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Class action lawsuits considered for iPods, iBooks

updated 10:10 am EST, Tue December 23, 2003

iPod, iBook quality issues

Girard Gibbs & De Bartolomeo LLP say it is "investigating a : "I think there is a major design flaw in the motherboards of the popular Apple iBook models. They keep failing. Over and over. Sometimes a single customer can have a motherboard fail (and subsequently replaced) up to three times."

by MacNN Staff

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12/23, 10:19am | report spam | close Reply |
Ambulance Chasers

Class actions are so stupid. Why doesn't someone bring a class action against Microsoft for all the time wasted rebooting/reinstalling their c***?

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12/23, 10:32am | report spam | close Reply |
Amen

Amen to that.

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12/23, 10:39am | report spam | close Reply |
for the love of god...

this means
possible resolution of the issues
and lots of money for layers
of ipod batteries
which really doesn't amount to much
as has been made clear the past few weeks
as for motherboards
this seems to be news
so does 2 issues=some?

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12/23, 10:39am | report spam | close Reply |
Ridiculous

They're suing Apple because their battery went dead? Give me a break. Batteries go dead - it's a fact of life.

As for the other one, I don't know about that. I know a few people with varying models of iBooks and they don't seem to be having problems. There will always be a few lemons. It all depends on how Apple handles the individual situations.

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12/23, 11:01am | report spam | close Reply |
thank them!

this is what one guy had to do to bring change to apples arrogant practices...before that, they would tell you to buy a new iPod! Can you believe that?

http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/

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12/23, 11:01am | report spam | close Reply |
Plain stupid

This is plain stupid. So do people sue car manufacturers for not achieving the correct gas milage? Or how about PC laptop battery life? This is completely crazy. I am sure that Apple replaced the logic boards, and for the iPods you can get the battery replacement program. How is that? I think Apple is doing great for their customers. I am wondering what and who is really behind this lawsuit...

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12/23, 11:02am | report spam | close Reply |
BMW

...there goes the BMW quality MYTH in regards to some laptops...

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12/23, 11:03am | report spam | close Reply |
No Problems Here

Our high school has about 60 iBooks (and we have about 200 at our lower and middle schools). Sure, we've lost keys here and there, but we have not had one go down with bad logic board. These things are used and abused every day.

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12/23, 11:07am | report spam | close Reply |
There is some merit to it

My sister had an iBook 700Mhz that needed the logic board replaced twice in the space of 2 months. After the second replacement, I eBayed it and gave her my PC laptop.

In my opinion, the last gen of G3 iBooks were c***. Hopefully, the G4 iBooks are faring better.

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12/23, 11:11am | report spam | close Reply |
225 people?

How many iBooks were purchased in the last 2 years. I'm positive it was over 200,000. If 225 people have shown up, that means 0.001% of them went bad. I wonder what Dell's percentage is? Plus have you read the "complaints" section. Most people may have sent their machines in 2-3 times, but Apple did fix it, and for FREE. Do you have any idea how much they spend in shipping to fix things, let alone those parts. It's down to people wanting some more free money. Every case it states that it could have been the users fault. The person running the page wrote a letter to Jobs. In his letter it mentions that the tech told him that it was his fault. He goes on to say he never opened the case. Well, did he ever drop it or slam it down a little to hard in his carrying bag? Even though there was no external damage, doesn't mean that there wasn't internal damage. I've dropped my PB several times in the 2 years i've had it. It goes everywhere with me and is pretty beat up. Last summer the CD drive died (probably because I hit it). I had to pay $250 to have it fixed because it was out of warranty. If it was in warranty, they would have fixed it for free? I don't think so. Bottom line, why should Apple pay you if you mistreated your iBook, or if it came damaged and they fixed it for free?

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12/23, 11:11am | report spam | close Reply |
Ours failed.

Sent it off to Apple and within 2 days we had a new motherboard. Running fine ever since.

PEOPLE, WAKE UP - CLASS ACTIONS ONLY MAKE THE LAWYERS RICH. What you will get is a $50 credit towards an Apple product, the lawyers will make millions and nothing will get solved. Wake the h*** up - class actions benefit NOBODY.

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12/23, 11:23am | report spam | close Reply |
If that's the case...

