“The consumer protection board in Denmark has found a design defect that causes the Apple iBook G4 to power down and leave a blank screen after about a year of use,” Antone Gonsalves reports for InformationWeek.
Gonsalves reports, “The Consumer Complaints Board of the National Consumer Agency sent the iBook to an independent electronics lab after receiving regular complaints from Apple customers in Denmark. Delta found that the problem stemmed from a solder joint that loosened slightly every time the iBook was turned off and on.”
“The board said its findings could have global implications, claiming that ‘thousands’ of Apple customers all over the world have tried to get the company to acknowledge the flaw and replace the computers. ‘The question now is whether Apple is going to go on denying that there is a design flaw in the same type of computer in the world outside Denmark’s borders,’ the board said,” Gonsalves reports.
Full article here.
Interesting. Wonder what sort of implications this might have for Apple?
Being the company that they are, and if they’re offered the research materials and evidence that were used to come to this conclusion, do you think they would take the high road?
I’d like to think they would…
Interesting story MDN…
I hope that this will be resolved as quickly as the zero day findings.
It is my understanding that all MacBooks are under warranty (how long). It would be simple to return them and have the joint soldered properly or replaced.
There is a lot of goodwill Apple could get if they get on their skates.
Can someone explain to me how a soldered joint gets loosened by turning the computer on and off?
using a late ’04 1.2 GHz ibook, splashed beer on it once.. screen went black for a few hours… came back, no problem since. lucky I guess.
My wife and I have an iBook each, and we’ve both experienced this problem. In addition, my airport card doesn’t work anymore, and my screen has always been dimmer than my wife’s iBook.
I love OS X and most Apple products, but I think Apple cut too many corners in trying to bring the cost of the iBook down.
Now, I’m saving for a MacBook Pro.
I got a email the other day, alerting me to such..I replied “sold iBook — hated it ..years ago. Now I own a Macbook and iMac, thank you”
Gman
What is Denmark’s deal with Apple?
@Crabapple
According to the story the affected computers are iBook G4’s, not MacBooks.
My wife has an iBook G4 thats 3 1/2 years old. I don’t think the on/off button has been used more than a dozen times.
It’s been a flawless computer. It had AppleCare but we never used it.
This is a manufacturing defect, not a design flaw, and isn’t the same thing as attempting to defraud customers as the Danish rwould have you believe. If it were, all iBooks of this vintage would have this problem.
They don’t, only a small number.
Apple still needs to make good to it’s customers, though.
The iBook G4 had a one year warranty. It was 3 years if you bought Applecare. Why didn’t you?
If Apple is going to repair laptops that are out of warranty, I have a powerbook 180 that had a CPU burnout 9 years after I bought it.
Apple should stand by their products. Just send me a new MacBook.
I’d like some strong coffee with that Danish please.
I Have a mid 2005 12inch iBook G4 1.2GHz ( 30GB HD, 768 MB of Ram, Combo Drive) with Mac OS X 10.4.9 Tiger.
I’m a college student and it’s had it’s bumps in my book filled Back pack. I have never had a single issue. I even toss on top of my bed from across my room.
I’ve been tempted to get a new White MacBook but this iBook has been so good to me, I actually would feel bad if someone else had it or that it is left in the dust. It’s saved my back so many times to hand in last minute work. For the moment I trust nothing else.
Almost 2 years will be around the corner, I don’t know what this is all about.
I really wish apple would do something about it. My video went out so many times because of that logic board. I had to open it up and put a piece of foam between the casing and the chip to apply pressure on the chip in order for my ibook g4 1.0ghz 14″ to work. It still crashes once in a while because of it.
The fact theres like 5 sites teaching you how to fix this problem isn’t a good sign.
I had a friend that supposedly experienced this problem, although I never managed to see it with my own eyes. I could only go by his description, but it definitely sounds familiar. Hasn’t happened in a while, though.
I preferred my iBook G3 over my friend’s iBook G4. Fortunately, I now have a PowerBook G4 that totally rocks! Next up, a MacBook Pro.
