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iPod and iBook Complaints?

Sushi,

I should have been clearer the pod needs major fixing - error messages and problem appear to be hard drive related - battery is v fine. Maybe I can break it for spare parts offers?

(btw I have been through all troubleshooting advice I could find and more to fix it - well knackered and it has had a cushioned life in my jacket pocket.)

On the charging piece when we got the iPod it was being connected every night as we built up our music collection on it, so maybe 100 charges in the first 4 months then weekly. I guess you could wait for the battery but my habit was get home dump keys phone etc and hook up my iPod for fresh juice and tunes at my desk.
 
Originally posted by jrober
Sushi,

I should have been clearer the pod needs major fixing - error messages and problem appear to be hard drive related - battery is v fine. Maybe I can break it for spare parts offers?

(btw I have been through all troubleshooting advice I could find and more to fix it - well knackered and it has had a cushioned life in my jacket pocket.)

On the charging piece when we got the iPod it was being connected every night as we built up our music collection on it, so maybe 100 charges in the first 4 months then weekly. I guess you could wait for the battery but my habit was get home dump keys phone etc and hook up my iPod for fresh juice and tunes at my desk.
Click to expand...
Ouch! Bummer.

Understand about your battery.

I was worried about wanting to listen to the iPod and having a dead battery. So here is what I did. I purchased an extra FW cable. I would use it to charge my iPod at home. Then I took the charger and FW cable to work and left it there. I also purchased a car recharger as I spend a lot of time in my car driving. So now if the iPod dies due to low battery, I can just recharge it at that point. Seems to work well. When I take a trip, I take the regular adapter, the car adapter and the short FW cable. And now with the new thinner FW cables available from Apple, it is even more convenient.

So far, after 18 months my iPod is still going strong.

Anyhow, just some ideas...

Sushi
 
Originally posted by ITR 81


Maybe PC users predictions that Apple won't live beyond 05' are now coming true..


Maybe IBM will buy out Apple.
Click to expand...


This is a **LONG** outstanding for lack of a better word,
JOKE .

Some nice predictions by less than compotent PC "experts":

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,939886,00.asp
http://www.macobserver.com/appledeathknell/
http://www.mackido.com/Press/NostraDumass.html

[SARCASM]Since these "experts" know more than anyone (why else would they be in print) they **MUST** be right. [/SARCASM]

SIGH


*art*
 
iBook motherboard

I bought an 800mHz G3 ibook back in March. The logic board died within a few weeks of owning it. They fixed it under warranty, but I got scared and bought AppleCare. Now it just died again!!! So in 9 months, my logic board has died twice and I'm sure it will happen again. Yes, I have applecare but it's a pain in the ass having to send it back to Apple all the time and I shouldn't be forced to buy applecare just out of fear because they have a defect. Furthermore, they won't even admit there are any problems with the logic boards. They told me this was an "isolated case". I thought it must be until I heard about this lawsuit, which I will be more than happy to support. I love Apple, but they can be very arrogant.
 
Ive had to send in my ibook twice for display/logic board problems. Maybe I should join this class action lawsuit :)
 
Originally posted by carletonmusic
calling it irresponsible may not be the wisest wording. A faulty product deserves a recall/repair if the vendor finds out about it. Knowledge of the motherboard problems (crapping out after a year is a BIG problem) is grounds enough for Apple to be sued. No one should be forced into buying Apple care. That is designed to cover incidental complications, not proscribed problems.
Click to expand...

amen.
 
From reading more of these posts, this issue seems to be a very inflamatory topic. I understand the pain of those who have a relatively new computer go dead on them... My original PowerBook 180c, PowerBook 190, and Performa 630 went dead within two years of purchase.

But I didn't want to sue Apple. You've got to understand that there is a percentage of machines that go dead. That is why I earlier posted that it is irresponsible to purchase a laptop computer (with a much higher percentage failure rate) without insurance (i.e. AppleCare).

