Losing Faith in Apple

[ncook06]

As of today, my girlfriend and I have owned 9 Apple products. 8 of the 9 have failed.

3 15" MBPs - all DOA
2 MacBooks - 2 faulty logic boards
4 iPods - 3 hard drive failures, one took 4 months, one 2 weeks, one took 1 day.

The two week old iPod had all of my backed up data from my MacBook on it (as the Genius suggested) when it failed.

I called Apple today and talked to a supervisor, who said if I have any more problems to call him. That was before the replacement iPod I got this morning failed tonight. I am really struggling with not switching back right now. I don't want to put up with Windows ever again, but it may make work easier and I can't afford to have my computer and data gone again during school.

Yes, there are so many arguments for buying a Mac - I've gotten 3 of my friends to switch. However, most of those arguments are software and I am coming to realize that if my computer doesn't work, all that software means nothing.

EDIT: The only iPod that hasn't failed is a week-old replacement for another iPod.

[dextertangocci]

That is veeerry bad luck. none of my Apple products (8 macs, a couple of iPods and lots of accessories) have ever given me a moments hassle:)

[ncook06]

Which Macs were they? As you can see, all of mine were Intel...

EDIT: I'm really not in the mood for any of that "You shouldn't have bought first-gen" stuff, because it was first-gen, outdated, or nothing. Also, no company's QC should be that bad.

[Sun Baked]

Maybe it is time to apologize to the witchdoctor you pissed off.

[Nermal]

Wow. The only Apple hardware I've had fail was my iBook G3's logic board. It was a known problem and they offered free replacements.

I have owned 7 Macs, 1 iPod and 1 AirPort Extreme base, and that's the only hardware trouble I've had.

Which Macs were they? As you can see, all of mine were Intel...

They're all Intel.

[cwedl]

Yes, there are so many arguments for buying a Mac - I've gotten 3 of my friends to switch. However, most of those arguments are software and I am coming to realize that if my computer doesn't work, all that software means nothing.

I would say yes, I agree with you on this bit, I have some friends that shouldn't switch because they need programs that can only run on windows. The mac isn't for everyone.

I terms of all you failures! I'm sorry to hear it, all I can say is, I think apple products are getting worst in the sense of quality. May be you live near electrical lines that fry any apple product you own?

[Applespider]

You do seem to be particularly unfortunate - more so, than anyone else I know!

I'd give that supervisor a call and see what he offers to put it right. I wonder if he would arrange for your DOAs to be swapped out at a local Apple store where you can turn them on and check that all is well rather than mailing them back and keeping your fingers crossed.

Assuming that you've got surge protectors etc on the sockets where you're using them in case you have 'dirty' power that might be causing problems with the internals?

[ncook06]

I would say yes, I agree with you on this bit, I have some friends that shouldn't switch because they need programs that can only run on windows. The mac isn't for everyone.

I totally agree. Microsoft makes a decent and popular product. I think Apple's is a lot better, but I can at least choose hardware with a good proven track record with Windows.

[ncook06]

I'd give that supervisor a call and see what he offers to put it right. I wonder if he would arrange for your DOAs to be swapped out at a local Apple store where you can turn them on and check that all is well rather than mailing them back and keeping your fingers crossed.

I evetually had the MBPs refunded.

What I'm kind of hoping for right now is a refund on my Macbook and a BIG discount on something that has been thoroughly checked - hopefully a MBP 17", as I've heard of very few problems with the 17".

[ncook06]

Assuming that you've got surge protectors etc on the sockets where you're using them in case you have 'dirty' power that might be causing problems with the internals?

Always, always, always, use a surge protector in Tampa, the lightning capital of the world! :eek:

[Kardashian]

Out of 8 iPods, 2 eMacs, 3 iMacs, 2 iBooks, 4 Minis and a Partridge (in the past 3 years)..

.. I have never had one single problem.

The only time OS X or my computer itself have made me go :eek: was when the screen dimmed and a message came up, in all different languages, saying I needed to restart. Thats happened once.

You must be cursed. :p

[Kane.Elson]

PC manufacturers are tampering with your mac product shipments before they get to you.
You have REALLY bad luck. I have seen people who have had to return 3-4 of the very first MBP but they are pretty rare.
I do agree that the QC is going down a bit with macs but not THAT much.

