smoking by MrNiCeGUi · · Score: 1

      Apple is not the biggest PC vendor and never were. They claimed to be the biggest mobile PC vendor, counting the iPad as a PC, which it really isn't, not more so than the Iphone, anyway. By numbers shipped, it's third in the US, just about tied with Acer which will overtake it soon, if it hasn't already, and worldwide it's not anywhere near top three.
      Even in the US Dell sell more than double the number of units than Apple. Ditto for the world market, where Apple's presence is symbolic, not even making it in the top 6.
      HP is the biggest PC maker in the world.
      Source: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101013007002/en/Global-PC-Market-Maintains-Double-Digit-Growth-Quarter

  97. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Cant+use+a+slash+wtf · · Score: 1

    Believe me, I know plenty of people whose Apple products start going bad as early as 2 years after purchase.

  98. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Would it be too cliched of me to say one bad apple spoils the bunch?

  99. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And those 30 people are guaranteed to tell you when their mac goes back to the shop?

    between the two of you we have 40 people returning to the shop 5 times. An 8th.

    The old logic used to be don't buy a 1st generation mac. That has certainly been my experience, by only problems have been with the first iBook G4 and the First MBP. Macs have never been infallible. And although I begrudge taking them back to the shop, it is nice that they have a shop to take it back to, minions to be polite to you, and so on.

  100. Re:Sample size: n=1 by nOw2 · · Score: 1

    Really? I only opened a MacBook for the first time a couple of months ago. It was a revelation.

  101. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Programmed obsolescence for the fail...

  102. Re:OK. We get it. by mikael_j · · Score: 1

    There's a difference between disagreeing with someone's choice and screaming "YOU MADE THE WRONG CHOICE!" at the top of your lungs.

    I happened to watch the latest episode of the Big Bang Theory and there was a quote by Sheldon that kind of sums up how a lot of the anti-Apple haters react to Apple users, "They were having fun the wrong way".

    --
    Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
  103. Re:Sample size: n=1 by mikael_j · · Score: 1

    Well, when the mainstream media is picking up the story and running a whole bunch of articles on the theme of "will this be the end Apple?", "Should you sell your Apple stock?" and asking industry experts if they think Apple is done for, that's hype.

    Here in Sweden I saw several papers and magazines running stories where they asked various industry experts how big the problem was here in Sweden (with questions clearly phrased in a way that indicated they were fishing for worst case scenarios) but most of the replies they got were along the lines of "Nah, not that much of a problem here, we have a pretty solid 3G network with good reception, this is mostly a problem if you both hold the phone a very specific way and have poor reception to begin with".

    But hey, if the hype-machine says the hype isn't hype it must be true. After all, it keeps repeating that mantra over and over again while chasing ad impressions...

    --
    Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
  104. Flamebait by stiller · · Score: 1

    This whole post is a great big steaming pile of flamebait. The author selectively chooses the two most negative comments and fails to report that the machine actually received a 7 out of 10 score from iFixit - a site dedicated to the complete disassembly of devices. Few other electronics products are subjected to this amount of scrutiny. One of the major drawbacks according to the site is that it's hard to replace the LCD. I'm sure it is, but how relevant is this to normal users?
    iFixit is a great, in-depth source of pretty objective information for hardware enthusiasts. Computerworld manages to create a sensationalist article from that. How bad can tech journalism become?

  105. Re:Sample size: n=1 by narcc · · Score: 1

    Okay, so ... what sets the otherwise commodity hardware so far ahead of the rest that it qualifies as a marvel of engineering? You know, that special class typically reserved for things like the pyramids of Giza and the Palm Deira of Dubai.

    From my (objective) perspective, it's a just a typical home computer -- no more marvelous or astonishing than any other.

  106. Re:Sample size: n=1 by silanea · · Score: 1

    That would be like if you received a monitor with 15 dead pixels, it would have 15 faults.

    No. Read Bradley's post again. 3 independent problems. 15 dead pixels equal one shoddy panel. In your monitor example you would have those 15 dead pixels, a loose DVI connector and a missing led. And the sum of that would very likely point to a lack of QA.

