Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Australia is shipping my custom Powerbook
- Thread starter aussie_geek
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
abc123 said:after all that?
i'd be mighty pissed off
i hope they are much much quicker fixing/replacing
After something like 9+ months of reading books and magazines about macs, figuring out what I wanted, saving my pennies, waiting for new models, watching the exchange rate and local pricing, sorting out salary sacrificing, buying accessories locally and from the US, and then finally putting my order in (and >$6k cash for everything I wanted) and waiting like 2.5 weeks to get it, and now I get what I consider the finest laptop to be had and its DOA...
I figure from what people have said about Apple Australia and Apple UK that I can expect to wait at a minimum 2 weeks, more likely more whilst a new machine ships...
Can't say I am having much fun switching at present...
Guess I'll have my currently newly purchased but useless iPod to keep me company...
im so sorry to hear that.
My condolences... I now really hope that wont happen to me. Did apple say what made it Dead? Is there a known problem with shipping/components which leads to them being DOA?
That sucks mate.
~ozi
My condolences... I now really hope that wont happen to me. Did apple say what made it Dead? Is there a known problem with shipping/components which leads to them being DOA?
That sucks mate.
~ozi
aswitcher said:
After something like 9+ months of reading books and magazines about macs, figuring out what I wanted, saving my pennies, waiting for new models, watching the exchange rate and local pricing, sorting out salary sacrificing, buying accessories locally and from the US, and then finally putting my order in (and >$6k cash for everything I wanted) and waiting like 2.5 weeks to get it, and now I get what I consider the finest laptop to be had and its DOA...
I figure from what people have said about Apple Australia and Apple UK that I can expect to wait at a minimum 2 weeks, more likely more whilst a new machine ships...
Can't say I am having much fun switching at present...
Guess I'll have my currently newly purchased but useless iPod to keep me company...
aswitcher I really feel for you!
I,m like you was reading mags checking out this forum & waiting for an upgrade within the PB range. Hang in there as I know this eposide has given you a bad taste for apple.
Hope all goes well & that you will get you PB up and running.
Regards,
Reuven
Why is it that only people that are in these forums recieve duds or pixel problems... i think i might leave these forums as they must be bad luck.. i have never heard of anyhting like i have since i started looking on forums around 1 month ago....
ASWITCHER that sucks man.... im so sorry to hear that.... WTF happened?
Everythign was peachy when i read your last post.. you were chargin the PB up etc? was the RAM installed at your reseller? cos they would have tested it there if so to see that it was installeed successfully?
It must have had a rough ride in transit or something....???
I reckon stay off the forums.. they sem to bring really bad luck... I'm even getting spooked by all this stuff that i read.. alsmost like im anticipating some probelms....
ASWITCHER that sucks man.... im so sorry to hear that.... WTF happened?
Everythign was peachy when i read your last post.. you were chargin the PB up etc? was the RAM installed at your reseller? cos they would have tested it there if so to see that it was installeed successfully?
It must have had a rough ride in transit or something....???
I reckon stay off the forums.. they sem to bring really bad luck... I'm even getting spooked by all this stuff that i read.. alsmost like im anticipating some probelms....
DOA??? You have GOT to be kidding me... Man, i feel so bad for you.
Hope...it gets sorted out...somehow...quickly...
(by the way don't get offended by this suggestion, as I know this isn't it but I was just trying to think of something, anything, that might help this. Ok, terrible suggestion 1 - make sure you hold the power button down for a couple of seconds, it doesn't work if you just tap it. Sorry, I know, I know that isn't it. I just wish it was for you)
Hope...it gets sorted out...somehow...quickly...
(by the way don't get offended by this suggestion, as I know this isn't it but I was just trying to think of something, anything, that might help this. Ok, terrible suggestion 1 - make sure you hold the power button down for a couple of seconds, it doesn't work if you just tap it. Sorry, I know, I know that isn't it. I just wish it was for you)
aswitcher said:
Man, that sucks. What symptoms are you experiencing? Random crashes and lockups? Have you tried removing the RAM that the dealer added? I think I remember you saying that you had 2 x 512MB sticks of RAM, so you should be able to remove one.
I hate to say it, but your experiences are pretty close to mine when I got my G5. I'd been looking into OS X for about 6 months. I even went so far as to buy an old PowerMac 7600/120 from eBay and upgrade it with a G3 CPU card so I could test drive OS X better than I could in a shop. And then when my G5 finally arrived after months of waiting, it was DOA. <sigh>
Here's hoping Apple can sort this out quickly. It probably wouldn't hurt to mention that this is your first Mac, and that you've waited so long to make the final purchase. Let us know how it goes.
locopano said:
I live in the same suburb as my reseller and I was cautious getting it home...
So for everyone here's what happened.
I left it charging - noting the battery was all ready more than half charged.
About 8:20pm last night the charger went green. So I pushed the powerbutton briefly and waited. Startup tune occured. Screen flashed light blue a few times but settled into a black screen. Could hear the harddisk humming along. Waited 5 minutes. Nothing.
