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Are Macs really this crappy?!

MarlboroLite

MarlboroLite

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 29, 2007
582
5
the 13 colonies
Ok I know.... provocative title....but as a potential buyer of a 2000 dollar machine I need some advice.

I've been a Windows PC user forever...but recently I've just gotten sick of it. I am tired of Windows and I know the OS X system is vastly superior, so I am seriously considering crossing the isle into macworld. So I've been doing some research on this and other websites looking at what is available now and what might be coming out in the future. But my question is not yet another one on when a new Mac is coming out...it is regarding the quality of mac notebooks.

The more I read these forums the more I see that perhaps Apple is not king on the quality front as I've been led to believe.....I'm interested in a new Santa Rosa MBP...and I have seen countless topics here on how they have some yellow spot on the screen, or how it seems to be freezing up on a lot of people, or this power adapter that melts or explodes, or how there's a gap when the the screen is shut, or how you can fry an egg on it because it gets so hot. So my basic question is...why should I make a huge investment on a machine that looks pretty as hell but might break down so easily or come with so many defects?

Now I know many of you probably had a perfect mac and never had any problems, and I don't mind the odd problem here and there, I would be getting AppleCare anyway....and it is normal for computers to get problems eventually, but Apple sells itself on the idea that they provide a vastly superior product in terms of quality, and maybe these forums are not representative but I'm getting a certain vibe here that a lot of people have issues with the latest round of macs, and I don't want to spend two grand on something that will be breaking down soon or come with defects galore. Am I being too paranoid about it or do they really offer a superior product?
 
I'm a recent switcher and totally LOVE a WORKING iMac. Would I have dropped $2k on this machine knowing there was an acknowleded freezing problem... No, I would have waited.
 
atthecross said:
I'm a recent switcher and totally LOVE a WORKING iMac. Would I have dropped $2k on this machine knowing there was an acknowleded freezing problem... No, I would have waited.
Click to expand...

so,,,, are you saying your imac has a freezing problem? :confused:
 
MarlboroLite said:
Ok I know.... provocative title....but as a potential buyer of a 2000 dollar machine I need some advice.

I've been a Windows PC user forever...but recently I've just gotten sick of it. I am tired of Windows and I know the OS X system is vastly superior, so I am seriously considering crossing the isle into macworld. So I've been doing some research on this and other websites looking at what is available now and what might be coming out in the future. But my question is not yet another one on when a new Mac is coming out...it is regarding the quality of mac notebooks.

The more I read these forums the more I see that perhaps Apple is not king on the quality front as I've been led to believe.....I'm interested in a new Santa Rosa MBP...and I have seen countless topics here on how they have some yellow spot on the screen, or how it seems to be freezing up on a lot of people, or this power adapter that melts or explodes, or how there's a gap when the the screen is shut, or how you can fry an egg on it because it gets so hot. So my basic question is...why should I make a huge investment on a machine that looks pretty as hell but might break down so easily or come with so many defects?

Now I know many of you probably had a perfect mac and never had any problems, and I don't mind the odd problem here and there, I would be getting AppleCare anyway....and it is normal for computers to get problems eventually, but Apple sells itself on the idea that they provide a vastly superior product in terms of quality, and maybe these forums are not representative but I'm getting a certain vibe here that a lot of people have issues with the latest round of macs, and I don't want to spend two grand on something that will be breaking down soon or come with defects galore. Am I being too paranoid about it or do they really offer a superior product?
Click to expand...

I was pc lover too, and know i can't stand windows.
this is my second Apple Laptop (my first powerbook got stolen) the SRMBP rocks whitout any trouble. It gets a little hot when you dont work in the apropiate places like bed or sofa, but for everithing else, DONT WAIST YOUR TIME. you will love it.
 
andresrw said:
I was pc lover too, and know i can't stand windows.
this is my second Apple Laptop (my first powerbook got stolen) the SRMBP rocks whitout any trouble. It gets a little hot when you dont work in the apropiate places like bed or sofa, but for everithing else, DONT WAIST YOUR TIME. you will love it.
Click to expand...

and i wonder how one would take a suggestion from someone who suggests not to WAIST your time..
 