    --
    Rudolf Hess edited Mein Kampf. He was the very first grammar nazi.
  107. Re:Sample size: n=1 by nOw2 · · Score: 1

    Sorry, I see what you're getting at. I'm not English so forgive the semantic interpretation I intended for the word 'marvel'.

    I meant of course to compare it to current and recent laptop computers, not monumental construction in limestone.

    For example, to compare to something new from another manufacturer like http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Motorola-Xoom-Teardown/4989/1

  108. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A perfect example of the availability heuristic if ever I've seen one.

  109. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 0

    My neighbour installed a WLAN card into his PC, to connect to my WLAN. Took us *hours* to configure. Completely retarded dialogs to connect to a WLAN.

    Ah, I see that you're almost completely incompetent.

    A couple years ago, I stopped by the local medical supply shop to pickup an order for my father-in-law. While waiting, I installed a wireless network card for them. It took just a couple minutes. It was up and running before they had my order filled.

    More to the point: Installing and configuring a wireless network card is an incredibly simple process that can be managed by even the least experienced home user in well under 10 minutes. If it took you *hours* to perform such a simple and basic task, you have absolutely no business operating a computer, let alone making a living using them.

    Why should I punish myself every day by using a windows pc?

    You shouldn't -- In fact, given that you're not capable of performing even simple computer-related tasks, I strongly recommend that you find work in an industry more suited to your talents.

    Oh, I took a look at your website -- I can only imagine the code horrors that someone as incompetent as you has unleashed upon unsuspecting clients.

  110. of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    now that apple has a good 'reputation' they can cuts costs in other areas for the next 3-5 years
    after that they need to up their quality for a year or two to get the reputation back
    then past that they can go downhill again for the nexy 3-5 years
    it's a strategic way of getting high margins on products

  111. Re:Sample size: n=1 by tfrayner · · Score: 1

    They're not independent. They're all in the same unit, and so there is at the very least a time-of-assembly bias. So the best we can say is that *at some point* the QA has been flawed. We cannot extend that to larger time windows without further data.

    --
    The best newspaper in the USA: the Anderson Valley Advertiser.
  112. Cheap labor? Its all about where you live by Shivetya · · Score: 1

    I really get tired of people dinging foreign workers as cheap labor. Yeah, if you look at their dollar income earned it looks bad, but if you don't compare their income versus others in the region where they work you miss the big picture. Worse, people tend to look at the dollar amount and then assume that all living expenses are equal when they are not.

    The problems like others stated are probably the result of a rush order process with insufficient time to work out the manufacturing kinks.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
  113. More details needed even for n=1 by itsdapead · · Score: 1

    They found a bad apple. So that makes our sample size is n=1 so far.

    If this was a brand spanking new retail unit, then the fact that the model bought by iFixit had manufacturing defects is certainly a cause for further investigation.

    However, this was obtained on the day of release by a site dedicated to teardowns. They don't say how they obtained it, just "we got our hands on..." The faults they found sound consistent with the machine having been previously disassembled and reassembled. If they paid full whack for a new, production model, they should state this in the review, because it is entirely feasible to an outsider that they got their hands on an ex-review or pre-production model.

    --
    In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
  114. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by macs4all · · Score: 0

    "A fool and his money are soon parted." - Barnum

    "There's a seeker born every minute." - Happy Harry Cox

    So, what was your point, again?

  115. Misleading description of stripped screw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you look at the photo on iFixIt, the screw threads aren't stripped, so the fastener can still do its job. The real issue is far less severe; the phillips head drive feature of the screw is rounded out, so removal of the screw will be slightly difficult.
    http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/4ZIBKLqN3opVFVXg.huge

    While less than ideal, I don't see this as a major issue. The unlocked ZIF connector is a much more serious problem, IMHO.

  116. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They found a bad apple. So that makes our sample size is n=1 so far. Can anybody cite evidence of additional issues, or is this being hyped up like the iPhone 4 antenna story?

    Even one unit shipped with an unlocked slot shows lack of quality control at the assembly plant. While you're correct this is not enough to call it a trend, you're kind of missing the point.