So someone defecated on the apple danishes.
Call the health board.
I bought my daughter a mid 2005 12inch iBook G4 1.2GHz ( 30GB HD, 768 MB of Ram, Combo Drive) with Mac OS X 10.4.9 Tiger, last August and last month it failed with this problem. This a BIG problem for PPC iBook owners that goes back to the G3s. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3249364 I hope Apple addresses it in some way.
My G3 Lombard notebook was a total piece of crap. Three keyboards, two logic boards, new processor and finally I trashed it. This was the Apple computer that my kids convinced me to finally buy a Windows computer. Bad news Apple – I have purchased 5 Windows computers since then and only one Apple.
Apple customer service was worthless and arrogant.
Hopefully they will find out what’s up with the one pixel vertical lines too:
http://www.crosspond.com/apple.php
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1020&start=0
It’s a disgrace, do a search. My PB is being plagued with that.
suits in the past over stuff like this, and Apple did step up. I’ve gotten several hundred dollars back from them myself.
@question
expansion and contraction due to heat and cool Things heat up when it is powered on, thus expansion. When things cool, things contract.
Note to Denmark: The bombing begins in 1 hour. Heh, heh!
George W.
The original iBook G3 Dual USB had a number of issues with it. Apple. after some considerable time, introduced a repair programme for those with reed switch problems and another problem similar to the Danish consumer experience. My G5 iMac has a serial number that is covered by a repair programme for capacitors that swell up – touch wood- its not happened yet,
all to say, just about every complex manufacture will suffer from common failure modes – same as auto’s – you just have to look at the statistics to see what an issue and what needs to be supported by a repair programme. With $15Bn in cash Apple can afford to make good on faulty production batches. A positive customer will return for more – so in the long run there’s a profit margin even in generous repair policies. A pissed off customer just hurts and warns off new people who are in the market for a computer.
What’s a G4?
“This was the Apple computer that my kids convinced me to finally buy a Windows computer.”
You are meaning to say?
I know there are a lot of seriously devoted Mac users out there with PPC Macs. And, I’m sorry. Change has happened rather quickly. Life with an Intel Mac (and CS3 for me) is AWESOME. I hope you can join us – soon? Can we help?
XXXXXOOOOO
No Squirt For You
my knob is enormous
question
“Can someone explain to me how a soldered joint gets loosened by turning the computer on and off?”
As was mentioned, thermal cycling does the job. Solder is not a very strong metal. A very large number of defective electronic units are do to either cracked or improper soldering. In fact, many times it is not even a case of the solder cracking but rather that the component was not ever actually soldered in the first place, just ‘touching’ and this eventually oxidizes and the connection fails. You may have read the countless complaints of iBook owners who have to put presure on their iBook at some point or it will crash, fail to boot etc. Well, it is almost certainly a failed solder joint in these cases.
I own a 12in. 1Ghz iBook G4, as do several of my friends. Vintage is early 2004, I have a shoulder bag that allows me to carry it in the field when I’m doing wildlife and scenery work with my Camcorder and Digital camera, I live in the mountains of Colorado and in good weather I can be in the wild for several days at a time, my iBook has been banged around quite a bit. To date the number of problems with my iBook and those of my friends is 0. Wonder what the Vikings are using their iBooks for, maybe shields when they go a viking. I’m a retired electronics eng. tech. (used to work for Apple) and I don’t buy the bad solder joint story, solder joints don’t loosen slightly every time a switch is pushed, they crack or break and once that happens the unit is nonfunctional until the joint is re-soldered, not a big job for a competent repair center. The Apple manufacturing plant in europe used to be in Ireland, and I think it still is, the Irish plant has a service repair center that is one of the best. It Could be a limited problem with the process at the Irish plant, doubt that its world wide, Apples QA is very good.
in today’s other news…
Danish Consumer Board finds design defect in White Star Line’s “Titanic”-class ocean liners, says hull may not withstand impact with icebergs…
Danish Consumer Board finds design defect in DeHaviland Comet airliners, says metal fatigue around the rectangular windows may cause the fuselage to rupture when pressurized…
Danish Consumer Board finds design defect in Ford Pinto automobiles, says the mounting of the fuel tank behind the rear axle may cause a fire in a rear impact…
@question
don’t forget that Mac laptops can be switched on and off ( or rather woken up from sleep mode ) by opening the lid. It seems possible to me that the action of opening the lid could put a strain on a soldered joint if it were badly implemented.
