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macbook reliability?

F

falsecathedrals

macrumors member
Original poster
May 16, 2007
33
0
I am a college student about to graduate and will be buying a new laptop over the summer for grad school. Over the past few years I have noticed that most of my friends who bought ibooks (both g3 and g4) have had major problems with them within 2-3 years of buying them, or just after they went out of warranty. These problems were large enough to warrant buying a new computer. All of my friends and myself who bought powerbooks (I have a 1ghz titanium) have had fewer problems.

I was thinking of getting a black mb with 2gig ram but was wondering if the lower end laptops are less reliable. I would prefer a more portable computer and for what I do a mb would be fine, but I would be willing to get a mbp if it means it will last an extra year or two. Of course I will be getting apple care, but I would prefer not to have to send my computer away for any amount of time.

I know the intel laptops haven't been around long enough to see how long they last, but does anyone have any thoughts? Maybe this ibook trend was only at my school?

Thanks!
 
I used to have an iBook G4, and after a couple years, sadly, it did start having problems. I bought a Black MacBook (with 2 GB RAM) the day after the Core 2 Duo update in November 2006. Obviously, I can't tell the future, but the overall build quality seems much more thought out than the iBook. I'll let you know any new findings in a couple years. ;)
 
Firstly, I think the Macbook is a different beast to the iBook. The Macbook does have its own history though.

I know a few people with Macbooks. One has had a couple of machines and is still having problems. One has had some minor issues (battery replacement, keyboard and trackpad replacement). One has had no problems at all.

I would hope that, after the latest revision, any remaining 'issues' with the Macbooks will have been considered if not fully addressed. It's probably a good time to buy a Macbook, in as much as the technology used within it hasn't changed an awful lot.
 
I had an original Core Duo MacBook up until last weekend which I bought two weeks after they were released. It was flawless and I suffered none of the problems that were reported. I sold it to a friend who loves it. I have three other friends who have the C2D MB (one of them is black) and they use them constantly. They have had no issues with them either.

Personally I think the MacBooks are a great and worthwhile purchase.
 
The problem with beliveing what you read on the internet about reliability is that people only tend to shout about it when they have problems, and even when they do go on about how they have no problems it tends to get ignored.

The simple fact is that if the macbook was unreliable there would be more information from apple itself and a lot more moaing on the interenet. I have on original core duo macbook and it has had no problems.

I would also think that a lot of the people who do end up moaning about things on the internet are at least part way to blame themselves for their problems. It's a laptop, treat it with care and it will last, throw it around like a cheap peice of tat and expect problems.

Unless you need to subject a laptop to extreme conditions then a macbook will suit you fine. If you do need to subject is to extreme consitions then even a macbook pro isn't going to survive.
 
As long as you take care of your Macbook you will be fine. I've had my iBook for just under 2 years and it's been trucking along. I think the Macbooks are going to be fine in the future, and if you get Applecare you shouldn't be worried. Now is the time to buy :)
 
Apple products are consistently rated very high in user satisfaction and quality. The MacBook is no different and is certainly selling very well. I have had no problems with mine which is now 5 months old. I would recommend that you purchase AppleCare sometime within the first year of ownership as it provides excellent peace of mind and if you look on eBay, you can purchase it for as little as $155 from a reputable seller.
 
Wait 11 months from purchase and if you think it'll fulfill your needs for the next year after that, get Applecare for it. Still $100 cheaper than it is for the MBPs.

For the most part, 15% or so for a warranty is kinda steep. I don't think it's worth it. On a high end MBP, yes. On a MB, iffy.

Most repairs on Apple computers are less than $100. If it's too much, take the $249 you saved and put it toward a new computer.
 
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