Has Apple quality gone away?...

[TurboJobo]

Hello, I am writing this because it is the third macbook pro I get from Bestbuy. The first laptop would not even boot up. the second and third have this weird pop plastic noise randomly coming and going. I remember my first macbook unibody I Bought on 2009. Nothing has gone wrong. My parents still use it for simple things. Even the first gen retina macbook I got it had some dead pixels and other issues. I think apple laptops quality have gone down over the years maybe is just me but what do you guys think?

 

[cbreze]

No wonder Best buy is having a sale on MacBooks. I'm holding onto my MBPro from 2012, still works great. And, yes, I think Apple's quality is not what it used to be.

 

[jerryk]

Hello, I am writing this because it is the third macbook pro I get from Bestbuy. The first laptop would not even boot up. the second and third have this weird pop plastic noise randomly coming and going. I remember my first macbook unibody I Bought on 2009. Nothing has gone wrong. My parents still use it for simple things. Even the first gen retina macbook I got it had some dead pixels and other issues. I think apple laptops quality have gone down over the years maybe is just me but what do you guys think?

Apple says the popping noise is "normal". Expansion.

 

[lambertjohn]

No wonder Best buy is having a sale on MacBooks. I'm holding onto my MBPro from 2012, still works great. And, yes, I think Apple's quality is not what it used to be.

Best Buy is having a sale on MacBooks because there are new models coming in June. Basically, they're clearing out old inventory, plain and simple. Has nothing to do with defective/poor quality MacBooks.

 

[cbreze]

Best Buy is having a sale on MacBooks because there are new models coming in June. Basically, they're clearing out old inventory, plain and simple. Has nothing to do with defective/poor quality MacBooks.

My remarks were meant to be sarcasm. But I do think quality has gone down some.

 

[Regime2008]

Wonder if the stock BB has are all returns/refurbs, or their QC is beyond poop ?

 

[maflynn]

Wonder if the stock BB has are all returns/refurbs, or their QC is beyond poop ?

I think BestBuy just tries to slam products out the door. For new laptops, I don't know if BB has any ability to check or inspect machines, but I'm sure for "open boxes" they just do a minimal scan and slap a price tag on it. Then upsell their extended warranty/geeksquad program.

 

[smallcoffee]

Apple has historically not been much better than other manufacturers when it comes to issues with laptops. Yes on occasion people get machines that just work for 10 years, but that's rare.

 

[1050792]

"You're holding it wrong"
Apple's quality has definitely gone downhill in the latest years since they need to mass manufacture a bigger quantity of products so, it's not surprising some products come with defects.

 

[stockscalper]

Apple used to be at the top of the pile when it came to laptop quality. I just read an article on laptop mag a few days ago that showed they've dropped to 7th place. Lots of issues that you just didn't see in the Jobs era. Tim Cook is all about penny pinching and increasing profits per unit and he's gone with cheaper components. But quality control has gone down the drain too. Look at the iPhone X and how the OS wasn't tuned for the screen ration in many areas. Jobs would never have let that get out the door until those issues were fixed. Cook's just all about profits and to heck with quality.

 

[jerryk]

Apple used to be at the top of the pile when it came to laptop quality. I just read an article on laptop mag a few days ago that showed they've dropped to 7th place. Lots of issues that you just didn't see in the Jobs era. Tim Cook is all about penny pinching and increasing profits per unit and he's gone with cheaper components. But quality control has gone down the drain too. Look at the iPhone X and how the OS wasn't tuned for the screen ration in many areas. Jobs would never have let that get out the door until those issues were fixed. Cook's just all about profits and to heck with quality.

Apple is a good manufacturer, but other companies have upped their quality and service. They emulated Apple and are now beating Apple in many aspects, such as product quality. I do not think this has anything to do with management. Remember Apple under Jobs had a lot of quality issues also. The Cube, lollypop Mac, and cheese grater Mac Pros all had issues. As did the 2008 MB, iPhone 4 (Antennagate), etc.

 

[maflynn]

You're holding it wrong"

That issue had nothing to do with quality but rather design decisions that impacted tha signal strength.
[doublepost=1524841541][/doublepost]

Apple's quality has definitely gone downhill in the latest years since they need to mass manufacture a bigger quantity of products so, it's not surprising some products come with defects.

Let me also say Apple during Steve's reign was far from perfect. Just consider the "mold lines" on the G4 cube, or the finish flaking off the Ti Powerbook. Also regarding the G4 Cube, it had a proprensity to overheat thanks to it being passively cooled.

 

[1050792]

That issue had nothing to do with quality but rather design decisions that impacted tha signal strength.
[doublepost=1524841541][/doublepost]
Let me also say Apple during Steve's reign was far from perfect. Just consider the "mold lines" on the G4 cube, or the finish flaking off the Ti Powerbook. Also regarding the G4 Cube, it had a proprensity to overheat thanks to it being passively cooled.

True but it’s still fair to say that back in Jobs time Apple didn’t have the market share they have nowadays, so that makes me point valid that more mass manufactured units = less attention to the quality and detail.

 

[jeyf]

Apple Inc; is 40+ years old and enjoying a corporate mid life crisis. The corporate inner circle is distracted doing the fabolus life in Cupertino.