    Besides, if you bother to read the linked story it already points out what you just did:

    Djuric said iFixit would keep a wary eye on future Apple devices it tears apart to see if the flaws in its MacBook Pro are the first signs of a trend.

    or is this being hyped up like the iPhone 4 antenna story?

    The antenna problem exists on both the AT&T and the Verizon models of the iPhone, but only the first one was "hyped". And it didn't start getting hyped until Jobs made his bonehead "You're just holding it wrong" statement. It was obvious to any unbiased person there was some kind of problem with at least some of the units, and here's the CEO not only denying ANY issues, but then trying to pass the buck on to the owners. So there really wasn't any 'hype' about the antenna, the 'hype' was about the asshole shitting all over the consumer base.

  117. Re:Cheap labor? Its all about where you live by shilly · · Score: 1

    Hunh? "Foreign" workers are cheap labour, compared to US workers. That's not a slur, it's a statement of fact. It's also separate from the question of whether they're underpaid. You're arguing they're not because they're better compensated than many of their compatriots and because costs-of-living are lower. However, they still by and large live a life that you wouldn't swap for yours.

  118. "high-quality screen"? by Dr.Syshalt · · Score: 1

    I would understand if for the price I'd get IPS screen. But Apple's screens are just "good" old TN ones. Granted, those of a bit better quality than ones on the cheap Acer notebooks - but it's still a TN, with screwed up vertical angles.

  119. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You really like to say anecdote, don't you?

  120. Re:Sample size: n=1 by iamhigh · · Score: 1
    You asshat. Let me comment that article:

    Readers' Choice: Apple Inc.

    Oh and just in case you try to say it isn't skewed, let me quote another section:

    CATEGORY: NETWORK ROUTERS Readers' Choice: Apple Inc.

    Yeah, that "objective" data is really impressive.

    --
    No comprende? Let me type that a little slower for you...
  121. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, they found at least 3 independent problems on a single sample. Since each of these problems is possible separate from each other, the fact that all 3 show on a single item could indicate that the rate each problem is fairly high in general.

    I recommend you grab the latest book on probability and statistics and read up on the concepts of dependent and independent events. How did this posting get 4:Insightful again? Slashdot has gone downhill.

  122. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by jedidiah · · Score: 1

    > You now have to be a fan-boy to buy Apple products? They are no
    > longer available to the public? Since when? Do I need a badge? To
    > join some kind of club?

    Since they are more expensive than everything else and and largely incompatible with everything else, it helps.

    It's an expensive prospect with a minimum buy in that tends to keep casual experimenters away.

    The problem with computing has always been that you're not simply free to choose one platform from one day to the next because each platform is it's own proprietary island separate from all of the others. They each require a considerable investment. That investment is lost any time you switch.

    At least PC hardware is cross-compatible and you can defect from one PC OEM to the next all day long if you are running Linux or Windows.

    If you treat Apple as just another PC OEM, you may find that they aren't anything special after all.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  123. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't be so quick to judge. He might have run into a corner case of some sort. It happens. Perhaps the "network manager" bloatware was preventing things from working.

    I use a pre-unibody MBP and I'm very happy. I think that being able to run a couple Windows VMs in the OS X environment is way more pleasant than running the same in a Windows host.

  124. Re:Sample size: n=1 by jedidiah · · Score: 1

    "studies show"

    What does that mean exactly? How are those numbers created? Is there any flaw in the methodology.

    As someone that once gathered such data. I gotta laugh at anyone that puts much stock in "studies".

    Stockholm Syndrome might skew those numbers something considerable. There might also be issues with Apple products that go unnoticed because the users are ignorant or aren't particularly demanding. The whole "why-does-Aspyr-hate-my-mac" thing is probably a good example of that.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  125. Re:Sample size: n=1 by jedidiah · · Score: 1

    So? Out of PC users generally, I've known very few that have actually had to "take their machines into the shop".

    The problem that most people have with most PCs is the OS and it's ability to get itself infected.

    The hardware is actually pretty solid for the most part.