I want to start a CAS against: Sanyo (my cordless phone no longer holds decent charge after 2 years), Sony (internal battery of my WEGA TV doesn't keep a charge enough to maintain correct time), Nissan (my Altima's battery crapped out after 7 years), Panasonic (clock radio eats batteries like they're Xmas candy), Jenna Jameson (for never using battery-operated vibers), Jenna Jameson again for having signed an autograph with ink that is starting to fade after 3 years..see where this is going? ;)
The Nimrod brothers must be climaxing in thinking that their video started all of this. They still have their video up eventhough Apple has the fix; obviously they want to stretch their 15 minutes.

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12/23, 11:28am | report spam | close Reply |
ipod's secret

yeah, about that http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/. That was put up after Apple announced they were replacing batteries. The recoding on that site was done before the battery replacement. Why should Apple replace your battery when your iPod is out of warranty. I don't think that it's their responsibility. They shouldn't even have to offer a battery replacement service.

Their policy before was to "suggest" or "recommend" the client to buy a new iPod instead of paying the $255 replacement fee for the refurbished ones. Think about it, would you rather have a $255 refurbished iPod, or a $300 new iPod. A lot of people don't like the idea of getting refurbished material and will pay that extra $45 for a new iPod. For some that could have meant a 3G iPod instead of a 2 or 1G iPod. Are the new features are worth $45, to some people yes.

All I'm saying is this. Is it the auto dealers responsibility to replace your drive shaft if it happens after your car's warranty runs out? Most will offer you a replacement drive shaft at a fee, and now Apple gives you that choice too. They've fixed that problem, so why the lawsuit? To get free money, that's why.

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12/23, 11:42am | report spam | close Reply |
some merit?

i design on both platforms, bought a pc laptop, died 3 times in less then 4 months. my 3 year old ibook has never died and i use it a lot more. not too mention that if xp is the best ms can do, they've got a long way to go, thing crashes a LOT. there's always a story for every side of the issue. one man's ceiling is another man's floor.

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12/23, 11:46am | report spam | close Reply |
GOOD!

I'm glad this is happening. I think it's ridiculous to have a 30 warranty on a $300-$500 item. And it's because they KNOW the battery isn't going to last a year.

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12/23, 12:01pm | report spam | close Reply |
Gimme a break is right!

People, batteries go dead. They go dead faster if you let them run all the way down too many times, or if you let the device get too hot or too cold.

Hasn't anyone in this country heard of personal responsibility?

Besides, Sony makes the battery for the iPod.

As for the iBooks, I'm a Mac consultant, and I've yet to see the problems these people are talking about. I agree that there might be some isolated cases, but if a motherboard is replaced, it's usually replaced with a refurb. You gotta expect a refurb might fail.

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12/23, 12:03pm | report spam | close Reply |
sue them all!

I'm starting a suit against Duracell and Energizer because my AAA went dead the other day. Who is with me?!

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12/23, 12:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
you people scare me

so many times, people adopt the "well, if it hasn't happened to me, or anyone i know, then there's no merit to the claims." plus, most of you have the attention span of a gnat, where you forget problems that arise a year or more in the past. people were up in arms over the mac os x class-action, even though apple was found GUILTY, and idiots are like -- well, or course you can't run panther on a pismo powerbook, you idiot! yet the lawsuit was a.) never about panther, it was about cheetah (version 10.0, for those keeping track) and puma (10.1) not living up to the web page apple had on their website for months stating "full compatibility" with particular models for mac os x, so that people wouldn't stop buying the machines. you see, that's why they were found GUILTY of s******* up. like it or not, the g3-ibooks suffered an amazingly high amount of failure compared to other apple models, but i think the lawsuit should be apple against its providers and manufacturers. and i know the tech world moves fast, but 18 months for a multi-hundred dollar device before replacement is not long enough. and to the "nimrod" who referred to the dirtylittlesecret movie, the movie came out BEFORE apple's offer to extend warranty repairs for the ipod -- it only gained in popularity AFTER the fact, but i guess you were just basing you version of the truth on when you were told about it by your buddy on AIM or in second-period chem class.