As for the iPod, I agree with many others: batteries die quickly. So far, in the past two years, my cordless phone (Sony) battery died about 6 months after purchase (only held charge for about five minutes), my DV Camera (Sony) battery died within about 12 months after purchase, and my wireless phone (Nokia) battery died within 8 months of purchase. If you bought the iPod without thinking about the battery, then that's your problem. Nokia didn't put a claim on the phone box saying: "Warning your battery may die in as little as one hour after turning on the phone"...

I'm not trying to insult anyone, but I'm just trying to help people understand my view better. :D
 
iBook appears to be a problem, but what is the solution

I had an one year old iBook's motherboard go bad. It would be interesting to know the exact percentage that went bad.

None the less, I am not convinced that the solution is a class action. A class action would help the lawyers, hurt Apple, and leave the consumers with about zip.

Sorry, I think that the best thing is to move on.

BTW, I sold mine (not working) for $40O.
 
Re: iBook appears to be a problem, but what is the solution

Originally posted by rlw
I had an one year old iBook's motherboard go bad. It would be interesting to know the exact percentage that went bad.

None the less, I am not convinced that the solution is a class action. A class action would help the lawyers, hurt Apple, and leave the consumers with about zip.

Sorry, I think that the best thing is to move on.

BTW, I sold mine (not working) for $400.
Click to expand...

I think that is responsible way to deal with the situation at hand. Think these things through if you are having these problems before you go posting your name on some petition list.

Another question I have is: How do we know that all the people on this petition list are real people, or even if they own Macs at all? Couldn't they be PeeCee users or employees of MS? What way does the site have of verifying the people's names?
 
ibook ipod

The local school board just gave my kids (we home school) a 500mhz iBook. Its over 2 years old, has obviously been treated well, and works fine.

WE are careful with it because its an OLD computer.

I am on my second iPod, and they both had/have zero problems. (I sold the first one to a friend, I wanted a bigger capacity HD)

My current iPod is in its 14th month, battery still kicks out about 8 - 10 hours.

I run it right down, I charge it right up.

I ACCEPT the shortcomings of technology and research them and plan around them. I read up on how to keep things OK.

I KNOW that batteries need special treatment.

I KNOW that laptops are delicate.

Thats my 10 cents.
 
Re: Which ibooks

Originally posted by mian
Apple has sold about 1.3 million ibooks over the last two years. It looks like there are about 1500 people who have signed the complaints on the two websites. Are there specific models that have the problem? I would think a design flaw would have a much greater failure rate.
Click to expand...

If the failure rate is really 0.11% then I have to say: Great job apple !

This is a very very low failure rate and really nothing anyone should worry about.

Cheers
 
Originally posted by Vanilla
Daveman

You say "$99 is NOT unreasonable."

I say, a replacement charge that is a third of the cost of the entire product IS unreasonable.

I also say that only offering this to US residents is outrageous. Please, there is a World out there past the shores of the US of A, which will soon be VERY pissed when this story spreads to them.
Click to expand...

The limited to US part ... Yes

The 3rd of the cost? boohoo ... My cellphone costs 200$ CND and the replacement battery is 89$

(note: Prices in earlier posts quoted in estimated USD vs current CND)
 
Let's consider a renaming of this thread:

"Let's all scream and rant at Apple because they are a terrible company that makes terrible products because they suck. Then let's invite everyone else in to scream and yell at our stupidty because everyone who has ever complained about a problem is wrong."
 
Originally posted by geerlingguy
As for the iPod, I agree with many others: batteries die quickly. So far, in the past two years, my cordless phone (Sony) battery died about 6 months after purchase (only held charge for about five minutes), my DV Camera (Sony) battery died within about 12 months after purchase, and my wireless phone (Nokia) battery died within 8 months of purchase. If you bought the iPod without thinking about the battery, then that's your problem. Nokia didn't put a claim on the phone box saying: "Warning your battery may die in as little as one hour after turning on the phone"... :D
Click to expand...