    That's the absurd bit about how Mac Fanboys always try to insist that it's all about the hardware.

    Macs have a better resale value for the same reason that some out of print DVD from some obscure TV show has an absurd resale value.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  126. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't mind the fact that the machines end up in the shop. At least I don't have to fix the problems. On "regular" PCs, I usually ended up spending time and money to fix things myself. Dead optical drives, stuck fans, overheated power supplies. We have an office full of Dells and that's what I do almost every month: fix things. I have a MBP and an iMac, and yes, they both were in the shop. The problems were as follows (one entry per service visit):

    iMac:
    1. failing hard drive (clicking noises, smart error counts going through the roof),
    2. optical drive replacement (clearance/manufacturing issue caused disks to rub),
    3. motherboard (logic) board replacement due to a faulty RAM socket (you could populate only one DDR2 module, if you did the other it'd beep on power up),
    4. reconnection of built-in microphone that was left disconnected in visit #2.

    MBP:
    1. battery and magsafe power supply replacement (battery didn't pass diagnostics, magsafe had a falling apart plug),
    2. motherboard (logic) board replacement due to NVidia chip issues -- this one was a misdiagnosis, actually, since the symptoms were a shutdown ONLY on battery power -- it was the battery that was bad, but perhaps motherboard was borderline operational and some error counter somewhere was picking up issues, so I can't say that I mind that,
    3. battery replacement due to hard shutdown with ~25% available capacity.

    I am pretty happy that for the price of two AppleCare's I've got two new motherboards, a hard drive and a new optical drive, and hadn't had to endure the hassle of taking care of things myself. Opening up computers is only fun to a point. I don't think that those issues make the machines any worse than others. I have never had had a computer that would not have a failed component or two in ~4 years of use.

  127. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's also research demonstrating Apple Laptops are less reliable than offerings from Asus, Toshiba, and Sony.
     
      http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf
     
    I think it's quite possible that there are a few initial quality control issues with a new product offering from any company, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the company's standards have gone down.

  128. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Alternatively, it could just mean the QA inspector for that unit was feeling lazy that day. No conclusions can be reached without a decent sample size.

  129. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The plural of anecdote is not "evidence"

  130. Re:Sample size: n=1 by vakuona · · Score: 1

    What do you "independent problems". 3 problems on the same machine can point to one individual doing a crappy job on one machine. Not independent. Now if we were to do a thorough test, like buy a thousand machines, and find systematic problems with them, then it becomes a real QA issue.

  131. every single one? by milkmage · · Score: 1

    or just the one they took apart? /s

  132. Re:Cheap by DocSavage64109 · · Score: 1

    I think the problem comes from the word cheap. It has two connotations-- inexpensive and low quality. I agree that "cheap" labor isn't automatically inferior -- it would be quite easy to hire some expensive poor workers in America and also have it assembled incorrectly. As for the article, stripping screws happens, and other than tossing the part, what can a worker really do to fix it? Often there is enough redundancy in the design that it doesn't matter.

  133. Re:are better quality by DocSavage64109 · · Score: 1

    You've obviously never repaired someone's compaq laptop that had the cpu heatsink come lose because it was screwed down to nuts that were soldered to the top of the motherboard -- in essence, the heatsink was attached via solder! and this was on a laptop - a machine that would get jarred around quite a bit.

  134. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My neighbour installed a WLAN card into his PC, to connect to my WLAN. Took us *hours* to configure. Completely retarded dialogs to connect to a WLAN.

    Ah, I see that you're almost completely incompetent.

    Incompetence and Mac usage go together like a horse and carriage

  135. Re:Yeah, comparing a crap PC with a topend mac doe by mldi · · Score: 1

    No, Apple can charge more because they're Apple, not because they actually have a higher quality build or contain system specs that are better than any similar machine. For $1,800, you could get a helluva lot more for your money than what you're paying for at the Apple store. They're great at marketing, and that's why you pay double than what you should.