@ibookfast
The only problem that you had after that incident is that the iBook demanded that you give it a beer everyday!
I’ve had the exact same issues as everyone else….NONE. I have an early 2004 iBook G4. Zero problems. Er, actually I did have one. I replaced the HDD through a mail order service and that drive died early this year. A week later the iBook came back with a new drive and still works great. I got a MacBook but feel hard pressed to sell the iBook as it’s handy having both. I don’t doubt people are having issues, but it’s got to be a line issue…not an Apple design issue.
“My G3 Lombard notebook…”
I think you never owned a Powerbook, you liar!
My wife is using a 7 year old clamshell iBook right now.
“Honey, do you want a new machine?”
“No.”
I’m not sure the power key has been used more than a half-dozen times on her machine.
And why the hell is a government agency worrying about a frickin’ out-of-warranty laptop?
Thanks for the answers. I can see the expansion/contraction for heating/cooling cycles causing this. I don’t think opening and closing the lid would though, since the problem is not with the hinge. In any case, wouldn’t the soldered joints in other electronics also be susceptible to this problem?
I assume that by “turn on and off”, they are referring to the power button? Good thing I never turn my iBook off then! Seriously, what’s the point? I just close the lid and put it to sleep when I’m not using it. I honestly cannot remember the last time I pushed that button.
In Australia there have been a number of cases that deal with the projected life of a computer and although there is a standard manufacturer’s one year warranty the computer’s life is seen as being in excess of one year.
Therefore if you do have a problem with a computer out of warranty then the manufacturer may still be liable. This means you do not need an extended warranty because the manufacturer is still liable. This is based on whether as a reasonable person, in a reasonable set of circumstances did not subject the machine to abuse and merely used the machine in a reasonable manner.
The projected life of a computer under this scenario is around three years…the life of an Applecare warranty. It’s just a matter of complaining to the manufacturer, then getting rejected and then passing the complaint on to the respective consumer’s affairs dept.
Once you involve statutory authorities in this process the matter tends to be resolved very quickly. And the cases have been documented and reported on. And Apple was one of the companies involved.
Is this also the case in other countries?
after about a year’s use… and they find out now?
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damn the danish really do drink too much!
true fact about denmark: they just banned drinking heavy liqour on the job. 10 proof beer and wine is still ok though!
gotta love em!
How about the lower memory card slot problem with the 15″ PowerBooks? They didn’t find that? Half of the PowerBooks in my company suffer from that syndrome. And how about the sudden shutdown in the MacBooks? Two out of three MacBooks in my company got that illness.
Geee… what to these people do? And what does Apple do?
Little, if nothing.
“Is this also the case in other countries?”
Certainly in the USA you should never assume that the warranty on a product is expired just because the manufacturer says so.
There are a number of state and federal laws that cover this kind of situation and provide additional relief.
wow… there is a serious amount of whining going on here.
ok, sure … laptops have problems, probably more than desktops. Some are design flaws too. no doubt. we all try to make good on the things in our life we screw up.
But the moment someone starts in on the conspiracy theories about how ‘they know’ apple is doing this on purpose to Fsck with them because they know that Steve Jobs knows that they share all their iTunes purchases with their friends by burning mp3’s onto audio disks so their friends can rip’em into their itunes collections…. I draw the line there buddy.
I got one of the last gen iBook G4’s, love it. Only downer is after 2 years of abuse, the battery only works for like 3 hours (yeah i knew it was gonna happen). But as a college student, I haven’t exactly treated it like i should, but it keeps trucking, its stays on until apple posts a new software update. I love this computer, and I’m hoping to get another mac soon, but with regards to the article, if I get some free swag or repairs out of it awesome, if not, so be it.