Your Cordless phone has been designed to allow you the opportunity to change the battery
Your DV Camera has also been designed to allow you the opportunity to change the battery
Your Wireless phone (Nokia) has also been designed to allow you the opportunity to change the battery

All of them do NOT require you to send the product back to the manufacturer to change an expired battery
All of them provide the user the ability to replace the battery without voiding the warranty
All of them provide the opportunity to change the battery wherever you are in the World.

The iPod however, IS A SEALED UNIT.

It is NOT designed for the average user to open it and replace the battery themselves.

If one attempts this you run the risk of voiding your warranty

Your only option is to return the product back to APPLE.

If you are outside of the standard one year warranty you have to pay a third of the cost of the item itself to replace the battery. [To understand how disgusting that is, think how much it costs you to get a new DV Camera or cordless phone battery.]

If you are not resident in the USA you cannot even do this! [Think about that for a moment please, let the injustice of that stance sink in for a few seconds]

I'm sorry but there is no way you can justify this. The iPod battery situation was an accident waiting to happen, and happen it duly has.

Vanilla
 
Originally posted by Vanilla
The iPod however, IS A SEALED UNIT.

It is NOT designed for the average user to open it and replace the battery themselves.

If one attempts this you run the risk of voiding your warranty

Your only option is to return the product back to APPLE.
Click to expand...

If you are under warranty, Apple will repalce the battery. If you are out of warranty, cracking the case voids nothing.
 
Originally posted by Vanilla
If you are outside of the standard one year warranty you have to pay a third of the cost of the item itself to replace the battery. [To understand how disgusting that is, think how much it costs you to get a new DV Camera or cordless phone battery.
Click to expand...

I fail to see how the price is unreasonable. The battery costs $49. The price of labor, tracking, bookkeeping, and other elements of depot repair, is right around $50, with a little wiggle room to make a bit of profit on the deal. IF THAT IS WHAT IT COSTS TO OFFER THE PROGRAM, IT IS A REASONABLE PRICE REGARDLESS OF THE PRICE OF THE ORIGINAL UNIT. Are you suggesting Apple offer a depot repair solution for $50, which would reduce Apple's profit margin to around -50%? That's a resounding HELL NO.
 
Re: Re: Which ibooks

Originally posted by CmdrLaForge
If the failure rate is really 0.11% then I have to say: Great job apple !

This is a very very low failure rate and really nothing anyone should worry about.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Well said, LaForge!
 
oh, one more thing.....$49 ipod battery

If $99 is too much to pay and the iPod is out of warranty - go here and pay $49.

www.ipodbattery.com


For everyones sanity, I hope Apple announce out the new iPod with AA's or something..............
 
Originally posted by avus
Tell your sentiment to Dell, HP, and other manufacturers who "only" offer 1 year limited warranty on their notebooks, too. They aren't any different from Apple, are they?
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Actually, many of the standard Dell, etc offerings (esp their "business" targeted laptops and servers) come with 3 year warrantees standard. Their upgrades are for same/next day on-site service. Of course, whenever I've seen this pointed out on this website as part of a cost comparison (for example, including AppleCare in Apple's pricing) most people will point out that you never need it... hmm...

Besides, you're paying a hefty premium for Apple hardware these days. The claim is that you're paying for better quality, as if you were buying an Audi, BMW, Mecedes, et cetera rather than the "Chevy" of a Dell. I don't have a problem with that - we're an Audi family ourselves, for example. But whenever I pay a high premium for something, I expect a certain level of service and quality to go along with that. Take the Audi in for a (free under warranty) oil change - end up with it being delivered, washed, with new wiper blades ("They looked a little worn"), et cetera. Asking your customers to pay for extra quality? Fine. Acting like a least-common-denominator company after doing so? That's just asking for trouble.