Just saying Apple could spend millions re developing Siri. An outside collaborative could hack it out for thousands.

 

[comptr]

I think BestBuy just tries to slam products out the door. For new laptops, I don't know if BB has any ability to check or inspect machines, but I'm sure for "open boxes" they just do a minimal scan and slap a price tag on it. Then upsell their extended warranty/geeksquad program.

Best Buy can't sell their geeksquad program for apple products. They can only sell apple care or apple care +.

 

[317342]

Apple says the popping noise is "normal". Expansion.

I have a 2017 15" TouchBar. If you're talking about the random popping from underneath the keyboard, my display and main logic board were replaced for this issue. (knock on wood) it hasn't returned since. The repair took about a week, the Genius Bar wasn't able to replicate it in the noisy store but notated it for me. It's been about a month and I haven't seen the issue return since it was repaired.

After a while, the MacBook Pro sounded like a plastic water bottle being slowly squeezed when the machine warmed-up or cooled-down. If this is the same issue you're having, it may be worth a second opinion.

I've been an  owner since '03, and there's been two or three times it paid-off to get a second opinion.

 

[jeyf]

Apple is re-working MBP with defective parts.

Apple Care+++ will not do an effective repair with replacement parts having a latent defect

 

[NoBoMac]

Apple used to be at the top of the pile when it came to laptop quality. I just read an article on laptop mag a few days ago that showed they've dropped to 7th place.

This is a bit misleading, as that report does not go into quality rating. Only passing mention of quality and even they said good quality. Where Apple gets dinged is value, innovation (ie. Stale product line and technology).

https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/apple-brand-rating

 

[TC_GoldRush]

I think BestBuy just tries to slam products out the door. For new laptops, I don't know if BB has any ability to check or inspect machines, but I'm sure for "open boxes" they just do a minimal scan and slap a price tag on it. Then upsell their extended warranty/geeksquad program.

I purchased two laptops and an iMac from Best buy, all still working no problems at all! Bought one iMac from Apple's website, did not work.. Got 2 replacement machines before I decided 'screw it', got a refund and got another machine from BestBuy.
Looks like the OP was just unlucky.

 

[jeyf]

planning a MAC lap top purchase? ... be VERY careful:
apple lap tops have always had big design flaws.
After a few release cycles they fix most of the bugs

than innovation fever creeps because the old stable design gets costly to manufacture and back to the big design flaws.


not just trolling as I own a 2017 MBP and am very sorry to be involved in this cycle.
[doublepost=1525105736][/doublepost]

This is a bit misleading... where Apple gets dinged is value, innovation

well SHAZAM; all new for 2017/18 the MBP has lots of bad.

along those lines go ahead and buy it your self even with apple care. and apple will attempt to repair the MBP with the same defective parts.

 

[Anarchy99]

Best Buy can't sell their geeksquad program for apple products. They can only sell apple care or apple care +.

Not true atleast not when i worked for geeksquad up here in canada, maybe its different in the US

 

[TC_GoldRush]

Not true atleast not when i worked for geeksquad up here in canada, maybe its different in the US

It's not, I bought an iMac from Bestbuy (geeksquad program) about 5 years ago.

 

[nph]

I might be one of the few but my MBP 2017 15" is actually quite good. Do I love the keyboard, not really a bit to loud but it is not bad. It gives me roughly 7 hours of actual battery time with normal work so I guess quite good.
I avoided the 2016 model like the plague since keyboard is definitely redesigned a bit in 2017 so now it works, at least for me. My next laptop will probably be a MacBook for easy travel on flights, etc. Actually planning to replace my iPad with it. If only project Marzipan happens this year. I have an iPhone Plus and I realize the only thing use my iPad for now is play a game and read at night. With a MacBook I can read in bed as well. Maybe I am crazy but it feels so small and light I can bring it everywhere just like an iPad.

 

[Anarchy99]

whenever apple has a keynote/product release im allways 1st to preorder i figure ive got 2 weeks to have buyers remorse.
(closer to 3 because of the leeway with the return label time)
i know some may think its unethical to buy everything knowing i return 90% of it but the way i see it its the cost of them having no apple store in my rural area not to mention when i do buy i tend to max out (over $4000CAD on my last mbp, buying top end iphones etc.)

its probably where apple's preistine refurbs come from lol

what my ramble is saying is i like the size and less wobble of the 2016 and 2017 keyboard, but even with collectively 1month+ or so of use i can't get used to the travel

even if i could, would it have killed them to make the touchbar 1 key shorter to do a physical escape key or better yet put the touch bar above the function keys :S

or if you want a touch easy interface how about put a screen in the glass trackpad (patent pending, i'll be awaiting your call apple )

 

[TheSkywalker77]

I do agree that Apple's quality is not what it used to be. Could this be since the CEO is not who he used to be?

In all seriousness though, I'm starting to lose faith in Apple. They need to catch up with the times. Samsun has had water resistance and wireless charging for years, Apple, this isn't anything new... On their MacBooks, removing all the ports and making it paper thin, all this is going to do is make your $1,000+ MacBook look and feel like a toy and cause less people to buy it in fear of buying and losing dongles/adapters. The current iOS version (iOS 11) is buggy as hell and pretty unstable, same can be said to High Sierra. It's just not what the company would have been if Steve was still here.