Also one thing i’ve noticed, if Apple actually has a hardware issue, they go out of their way to repair the part and make sure it stays fixed, compare that to my friend who has had to return their HP laptop 5 times to replace different parts. So if this turns out to be an actual issue, i am sure that Apple will do their thing.
😀
just replaced the wife’s g4 ibook with a macbook because of this very problem. a real disappointment.
> Can someone explain to me how a soldered joint gets loosened by turning the computer on and off?
Since a blank screen is the symptom, I’m guessing that “turning the computer on and off” means sleeping and waking the computer by closing the “lid” (screen). This problem probably does not happen to people who leave their computers open on a desk most of the time.
(Apple laptop buyers should get AppleCare with their Macs)
I agree with ken1w,
Apple care was the greatest purchase I made for my laptop. it made it so easy to call in and ask and get things fixed (minor software issues), also its a great safety net.
Hmm…
I am currently writing this on a 1.2GHz iBook G4. It’s on it’s THIRD logic board. They seem to go bad about exactly once a year. I hope the current one goes before my AppleCare expires. I’ve already had a few mysterious power-downs or failures to wake from sleep.
A number of my friends have the same machine. A few of them have had the same logic board problems (computer shuts down, stops turning on, won’t wake up, grey screen, etc.), but many of haven’t had any issues at all. I don’t know if the failures are related to the amount of work I do on the machine or to other factors.
Just for a frame of reference, I leave my machine running pretty much 24 hours a day, and really tax it for at least 8-10 hours a day doing work (audio editing, audio production) and for recreation.
I’m always running lots of parallel applications, I leave the machine converting/encoding/processing audio files while I sleep. I would say I’m a heavy user, and I push the machine pretty hard, but physically, I take very good care of it. I never shut it down, just close the case and let it sleep.
I would expect other parts of the machine to fail first, but for some reason, it’s always this power issue.
The machine definitely had a manufacturing problem, which seems to continue with the replacement logic boards. My last Mac, an iBook G3 also had a failed logic board.
Thankfully, although I’ve had a number of problems over the last four years (with the G3 and then the G4), Apple has always replaced the logic boards quickly and with no questions asked.
However, if I hadn’t bought AppleCare, I would have been out of luck, even though it’s obviously an issue that Apple is aware of.
To student,
You say your iBook battery only lasts for 3 hours after 2 years. I think they only lasted about 3 1/2 hours when new. My 14″ G4 iBook is almost 3 years old, and it only lasts about 1 1/2 hours depending on what I am doing. No big deal since I use it while kicked back in my recliner and just keep it plugged in. I can’t justify the price of a new battery.
I also never use the power button. Sleep works so well on a Mac (unlike Windows) that I never shut it down – other than software upgrade restarts. This is about the best investment I have ever made. I read about people who have problems with their Macs and I do feel sorry for them, but it’s a little hard for me to relate since I have never had a hardware problem with any Apple product I have ever purchased. Could just be the luck of the draw, or the computer gods really like me. Knock on wood.
quote by Christian: “I even toss on top of my bed from across my room.”
sorry, couldn’t resist
hamdog
I’M FROM DENMARK 😀
Although I havn’t heard much about this before…
Re: REALISTA – failing lower ram slot on 15 powerbooks.
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Apple has a two year extended warranty (1 year extra) on that. Just got a new logic board myself (on last day of those 2 years
So take your pbooks to apple asap..!
Apple knew about the problem for years, and like other companies — Ford and the Pinto come to mind because of being mentioned above — stuck it to the consumer because it’s cheaper for Apple to deny a systemic problem and pay off the occasional customer angry enough to threaten a lawsuit than it is to issue a recall. Make the victim pay.
Those who defend this rapacious company’s actions, then attack the victims by saying it’s their fault for not buying Apple’s exhorbitant — and extortionist — insurance policies show themselves to be the religious fanatics they are.
Apple should be forced to pay for the shoddy goods it sold, and Apple should be fined millions of dollars for it.