    --
    If you aren't suspicious of your government's actions, you aren't doing your job as a responsible citizen.
  136. Re:Sample size: n=1 by mldi · · Score: 1

    Yes, it would be nicer to have a larger sample size. But just to point out, the antennae issue wasn't "hype". It was a poor design. That's fact.

    --
    If you aren't suspicious of your government's actions, you aren't doing your job as a responsible citizen.
  137. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Knowing the kowtowing the media does for apple they probably just invented it.

  138. Michael Jackson said it best: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "One bad Apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl."

  139. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by Grogan+The+Destroyer · · Score: 1

    As a gadet geek, I upgraded hardware in that period... but simply transferred everything from one machine to another. And yes, I have upgraded the OS... but that was not anything near a Windows re-install experience. In the past 5 years, I've "retired" 3 windows machines at home, so I'm well aware of the comparative effort associated with their normal use and maintenance. The Apple experience just lets me do the work I get paid to do.

  140. Re:Yeah, comparing a crap PC with a topend mac doe by Dog-Cow · · Score: 1

    Your jealousy is amusing.

  141. But then again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I really don't give a crap about the software, and the hardware isn't really an issue in terms of performance, but quality is. The general rule in my book is long battery life, dependable life, and the ability to have Linux shoved relentlessly on the computer as fast as I can shoot new Kernels at it.
    I was actually considering pointing myself to a Mac, hoping for the sexy exterior, and dependability my friends have spoken of. But....this would be enough to change my mind. In the scope of things, instead of 1800$, I could throw my money at an 80$ Chinese netbook/tablet. I could probably have Debian running in a matter of moments, and begin optimizing, and upgrading things, like the battery, and things whatnot, and still come out under 100$, with a reasonably performing device that is retardedly dependable. The point is, while a Mac is sexy, I can make the same features and stretch the same performance out of a copper wire and duct tape, and a spoon.

  142. Re:QA failed by DocSavage64109 · · Score: 1

    The only real way to check for stripped screws is to test the torque on every single screw. Do you really suggest that QA should do that? They'd probably cause more failures checking screw torque than they would ever catch.

  143. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 2

    More to the point: Installing and configuring a wireless network card is an incredibly simple process that can be managed by even the least experienced home user in well under 10 minutes. If it took you *hours* to perform such a simple and basic task, you have absolutely no business operating a computer, let alone making a living using them.

    Dude, it is not the problem of "installing" the hardware. It is the supposed to be simple task to connect to an actual network or to set up your own one.
    Incompetent? No idea. It took you 10 Minutes to set that up when you where picking up some medicals for your father? It sounds more like you are incompetent. On my mac it is ... 5 seconds perhaps? If I click a bit slower ... 15 seconds?

    Oh, I took a look at your website -- I can only imagine the code horrors that someone as incompetent as you has unleashed upon unsuspecting clients.

    Then perhaps you should learn german to read it properly. And as a side note the last part I quoted from you makes you liable for a libel and defamation case. You should get some manners imho ;D

    Best Regards

    angel'o'sphere

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  144. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 0

    Dude, it is not the problem of "installing" the hardware. It is the supposed to be simple task to connect to an actual network or to set up your own one.

    I see that you're also illiterate. I specifically said install and configure. When I was done, the user was connected to the network.

    Incompetent? No idea. It took you 10 Minutes to set that up when you where picking up some medicals for your father? It sounds more like you are incompetent.

    Wow, you really ARE illiterate! I said that it would take, at most, 10 minutes for a completely incompetent user to install and configure a wireless network card. I said it took me, in my first example, "a couple minutes". (IIRC, I shutdown the computer, added the card, started the computer, and connected to the network. Most of that time was spent waiting for the computer to shutdown and start up.)

    On my mac it is ... 5 seconds perhaps? If I click a bit slower ... 15 seconds?

    I'd love to see that. I doubt you'd even be able to get the case open in that time frame. Have you always been this stupid, or were you involved in some sort of accident?

    Then perhaps you should learn german to read it properly.

    Clearly, my German is better than your English. Your astonishing illiteracy is a testament to that!

    And as a side note the last part I quoted from you makes you liable for a libel and defamation case.