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12/23, 12:23pm | report spam | close Reply |
iBook/iPod

The iBook problem is mainly with the 700Mhz line from what I hear. My late 2001 (600Mhz) is rock solid I've only sent it in once and it wasn't for the logic board.

Although I do agree with the iPod battery, I paid $725 CAD for my 2nd Gen iPod (10gig) it's not even 2 years old yet from the day I bought it and the battery is starting to go. With most people their gripe is probably not being able to replace the battery or the absorbent amount of money it costs to get Apple to replace it.

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12/23, 12:32pm | report spam | close Reply |
Well....

It hasn't happened to me and my wife and I both have iPods. She uses hers mostly through the summer time and she uses it a lot. Then it doesn't get used most of the winter. She has had it for years (since the very first 5GB came out).

Mine is the newer style which has less longevity. Still works great for me.

Apple has done well by the people who had issues. You can get it replaced. You can also buy a third party adapter to run your iPod longer ( I know somebody who has one of these and they love it ).

I can't believe some of the things people complain about. What job is it that they do? Do they work for a company that puts out completely faultless products/services? This is the real world. Nothing is perfect. When Gods kingdom comes we will get better results. For the time being, who is better than Apple?

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12/23, 12:35pm | report spam | close Reply |
Losers

This is the grounds for class action? Man, I'm gonna start a class action lawsuit against honda. My civic is five years and 125,000 miles out of warranty. But it's quality is terrible. I had to have the tires replaced - three times! And the brakes went bad, and so did the clutch! How dare they make a product that doesn't outlive me. Maybe I can make some lawyers rich chasing this down.

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12/23, 12:49pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: you people scare me

people were up in arms over the mac os x class-action, even though apple was found GUILTY, and idiots are like -- well, or course you can't run panther on a pismo powerbook, you idiot! yet the lawsuit was a.) never about panther, it was about cheetah (version 10.0, for those keeping track) and puma (10.1) not living up to the web page apple had on their website for months stating "full compatibility" with particular models for mac os x, so that people wouldn't stop buying the machines.

Yeah, but what did the great class action settlement do for users? Well, if you want, you could, in theory get your money back. Or $30 back. But generally its not like it did what the people who filed it wanted, which was your 'full-compatibility', whatever you think that means. But generally, all people get are coupons, never resolutions. If this goes through, nothing will change, except for some $25 off the next purchase at the iTMS or some such nonsense.

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12/23, 01:03pm | report spam | close Reply |
Whinging

If someone has an iPod or iBook that fails in waaranty and Apple won't replace or repair it, they have grounds for a suit. Otherwise, for heaven's sake, litigious Americans, stop whinging!

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12/23, 01:39pm | report spam | close Reply |
CAS Work!

All you losers whining about class action lawsuits. They do so work. Remember video screens. They used to say 17", but really only had 15-16 inches of viewable area (OK, I think they started puttin ghtat on there because the were forced to for some other reason, but I don't know for sure). Well, now the boxes say "15.8" viewable", and everyone who was cheated (yes, I said cheated!) got a $25 certificate to buy another monitor from the same company that just screwed us. Damn right they work well.

I can't wait for my $11 settlement check from the RIAA to pay me back for all the money I overspent on CDs! (I bought maybe 100 CDs over the time, so it apparently means I should have been paying $15.88 for the CDs rather than $15.99. Thank you lawyers!)

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12/23, 01:40pm | report spam | close Reply |
iBooks

The ibooks issue is so rare. Infact of the 28 people here who have had theirs for over a year, NOT one has had ANY issues.
There are no issues that I've ever heard regarding the iBook logic board, and by issues I mean common occurences.

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12/23, 02:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: you people scare me

"and i know the tech world moves fast, but 18 months for a multi-hundred dollar device before replacement is not long enough."

And to the multi-thousand dollar flatscreen LCD and Plasma TVs that carry 2-year warranties, what say you?

"and to the "nimrod" who referred to the dirtylittlesecret movie, the movie came out BEFORE apple's offer to extend warranty repairs for the ipod -- it only gained in popularity AFTER the fact, but i guess you were just basing you version of the truth on when you were told about it by your buddy on AIM or in second-period chem class."

The Neistat brothers can take their video and stick it where the sun don't shine for all I care. If you've read their emails with the individual who offered to mirror their site in exchange for a banner indicating Apple's extended warranty; you'll find out the brothers' true intentions: their 15 minutes.