The United States should level RICO charges against it, which would triple the amount of the damages when Apple is found guilty, and the high-flying Steve Jobs should have his angelic wings ripped off his back.
Not saying the story’s basis is factually untrue, but my personal experience doesn’t jibe with it – I’ve had the iBook G4 since 2003. I’ve dropped it from 5 feet twice, used it heavily in law school and to rip thousands of CD’s, type papers, etc. It’s still working fine.
To Tank (Think tank?) Thank you for the clarification. Sorry to hear about your experience as I am aware that the extended warranty does not last after three years. My tangerine is long out of warranty but luckily for me still goes strong. Whilst I think it would invaluable for Apple to react positively to that claim, we users need to be aware that we have a responsibility over how we treat our assets. For example, If I had the opportunity to enjoy a gourmet meal, I would’nt chomp my way through it in minutes, I would enjoy every mouth full knowing that the longer I took eating it (not too long that it goes cold) the more I can eat.
To Apple Realist.
An AppleCare warranty is cheaper & works better than an extended warranty from a company like PC WORLD as an example.
Can I presume that there is nothing out there that has met your needs to your satisfaction so that you will not replace it with anything else?
If there is, how would you like to be described as a religious fanatic just because you are prepared to stand up against the majority view who may not like what ever it is you like?
Apple Realist has never owned a Mac in his life.
He has, however, cashed a cheque from Microsoft.
I’m writing this on an iBook G4 purchased on eBay about a year ago. The machine came cheap because, mysteriously, the iBook wouldn’t boot. Now I suspect it was the same problem reported in Denmark. In any case, I took the iBook to an authorized Apple repair shop. AppleCare covered repairs, which included logic board replacement and fixes for what the previous owner had mangled under the hood. Has been working very reliably since.
Actually, solder joints are very strong when done properly. This is a manufacturing defect, not a design defect. Numerous thing can affect the quality of a solder joint. Amount of heat, amount of flux used, duration of application of heat, mass of the component, pin density, are just a few examples. All these parameters can be controlled and should be part of a good process control plan. Another factor that can intermittent and sporadic problems is board cleanliness. Contaminants on the board before, during, and after soldering can affect solder joint quality.
The heating and cooling cycles and the resulting expansion and contraction are normal and are not a problem unless you do have a bad solder joint in the first place. The expansion and contraction will make the problem worse, but is most likely not the root cause of the problem. Look to the manufacturing process to find out why you have a bad solder joint in the first place.
@metamads:
Been there. Done that. The MacBooks got fixed, albeit reluctantly. And the PowerBook G4s fall OUTSIDE the scope of the extended repair program. So much for the “extended” part of their repair program. We even have 1.25 GHz PBG4s with the lower memory card slot defect. Caused us plenty grief.
Here’s more about it:
http://lowermemoryslot.editkid.com/
Big Al, his Apple religion coming to the fore, is wrong on all counts. I’ve owned Macs since 1991, never a Windows box.
I would never own an Apple portable, however, because their problems are legion (being a religious fellow, Big Al would recognize the allusion) and I do all I can to talk anyone out of buying one.
Big Al should try to burn someone else at the stake with his baseless charges fabricated from his whole-cloth, wishful thinking.
If his faith is so strong, he should by a MacBook Pro and reject its overpriced Apple insurance policy.
Thought so.
If there is a pattern of problems that Apple hasn’t fixed, by all means go snarky and escalate to a consumer complaints group in a consumer friendly country that perhaps Denmark is.
But, be consistent: where are these guys on the TRAVESTY called Windows?
How about a mass recall due to gross software DESIGN flaws – running as the super user (the default configuration) while connected to the internet?
Until this happens, these guys are just a bunch of nitpickers.
No disrespect to the people with the problem – I’m not saying its not real (but it appears to be rare, and limited to a manufacturing line, as well as relatively easy to fix). But I have a big problem with the selective nature of this.
“Yes, Mr. Apple, you have a tiny sliver in your baby finger, and that is not right. Please ignore the 2×4 sticking out of the face of Mr. Microsoft”
I actually ment, I even toss my iBook on top of my bed from across my room. ( Though I do it when it’s off or when in sleep mode with the lid closed.)