    I see your legal knowledge is on par with your technical knowledge. Good luck with your libel and defamation case, you're going to need it :)

  145. Re:Sample size: n=1 by silanea · · Score: 1

    When a machine passes QA despite showing 3 unrelated problems each of which should have raised a red flag on its own then at least two people screwed up: The one who assembled it and the one who signed off on its QA pass. Whether it really is a systemic issue or not only time will tell once sufficient numbers have been shipped. But it does show that there is a problem in the process. Such a machine should not have left the facility.

    --
    Rudolf Hess edited Mein Kampf. He was the very first grammar nazi.
  146. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    The only one who is a little bit stupid here is obviously you.

    Have fun on bashing ppl that can not use windows without a proper training first ;D

    Configuring a network should cost no time at all, as I said (you seem the illiterate/dump idiot here, installing is a synonym for "configuration" as configuring is a required step of installing ... sigh ... at least in my wording. If you could speak german as you just claimed, you would now that. But thanx, in future I will distinguish between hardware installing, hardware configuring (do you even know what a jumper is?) software installing and software configuring ...). If The dialogs for configurations are not understandable for me, then my Grandma can't understand them either. I never talked about opening a case. A typical Mac either has WLAN installed or a case that is open in 2 seconds. (So no "installing" in this case, and that you should have KNOWN!)

    You should start to get a clue what you are talking about.

    I'm an incompetent coder because I can - according to your terms - not configure a WLAN adapter? ROFL, the guy for whom I did it, COULD NOT DO IT AT ALL!
    And that is windows fault, not my fault, and he is a windows user. So in other words: a standard windows user can not configure a new bought WLAN card. WHY? Why don't you wonder about that? Why do you think it is necessary to be a competent expert for that?

    Can you change a wheel on your car? I think my 6 year old nephew can do that, I hope you can as well. And granted: he is not an expert.

    My job as a consultant has NOTHING to do with WLAN configuration, what a laugh .... So where does your hatred come from? Because google translate translated my website wrong for you, rofl ... perhaps.

    Go get a chill pill. Insulting ppl because they can not configure WLAN on a Windows PC is ridiculous.

    angel'o'sphere

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  147. Re:QA failed by silanea · · Score: 1

    Gizmo wrote:

    Somebody's first day on the job could result in a machine like the one shown here.

    QA should factor in new employees and anyone's work on their "first day on the job" should be monitored much more closely than that of experienced workers. Of course QA cannot disassemble every unit just to make sure everything is 100% OK. But the suggestion that a lack of experience on the worker's part somehow absolves a company from blame when they ship a faulty product is absurd.

    --
    Rudolf Hess edited Mein Kampf. He was the very first grammar nazi.
  148. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    My, my, you are a touchy little German, aren't you?

    Go ahead a play pretend that your gross incompetence is somehow the fault of the operating system.

    The only one who is a little bit stupid here is obviously you.

    Obviously? Seems to me that you're the one who can't read with any significant degree of comprehension or handle very basic computer tasks.

    Configuring a network should cost no time at all

    Yet it took you hours. How sad and pathetic.

    as I said (you seem the illiterate/dump idiot here, installing is a synonym for "configuration" as configuring is a required step of installing

    You're not only a sad and pathetic little illiterate cry-baby German, you're also a LIAR.

    From your original post:

    My neighbour installed a WLAN card into his PC, to connect to my WLAN. Took us *hours* to configure

    You describe installation and configuration are separate tasks. I did the exact same thing. So, you're both illiterate AND a liar.

    Your inability to read and comprehend is not my fault. Perhaps you should take some adult basic literacy classes. You would benefit greatly from them.

    My job as a consultant has NOTHING to do with WLAN configuration, what a laugh

    I should hope not -- you're clearly not capable of completing even the most basic tasks. If it took you "hours" to connect a single computer a wireless network at a clients site, then your complete technical incompetence would be exposed. I'm absolutely amazed that you get any work at all. Perhaps you don't -- you've already shown yourself to be a liar.

