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QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Original poster
Mar 20, 2003
12,028
6,036
Bay Area
well, I got this ibook about a month ago, and although it's really great in a lot of ways, for the first time in my ownership of 6 macs (and several that my family owned and I used), I'm pretty unhappy with the build quality of this machine.

First, the left wrist-rest is slightly separated from the casing, resulting in a noticable movement when I press down on it, as well as a squeaking sound.

Second, the space bar has to be pressed harder than normal to get it to register, such that it's pretty common for me to miss spaces when typing. (never been a problem on any other computer or keyboard, so it's not my typing style).

Well, that's it so far, but this ibook is pretty much brand new and has been babied in every way. I guess I'm just not looking foward to these problems worsening and new ones showing up over the years I own this ibook. Am I being too picky?
 

AJ Muni

macrumors 65816
Aug 4, 2005
1,149
23
Miami
i had the same problem with the spacebar, but for me it was towards the right side of the space bar...i kinda hated it,but now with my new pb THANK GOD it doesnt happen cuz it bothered the hell outta me..
 

devilot

Moderator emeritus
May 1, 2005
15,584
1
I know this can't really help you, but I guess I got lucky w/ my iBook... none of the issues you mention. :eek:

Maybe hunt around for a 'nicer' Genius who'll just swap the space bar for you? As for the wrist rest part-- I dunno what to tell you. :(
 

dswoodley

macrumors 6502a
Jul 18, 2002
538
1
You are not being too picky. I had similar problems with my old G3 800mhz iBook. It took a firm stance from me when talking to Apple Support, but they gave in and replaced it.
 

northernleitz

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2005
45
0
Rural Alaska
I used to work for a school district that provided iBooks for its teachers. A nice gesture, but with such a volume purchase we all got to see the full spectrum of iBook reliability... AC adaptors failing, video cards burning out, video mirroring inoperable.... This was with G4 as well as G3 iBooks. The only iBooks that seemed to be up to normal Apple standards were the funky old clamshell models. I say you aren't doing too bad if the only problems you are having are a sticky spacebar and poorly fitted case.
 

Yoyodyne

macrumors member
Jul 30, 2005
69
0
Uqbar
I'm on my second 14" iBook in about two months. On the current one I have two pieces of index cards placed strategically in my battery cavity to keep the battery from audibly knocking around. Also I have one dead pixel (yeah, it's black, so the sad guy isn't budging). I'm sticking with it, because it took a lot of persuasion to get my first one replaced.
 

Voidness

macrumors 6502a
Aug 2, 2005
847
65
Null
First, the left wrist-rest is slightly separated from the casing, resulting in a noticable movement when I press down on it, as well as a squeaking sound.
I have the exact same issue with my new iBook 12". But I guess I can't do anything about it. I also noticed the screen doesn't close flush, which is kinda annoying (but some people here say it's necessary to prevent keyboard marks on the LCD)
 

rosalindavenue

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2003
855
282
Virginia, USA
The case on my month-old 12" ibook is OK (although the screen lifts up a little at the corners when closed), but the latch is very hit and miss-- sometimes it takes 3 or 4 tries to get it to catch. A real pain in the rear-- anyone have any suggestions?
 

swindmill

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2005
946
4
KY
My girlfriend just purchased a new ibook, and I was surprised at the difference in build quality between the pb and ibook. I don't see this mentioned much when comparing the two, but it seems pretty important. As far as I know, she isn't having any of the issues complained of, but I'm going to take a closer look.
 

neuromajor

macrumors newbie
Sep 15, 2005
19
1
The white ibook's hinge design is one of the worst that apple has engineered. Apple's computers have always had emphasis on artistic but recently they have obviously stressed the form over the function.

My family has 2 white G3 ibooks and a clamshell. One white was repaired under warranty for a backlight that would go out when the screen was tilted past 90 degs. But after the warranty expired, the airport cable failed. Let me just say it was painful to take apart all the little screws and pieces just to replace the cable--and I can't wait again when I have to replace the other 4 cables in that joint (x2 for the other white ibook). Speaking of which, the other white ibook had a flickering screen when bent past 90 degs. I had to send it to apple 2 times and on the third time showing them that it wasn't fixed, they decided to give me a new G4 ibook. I guess I shouldn't complain too loudly, but come on, it would be nice if they fixed the problem at its source--irritated consumers like me cost the company money! Just check out apple's ibook "discussions" under displays--"90 degrees and blackout" has 496 posts!
Conclusion: I wouldn't recommend an ibook until they change the form factor and joint. Hopefully they will put the handle back on the next ibook!
 

brendel95

macrumors regular
May 23, 2005
109
0
QCassidy352 said:
well, I got this ibook about a month ago, and although it's really great in a lot of ways, for the first time in my ownership of 6 macs (and several that my family owned and I used), I'm pretty unhappy with the build quality of this machine.

First, the left wrist-rest is slightly separated from the casing, resulting in a noticable movement when I press down on it, as well as a squeaking sound.