I hope things start working for you and that witch doctor forgives you soon.

[Shotgun Pete]

If you do switch back, Microsoft has really gotten their act together with Windows XP, and it rarely crashes anymore as long as its not an acer.

Vista even moreso looks pretty nice even if it does look pretty much identical to OS X.

P.S.
The windows Vista comes with an integrated photo editing software called iBlocks.........

[NATO]

Wow, that's some seriously bad luck! In the last 18 months, my family have had 3 iPods, 1 PowerBook, 1 iBook, 1 Power Mac G5 and 2 Cinema Displays. Not a single glitch or failure with any of them.

As mentioned above, I'd definitely check your mains supply as if its dirty, it could explain a lot about some of your failures.

[thestaton]

intel iMac perfect. iBook G4 perfect. 3 iPods all perfect. something really weird is going on. I would buy a battery backup that will condition your power coming into your house.

Your friends that you have gotten to switch what has there luck been like?

Macintouch.com did a survey and only 20% at most for the MB & MBP have had to have them repaired.

Here's the link:
http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/macbooks.html

So based on this something is up with your house.

[thedude110]

I've only had one Apple product fail on me -- a G3 iBook that was DOA. Otherwise, I've had really good luck with all of my Apple hardware.

I guess now I'm just rubbing it in.

I'm really not in the mood for any of that "You shouldn't have bought first-gen" stuff, because it was first-gen, outdated, or nothing. Also, no company's QC should be that bad.

I understand where you're coming from, but you can't ignore the fact. First gen. hardware (and software -- thus software updates!) is going to have its share of problems -- that's why I've put off buying an Intel Mac for a while (that and it's not in the budget!). But that obviously doesn't excuse your 9 busted products.

Such a run of bad luck is likely to be balanced by great luck for the next 20 years, right? ;)

[ncook06]

Macintouch.com did a survey and only 20% at most for the MB & MBP have had to have them repaired.

ONLY 20%? :eek:

Not to be taking a jab at you by any means, but 1 out of every 5 of the computers shipped having to be repaired does not seem good to me.

[xparaparafreakx]

I been though 4 PPC macs and they are good. At work, the MBP 17" are good and across the street, the teachers are enjoying their 15" MBP at work. So its just bad luck but I been seeing good macs out there.

[ncook06]

By the way guys, dirty power is not the problem. We are talking about two separate houses with bad MacBook logic boards, and mine is ALWAYS on surge protection. I think I'll call today. I'm just a little mad.;)

[jmsait19]

Yea not to comment at the user itself, but something other than the apple product itself seems to be at fault here...

It seems that people who get a DOA usually get 2 or 3. They are like traffic tickets, they come in threes.

Dirty power sounds like a definite possibility.

Maybe when you get a new one, don't use it at home first... Use it somewhere that is a "known good" like somewhere that you have seen someone else use a MBP or something like that. Then if it works (which you wouldn't be wrong to pray a little for that part) then take it home and see if it blows up again. If it does, then obviously there is your problem...

But I don't really know anything...

So hopefully that might work.

[jmsait19]

By the way guys, dirty power is not the problem. We are talking about two separate houses with bad MacBook logic boards, and mine is ALWAYS on surge protection. I think I'll call today. I'm just a little mad.;)

Surge protection doesn't protect from dirty power, you would need a power conditioner for that.

[Maxiseller]

Agreed - you must have some bad luck!

I've had a PowerBook G4 (That had a dodgy hinge, but only because I dropped it!) My eMac, iBook, Mac Mini and Powermac have all been perfect. My only problem was with a G5 iMac that had to have the HardDrive replaced.

I've been quite happy with my Hardware :)

[ncook06]

None of the other electronics in my house have any problems... so I doubt that it's dirty power.

[YoYoMa]

I think of Apple as producing some pretty high quality items. I'm not sure how this could have happened to you. Seems a bit beyond bad luck to me though. Maybe you pissed off someone at the online store a long time ago?:) ;) Anyways, these things always balance out so your next Ipod might just end up being super duper fantabulous!!

[jne381]

I have my own issues with the recent quality control of Apple, but a case of bad luck like this is amazing. I would start looking for other possible reasons for such a failure rate.