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12/23, 02:23pm | report spam | close Reply |
what a fu-cking joke

Class action lawsuit should only be used when people are genuinely hurt or injured because of company's neglect or intentional practices.

All this is nothing but complaining by whinny little faggots and fucktards, who complain about every little thing.

If your not injured or maimed, get over it, it's only a music player!

Biggest bunch of cry babies around. Makes me sick.

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12/23, 02:30pm | report spam | close Reply |
iPod class action

Maybe if enough people write in on the lawyers website (I just did, its a form based thing) and explain how there iPods work just fine still after "18" months, maybe they will get the idea that this is stupid and drop the potentialy suit.

I have had 2 iPods since Dec 2001, and both still function as they did day 1.

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12/23, 02:46pm | report spam | close Reply |
Smell of Money

I'll be fair; there are situations when class action lawsuits can nudge a company or industry in the right direction--the screen measurement issue, for example. That's ok with me.

But it seems like 90% of the time it's just a ploy to make lawyers money. Especially in cases like the iBook one. Yes, it's possible they had a bad run, but is it really stastically significant?

If the folks at MacFixIt or MacInTouch noticed a disproportionately high percentage of failed iBooks, did a survey, and pointed it in the direction of some lawyers, I might think something of the merit. When a pair of lawyers are clearly trawling for something to sue Apple over, hoping the'll dredge up enough people with iBook problems, you really have to wonder.

How would you even win that in court? I assume all Apple would have to do is produce some average repair numbers and compare them to an industry average--if the average wasn't different, then it only looked like a stastical anomaly, which I'd guess would be what'll happen.

The iPod thing is a greyer area--I'd sure assume the thing isn't going to last all that long, because I know how batteries work, but I suppose if there was a genuine misunderstanding about the lifespan of the battery, there's room for complaint.

Still, all you'd get is a small coupon for an Apple product in all likelyhood. Apple's already taken steps to remedy the issues, so is it really worth the millions it'll give the lawyers?

(I do wish the batteries were more easily replaceable in the iPod, but there's a tradeoff between physical form and function like that.)

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12/23, 02:57pm | report spam | close Reply |
Oh great...

Wonderful. Yes, let's sue Apple. With any luck, we'll be able to drive them out of business someday. Then all of us former Apple users will be able to stare in dismay at the pitiful selection of products before us, and bemoan the fact that there's no really innovative products for us to buy, and we'll be forced to take that POS Windoze box to the counter and buy it. Way to go, you freakin' goobers. Geez - batteries go dead and motherboards sometime fail. Get a life, get out some more money, and go buy a new one. These lawsuit mongers make me sick. Oh yeah - be sure to whine about your ever increasing automobile insurance rates, while you're at it - it's c*** like this that drives them up. :(

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12/23, 03:00pm | report spam | close Reply |
My car battery

I have replaced my car battery twice since I owned it.. I'm going to sue Ford!

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12/23, 04:17pm | report spam | close Reply |
GOOD

if nothing else, if it take money, time, and sales away from apple, then I will be happy!!

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12/23, 05:16pm | report spam | close Reply |
Hmmm

Bad link? Or did they take their page down?

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12/23, 06:21pm | report spam | close Reply |
Thank him!

Eat-me.

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12/23, 07:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
Happened to me to :(

My ibook has been in with logic board problems three times (700Mhz iBook). It has gone in now for the fourth time and I am getting a replacement (G4 iBook)

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12/23, 09:50pm | report spam | close Reply |
The new program...

The new battery replacement program should shield them from the class action, at least as far as the iPod is concerned.
However, the battery replacement program should have been available from day one, instead of being introduced as a knee-jerk reaction to a venomous but founded smear campaign. Apple really disappointed me on this one. It's not like they didn't have readily available market studies since the Palm V had exactly the same issue.

I think those class action suits are a shame, mainly because they never end up compensating the victims: the lawyers walk away with millions while the poor sods who were wronged end up with some lousy worthless coupon they'll end up throwing away.
But they wouldn't be possible if Apple had done the right thing to begin with. And it wasn't a very expensive thing to do, either.