Second, the space bar has to be pressed harder than normal to get it to register, such that it's pretty common for me to miss spaces when typing. (never been a problem on any other computer or keyboard, so it's not my typing style).

Well, that's it so far, but this ibook is pretty much brand new and has been babied in every way. I guess I'm just not looking foward to these problems worsening and new ones showing up over the years I own this ibook. Am I being too picky?

The spacebar problem is unavoidable in iBook. Keyboard cable is located underneath spacebar. That's why spacebar always have poblem to the right or left end of it.
 

Mord

macrumors G4
Aug 24, 2003
10,091
23
UK
take the space bar out and put it back in and make sure the metal bar is in the slots it should be and all the little hooks are in when you put it back in, sometimes the spacebar go's in wrong when i clean out my ibooks keyboard.
 

wide

macrumors 6502a
May 17, 2004
746
0
NYC
I have several complaints about the build quality of my iBook, especially compared to older/other models...but I've learned not to care about them. It's going to get beaten up, battered, and scratched eventually...the slight defects in build quality take away the anger of when you do something bad to the computer.
 

Voidness

macrumors 6502a
Aug 2, 2005
847
65
Null
brendel95 said:
The spacebar problem is unavoidable in iBook. Keyboard cable is located underneath spacebar. That's why spacebar always have poblem to the right or left end of it.
The spacebar for me is a bit tilted towards the left, but it doesn't seem to be affecting it in anyway. I have no problems at all when typing on the iBook (And if you were wondering, I don't hit the keyboard when typing).
 

Furiae

macrumors newbie
Jan 26, 2005
1
0
QCassidy352 said:
First, the left wrist-rest is slightly separated from the casing, resulting in a noticable movement when I press down on it, as well as a squeaking sound.

I bought mine around the same time and my iBook has the same thing going on with the casing at the left wrist. There's a little give right there and the squeaking is really what bothers me. Good to know it's not just mine. No spacebar problems, though.
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
I just bought a mint slightly used iBook 1.2 14" and the trackpad was slightly askew and needed more than reasonable pressure to make it work (as compared to out of the box new 1.33 14" i have). Applecare taking care of it with a new palmrest/top case and I'm dropping a new hd and superdrive in while the thing is open.

I have come to believe it is not the design but the people who snap together the parts of these machines that are the culprit. I have had some horrendous experiences recently with Apple techs themselves -- putting a new combo drive in an old Tibook and leaving the hard drive bumpers underneath -- which forced it not to work properly; scratching the hell out of the case, putting on old hinges with flaking paint when the ones sent in were pristine. Like everything everywhere, it comes down to the human factor. Craftsmanship and excellence in your vocation is a sad premium in today's world, I'm afraid. It bothers me because just to get your own day's work done today, you have to hound people supposedly doing their jobs to do it right.

Methinks there's a disgruntled Chinese labor camp worker for Apple who just doesn't appreciate the whip on her back when she fails to put the new iBook case together properly and is secretly sabataging things for us.
 

Bern

macrumors 68000
Nov 10, 2004
1,854
1
Australia
And people say there isn't much difference between the current line of iBooks and the 12" Powerbook :rolleyes:
 

WillMak

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2005
957
0
my only complaint is that the ibook's left keyboard hinge doesn't fit as smoothly (slides into the hole well) as the right as if it's slightly higher than the right one. I've noticed this in several of apples's ibook in store and mine!
 

drake

macrumors 6502a
Jul 5, 2005
532
0
Odd how Microsoft produces buggy software and Apple produces buggy hardware, yet MS is the software company and Apple the hardware company. But really, it is form over function.
 

Peter Griffin

macrumors regular
Jul 10, 2005
219
0
The left armrest does get annoying but what really ticks me off isn't the creaking on the left but the uneven backlight. The bottom corners seem to be lighter than the rest of the screen. Just yesterday I found that the piece of plastic which covers the ports on the left side sticking out. Apparently hasn't been glued onto the iBook evenly which is causing it to scrap my fingers everytime I run my hand acorss it. Maybe I'm being a bit too picky but I was expecting more after all the rave about APple's build quality being up to IBM Thinkpad standards.
 

ibidiem

macrumors member
Aug 27, 2005
70
0
Portland, OR
My left wrist-rest creaks, too, and the battery hangs out like a millimeter... also, there's a slight lopsidedness to the screen, when shut... but yet it was somewhere durring puberty that I forced myself to not mind lopsidedness so much, and all told it's such the lovely machine... I do wonder if the creak is the result of the hd heating the plastic unevenly, and whether or not, eventually, it'll snap out.

I do have to say that the iskin I bought with it does provide me with a good peace of mind -- whenever I notice excess heat comming off the computer, I take it off to give it some air and am horrified at those huge gaps just waiting for some sticky, caffinated liquid to seep into their beyond!
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Original poster
Mar 20, 2003
12,028
6,036
Bay Area
Prelude2Tragedy said:
I guess i got the only flawless ibook off of the production line. None of the problems listed above. *knock on wood"

well, mine seems to be getting worse... so look out! :eek:
 
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