    Have fun on bashing ppl that can not use windows without a proper training first

    No, I'm bashing on YOU because you claim to have the necessary technical skills to perform basic tasks. As you claim in your original post:

    Every day I'm forced to use Windows on a random job

    So ... Your a consultant who uses Windows every day, yet you can't handle simple tasks like connecting to a network. Some "consultant" you must be!

    Insulting ppl because they can not configure WLAN on a Windows PC is ridiculous.

    I'm not insulting "people" because they can't configure a WLAN on windows -- I'm insulting YOU. You claim to be a "consultant" but can't perform basic tasks in an operating system you claim to use every day.

    Yeah, you deserve to be insulted. Perhaps you'll stop causing your clients problems and get a job more suited to your cognitive capabilities -- like digging ditches or stocking shelves.

  149. Re:OK. We get it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > I happened to watch the latest episode of the Big Bang Theory

    You made the wrong choice!

  150. Re:Yeah, comparing a crap PC with a topend mac doe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice try, Troll.

  151. Re:Sample size: n=1 by badkarmadayaccount · · Score: 1

    I'll see your COBOL, and raise you a FORTRAN.

    --
    I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
  152. Re:QA failed by GizmoToy · · Score: 1

    No disagreement here, and I certainly never claimed it absolved them from blame. I only wanted to point out that in some manufacturing processes all these problems could be caused by a single point of failure, and does not necessarily imply widespread deficiencies in the assembly process.

    The person I was replying to implied that since there were several different problems there must be lots of people on the assembly line who were making mistakes. I just meant to point out that that is not necessarily the case.

  153. Re:Yeah, comparing a crap PC with a topend mac doe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is the same old story, people comparing a top end Mac with a bottom end PC and then complaining about the price difference. Mac is now the first with the new intel stuff, so HOW exactly do they come up with this price comparison when there isn't a regular laptop out there with the same hardware?

    As far as hardware price comparison goes that is not true at all. If you compare a Mac to say System76. System76 had the upgraded hardware at least a month if not more than Apple and you save something like $300-$500 when comparing identical specs. So no, in this case this is not comparing top end Mac and bottom end pc. This isn't even comparing OS costs. System76 comes with Ubuntu, mac comes with OSX (which only costs $125). Now if you include the cost of garage band, etc... it might even out. But for the useful software most people want (office, photoshop, etc...) you still have to pay extra anyway. None of that software comes with the computer. So, in this example Apple is still charging more for their machines than System76.

  154. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Every day I'm forced to use Windows on a random job

    So ... Your a consultant who uses Windows every day, yet you can't handle simple tasks like connecting to a network. Some "consultant" you must be!

    Who is the illiterate here?
    I dont use windows every day. I'm sometimes forced to use it, like using Word on Windows. Or any other obscure program that only runs on windows. So my sentence reads: every time I have ...

    The rest of your post is insulting and completely childish again.

    To make it as simple as possible for you:
    a) why has windows (on that particular machine) no "connect to WLAN" dialog in the "system preferences"? In other words, why do I need the driver program (its not a driver ofc, just a silly program coming with the card) which is shown in the system tray to connect? Can you answer this simple question?

    b) why does that said program open a dialog with seven tabs, which all contain random information like the MAC adress of the WLAN adapter which is at that state irrelevant?

    So: one final question to you smart guy. Why does that program in its dialog have not one singel tab where you only enter the network name (preferable via drop down menu showing all available networks) and the password for the network?

    Hm? You know why such a simple thing is not provided? No?

    Then just shut up ... rofl.

    angel'o'sphere

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  155. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    Who is the illiterate here?

    You are. I thought I had made this very clear to you. Oh, wait. You're illiterate so you probably didn't comprehend what I had written.

    I dont use windows every day.

    Well, then you're a LIAR because you said that you did. I quote:

    Every day I'm forced to use Windows on a random job

    I'm done with you. I have better things to do with my time that talk to an illiterate lying pathetic little German.

  156. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    You can not read, or?

    Every day I'm forced to use Windows on a random job

    I though you where a native english speaker, obviously you are not.