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12/23, 10:24pm | report spam | close Reply |
These

These are stupid. Batteries go dead, fact. Nothing is perfect, fact. Get over it morons.

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12/24, 12:02am | report spam | close Reply |
Logic Board Failures

I just had the logic board for my Power Book G4 12" Rev.A replaced twice in a week and a half. It came out of nowhere.
I hope that I don't get that trouble when I upgrade to PowerBook G5 Rev.B in 2005!!

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12/24, 12:05am | report spam | close Reply |
It's about time...

...somebody went after Apple for ship & tell tactics... 10.3 is the first of 3 paid versions of OS that even equals OS-9 in speed & many basic features - marketed as an upgrade hardly qualifies...

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12/24, 01:56am | report spam | close Reply |
It's real.

The iBook logic board issue is very real. It's a shame it was lumped in with the iPod battery thing in this MacNN piece, as it's a quite a different beast. There really *is* a consisitent design or manufacturing flaw which has affected a lot of different iBooks. If you've had the display freak out and the machine lock up, and especially if you've noticed that the machine responds (for better or worse) to pressure on the left palm rest, you've probably got the beginnings of this problem (and it will only get worse). There would seem to be a cracked solder joint somewhere around the video hardware, possibly affected by heat from the hard drive. Note that there's a different symptom set where the display will flicker, dim, and/or black out completely - this is a separate issue where the display cable in the hinge splits, and is more likely to affect 500-600MHz machines than the 700-900MHz ones.

No, not all machines get it (so far anyway) and it may only be a small percentage who are affected, but believe me that it's significant when it's you. The frustration isn't really that the issue occurred, it's Apple's flat out CYA policy of denying that it exists, even to the extent of blaming the user for abusing the machine (which is absurd given the range of situations the problem has occurred in - my educated and experienced opinion is that it's almost certainly rooted in poor heat dissipation, which is simply a design tolerance error). I don't particularly believe in class action suits, but if that's what will get them to admit the problem and address it, it's got my vote.

Yes, Mac users are often excessively whiny and alarmist online, but don't let that blind you to the fact that Apple does s**** up sometimes, and doesn't have a terrific track record where forthcomingness is concerned. It's not going to kill the company to do right by its customers in this case (and that's the most frustrating part of all).

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12/24, 05:16am | report spam | close Reply |
Things break...

Face it, things break. If they break in warrantee good for you. If they break out of warrantee, well that sucks. This is the way things work. The warrantee on a product gives you an idea how long the manfacture expects most of them to last without problems. Don't like it? Find a product with a longer warrantee. Can't find one? Then don't buy anything.

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12/24, 09:25am | report spam | close Reply |
Arrrrrgh.

It's not necessarily the batteries that is the problem
but rather the freaking solder joint that connects the
firewire jack on the top of the iPod to the wiring that
is inside.

And it's really small - unless you're an expert forget
about resoldering it.

I have one dead iPod that would function if it would
allow a charge to occur. We hooked a regulated power
supply to the wiring harness and it fired right up.

The connection from the firewire jack is broken. I
was able to get a refurbed 5 GB model for $165 so I
bought that instead of spending $250+ for a 5GB refurb
from Apple, much cheaper.

So I basically have a 5 GB iPod lying around that I
need to have fixed. Would be nice actually.

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12/24, 10:33am | report spam | close Reply |
Cell phone battery

Who is up for a class action lawsuit against Nokia?

After 14 months of use, my Nokia cell phone battery stopped holding a charge. They tell me it only had a one year warranty, but I think it should have lasted longer.

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12/24, 10:52am | report spam | close Reply |
iBook

I bought an iBook a year and a half ago. So far I have not had any problems with it at all.

I had debated about buying the extended warranty for the iBook but I ended up not doing so.

Although my iBook is perfectly fine, I think I may join this class action lawsuit. After all, I paid over $1000 for this laptop and I would like to get some of that money back.

What are the exact symptoms of this problem? I need to know so that I can call Apple and open a case number before I can sign up for the lawsuit. I want to make sure that I described the problem correctly so that it will match these other people.

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12/24, 11:07am | report spam | close Reply |
Blackrider logo

Interesting logo for this group that wants to initiate the iBook lawsuit. It is an apple getting screwed.