Thats actually how much I trust it.
About batery life, I have gotten 5 hours and 59 minutes of battery life when new, and now almost 2 yeasr, I still get over 4 and 38 minute, still sometimes 5 hours if I lower the brightness.
After the computer sleeps when the battery power is too low, I let it sleep for about 12 hours hich is about the time it take for the sleep mode to kill the battery completely ( To the point the battery indicater doesn’t blink.
I then charge it, I feel it gets a better charge this way and my battery still acheives decent power-on life.
This might be a line issue becasue i’ve given my iBook G4 it’s share of abuse and it’s still has never let me down.
Had a G3 Lombard Powerbook.
Junk.
Processor bad, logic board bad x 3, couldn´t put the max amount of RAM in – would only recognize half the bottom RAM. 2 new keyboards – a section of keys kept going dead – needed a third keyboard when I tossed it in the junk box. Battery would not recharge. (Oh yeah, they issued a new power cord because of potential fire hazard).
And then I upgraded to OS9.
What a total dog.
I have not purchased a laptop/notebook from Apple since.
Desktop works fine…but laptop, no thanks Apple. Maybe the next generation I will take another look.
@REALISTA…
Bummer. Sorry to see/read that the same problem exists outside the specific 15″ models apple have offered extended warranty to.
It really is a very bad business procedure. Plus it treats people like they are hypochondriacs on behalf of regularly faulty products. We all wish we had a third option…
Hope you got it sorted somehow. Best of luck..!
To all,
I used to work in a pc board / computer motherboard factory. Each board has thousands of very tiny connections, all held together with solder. And as explained above, not all the connections are perfect. Some break right away, some last years. Its a numbers game. That is why you have a warrentee (sp).
My iBook G3 had a blank screen just before the AppleCare ran out. They replaced the motherboard. It happens and much more so the smaller the electronics since the components get smaller and smaller ( yea I know they are all surface mount chips but as the number of contact points get larger and the component gets smaller, well you do the math
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Buy Apple care, treat your machine nicely, and plan on buying another one in 3-6 years. Life goes on. (PS, if you get a pc, make that 1-2 years.
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en
Every single one of our iBooks has had this problem or the logic board debale. That’s no less than seven iBooks. Most were covered under warranty, AppleCare or the logic board recall/replacement deal, but two weren’t (dunno how that happened). Even if they are covered, it’s a miserable process taking your computer in to have it be repaired, particularly when it’s your primary work computer. We’ve been screwed by this, despite what the snot-nosed asshole at the Apple Store said: “Frankly, I’ve never heard ANYTHING like this. It could be a usage problem.”
It seems that all I read about is problems about notebooks. I don’t feel motivated to purchase any notebook, even if a notebook does provide portability. Heck, all I need in my thumb drive to carry files to and from my destktops at work and home.
… World wide implications…
Yeah, let’s get every computer manufatuerer to fix their discontinued computers. Dell would be out of business in hours. I’ve bought 7 iBooks, for my kids to take to college, the office here and as I’ve updated the office I’ve given them to family members. Not one is in warranty anymore and we’re using MacBooks now. One repair, my oldest fried the optical drive at the end of the warranty , Apple made it good. I’ve asked everyone if they want my Macbook when I upgrade this summer, they’ve all said “No” they’re happy with what they have and it just works!
To LorD 1776
My 1.42 14″ iBook originally i could squeeze almost 8 hours of uptime out of it (turn of bluetooth and wifi, turn down the cpu, and brightness). I didn’t expect it to go like that forever, and for a 2 year old laptop, it still chugs along and gets me through all of my classes without a problem 😀 And I agree with you that Apple’s sleep actually works, unlike Winblows.
Speaking of solder joints, did you ever fart so hard you ended up in another zip code?
Yeah, that fart thing happened to me twice!