    That sentence does not mean that I'm using windows every day.

    angel'o'sphere

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  157. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    Every day I'm forced to use Windows on a random job

    That's EXACTLY what it means. I guess your English skills are on-par with your computer skills.

    Like I said, I'm done with you. You're an sad and pathetic little illiterate liar. People like you disgust me.

  158. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Perhaps you should scroll far far back and read what you wrote so far, or you make really an idiot of your self.

    Every day (when) I'm forced to use Windows on a random job then you forgot to quote the rest of the sentence, so I allowed myself to do the same. I inserted the superfluous word "when" which seem not to add in your mind when such a sentence is parsed. So you have now a chance to clearly understand that sentence.

    BTW: you should keep in mind that with insulting me every singel post you make, you undermine your reputation in this "forum" very badly. However I guess that this is not important for you as you are obviously only a random troll.

    angel'o'sphere

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  159. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    You are so unimaginably pathetic! Are you still trying to defend your total incompetence?

    Seriously, you need to relax. There's no shame in admitting your gross inadequacies. You may even learn to overcome them some day.

    you should keep in mind that with insulting me every singel post you make, you undermine your reputation in this "forum" very badly

    Yeah, the only thing undermining my reputation on this forum is arguing with an idiot like you.

  160. Re:Sample size: n=1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...Except you're making your anecdote up, and you know it. It's not possible for iMacs to never need repair since so many have had fundamental design/component problems.

  161. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Yeah thanx for the help.

    I read your other threads, and you always claim that your "conversation" partner can not read.

    And you always claim that he is an idiot.

    After realizing that it seems pointless to show you your mistakes ;D

    Good Luck ...

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  162. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    Are you seriously still obsessing over this? Wow, that's incredibly pathetic of you!

     

    you always claim that your "conversation" partner can not read. And you always claim that he is an idiot.

    Only an illiterate idiot would make such an absurd claim. I had a rather nice discussion with someone who wasn't an idiot not very long ago.

    Since you're pathetically obsessed with me, you should go make an attempt to read it.

  163. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    I only expect an apologize for your insults.

    But you have not the guts to admit that you where wrong and quoted me wrong and can't read or understand sentences correctly that start with "Every*".

    If you call that obsession, thats your problem.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  164. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    Ha Ha!

    It's hard to believe that you're STILL upset! Seriously, you need to relax, it's really sad and pathetic.

    Honestly, when I pointed out your gross incompetence, you should have just let it go.

    You know what, here's some advice you could use: Stop advertising your mental failures on the internet. It would help you avoid situations like this which clearly cause you serious mental anguish.

    It's hard to believe, but I'm actually *still laughing* about how pathetic you are!

  165. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    As I said before, your whistle blowing and doing as nothing had happend wont help you.

    I want an apologize for calling me a liar.
    I want an apologize for calling me incompetent.
    I want an apologize for getting wrong citated and getting my words turned around in a way I never said/wrote them

    If you can not do that, than I call you a dishonest liar yourself.

    You seem not to have the guts or the wisdom to see your own mistakes and to admit them.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  166. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    I want an apologize for calling me a liar.
    I want an apologize for calling me incompetent.

    Good luck with that.

    I don't apologize to incompetent liars.

  167. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Hm,

    so you keep insulting me. Sorry, I don't get your point. I disproved every argument you made. You are wrong. So you should admit it and apologize.

    Is it because I'm german and you hate germans?

    Anyway, behaving like a little child and running around claiming bullshit is not good for your karma, so you should apologize and I forget it.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  168. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by narcc · · Score: 1

    Do you know how sad and pathetic you are?

    I mocked you for your gross incompetence almost five days ago -- and you're STILL bothered by it.

    It's really funny -- well, to me anyhow.

    You really need to get over this. I'm starting to worry that this exchange has caused you permanent psychological damage.

    You should probably see a psychiatrist. I Just hope that he doesn't ALSO mock you for being pathetic and incompetent.

  169. Re:Despite this, Apple will make billions of sales by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Psychiatrist is the wrong profession. I indeed consider to figure your real name and real live address and send you a nice letter from a lawyer.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.