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12/24, 11:13am | report spam | close Reply |
battery replacement

" The new battery replacement program should shield them from the class action, at least as far as the iPod is concerned. However, the battery replacement program should have been available from day one, instead of being introduced as a knee-jerk reaction to a venomous but founded smear campaign."

There have been third party battery replacement services available for some time. Or you can do it yourself. There really is no reason for Apple to be required to provide the service. Also, FYI, Apple has always provided battery replacement service; the only thing new is that they lowered the price to be more competitive with the third party battery services.

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12/24, 11:12pm | report spam | close Reply |
iBook failures are common

The problems caused by the iBook design flaws are neither trivial nor rare.

I haven't investigated (nor experienced) the logic board failure yet. However I have had the display backlight failure.

The main cause of display backlight failure is predictable fatigue damage to cable where it runs through the hinge. It may be the sleep switch cable or it may be the backlight power supply cable. I have posted much info to help others with this problem on Apple's Support Discussions - iBook, dual USB, Displays. Search there for links I have posted to manuals to help disassemble etc.

Most if not all dual USB iBooks will fail from this flaw if the display is opened and closed a sufficient number of times. Many have had multiple failures due to the same cause in less than a year. Apple is not acknowledging this widespread problem.

I have had a broken screen backlight cable where it passes through the hinge on the right hand side - late 2001 600MHz model. I proved the cause of the problem and fixed it myself and since October I have been posting the fix and trying to help others with the problem on
Apple Discussions - iBook Dual USB - Displays.

The diagnostic symptom is that the screen backlight goes off when the display is tilted back at certain angles. The backlight cable is fatiguing in the hinge and eventually breaking. When twisted and stretched it makes intermittent contact. The lid needs to be shut (put to sleep) and then reopened.

I am a scientist and I wire up electronic equipment and I have investigated this in detail. It is clearly a design fault. Any of the numerous wires through the hinge are subject to the problem - as well as the backlight it can also cause microphone problems, sleep reed switch, data display etc.

Many, many others (I have seen hundreds) have these failures as reported in Apple discussions such as;

Topic: RE: 90 degrees and black out!!!!
Topic: At 30 degs the screen goes black!
Topic: The Hilleard Fix: ...now, where's Apple
Topic: What's causing it?
Topic: Let's Count...Malfunctioning ibooks
Topic: RE: Ibook is black when opened, only works 80 deg

Currently, Macintouch has a survey going to assess the scale of the iBook logic board and display / hinge design flaws. I suggest if you want to get some action you should also go to
[url]http://www.macfixit.com/article.php[/url] and post a comment there to reinforce that our problems are not just a few rare examples.

I am not much interested in class actions - I am a Mac fan since 1986 and I don't want to do Apple any harm. But I would like to help other users who have had the same problem I suffered. I know the frustration this failure causes.

The dual USB iBook problems are not rare incidents - any decent amount of research will show this. To th

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12/24, 11:19pm | report spam | close Reply |
iBook failures common

The problems caused by the iBook design flaws are neither trivial nor rare.
I haven't investigated (nor experienced) the logic board failure yet. However I have had the display backlight failure. The main cause is predictable fatigue damage to cable where it runs through the hinge. It may be the sleep switch cable or it may be the backlight power supply cable. I have posted much info to help others with this problem on Apple's Support Discussions - iBook, dual USB, Displays. Search there for links I have posted to manuals to help disassemble etc.

Most if not all dual USB iBooks will fail from this flaw if the display is opened and closed a sufficient number of times. Many have had multiple failures due to the same cause in less than a year. Apple is not acknowledging this widespread problem.

I have had a broken screen backlight cable where it passes through the hinge on the right hand side - late 2001 600MHz model. I diagnosed and fixed it myself and since October I have been posting the fix and trying to help others with the problem on
Apple Discussions - iBook Dual USB - Displays.

The diagnostic symptom is that the screen backlight goes off when the display is tilted back at certain angles. The backlight cable is fatiguing in the hinge and eventually breaking. When twisted and stretched it makes intermittent contact. The lid needs to be shut (put to sleep) and then reopened.