I have a friend that swears to me that she cannot use Apple products. She claims that they will all go up in smoke (figuratively) eventually, some immediately and other after a little while. When ever she has a watch that uses a battery, it will eventually not work anymore because of some electrical issue. I was quite skeptical, but her husband assures me that it is very true. I don't know what a condition like this would be called, if it is actually something recognized, but try to look into it. Does you or your girlfriend have any other problems with electronics. I doesn't have to be all electronics, my friend doesn't have problems with other PC's. Why I would have no idea, but she doesn't.

[greenmac]

When ever she has a watch that uses a battery, it will eventually not work anymore because of some electrical issue.

I've heard of this before, but a computer doing the same thing!

My run has been good, however I've only had 2 Macs in past 6 yrs. Everyone I know has an iPod, and only 1 had to be replaced by apple(I cant believe they did though) it was dropped while the person was riding a bike, then the back wheel went over it.

[Sesshi]

2 Macbooks - first took two weeks to repair so purchased a spare. Thereafter a number of minor issues on both units but nevertheless issues requiring RTB.
3 iMacs - 1 arrived DOA, have made regular use of Applecare for few minor/ major issues on all 3 thereafter.
MBP 17 - two power supplies blown, unit is developing a warp on both the top and bottom halves (in different directions).

1 iPod failure (USB issue) of 5G, no other iPod failures which weren't my fault
Intel Mac Mini has been faultless so far.

Replaced Macbooks with Sony SZ2XP. Replaced 2 iMacs with Dell Precision 690's instead of the Mac Pros I was thinking about. Currently negotiating to return both Macbooks and all 3 iMacs.

Love the board, love the OS, but hardware and support is hopeless.

[JackSYi]

Every company has its ups and downs. Overall, Apple is doing a fine job during this major, major transition.

[California]

Let's see if I can do this list again w/out looking it up

1 powerbook 100 (ex has it somewhere, it still works)
1 powerbook 145b (friend has it, it still works)
1 Tibook 400mhz (friend bought it, CPU daystar upgrade to 550, still under warranty working GREAT)
1 Tibook 500mhz (friend bought it, CPU daystar upgrade to 550, still under warranty working Great)
1 Tibook 550mhz (sold it last week -- working perfectly)
1 Tibook 667mhz VGA (on it now!)
1 Tibook 667mhz DVI (sold it but working fine when left my hands!)
1 Tibook 1ghz (sold it, working great)
1 Powerbook g4 12" 867mhz (mom's current)
1 Powerbook g4 12" 1.5mhz combo/60gb (sold it today, working GREAT)
1 Powerbook g4 12" 1.5mhz superdrive/80gb (current)
1 iBook G3 500mzh 12" (current)
1 iBook g3 700mhz 14" (ex still has it, was working fine, deskqueen)
1 iBook G4 1ghz 12" (sold it to a Mac tech, working GREAT)
1 iBook G4 1.2ghz 12" (friend got it from me, working EXCELLENT)
1 iBook g4 1.33ghz 12" (Friend got it, excellent)
1 iBook G4 1.2ghz 14" (sold it, WORKING GREAT)
1 iBook G4 1.33ghz 14" (sold it working great)
1 iBook G4 1.42ghz 14" (wish I still had it)
1 Mac Classic (Sold it back in the day to a friend, working great up until 2002)
1 LCII (current, still working)
1 iMac G3 233mzh (friend got it, working GREAT)
1 iMac G3 266mhz (friend got it working great)
1 iMac G3 400mzh (friend got it working great)
2 iMac G3s 500mhz (sister has it SUPERB)
1 iMac G3 600mhz (I want to find a iMac G3 700mhz someday - this one still burning cds workign great)
1 iMac G5 2.0ghz (mom's current)
1 iPod Shuffle 1gb (current)
2 iPod 20gb 4gs (current)
1 iPod video 30gbs (current)

AND I NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THESE MACHINES except on the iPod 20gb has a bad battery (under warranty, I'm too slow to take it in) and, as I recall, the first Powerbook 100 had a 1gb hard drive that failed. I still have the hd. Fixed in one day, back in the day, but that was, again a REV A machine. Oh and the Tibook 400's Fujistu hd failed after THREE YEARS. 10gb. Apple replaced it under warranty.