I then followed the instructions in the manual and forced a reboot. Same thing occured.
I then followed other instructions in the manual to reboot with like 6 keys pressed. Same thing.
I then put the first of the two service disks in that came with the PB and rebooted. Holding down the option key I heard the startup noise and waited as the screen flashed a bit. Then the screen it settled into a series of thin different coloured verticle stripes. Unimpressed I booted again and held the pad key down to eject the disk.
I rang Apple help line and explained my situation on a bad phone line to a guy at the other end after giving my details over. Hearing I had tried the disk he said it sounded DOA...Dead on Arrival. I explained my reseller had just installed some ram and that the manual mentioned that as a possible startup problem. He said maybe, but said symptoms suggested DOA. He said check with reseller about ram but if that wasn't it call Apple again. When I mentioned it was a BTO and I was concerned if it needed to be replaced it could be some weeks, he agreed that could be the case. He also mentioned that at least it wasn't a 15" because they are in high demand...
So thats my story for the various posts inquiring what my first experience of owning an Apple has been.
So in an hour or so I will head over to my reseller on foot with the all the gear that came with the PB back in its nice box and see what happens.
Aswitcher
I just spoke to my firend who had a similar problem this morning.. he goes to me that its the RAM for sure.. he had exactly the same problem and he said it was cos the re-sellers put in **** RAM sticks..... He went back to the re-seller and got his money back and went and bought a new one from another store... this was a long time ago tho.... but yeah he was pissed cos he asked for a specific type of RAM and they sold him something different and dodgy... He then quoted the TPA and demanded for his cash back...
But your machine is fine... he only did that outta principle, PLUS there was heaps of otehr PB's in stock lying around back then....
I just spoke to my firend who had a similar problem this morning.. he goes to me that its the RAM for sure.. he had exactly the same problem and he said it was cos the re-sellers put in **** RAM sticks..... He went back to the re-seller and got his money back and went and bought a new one from another store... this was a long time ago tho.... but yeah he was pissed cos he asked for a specific type of RAM and they sold him something different and dodgy... He then quoted the TPA and demanded for his cash back...
But your machine is fine... he only did that outta principle, PLUS there was heaps of otehr PB's in stock lying around back then....
aswitcher said:DOA turned out to be because of bad ram. Reseller went for another brand and it WORKS!
Great news! Apple hardware seems to be more choosy about RAM than PC hardware, so the dodgy RAM isn't all that surprising. Enjoy the new PB!
Update
Because of intermitant startup problems it looks like the PB will be goign back anyway. Still getting things sorted out and tested. Guess this means I will have to learn pretty quick the best way to transfer files and apps via dvd burn so that I can save myself some time when a new machine comes...
Because of intermitant startup problems it looks like the PB will be goign back anyway. Still getting things sorted out and tested. Guess this means I will have to learn pretty quick the best way to transfer files and apps via dvd burn so that I can save myself some time when a new machine comes...
locopano said:
Well I waited 3 weeks for mine to arrive and counted the days an hours like some kind of freak.
If I got a dud god know what I would be doing
rant rant !!!But prasie the lord
my 15" is working like a dream I,ve got the wireless networking going with no trouble and took me 5 mins to get it rolling might add with full bars! & got a MX 900 Logitec mouse going. No complaints from me except it will take me a few weeks to get use to OS X and work out the other programs as well
Good luck aswitcher hope you get you PB soon and in perfect order
lucky reuven!
well I was hoping to get mine today, but doesnt look like thats going to happen... I will have to wait ANOTHER weekend. oh the tragedy of it all... And yeah we've got wireless here with optus cable, so it should be good.
Also, i will be getting a mouse... is the logitex a good one? is it bluetooth?
well I was hoping to get mine today, but doesnt look like thats going to happen... I will have to wait ANOTHER weekend.
oh the tragedy of it all... And yeah we've got wireless here with optus cable, so it should be good.Also, i will be getting a mouse... is the logitex a good one? is it bluetooth?
congrats reuven!!
Well done Reuven!! Good to see you are surfing wirelessly !!
aussie_geek
Reuven said:Well I waited 3 weeks for mine to arrive and counted the days an hours like some kind of freak.
If I got a dud god know what I would be doing
But prasie the lord
No complaints from me except it will take me a few weeks to get use to OS X and work out the other programs as well
Good luck aswitcher hope you get you PB soon and in perfect order
Well done Reuven!! Good to see you are surfing wirelessly !!
aussie_geek
WTF?? DOA - no way...
aswitcher,
I cannot begin to say how sorry I feel for you. You have been one of the most enthusiastic people on this forum regarding Powerbooks and a DOA landed in your lap
I hope your problems wil be sorted quickly as you have been waiting soooo long...
Just remember that OSX isn't going anywhere fast so if another week or so without it is definately worth the wait.
cheers man
ausssie_geek
aswitcher said:
aswitcher,
I cannot begin to say how sorry I feel for you. You have been one of the most enthusiastic people on this forum regarding Powerbooks and a DOA landed in your lap
I hope your problems wil be sorted quickly as you have been waiting soooo long...