There’s definitely a major problem that Apple will fix when pressed. My iBook G4 is on its third logic board (1.2ghz) the first one failed at 13 months and the next one died 4 months after that, both within a month of the warranty. Apple replaced both of them free of charge even without them under warranty.
I have probably used the power button on this iBook since i got it under 20 times.
my g4 ibook, bought it in January 05, experienced this problem yesterday and since then cant get it to turn on. the laptop seems to turn on but the screen is completely black. i had all my personal and school stuff there and now i have no idea what to do.
My iBook (14″, 1 Ghz) freezes up ALL THE TIME! Especially if it’s at all jostled or if it gets moderately warm.
Failed design + Expertly manufactured = Inferior product
Expertly designed + Failed manufacture = Inferior product
Failed design + Failed manufacture = Inferior product
Expertly designed + Expertly manufactured = Superior product
Of course, one could add how well or how poorly the product is cared for or maintained by the end user, but this would add to much complexity to the matrix.
Communist China sells melamine as a “food additive” and “diethylene glycol” as a medicine. Talk about quality control issues that can kill or injure. Kinda makes a faulty solder joint seem inconsequential by comparison. I hope that the Danes are disease-free vegetarians.
” Kinda makes a faulty solder joint seem inconsequential by comparison.”
In the food additive case that’s fraud and a reckless disregard for human life, not a “quality control issue”.
In Apple’s case it’s a design or manufacturing problem.
My Niece has one, bought for University, and it has been repaired for this defect once under AppleCare and recently again for $300+ out of warranty. This is not an uncommon problem. iBooks G3 & 4 (White USB) have had a fairly high failure rate related to failures related/semi-related to HW around and in the hinges. My old G3 iBook was repaired twice for this very type of defect and has not been treated roughly.
Looks are nice- but reliability seems to have suffered with some of Apple’s more recent designs (PPC & Intel).
You’re right, there is no equivalence. A malfunctioning computer is far less villainous than the harm done to a human being. You need to explain how tainted food and medicines are not example of “quality control issues”. Certainly, the presence of unwanted and toxic substances in human consumable products is an example of poor “quality control “. If you disagree, you had better explain how contaminated or adulterated products are not inferior to untainted products.
If iBooks have twice the failure rate of some unmentioned comparator, I don’t understand why someone with any intelligence and common sense would then purchase such a sub-standard product. This is even more incredulous considering your own dismal experience with an Apple notebook of similar design. Tell me, did your niece get any smarter having been to university? Also, which university did she attend? I would like to know if her alma mater has twice the failure rate as other academic institutions.
You’re right, there is no equivalence. A malfunctioning computer is far less villainous than the harm done to a human being. You need to explain how tainted food and medicines are not example of “quality control issues”. Certainly, the presence of unwanted and toxic substances in human consumable products is an example of poor “quality control “. If you disagree, you had better explain how contaminated or adulterated products are not inferior to untainted products.
If iBooks have twice the failure rate of some unmentioned comparator, I don’t understand why someone with any intelligence and common sense would then purchase such a sub-standard product. This is even more incredulous considering your own dismal experience with an Apple notebook of similar design. Tell me, did your niece get any smarter having been to university? Also, which university did she attend? I would like to know if her alma mater has twice the failure rate as other academic institutions.
You’re right, there is no equivalence. A malfunctioning computer is far less villainous than the harm done to a human being. You need to explain how tainted food and medicines are not example of “quality control issues”. Certainly, the presence of unwanted and toxic substances in human consumable products is an example of poor “quality control “. If you disagree, you had better explain how contaminated or adulterated products are not inferior to untainted products.
If iBooks have twice the failure rate of some unmentioned comparator, I don’t understand why someone with any intelligence and common sense would then purchase such a sub-standard product. This is even more incredulous considering your own dismal experience with an Apple notebook of similar design. Tell me, did your niece get any smarter having been to university? Also, which university did she attend? I would like to know if her alma mater has twice the failure rate as other academic institutions.
You’re right, there is no equivalence. A malfunctioning computer is far less villainous than the harm done to a human being. You need to explain how tainted food and medicines are not example of “quality control issues”. Certainly, the presence of unwanted and toxic substances in human consumable products is an example of poor “quality control “. If you disagree, you had better explain how contaminated or adulterated products are not inferior to untainted products.
