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Apple Reportedly Suspends MacBook Air Supplier Due to 'Quality Issues'

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Apple has suspended MacBook bearing supplier Kersen's production for inspection purposes due to "quality issues," and shifted orders to other suppliers through the end of the year, according to a report today from Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.

m1-macbook-air-1.jpg

The report said the suspension came after Apple discovered a high defect rate with the Chinese supplier's bearings in August. The bearings are used in previous-generation MacBook Air models, rather than the latest models, according to the report.

None of the MacBook Air models with defective bearings reached the market, the report added:
Industry insiders indicate that the defects were present from the beginning, but Apple only detected them during destructive testing later in the process. A subsequent full batch inspection revealed a high defect rate. Fortunately, none of the faulty products have reached the market. However, bearing defects typically take one to two years of use before becoming noticeable to consumers.
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It is unclear exactly which component the report is referring to.

The report cites industry sources who believe that Apple's alleged "aggressive pricing tactics" with component vendors increases the risk of quality issues.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Suspends MacBook Air Supplier Due to 'Quality Issues'
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/19/macbook-air-supplier-quality-issues-report/
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Just so they don't start losing their bearings - we could end up with LCs, Quadras, and Performas again...
 
"Please reduce the quality and increase the failure rate of my devices so I can pay a few dollars less," said NO ONE EVER!
 
eh, seems like they could test this easily BEFORE putting into the product. Rather than wait a year after assembly. and a Chinese company making sub par components to save money? Them? Nahhhhh...
 
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MacRumors said:
The report cites industry sources who believe that Apple's alleged "aggressive pricing tactics" with component vendors increases the risk of quality issues.
Click to expand...

No capable supplier is going to agree to a contract where they can't both profit and deliver according to the terms of the contract.

I suspect that the supplier's sales department simply agreed to a deal that couldn't be met, despite warnings from their own engineering and manufacturing department. Then they lied to Apple, who initially believed them. Then they tried to ship product that failed to conform to the specifications. Apple was on to them, did additional quality checks, and started to take steps to end the relationship.

Yeah, I was in the manufacturing industry. I've seen this before. It's a sure-fire way to damage your corporate reputation, all thanks to a sales team that wants to live like billionaires.
 
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Strange for the first time I didn’t get AppleCare. I bought a MacBook Air M1 from Costco and a block of the screen has gone bad.

First time in 20 years at least I didn’t get AppleCare and wouldn’t you know that this computer failed I wonder if this is the quality issue.

Just for fun I emailed Tim Cook and told him about the problem and did not get a response. Surprise surprise.

This is my daughter‘s first computer and we bought it for her first year of college. It’s kept in a hard plastic shell and then in a gel case.

She takes very good care of it and it wasn’t her fault. Bad components for the screen.

I don’t recall right now how much it is to replace an M1 MacBook Air 13 inch screen I think it was four to $500 when I looked it up… Not worth it… Right now she is using it and the color is shifted and there’s a big white block on the left side of the screen from the top to the bottom
 
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MacRumors said:
None of the MacBook Air models with defective bearings reached the market
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That’s always Apples first response. I remember the butterfly keyboards, extended keyboards that fold like a banana in time, MacBook screens, banana pads 😂🤣😂

Hope it doesn’t affect my MacBook Air M2. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻.
 
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iluvcrap2000 said:
eh, seems like they could test this easily BEFORE putting into the product. Rather than wait a year after assembly. and a Chinese company making sub par components to save money? Them? Nahhhhh...
Click to expand...

Overseas manufacturers will send you an excellent test sample and first run, only to slowly cheapen the quality they provide over time. We see this all the time in my industry.
 
MichaelDroste said:
Strange for the first time I didn’t get AppleCare. I bought a MacBook Air M1 from Costco and a block of the screen has gone bad.

First time in 20 years at least I didn’t get AppleCare and wouldn’t you know that this computer failed I wonder if this is the quality issue.

Just for fun I emailed Tim Cook and told him about the problem and did not get a response. Surprise surprise.

This is my daughter‘s first computer and we bought it for her first year of college. It’s kept in a hard plastic shell and then in a gel case.

She takes very good care of it and it wasn’t her fault. Bad components for the screen.

I don’t recall right now how much it is to replace an M1 MacBook Air 13 inch screen I think it was four to $500 when I looked it up… Not worth it… Right now she is using it and the color is shifted and there’s a big white block on the left side of the screen from the top to the bottom
Click to expand...
In Europe we get a two year guarantee live span. Apple uses a one year guarantee but was forced to use two years. Isn’t your daughter’s MacBook problem taken care of by the normal quarantee period?
 
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MichaelDroste said:
Strange for the first time I didn’t get AppleCare. I bought a MacBook Air M1 from Costco and a block of the screen has gone bad.

First time in 20 years at least I didn’t get AppleCare and wouldn’t you know that this computer failed I wonder if this is the quality issue.

Just for fun I emailed Tim Cook and told him about the problem and did not get a response. Surprise surprise.

This is my daughter‘s first computer and we bought it for her first year of college. It’s kept in a hard plastic shell and then in a gel case.

She takes very good care of it and it wasn’t her fault. Bad components for the screen.

I don’t recall right now how much it is to replace an M1 MacBook Air 13 inch screen I think it was four to $500 when I looked it up… Not worth it… Right now she is using it and the color is shifted and there’s a big white block on the left side of the screen from the top to the bottom
Click to expand...
Doesn’t Costco have some sort of “special” return policy for stuff like this?
 
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