SO I have no idea why that OP has had such bad luck but I'm sticking with PPC until the bugs are worked out. Same with switch to Leopard. I didn't go Tiger until 10.4.4 or 5.

My only beef with Apple is when they use OEM Fujistu hds in their machines. Will have to switch out on the new PB asap.

[Sesshi]

I'm willing to excuse any company some failures. In fact I have to acknowledge that one of the Dell 690's developed a fault shortly after it arrived. The difference though is in the support. Dell engineer turned up the next day to solve it. When the power brick went out on my Latitude I received a replacement the following day. When the power bricks went out on the MBP, I was asked for my credit card number before they would send out a replacement, and despite being told I would not be charged in advance, one of the bricks was charged to my card due apparently to confusion over the two failures in a short period of time. Not only that, it took half a week in both cases for the replacement power bricks to arrive. (the first time around, I went and bought two spares myself due to the abysmal response)

I don't have to keep my shipping boxes with non-Apples these days because they don't have to be sent back for lengthy repairs. Apple is the only company I have experienced this with in recent years. The final decision over whether to keep Macs in my setup will depend on how Apple deals with the repair of my MBP, which I'm not in a hurry to have done right now.

[dmw007]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune ncook06, your case is very rare- Apple usually makes very good, reliable products.


Out of all the Macs that I have owned, only one has ever died on me, and that was a PowerBook 165c from like 1993 that just stopped working a couple of months ago (it was heavily used before I got it). The rest of my Macs (Power Mac G5, iBook G4, PowerBook 5300cs, MacBook Pro) and all of my iPods (iPod Mini, iPod Nano, iPod 5G) have all been *knock on wood* problem free. :)

[SteveRichardson]

Some people, no matter what they do, just have horrible luck with certain electronics. In your case, it's Apple computers.

For me, it's external hard drives.

[brikeh]

I got three dodgy g5 iMacs in a row...oh yeah it happens. :mad:
My powerbook however is working just fine.

[spicyapple]

My Apple product history:

1 PowerMac G4 400Mhz ("supercomputer" with velocity engine, my first Mac ever! Will always have a special place in my heart. )
1 PowerMac G4 867Mhz Quicksilver (introduced me to DVD authoring, sold to Mac-lover)
1 iPod 20GB 1G (still own and still rockin')
1 iPod mini (sold after 2 years of keeping me company on my 5 a.m. jogs)
1 20" Apple Cinema Display (still as beautiful now as in 2004)
1 PowerMac Dual G5 1.8Ghz (my main machine, keeps me well fed)
1 12" PowerBook G4 1.33Ghz (a sexy companion in bed, still own her)
1 iPod nano (my latest love to keep me company)

All of them working flawlessly in the time that I've owned them. Not one product was ever defective.

[pink-pony115]

Apple products are not for everybody.
You can choose when to give up.
If you feel its right just switch back to windows.
It might save you some hassels.

[crazycat]

Where do you buy your apple products? i have had 0 problems from apple products thou my friend did have some problems with the 15" PB battery last year.

[yellow]

Wow.. sorry to say it but you and your girlfriend should probably break up, I hope that your stellar lack of luck doesn't trickle over into the rest of your lives.

[CaptainCaveMann]

As of today, my girlfriend and I have owned 9 Apple products. 8 of the 9 have failed.

3 15" MBPs - all DOA
2 MacBooks - 2 faulty logic boards
4 iPods - 3 hard drive failures, one took 4 months, one 2 weeks, one took 1 day.

The two week old iPod had all of my backed up data from my MacBook on it (as the Genius suggested) when it failed.

I called Apple today and talked to a supervisor, who said if I have any more problems to call him. That was before the replacement iPod I got this morning failed tonight. I am really struggling with not switching back right now. I don't want to put up with Windows ever again, but it may make work easier and I can't afford to have my computer and data gone again during school.

Yes, there are so many arguments for buying a Mac - I've gotten 3 of my friends to switch. However, most of those arguments are software and I am coming to realize that if my computer doesn't work, all that software means nothing.

EDIT: The only iPod that hasn't failed is a week-old replacement for another iPod.