If iBooks have twice the failure rate of some unmentioned comparator, I don’t understand why someone with any intelligence and common sense would then purchase such a sub-standard product. This is even more incredulous considering your own dismal experience with an Apple notebook of similar design. Tell me, did your niece get any smarter having been to university? Also, which university did she attend? I would like to know if her alma mater has twice the failure rate as other academic institutions.
You can read about this case about the iBook G4 problem here in the pressrelease in english: http://www.forbrug.dk/presse/nyheder/pressekit/ibookg4/ibook-g4-english/
Very interesting and brief report in English. Excellent duplicate photos of notebooks with clamps attached. Beautiful macro images of two faulty solder joints. One link returns me the same page. No quantitative estimate of number of G4 iBooks affected.
For such a damning report there seems to be little support evidence save a few pictures. Since I don’t read or speak Danish would you please translate the statistical evidence that has been presented that substantiates the allegations made against Apple. I mean, if the Danes have “documentation” as they claim, it seems that such data are not public knowledge or available in English.
I’m not suggesting that the Danes aren’t correct. I’m just stating that I have read nothing that supports their case against Apple.
You can check the lab report here:
http://www.forbrug.dk/presse/nyheder/pressekit/ibookg4/lab-report/
After reading this huge lab report, that really seems to be well defined and thorough, I really think that this must be a case that Apple have to admit and do something about.
How much proof do Apple need?
I love Apples products and will always buy their products- if they are fair to their costumers. In this case there is absolutely no doubt that it is a fabrication failure and that Apple have to replace the computer or compensate the cost for it.
Four individual complaints? Four? If Apple sold 1,000,000 G4 iBooks, this would yield a failure rate of 0.0004%. The Danes seem to be obsessive/compulsive about perfection. So, how many G4 iBooks has Apple sold? This would be useful in calculating the failure rate.
My iBook G4 is about 2.5 years old now, no such issue so far. Old and running perfectly fine!
When I first bought my iBook 3-1/2 years ago, it had major video problems and got it’s logic board replaced 3 times before Apple declared it a lemon and issued me a new one. I had Applecare on the unit which was switched, but not extended, on the replacement. Now, 6 months past Applecare on the original unit, the hard drive is fried, and the video is starting to have the same symtoms. It’s a known defect in manufacturing that a chip on the logic board is only held on by a bunch of “balls” of solder that eventually lose their attachment, especially under the heat of the hard drive right above it. There’s a YouTube video now of a guy who fixed his computer by heating a container of alcohol-right on top of the chip!
I sadly have given up on mine for now as massaging it along will not do for my new job this summer. Bring on the now revised MacBook!
I’ve had my ibook g4 since october 2003, when i was 12 years old. You can imagine how i tossed it around and treated it like crap, that laptop is a miracle. It still works like new, never had to fix it and the battery goes on for 4 hours and 45 minutes. Now, im in high school, and i use it daily for class and its practically my life. I am really happy with it and i dont plan on buying a new laptop for another few years, probably when i get to college, but i am so attached to my ibook, i really just wanna stay with that one! My mom though, didnt have much luck, she got the 14 inch ibook and shes exchanged it twice because of processor problems andnow, she dosent even use it. She uses the vintage iMac, it works better than her ibook.
Funny how people jump to the defence of Apple. I suspect these people wouldn’t be so quick to do so if they had suffered the same issues. I have 2 iBook G4s, the first of which died 2 days after the 1 year warranty was up. I was quoted in excess of $900(AUD) to replace the board and decided that it wasn’t worth it. The guy from the Apple Service Centre mentioned that mine wasn’t the first he’d seen with this problem and he went on to advise me to keep the iBook it as in his experience, Apple will be forced to admit the issue at some stage (as per the G3 boards) I hope that now I can either force the issue with Apple or the ACCC to get the dead iBook fixed.
Bugger the rest of you. I LOVE the Danish!