Macbook Quality, 1st gen

[phaedrus351]

Are the new generation better built than the last?

Got about 18 months on this thing, and I really miss the Ibook I had before. I've had this Macbook in a couple times under warranty, battery replaced and optical drive replaced. The edge of the keyboard snapped away where the little feet on the screen touch down, not anything to bother with unless you're anal about appearance, but I've seen it on a couple other Macbooks and bad design of mating surfaces isn't the sort of issue the old Ibooks had. Isight camera just went, apparently a pretty common problem. Apple wants $280 and a week to tell me what is wrong, I can live without Isight I think. Nowadays the screen backlighting fluctuates for a minute or two when the macbook is first opened in the morning, it'll probably be an issue in the future.

Overall, I've had more problems out of the Macbook than I did out of HP's or Toshibas in the past, and vastly more than the Ibook that preceded this Macbook. And the Ibook spent about half it's life in the trunk of a motorcycle while this one has been babied.

Apple get their act right on the new Macbooks?

Best, John

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I think most are happy with the aluminum MacBooks. Sure there will be a few defects, but what product doesn't.

 

[phaedrus351]

Quality Control

True, products can have defects, but the reason you pay more for Apple versus HP is that the Apple should have less defects, and provide a seamless experience. While the Ibook did that, the Macbook I have certainly has not. The Macbook I bought my daughter has not been as problem-prone as mine, it has had a few issues. I hope this experience is not becoming the norm for apple products.

Thanks, John

 

[Elven]

White Macbook late 2008 here, only been in once for a cracked lid, and a few minor niggles to the feel, and Apple just replaced the whole chassis!.

Loving this machine, never abused always babied but does the job every time.

 

[shady825]

Apple get their act right on the new Macbooks?

Best, John

I bought mine as soon as it came out and it's perfect.
The thing you gotta remember is that all the people with perfect mac's arent here telling you about it. It's all the people who have had issues are here complaining.
When somethings wrong people tend to be louder about it. It just seems like a lot of problems cause people are talking about it. We could fill the forum with threads about "OH MY GOD, my macbook is SO perfect!!!"

 

[xpovos]

True, products can have defects, but the reason you pay more for Apple versus HP is that the Apple should have less defects, and provide a seamless experience. While the Ibook did that, the Macbook I have certainly has not.

I'm with you, another long-time Apple user who never had problems until the last couple or few years. While my problems have been with the MacBook Pro line going back to 2006 and continuing to the present, it's clear that quality control has decreased dramatically. Either that or I'm just too picky, which could be true---but nobody can really be as unlucky as I was with the Pro line.

My point, though, is to lead up to an answer to your question. After two years, I finally gave up on the Pro line and tried my luck with the regular (aluminum) MacBook. Bought one with no problems, no complaints. Went out a week later and bought my wife one to replace her aging (and problematic) black MacBook from a couple years ago. Again, no problems and no complaints. While this sample size of 2 with 0% failure doesn't hold water in any statistical sense, a sample size of 20 (!) MacBook Pros over two years with 90% failure (depending on what we consider "failure"---again, I'm picky) says something.

While that last bit of information may cast aspersions upon my credibility, I can at least say that within my limited sphere of experience, the new MacBooks seem to be just fine overall.

 

[Abstract]

If you got yours around 18 months ago, then I think you have the same unit as mine. Mine has been in repair lots of times as well. If you get to know a Mac reseller that fixes computers, I think most will tell you that the white MacBooks have been more trouble than any Mac laptop over the past decade at least, although the 3rd and 4th revisions have been much much better, apparently. Judging from my experience posting here, I guess the 15" Aluminium PowerBooks was also quite flawed midway through it's life in the Apple product lineup.

My first rev A MacBook was a lemon (8 repairs), and this replacement machine (a free replacement by Apple) has been good. The palmrest will probably crack as long I own this thing because that's how weak the palmrest's plastic is. They actually changed the plastic since the first rev A MacBook from 3 years ago, but it still cracks. The outer casing has always been OK.

Apple will replace the palm-rest for free, even without AppleCare. If they tell you otherwise, all you need to do is talk to someone else. Most places will do this because they have seen cracked palmrest a million times.


To avoid cracking it, apparently all you need to do is pick up your laptop from the centre where the iSight is. Cracks usually show up on the edge of the right palmrest area because right-handed people usually grab their laptop on that side. I've had 2 Apple "Geniuses" tell me that in 2 different countries.

 

[Mpulsive81]

wow bro - sorry to hear about all the troubles you've got. Knock on wood - my first gen has been pretty good to me. I got it about a month before the C2D came out, didn't know a thing about a mac then so i had no idea that they were about to replace em. But all i've had is my factory 60Gb hdd go south, which i replaced with a 320gb 7200. I also had my battery & top case replaced (due to the palm rest cracks)

I'd love to upgrade, my gf has a C2D with the DL superdrive and 4gb of ram, where as mine is CD, superdrive w/o DL burning, and 2gb of ram. Sucks too...she uses it for browsing youtube and checking her email and she's got all the features I want.

 

[fourtyoneantz]

Sounds like maybe you just got a lemon? It happens sometimes. Hopefully you have better luck