As for the iPod - I agree that that's much less of an issue than the recent iBook/powerBook complaints. However ... it is pretty bad for US customers. Besides, several of the points people are making here ("Never charge it! Wait until it dies, then plug it in...") go directly against Apple's own suggested uses (sync it everywhere, transfer calendar entries, buy a dock for home and work and leave it connected all the time). Should they have to fix it for free after warrantee? Probably not, but they should have done a much better job of explaining about battery lifespans and longevity, especially on a sealed consumer device.

-Richard
 
more

Sorry, but I want to have my say about the Black Cider website. (Class action proposal for iBook owners site)

I am not convinced that all is fair and honest at this site.
No way to contact the site owner, they sell t-shirts and thongs(!wtf!)
the person says he's no longer an Apple user.

Lots of 'testimonials' from people who cant wait to get a Dell.

Gimme a break. This an anti-Apple troll site of you want my 10 cents.
(you probably dont, but you've got it)

As to the person who runs it - what can I say? Get a life.

In warranty? Fixed. Out of Warranty? get Apple care, buy extended 3rd party warranty, deal with it.

Its a computer - there are 30,000 dead in Iran, get a perspective here.
 
Interesting news from MacNN.com

Quoted from MacNN.com:

Several readers note that Reuters (republished by CNN and The Boston Globe) has published an "inaccurate" article on the recent iPod and iBook quality problems: "First, it knocks Apple's market share down to 2%. It goes on full of slanted hooey, and wraps up with stating that Apple's $99 iPod battery replacement was offered only after the ipodsdirtysecret.com web site came out, which is flagrantly untrue. The article makes no mention of the other battery replacement options that have always been available, or of the fact that ipodsdirtysecret.com now features a statement that Apple's warranty and replacement services are fair."
 
First, someone please explain how an expectation that our laptop computer wouldn't be sold with a defect limiting useage to no more than 2 years is a sense of entitlement. Those of you who can afford to be without a computer or be out $1000 towards another one thats fine, maybe you can help me out.

Second, what imbecile would complain to Dell about a broken Apple computer? Were I to purchase a PC and encounter the same problem I would take the same action towards whatever company made it.

Why can nobody accept that apple made a bad product and needs to accept responsibility. I've owned 5 macs, starting with an LCII and had great experiences, I plan on purchasing another apple, beleiving that this is a fluke. HOWEVER this problem needs to be addressed by Apple
 
Originally posted by rjstanford
Besides, several of the points people are making here ("Never charge it! Wait until it dies, then plug it in...") go directly against Apple's own suggested uses (sync it everywhere, transfer calendar entries, buy a dock for home and work and leave it connected all the time). Should they have to fix it for free after warrantee? Probably not, but they should have done a much better job of explaining about battery lifespans and longevity, especially on a sealed consumer device.
Click to expand...

Anybody that tells you to never plug the iPod's battery in until it's completely discharged is a liar and deserves to be slapped. Lithium ion batteries such as the one in the iPod last longest if they are plugged in anytime there's an outlet handy.

In short, keep the iPod battery topped off as much as possible, but if you suddenly note a sharp decrease in battery life, run the iPod until it shuts off and then charge it up again to recalibrate the battery monitor.

For more information on batteries: http://www.batteryuniversity.com
 
Re: Re: Which ibooks

Originally posted by CmdrLaForge
If the failure rate is really 0.11% then I have to say: Great job apple !

This is a very very low failure rate and really nothing anyone should worry about.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I agree and just put my money where my mouth is. Just won a CompUSA auction for an iBook G3-900 combo drive for $601. Don't really need a laptop but I wanted one. Just had a record shattering sales month so I decided I needed a present.

I'm waiting for a G5 iMac. Guess my step father will get my old iMac sooner than he thought.

Anyone know anything about CompUSA's TAP plan for notebooks? (I trust the quality but believe in insurance just in case. Hell, I run the web division of an extended auto warranty company)
 
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