Defective Powerbook G4 Paint - Titanium

[ewwhite]

My Titanium Powerbook has developed some nasty paint issues. It's blisteres, bubbling and chipping in random spots. I'd like to know if anyone here has seen anything like this:

http://ems.music.uiuc.edu/p/photo.php?dir=Defective_Powerbook

[MacAztec]

You must treat the poor baby like *****!

If you treated it right, it would not do that!

Seems to me as if you painted it, because Titanium does not just "flake" off...

[ewwhite]

It may be part of a bad batch of TiBooks. I suspect that only 667 and 550 models are affected. And no, I don't mistreat my Powerbook. The flaking and blistering is progressing on its own; even in areas of the machine that do not come into human contact.

[eyelikeart]

damn that's painful looking... :eek: :(

haven't seen anything like that....esp. not on mine...

I baby the living hell out of it still...

I would only imagine that happening if u were really rough with it...

[sparkleytone]

http://www.tipaint.com/

if theres a website and domain name dedicated to it, i'm sure you aren't alone out there.

[ewwhite]

Even though there are bluish-green spots that would indicate a chemical/paint adhesion problem? Really, I babied my machine, too.

[ewwhite]

Originally posted by sparkleytone
http://www.tipaint.com/

if theres a website and domain name dedicated to it, i'm sure you aren't alone out there.

That would indicate a problem on Apple's side... I'm working on a replacement. The product specialist did not believe my problem and asked me to document it with photos. The response to the pics has been very strong. I will see what they have to say tomorrow.

[Rower_CPU]

My PBG4 400 that I've had since October shows no signs of similar chipping/peeling/wear...weird. This is also the first I've heard of anything like this happening. We have a 667 at work that we just got, and I'll keep my eye on it to see if it shows signs of following the same trend...

[MacAztec]

Your pictures show that you have acutal Titanium taken out of it. I have never seen a scratch that is that deep. Looks like someone keyed it!

[ewwhite]

Originally posted by MacAztec
Your pictures show that you have acutal Titanium taken out of it. I have never seen a scratch that is that deep. Looks like someone keyed it!

The part that is affected is the carbon-fiber base (the lighter-colored ring around the base of the computer). The carbon fiber is black underneath the paint. The titanium parts of the computer are fine and showing no noticable wear.

[eyelikeart]

I have seen cases where the paint simply wore away from use...usually on the right side of the trackpad...or right in from of the trackpad....since most people are right-handed...

I've even seen marks on both sides from the way some people type and rest their hands on the unit...I've made it a point to try and not do that so I don't subject mine to the same look...

[ewwhite]

Heh, I'm aiming for one of the new Powerbooks....that would be an excellent replacement.

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by ewwhite
Heh, I'm aiming for one of the new Powerbooks....that would be an excellent replacement.

Just don't count on Apple exchanging it. With what I went through getting mine repaired, they replaced like for like. No upgrades at all.

[mymemory]

That problem is wierd. I take my powerbook to the beach too and subadived with it and all that and mine doesn't have that problem... my be is because I have a Pismo:D

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by mymemory
That problem is wierd. I take my powerbook to the beach too and subadived with it and all that and mine doesn't have that problem... my be is because I have a Pismo:D

would that be scubadived? I didn't know the Pismo powerbook was depth rated? :D

I've got a TiPB G4 and I've not noticed that level of decay, but I have some dings that I just don't understand. I baby the thing, yet it seems to have a few on one corner by the ear jack. That might be from me missing the plug, I'll have to be more careful.

[iGav]

My TiBook is fine...... like most I treat it as if it was my own child.......

Could it be something you cleaned it with??? I use Mr Muscle Glass Cleaner on mine (the green stuff, although u might not have it in the states) and clean it once aweek, to get greasy paw prints of it, also has fixed the problem some of the Rev A TiBooks had with the PowerBook G4 logo rubbing of on the base of the mac just above the mute key...... I don't have that problem any more...... :D

Not had any problems at all with the finish, have 2 slight surface scratches on the bottom of the TiBook by the vents caused by a zip, but nothing major.... mine passes as brand new.....

I look after it religiously as A: I like things to keep things in brand new, never used appearance.... (except my clothes) B; i know that I'll get top £ when I come to sell it in feb 03........:D

[MacAztec]

I wish that the PowerBook had the expandability like the Pismo. You could have a 10 hour battery life with the pismo! I mean, the options were countless.

Now with the PowerBook Ti, you cant put two batteries in it, or anything like that. I wish it had the option!

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by MacAztec
I wish that the PowerBook had the expandability like the Pismo. You could have a 10 hour battery life with the pismo! I mean, the options were countless.

Now with the PowerBook Ti, you cant put two batteries in it, or anything like that. I wish it had the option!

Just get a second battery and put it to sleep when you need to change it. Doing it that way, you could get longer use times from batteries. Also, you can get the external charger (think VST offers them) and charge one as you are using the other.

[MacAztec]

Thats a good idea.

But....

I need a Ti Book first!

[iGav]

Originally posted by MacAztec
Thats a good idea.