You can't use a forum as a gauge of product quality. People come here with there problems while those without just get on with their lives. Apple generally rates as No 1 in customer satisfaction. Having said that there are a few areas of concern lately. The new iMacs can potentially freeze at random times (although Apple is said to have a fix on the way), the MacBook and MacBook Pro charges can break and spark (although this has been fixed/reduced with the latest chargers) and some people have "issues" with their screens. Not perfect by any means but probably better than the rest.
 
very few people post with topics such as "Hey, I need some advice. I am having no issues and do not know what to do"

With that in mind I can tell you the only thing I have had an issue with was an iPod 3 years ago. I have 5 currently running Mac and have not issues with any of them. I have the per SR MBP, but I love it and do not have any screen issues.
 
You can't judge whether the machine you will order will be perfect or not from reading the forums

1) The number of complaints you read reflects the vocal minority of owners who have problems

2) Your new machine will be the beneficiary of all updates and revs to date, so anything Apple has identified and fixed, will be fixed on yours

3) Just buy from a vendor who allows returns if there is a problem within 14 days. Or buy from a local authorized dealer where you can open and inspect the machine before taking it home.

4) Chances are your machine will be fine in any case. I have not had a single DOA or defective Mac, personally, and only one client of mine has had an OOB failure (which was immediately replaced). Two customers have had warranty repairs (both iMac G5 power supply issues, covered under extended warranty). One client has ongoing issues with faxing with the Apple USB modem. Six years ago, one customer had a warranty problem with an iMac G3. Four or five iMac G3's have died from old age. One Powerbook G3 Pismo (1999) processor card died. That's it. This is out of a population of approx. 250 Macs that I have supported in the past 10 years.
 
You usually hear all the stories about how other people's computers are failing them. However, what you don't get to read about too often is about all the ones who are having a great experience on theirs with no problems at all.

I am using a MBP and it's been great so far. You can't go wrong with getting one because they're awesome computers. Also, like someone else said, Apple has a high customer satisfaction rating so in the event something happens to your computer, Apple will take care of it for you.
 
well thanks guys...with all the negative stories I guess I just sort of neglected to think that those with a great experience just weren't interested in advertising how they were having no problems and just went on with their computing lives.

I am still very much interested in getting a MBP...I have a decrepit Pentium 4 laptop that weighs about 9 pounds and I am sick of it and sick of windows.

Does anyone know if one can get the extra student discount on a refurbished mac? Will refurbs also look brand new and scratch free?

Thanks in advance
 
I don't think you can use your student discount on refurbished macs as they have already been discounted. From what I've read on these forums, refurbished macs look practicall brand new. Refurbished macs go through a lot of tests and such before they can be sold again. The only difference between a brand new and a refurbished mac is that the latter comes in a brown box.
 
You can't use discount on refurbs....I'd just like to add that many posts will be about problems...but they majority have awesome computers, and they just don't post anything. I love my SR MBP.
 
I think part of the problem is the same reason why Toyota constantly gets better ratings than Mercedes Benz by the customers of each resp. brand.
I don't think that a Toyota is really superior to a MB but I'm sure that people who purchase a MB expect the optimum of quality and will moan for the tinyest little thing while people who purchase a Toyota are not that ambitious. I have seen lots of Toyotas and I have seen none that doesn't make any funny chattering noises. That's a thing you just won't find on a MB.

So somehow I think it's the same with a MB Pro (now MB stands for MacBook not Mercedes Benz) - people who buy a premium product have higher expectations than people who buy the latest $500 deal at *-Mart.
 
Apple's 4Q 2007 Results said:
Apple shipped 2,164,000 Macintosh(R) computers, representing 34 percent growth over the year-ago quarter and exceeding the previous quarterly record for Mac shipments by 400,000
Click to expand...

How many complaints did we have the last quarter here at MacRumors? 2,000? 20,000? That's like 0.1% or 1% of the total shipped Macintosh(R) computers.

Seriously, you cannot read anything out from MacRumors in regards to whether or not Macs are crappy...

We represent only a small amount, where most people still are sitting on the fence waiting to buy their first Mac.
 
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