Just remember that OSX isn't going anywhere fast so if another week or so without it is definately worth the wait.
cheers man
ausssie_geek
aussie_geek said:aswitcher,
I cannot begin to say how sorry I feel for you. You have been one of the most enthusiastic people on this forum regarding Powerbooks and a DOA landed in your lap
I hope your problems wil be sorted quickly as you have been waiting soooo long...
Just remember that OSX isn't going anywhere fast so if another week or so without it is definately worth the wait.
cheers man
ausssie_geek
Thanks aussie_geek.
Well my PB went back to the reseller today with intermitent screen problems on bootup. I have a avi movie of the startup sequence to demonstrate the problem incase Apple Australia question the problem exists.
The update.
Well yesterday (Friday) afternoon the machine worked a treat. Only thing that happened that soured the day was the appearance of a stuck pixel
I hadn;t used the screen more than 5 hours for that to happen. In a way its a blessing its now gone.Then this morning having left it powered off but with almost a full charge on the wooden dining room table overnight, I open it up, move my radtech screen protector
and hit the power button, I get the start sound, and soon the screen flashes pale blue, then goes black, then is replaced with flickering coloured horizontal lines I take my pics. I force power it off, and try again. Same result. The third time round I film it from start to splutter. I leave it a while. Change locations try again. Same thing.
I plan to pack it up but before I do I pull out the battery put it in a start it up one last time and it works!
It continues to power up fine after that.But its far too tempremental for a brand new top of the line, fully speced Apple machine that I paid thousands for me to put up with - so back it went. My reseller agreed that it was a lemon, likely the graphics processor (which is on the single form logic board) or possibly the screen connectors. In any case its broke and I dont want it. I wouldn't buy a brand new foreign car and put up with a machine whose electrics decided to work at random intervals.
So I am still a PC user.
No eta on a replacement PB. Likely 2 weeks minimum from what I can see of Apple's orders. At least being a 17 it should be a bit easeier to get given what Apple hinted at on the demands for 15s in Oz.
Anyway for those of you who are interested thats the latest. At least I got a few hours to play with the interface, set some stuff up, test UT2K4
, listent o some tunes, tested the dvd player, and played with expose and user switching.I would be interest in hearing of others stories, hopefully all successful ones, and any comments switchers have had especially.
Anyway I might be off the air for a while as I am off to AusCERT 2004, sans a laptop/powerbook.
Hopefully my friends there will be willing to buy me a few drinks at night and listen to my tales of woe.
thanks for the update!!!
im sorry your first experience with Apple was so s***. Also, how was UT 2004? good frame rates? I am wondering if I should buy it, along with Halo.
I hope you at least get some free beers! insist on Crownies... the best Aussie beer (in my opinion.)
Cheers!
~ozi
im sorry your first experience with Apple was so s***. Also, how was UT 2004? good frame rates?
I am wondering if I should buy it, along with Halo.I hope you at least get some free beers! insist on Crownies... the best Aussie beer (in my opinion.)
Cheers!
~ozi
Ozi said:
Definetly playable. Not sure how to figure out exact frame rates, but I played for an hour or so to see the different games, and found it fine even with some higher settings.
Hey aswitcher,
Sorry to hear about your DOA powerbook. It's disturbing the number of DOAs we are getting these days. A lot of them are due to RAM problems however. It seems the new hardware is getting more and more touchy about what RAM you put in it and many resellers seem to be frying logic boards by putting in the wrong RAM and then sending the machine back to Apple as DOA! lol
The supply of new Powerbooks is actually quite good this time around. Normally it takes ages for any new product to ship in quantity, but we're getting good supplies so that's good.
Only other news I have is about Tiger. I sent a report off to arn but it hasn't been published as yet. Apparently it is planned for release in September and will sport a much more 3D interface, apparently surpassing what Sun have been up to in their Looking Glass project. Also a whole new .mac interface in the works from what I hear, and finally fixing the lousy speeds when copying files to iDisk. And one more thing, 4th gen iPods are confirmed as being in the works, with 'many of the features floating around on the rumour sites'.
That's all I know for now!
Sorry to hear about your DOA powerbook. It's disturbing the number of DOAs we are getting these days. A lot of them are due to RAM problems however. It seems the new hardware is getting more and more touchy about what RAM you put in it and many resellers seem to be frying logic boards by putting in the wrong RAM and then sending the machine back to Apple as DOA! lol
The supply of new Powerbooks is actually quite good this time around. Normally it takes ages for any new product to ship in quantity, but we're getting good supplies so that's good.
Only other news I have is about Tiger. I sent a report off to arn but it hasn't been published as yet. Apparently it is planned for release in September and will sport a much more 3D interface, apparently surpassing what Sun have been up to in their Looking Glass project. Also a whole new .mac interface in the works from what I hear, and finally fixing the lousy speeds when copying files to iDisk. And one more thing, 4th gen iPods are confirmed as being in the works, with 'many of the features floating around on the rumour sites'.
That's all I know for now!