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17" PowerBook owners cry out to Apple

updated 06:30 pm EST, Wed January 3, 2007

PowerBook owners cry out


Numerous PowerBook owners are crying out to Apple amidst rampant display issues that are reportedly plaguing their recently-purchased 17-inch notebooks. Many of the affected models, which develop one pixel-wide vertical lines of various primary colors on the screen, begin displaying symptoms about 1-1.5 years after the owners made their purchases. Many customers decided not to purchase Apple's extended AppleCare warranty, expecting that the top-end notebooks would last longer than one and a half years before exhibiting serious issues. Disgruntled PowerBook owners are flocking to Apple's own support forums for answers, and a website has already launched to document each case in one centralized location. Currently-affected owners describe the notebooks as having shipped from the W8 factory based in Shanghai around April of 2005.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. scottnichol

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

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    01/03, 06:53pm | report spam | Reply |

    a**-u-me

    why would anyone assume that a more expensive laptop would last any longer than a less expensive one?!? a more expensive laptop would only mean its more expensive to repair!

  1. ajhoughton

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    Joined: Mar 2004

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    01/03, 07:06pm | report spam | Reply |

    cost and quality

    They'd assume it because usually cost and quality are related, though certainly non-linearly.

    It isn't an unreasonable assumption to make either, since superficial examination of Apple's hardware usually leads to the determination that it is of much higher quality than most cheap PC hardware.

    Besides, *any* laptop should last longer than that. The battery might not, but the machine should, provided it hasn't suffered undue abuse.

  1. ajhoughton

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    Joined: Mar 2004

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    01/03, 07:07pm | report spam | Reply |

    before I get trolled

    (When I say that Apple's hardware is higher quality, I mean things like the way the case is put together, or the attention to detail in things like the feel of the pivot mechanisms on their displays. I don't mean that they have better graphics cards or better CPUs or anything like that.)

  1. l008com

    Addicted to MacNN

    Joined: Jan 2000

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    01/03, 07:21pm | report spam | Reply |

    Real Problem

    The real problem is that these days warranties aren't really warranties, they are "repair insurance" Wether or not you get apple care, they still make the same computer with the same amount of robotic love, so they should last the same amount of time. And that time should be the warranty. Its the same with cars. Your not buying a warranty, you're buying repair insurance.

  1. fx9xx04

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2004

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    01/03, 08:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    you get what you pay for

    .... as the motto goes, these people thought it was "too expensive," so passing it up set them up for any future repairs.

    FYI: "repair insurance" is not the definition of Apple Care. Insurance means: monthly installments for an unlimited time (it's a one time fee that has a limited time); AND it also meants reimbursement (Apple has to put up the money, while the customer doesn't pay any extra, except for that one time fee).

    Hey, I sell these things almost everyday where I work (non-Apple employee) with, so I know the biggest excuses for passing up world-class service. It's obviously a defect, and manufactuer's defects are covered. DUH.

  1. scottnichol

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    Joined: Oct 1999

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    01/03, 08:42pm | report spam | Reply |

    cost differentials

    the cost differentials on the price of a 15" vs. 17" are largely driven by the larger screen and the fact that Apple tends to put higher performance parts into 17" model (bigger hard drive, faster processor), not because the parts are made with any more care. even when compared to a standard MacBook, many of the components are the same (hard drive, processor) so i wouldn't expect them to last any longer (or less longer) than those components in the MacBook Pros.

    the thing that gets me really is that there is some expectation that the item will be trouble free. apple doesn't guarantee that any item will be trouble free, instead they issue a warranty which is simply a promise to fix anything that does go wrong within a specified amount of time. it is absolutely as another reader suggested, "repair insurance". the one-year warranty is built in to the price of the item and they will gladly sell you additional warranty coverage and remind you at several intervals during the setup process! now they don't want to pay for an repair outside of the warranty that they chose and agreed to. sorry, i guess i don't have much in the way of sympathy for them. i've had apple care on most of my laptops and it has always, always paid for itself.

  1. LordJohnWhorfin

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2002

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    01/03, 08:57pm | report spam | Reply |

    If only...

    AppleCare wasn't so expensive. Apple's laptops are still significantly more expensive than comparable Dells (although the price difference has decreased, but Apples machines are never discounted whereas Dell regularly offers large discounts), and to add insult to injury Apple's extended warranty is more expensive and less comprehensive than Dell's. For the price of AppleCare you can get 24 hour on site coverage from Dell which even covers breakage. Not that it's going to sway me towards Dell, but still, sometimes Apple is just too greedy.

  1. alansky

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2000

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    01/03, 11:26pm | report spam | Reply |

    HUH?

    Apple's computers are never discounted? HUH? What about Apple refurbs, which costs hundreds less (sometimes ALOT less) and have exactly the same warranty as new Apple computers. It is SENSELESS to compare a well-made, upscale product with a cut-rate budget model. Ridiculous.

  1. ibugv4

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2003

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    01/03, 11:34pm | report spam | Reply |

    the answer is

    I can record cable TV with the PC and not with the Mac -- out of the box. Third party software or not, it still does it out of the box. I'm starting to see why people don't like Mac zealots. Apple offers NO systems with video input outside firewire and has not in...wow..a decade now. The 97 Beige G3 was the last system with a built-in video input that was easily patched into a home TV (also had video output).

  1. chadpengar

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2001

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    01/04, 01:54am | report spam | Reply |

    cable TV

    most PCs don't have video inputs either out of the box. You have to install a card or something. Some higher end ones may but it is still not a large percentage. Get your facts straight.

    And who really cares about recording cable TV on tor Mac or PC.??? You may but I would bet that the majority of people don't give a rats behind.

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