Apple to repair some 15" PB lower memory slots

[pixpixpix]

Apple announced a repair program this week which will repair some 15" Powerbooks which have had lower memory slot failure.

This problem has been widely reported here and here and here.

A petition was also started at lowermemoryslot.editkid.com

Unfortunately Apple's response only covers machines made between Jan and April 2005 which leaves out many of the first people to have the problem.

The affected PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) computers have eleven-digit serial numbers in this range:

W8503xxxxxx through W8518xxxxxx

Either it is bad PR or they didn't do their homework or both, but Apple really ought to cover ALL people who have experienced 15" PB lower slot failure.

 

[davidsanger]

The original problem of lower memory slot failure was also reported in [thread]122576[/thread]

 

[AlBDamned]

I don't get it. If your powerbook was made between Jan-April last year, then the majority of them will still be in the one-year warranty anyway?

Also - that doc says "approximately" - so it may go a little either side of jan-april.

 

[davidsanger]

Yes it seems to be excluding the original people who reported the problem, how of course have run out their warranty.

 

[AlBDamned]

The affected PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) computers have eleven-digit serial numbers in this range:

W8503xxxxxx through W8518xxxxxx

For example, a serial number of W8511xxxxxx would fall in this range. Note that the six lowercase "x" characters will be letters or numerals, not "x"es.

If they're repairing a serial number range, it would seem they believe it to be a sort of 'batch' problem. However, several people that have had this happen have had it happen twice or more, with Logic boards that must have been from a newer batch than these serial numbers.

So, this in turn would suggest the real problem lies elsewhere within the PB.

How long is the PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) Memory Slot Repair Extension Program available?

The program covers affected PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) computers for up to two years from the original date of purchase. Apple will continue to evaluate the repair data and will provide further repair extensions as needed.

This is good news - units within the serial range are guaranteed/warantied for this specific problem for up to two years after purchase.

Yes, it seems to be excluding the original people who reported the problem, how of course have run out their warranty.

Yep. It does seem poor that they may recognise it for some but not others within the same model range. This would also suggest they don't actually have a genuine 100% cause for the problem. Either that, or earlier models that have done this were caused by random faults that Apple won't do a wider recall for.

I'd say 6/10 for effort at this stage. I believe the technicalities of this document will have to change once people who are not covered and have been active (gone to lawyers, signed the petition and class action etc) regroup.

It would seem Apple are wrong to discriminate with this issue and it should be a universal recall.

 

[shambolic]

Excellent news - I just got my own Powerbook back from a three-week repair for this issue, and although I have Applecare for my machine (and so the repair extension program won't give me any repairs that wouldn't have been free anyway), if Apple is admitting the problem, then, I would hope, it indicates that they've identified how to fix it properly, rather than just throwing in the same spec logic board again and hoping for the best.

As such, I would expect that, as with the G3 iBooks, the extension program will be uh... extended to cover a wider range of Powerbooks in due course. Most likely, they've initially manufactured modified logic boards for just those models for which the issue is most prevalent.

Hopefully the replacement logic board that was put into my machine is one of the new ones that have been given the thumbs-up...