Get an apple desktop, they dont have as many problems. :D

[MacRy]

I feel your pain my friend. I've had the following hardware from Apple and all but one shipped faulty in some way:

12" G4 iBook - Logic board failure, Screen connector faulty, keyboard faulty, shipped with bad RAM.

15" G4 PowerBook - Faulty keyboard, faulty power supply.

2nd Gen 10Gb iPod - Faulty headphone connector

iPod Mini - Faulty battery.

4th Gen 30Gb iPod - Nothing wrong with it at all :)

QC sucks big time for me at least. Considering how much you pay for these things it's not unreasonable to expect them to bloody well work out of the box.

Edit: I competely forgot about my G4 Luxor lamp style iMac that also had a faulty superdrive and screen connector. That was my first Apple product which would have put me off if it hadn't been for the OS and the great design of the product.

[Fotograffiti]

You have friends that use programs only available on Windows? I don't see the problem when you can run Windows on a Mac now. It doesn't seem like a very hard obstacle to overcome.


I would say yes, I agree with you on this bit, I have some friends that shouldn't switch because they need programs that can only run on windows. The mac isn't for everyone.

I terms of all you failures! I'm sorry to hear it, all I can say is, I think apple products are getting worst in the sense of quality. May be you live near electrical lines that fry any apple product you own?

[LoveMacMini]

i trust mac desktops, that's it

i've heard too many horror stories about apple laptops and ipods that i just stick with thinkpads and creative or iriver players. haven't been let down since

[Chundles]

i trust mac desktops, that's it

i've heard too many horror stories about apple laptops and ipods that i just stick with thinkpads and creative or iriver players. haven't been let down since

Nor have I, four iPods and a two year old iBook, no horror stories.

You do realise that airing your grievances (no matter how valid they are) on this forum will accomplish sweet F.A. in terms of getting something fixed.

If you care that much you should take it up with Apple.

[brepublican]

That sucks man, thats quite some bad luck!!

But to be fair, seems you've been getting all the new 'Rev A' stuff. And the problems with these new MacBooks and their Pro counterparts are storied. If you had even a couple of PPC 'Books thrown in there... well, then, that'd be hard to accept.

If you want a 'Pod that will last you, and then some more, get a refurb. I recommend the mini

[ncook06]

Well, my MacBook has arrived safely home!

Applecare did an INCREDIBLE job. They did NOT wipe my HD or replace it - so I still have all of my data. They did, however replace just about everything else. Processor, logic board, heat sink, battery, even the keyboard and grey part of the clamshell (around the screen and keyboard). When I first got the computer, there was a small crack in the bevel next to the iSight. I ignored it because that's not too important to me, but they fixed it.

I had a picture of my girlfriend taped next to the trackpad - it serves as a reminder that work is not so important that I can forget her. They even stuck that back on, a little crooked, but it's there. :D


Now I just have to sort out this iPod mess, but at least I'm happy with Apple again.:)

[brepublican]

Wow.. sorry to say it but you and your girlfriend should probably break up, I hope that your stellar lack of luck doesn't trickle over into the rest of your lives.
HAHAHA!!1 Classic :D :D :D

[plinden]

ONLY 20%? :eek:

Not to be taking a jab at you by any means, but 1 out of every 5 of the computers shipped having to be repaired does not seem good to me.
That's pretty standard for laptops. 20-25% repair rate is common across the industry. I can't find any primary sources, but this is an interesting summary from early 2004 - http://forums.maccentral.com/wwwthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=general&Number=618987

If the MBP repair rate really is 20%, it's not bad for a first generation product and is no worse than Apple's figures for 1999-2003.

I have my own issues with the recent quality control of Apple, but a case of bad luck like this is amazing. I would start looking for other possible reasons for such a failure rate.

Not so amazing. 20% makes it very likely for large numbers of people to get 3 bad ones in a row - 1/5x1/5x1/5 = 1/125, i.e 1 in 125 people would get 3 bad MBPs in a row.

[LoveMacMini]

20% is common for the industry?! where are you getting these numbers?

[weg]

Such a run of bad luck is likely to be balanced by great luck for the next 20 years, right? ;)

He didn't say he's not going to buy Apple products for the next 20 years, did he? ;-)

[plinden]

20% is common for the industry?! where are you getting these numbers?
Did you follow the link in my post?