I am a scientist and I wire up electronic equipment and I have investigated this in detail. It is clearly a design fault. Any of the numerous wires through the hinge are subject to the problem - as well as the backlight it can also cause microphone problems, sleep reed switch, data display etc.

Many, many others have these failures as reported in Apple discussions such as;

Topic: RE: 90 degrees and black out!!!!
Topic: At 30 degs the screen goes black!
Topic: The Hilleard Fix: ...now, where's Apple
Topic: What's causing it?
Topic: Let's Count...Malfunctioning ibooks
Topic: RE: Ibook is black when opened, only works 80 deg

Currently, Macintouch has a survey going to assess the scale of the iBook logic board and display / hinge design flaws. I suggest if you want to get some action you should also go to
[url]http://www.macfixit.com/article.php[/url] and post a comment there to reinforce that our problems are not just a few rare examples.

I am not much interested in class actions - I am a Mac fan since 1986 and I don't want to do Apple any harm. But I would like to help other users who have had the same problem I suffered. I know the frustration this failure causes.

The dual USB iBook problems are not rare incidents - any decent amount of research will show this. To those who smugly claim they have not have a problem, I suggest that you open and close the display

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Joined: Jul 2001

0

12/24, 11:35pm | report spam | close Reply |
iBook failures common

The problems caused by the iBook design flaws are neither trivial nor rare.
I haven't investigated (nor experienced) the logic board failure yet. However I have had the display backlight failure. The main cause is predictable fatigue damage to cable where it runs through the hinge. It may be the sleep switch cable or it may be the backlight power supply cable. I have posted much info to help others with this problem on Apple's Support Discussions - iBook, dual USB, Displays. Search there for links I have posted to manuals to help disassemble etc.

Most if not all dual USB iBooks will fail from this flaw if the display is opened and closed a sufficient number of times. Many have had multiple failures due to the same cause in less than a year. Apple is not acknowledging this widespread problem.

I have had a broken screen backlight cable where it passes through the hinge on the right hand side - late 2001 600MHz model. I diagnosed and fixed it myself and since October I have been posting the fix and trying to help others with the problem on
Apple Discussions - iBook Dual USB - Displays.

The diagnostic symptom is that the screen backlight goes off when the display is tilted back at certain angles. The backlight cable is fatiguing in the hinge and eventually breaking. When twisted and stretched it makes intermittent contact. The lid needs to be shut (put to sleep) and then reopened.

I am a scientist and I wire up electronic equipment and I have investigated this in detail. It is clearly a design fault. Any of the numerous wires through the hinge are subject to the problem - as well as the backlight it can also cause microphone problems, sleep reed switch, data display etc.

Many, many others have these failures as reported in Apple discussions such as;

Topic: RE: 90 degrees and black out!!!!
Topic: At 30 degs the screen goes black!
Topic: The Hilleard Fix: ...now, where's Apple
Topic: What's causing it?
Topic: Let's Count...Malfunctioning ibooks
Topic: RE: Ibook is black when opened, only works 80 deg

Currently, Macintouch has a survey going to assess the scale of the iBook logic board and display / hinge design flaws. I suggest if you want to get some action you should also go to
[url]http://www.macfixit.com/article.php[/url] and post a comment there to reinforce that our problems are not just a few rare examples.

I am not much interested in class actions - I am a Mac fan since 1986 and I don't want to do Apple any harm. But I would like to help other users who have had the same problem I suffered. I know the frustration this failure causes.

The dual USB iBook problems are not rare incidents - any decent amount of research will show this. To those who smugly claim they have not have a problem, I suggest that you open and close the display

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12/24, 11:38pm | report spam | close Reply |
Sorry

Sorry for multiple posts - my first login, just registered!

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12/25, 11:10pm | report spam | close Reply |
There is a problem ...

I bought a 700mhz iBook in February of 2003 when MicroWarehouse was offering deep discounts on the older models (the 800s were just introduced). It was acting perfectly, until about 3 months ago, when the screen started exhibiting the same behavior others here have noted. I treat these machines very gently -- they are not abused in the slightest way. Apple promptly fixed it and return the iBook, and I was tres happy -- until it happened again a little over a month later. Again, Apple happily and promptly fixed it, and their support reps were very cordial. This evening, though, it happened again -- same issue, same behavior. I'll be calling Apple tomorrow and arranging to send it back yet _again_. I bought an iBook 900 in June, and so far it's been wonderful, but I fear the same fate will befall it.