But....

I need a Ti Book first!

Alpha can help you out on that one, if the price is right!!! :p

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by iGAV


Alpha can help you out on that one, if the price is right!!! :p

Hell yeah... For the right price ($$ is negotiable) you can have my TiBook, so that I can get a brand spankin new one. :D

I really do want to sell my 500MHz... and give it a good home, but I am also working alternate methods for obtaining the newest one, so that I don't have to wait for my old one to sell. Still selling it though.

[MacAztec]

Originally posted by iGAV


Alpha can help you out on that one, if the price is right!!! :p

Hehe, I want the new one though. I don't really need it, I just want it. I want any mac!

I am getting kinda tired of the tiBooks design. Aren't they going to move to that white/chrome?

[MacAztec]

Originally posted by AlphaTech


Hell yeah... For the right price ($$ is negotiable) you can have my TiBook, so that I can get a brand spankin new one. :D

I really do want to sell my 500MHz... and give it a good home, but I am also working alternate methods for obtaining the newest one, so that I don't have to wait for my old one to sell. Still selling it though.

Could we trade money and machines? I have a few G4 towers, old machines, iMacs, etc.

[Rower_CPU]

I'm selling mine too, since it's the fashionable thing to do.

NO PAINT DAMAGE...he he he :D

Check out my thread here:
http://www.macrumors.com/forums/showthread.php3?threadid=4354

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by MacAztec


Could we trade money and machines? I have a few G4 towers, old machines, iMacs, etc.

Not taking any trades, unless you have some gold bars hanging around that you don't need :D...

I don't want to have to sell what you trade me and risk taking a hard loss in the process.

[AlphaTech]

Rower_CPU, mine doesn't have any damage either... it also has a brand new LCD, power inverter and logic board on/in it.

Thank you AppleCare :D

[MacAztec]

How much time is left on the Apple Care if you sold it?

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by MacAztec
How much time is left on the Apple Care if you sold it?

It would run out at the end of March in 2004 (11th week), maybe a little later, I would have to double check, but that would be the earliest it would expire (might be able to squeeze out a few extra weeks, since I think I told them that I bought/received it in April of 2001). I will confirm with my records when I get home to get a solid date.

[mc68k]

Originally posted by ewwhite


The part that is affected is the carbon-fiber base (the lighter-colored ring around the base of the computer). The carbon fiber is black underneath the paint. The titanium parts of the computer are fine and showing no noticable wear.

I'm curious as to which parts of the computer are carbon fiber and which are titanium. Apple says that the case is made out of Ti, but that's not very specific.

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by mc68k


I'm curious as to which parts of the computer are carbon fiber and which are titanium. Apple says that the case is made out of Ti, but that's not very specific.

There is also mention (in the service manuals :D ) about touching they painted, conductive pieces. Does anyone KNOW if carbon fiber is an electrical conductor or not??? I would tend to believe it is not, but I could be in error there. I would think that Apple would brag about having the high tech material inside the TiBooks, if it was present. I do see references to other metals, such as aluminum for the heat sink, and see other metal parts. The bracer right near the memory chips is plastic (at least it feels like it, and looks like it).

I DO know what carbon fiber looks like, and there is very little that can be done to mask it. Why would Apple even bother painting it???

[mc68k]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
I DO know what carbon fiber looks like, and there is very little that can be done to mask it. Why would Apple even bother painting it???

Because Apple didn't think carbon fiber's natural color fit w/their color scheme? That's all I can think of.

Does anyone KNOW if carbon fiber is an electrical conductor or not??? I would tend to believe it is not, but I could be in error there.

This (http://www.compositesnews.com/pages/zoltek.spm) site says it IS:

"From more than two decades of use in aerospace applications, the remarkable properties of carbon fiber-reinforced composites are well known and well documented. They include high strength, low weight, high stiffness, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and electrical conductivity."

I would think that Apple would brag about having the high tech material inside the TiBooks, if it was present.

"Carbon fiber acts to dissipate both static electricity and heat. That property, combined with light weight, has made our fiber an increasingly important material in the manufacture of computers, printers, copiers, and other electronic devices"…"Carbon fiber-reinforced composites provide the opportunity to reduce weight and to provide shielding from electromagnetic interference for portable electronic equipment. Many current projects concentrate on these applications."

Does any of that sound familiar? I remeber Apple bragging about Titanium and its properties, but I don't remember anything specific to carbon-fiber. Maybe they're using it as a composite material?

[Gelfin]

Originally posted by MacAztec
You must treat the poor baby like *****!

If you treated it right, it would not do that!

Seems to me as if you painted it, because Titanium does not just "flake" off...

You realize that the surface you can see on a PBG4 is not Titanium, right? The silver/gray is a coating. Titanium is a pale coppery color.

My PB (667) has a little of that. I've assumed it to be a consequence of having my hands and wrists on the keyboard surface for most of any time I'm not asleep. If the blistering on the carbon fiber outer ring gets worse, I've been considering just stripping it completely and seeing how it looks in black.