Frequency of "repairs and serious problems":
Apple best (16%), followed closely by Toshiba and Sony (both about 17%).
Worst: IBM, HP, Dell (more than 1/4 more likely to fail than Apple), and at the very bottom, Compaq and Gateway (50% more likely to fail than Apple).


It's also enlightening to put it into perspective with historical data on Apple laptop repair rates:
http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/laptops.html

[Jedi128]

Well, my MacBook has arrived safely home!

Applecare did an INCREDIBLE job. They did NOT wipe my HD or replace it - so I still have all of my data. They did, however replace just about everything else. Processor, logic board, heat sink, battery, even the keyboard and grey part of the clamshell (around the screen and keyboard). When I first got the computer, there was a small crack in the bevel next to the iSight. I ignored it because that's not too important to me, but they fixed it.

I had a picture of my girlfriend taped next to the trackpad - it serves as a reminder that work is not so important that I can forget her. They even stuck that back on, a little crooked, but it's there. :D


Now I just have to sort out this iPod mess, but at least I'm happy with Apple again.:)

That's good to hear. At first I thought you might be lieing, becuase it doesn't seem possible to me that you can get three DOA's in a row (with the MBP's). All my Apple stuff since 1994 has been working just great, although I don't feel like making a list right now.

Well, I'm just happy you like Apple again...

[dpaanlka]

I have over 75 Macs. Only one ever failed, a 6400/180.

[dmw007]

I have over 75 Macs. Only one ever failed, a 6400/180.

dpaanlka, you must have great luck. :)

[danny_w]

ONLY 20%? :eek:

Not to be taking a jab at you by any means, but 1 out of every 5 of the computers shipped having to be repaired does not seem good to me.
The defect rate for any electronic product should be more like 0.1%-0.2%, and certainly NOT anywhere near 20%. I know if our company got back even close to 1% heads would roll; we have run at less that 0.1% for the 7 years I have been with my present company. 20% is just completely absurd.

[QCassidy352]

that's some stunningly bad luck. I've had bad luck, but nothing compared to the OP!

among me and my family, we've had:
1 powermac G4 MDD - DOA
1 powerbook G4 15" - DOA
1 imac G4 15" - DOA
1 book G3 12" - backlight died
1 book G4 12" - HD died (and several other minor defects)
1 macbook - logic board failed

but that's compared to:
1 LC III
2 powermac G3s
1 imac G3
1 ibook G3 14"
1 ibook G4 14"
1 powerbook G4 12"
1 emac
1 powermac G5

That have been perfect. Add to that the replacements for the faulty powermac G4, imac G4, and macbook that were all perfect (the ibook G3 and G4 were repaired, and the powerbook returned for a refund) and my family and I have had:
6 seriously faulty macs and 12 perfect ones. That's a 1/3 failure rate - not good, not good at all. But the OP is 0 for 5!! Now that's some bad luck! :eek:

[disconap]

If it helps, I have (in my life) owned 9 apple products, most of which I still use:

Apple //c
512k Macintosh
Powerbook 145
Performa 6200
imac G3 400mHz
G3 b/w 350mHz
ibook G3 700mHz
G4 Sawtooth 400mHz
ibook G4 1gHz
ipod 512mb shuffle

Along with various Apple printers and monitors on the older apple/macs. And I've never heard of the amount of problems you've been having, though I do agree that the reliability of Apple products has declined a bit in the past five years, but then the reliability of ALL products on the planet have. People don't take pride in their work anymore, they simply mass produce for lowest price, as the attitude is "it's cheaper to fix/replace bad ones than to produce ones we KNOW will work". Just a sign of the times mixed with bad luck, I'd wager...

[justwondering]

NCook,
Our school has MacOs desktops and they most of them crashed daily. We are moving to Dells. The unfortunate thing is all of my work will not transfer over to the Dells.
I feel your pain but I must buy another mac for home in order to save my hours and hours of work-I just Have no clue what to buy!! and yes I am in the lightning capital bay area. We are all on surge protectors.

By the way--all of the Dells our school bought are included in the recall so our luck any work that I have created on the dell laptop will probably explode!! :D

[HughJ]

could it be something as simple as electrical build up from your carpet (especially if you wear plastic soled shoes?) or something like that?