I've been a very good Apple customer for years -- 6100, 7100, 8500, iMac DV, dual-500 G4, PowerBook Pismo 500, iBook 300, iBook 700, iBook 900, dual-1.25Ghz G4. I sincerely hope they address this problem and correct it.

Regards,

John

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12/26, 08:37am | report spam | close Reply |
Knock it off

First, Apple apologist need to chill. This isn't the first time Apple has had a problem with product design, nor the last. The 5300/190 brings up "flaming memories".

The simple fact is this:

The ipod documentation states the battery will last the life of the product. That is the reason for the suit. Simply put, did you buy your ipod knowing it's product life was only 18 months? If so, go and buy another. Apple has stepped up and given a "fix" for this issue, yet some feel it isn't enough. Hey free world.

On to the ibook, currently seven different independent Apple techs have looked into this issue and have found the following design flaws that contribute to the failure.

Primarily with defective (loose) ATI chips on the mlb, which can cause electrical damage to mlb components. Second, with defective cabling routed through the screen hinge, which is causing the screen abnormalities many people have noted.

Simply put, both are an accident waiting to happen.

These are design flaws in our professional opinion as the solutions seem simple enough to fix the problem.

I have been in touch with several techs at the local Mac Store, and they are very interested in finding a solution, as some of the design issues translated into the G4 ibook, specifically the screen cabling issue. If this is a continuing issue we will know within a couple of months (note, some owners are already reporting problems).

The fact remains that over 2500 post have been collected reference to this problem and it is growing. Charles Moore, a avid Mac evangelist has issued a call to Apple to address the problem.

Apple is a good company, I have used their products since the IIc. This is nothing more than a public relations fiasco for Apple, for all they would need to do is issue an RMA on the ibook simular to the 5300/190 program.

The "so-many-failures" in products ship doesn't hold up in court, nor the consumer protection laws of most States, and Countries. So you can quit that defense.

Note: Before posting: Apple is aware of the problem as I have learned that Apple has recently started a program for dealing with the multiple logic board issues. There is a foam standoff that can now be installed on the video chip, to prevent stress separation of the contacts.

So far so good.

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01/01, 12:06am | report spam | close Reply |
To: Knock it off

Yours is a very good summary of the situation.

Kind regards,
Peter H

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01/01, 02:14pm | report spam | close Reply |
iBook

I'm on my THIRD logic board in six months. My iBook is for home use only and is not banged around or dropped. I have been using Apple computers since 1988, starting with a Classic. I never even had to speak to tech before buying an iBook almost a year ago. There is definitely a problem. I have not abandoned Apple and replaced my iBook with Powerbook last week. I am reluctant to use my iBook but do not want to sell it and s**** someone else with what I consider to be a defective product. If hundreds of people have the exact same problem, perhaps, as Ahnold says, "Whar dar is smoke, thar is fire."

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01/06, 06:04am | report spam | close Reply |
re: Knock it off

A good overview.

BTW, we have one of the models in question in use at a production studio. When the problem cropped up, I called Apple on a Saturday evening, had a pre-paid Fedex box on my desk Monday morning, explained the problem clearly and shipped it off, and had a working iBook back that Friday. So where's the need for a lawsuit? This is the second time I've had to send a laptop into Apple (not the same model)- the first time I had the problem of the CD door not closing, and Apple replaced the CD bay, the keyboard, and the logic board within about 6 working days. I'm not denying others may have had problems with Apple, I'm just saying that in my 15 years of dealing with the company as a user, a consultant, and a sysadmin, I've yet to be treated badly or fail to have Apple quickly and accurately resolve an issue- this is over the course of several hundred phone calls, mind you. Probably the worst problem I've ever had was trying to get past Level 1 tech support (i.e., "Did you restart? Did you zap the PRAM?") to more technician level support- once I do, however, never a problem. Just one sysadmin's experience. (BTW- The above mentioned iBook was NOT within the warranty period- the question never even came up.)

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Class action lawsuits considered for iPods, iBooks

updated 10:10 am EST, Tue December 23, 2003

iPod, iBook quality issues

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