New MacBook Pros (Late 2008) Now Shipping With More Defects Than Ever Before!

I will not only request a refund, but I will sell my iMac, Mac Mini, iPhone, Airport Extreme, etc., and make a point of boycotting Apple. In addition, I will make a point of sharing my experience with everyone I know. I tend to be the "tech guy" in my social circle, and I suspect that if I am able to influence even half the amount of people I normally do, Apple will lose a lot of customers. Since when is it asking too much to spend $2500+ on a new laptop, and get a "new laptop".

I'm sorry but your own little personal vendetta won't even be a blip. It sucks that you had problems, but the sell everything, and launch a little personal smear is just silly. I'm sure most of your circle will roll their eyes and move on.
 
Hmm, have you tried that out on another MBP though?

There was a thread by a MBP user who asked whether needing to press the Caps Lock key harder was normal and in fact maybe even a feature. Several other users responded that it was indeed a feature that the Caps Lock key be pressed longer (rather than harder) so as to prevent accidental activation. So you can't activate the Caps Lock key at touch-typing speed as far I can tell.

Really? Thanks letting me know. Will try find that thread and maybe cancel replacement
 
I've been "lurking" on this thread for a while but I couldn't stand to sit on the sideline any longer. I too am a longtime Apple customer that is somewhat horrified with the quality control on the new Macbook / Macbook Pro line. On one hand, I thought I was an Apple customer for life because of OSX, but on the other hand, I am now in a desperate search for an alternative OS. I am currently waiting for my 3rd Macbook Pro to be shipped to me. The previous 2 were sent back as both of them had large visible dents straight out of the box. The 1st box was actually opened and resealed again when I received it. All I can say now is that if the 3rd system is not satisfactory, I am seriously planning on cutting my losses. I will not only request a refund, but I will sell my iMac, Mac Mini, iPhone, Airport Extreme, etc., and make a point of boycotting Apple. In addition, I will make a point of sharing my experience with everyone I know. I tend to be the "tech guy" in my social circle, and I suspect that if I am able to influence even half the amount of people I normally do, Apple will lose a lot of customers. Since when is it asking too much to spend $2500+ on a new laptop, and get a "new laptop".

Glad to see someone else who feels like I do right now.
 
I've been "lurking" on this thread for a while but I couldn't stand to sit on the sideline any longer. I too am a longtime Apple customer that is somewhat horrified with the quality control on the new Macbook / Macbook Pro line. On one hand, I thought I was an Apple customer for life because of OSX, but on the other hand, I am now in a desperate search for an alternative OS. I am currently waiting for my 3rd Macbook Pro to be shipped to me. The previous 2 were sent back as both of them had large visible dents straight out of the box. The 1st box was actually opened and resealed again when I received it. All I can say now is that if the 3rd system is not satisfactory, I am seriously planning on cutting my losses. I will not only request a refund, but I will sell my iMac, Mac Mini, iPhone, Airport Extreme, etc., and make a point of boycotting Apple. In addition, I will make a point of sharing my experience with everyone I know. I tend to be the "tech guy" in my social circle, and I suspect that if I am able to influence even half the amount of people I normally do, Apple will lose a lot of customers. Since when is it asking too much to spend $2500+ on a new laptop, and get a "new laptop".

I love these rants. So the first box was opened and resealed by someone other than Apple but it's Apple's fault? The second had "large visible defects". Hmm, OK, but you are so pissed that you are going to get rid of all your Apple stuff but you have having them send a third? Why not just cancel after the second?
 
I love these rants. So the first box was opened and resealed by someone other than Apple but it's Apple's fault? The second had "large visible defects". Hmm, OK, but you are so pissed that you are going to get rid of all your Apple stuff but you have having them send a third? Why not just cancel after the second?

It's easier to whine, complain, rant and generalize than it is to actually be patient, firm, and level-headed. ;)
 
The 360 is one of the worse cases of an actual design error in the history of electronics, they still haven't fixed the problem. The MBP's problems are cosmetic like you say, nothing to do with the design of the machine.

The quality control is a issue, but no other companies buyers will inspect their hardware anywhere near to that of apples customers. You're paying a lot of money in some regards but then are you? Really? It is when you compare it to PC manufacturers but then they have just as bad if not worse quality control on products that are nowhere near the quality of the new MBP that you only pay a slight bit more for. Apple no longer charge ridiculously high prices, they are very competitive and as a result of being so it seems the quality control has taken a dip ( potentially ) but you could also put that down to the much larger user base they have generated and the factors that have come with it. I would think if you compared Apple to the likes of HP, Dell, Acer etc they would be exactly the same if not better.

I think 95% of MBP customers will be getting perfect machines, the remaining 5% have just got the short straw, It's unlucky but it happens in everything, in all electronics and apple are no different. Specially with a rev A release.

As for the trackpad, hasn't it been stated it's a software issue? I've never noticed it mind.

The xbox does not cost $2600......and frankly it does not have cosmetic defects.

95% Perfect?? I am on my 3rd one, only apple knows how bad the issue is. And only some customers will check thier new laptops thoroughly.

If you look at the MBA forums, it seems all the new models suffer from horizontal lines....unacceptable for a new release.

I agree with other posters, Apple is not the same company it was three years ago.
 
If your view on the machine is that it is "crappy" then why on earth would you want it replaced. If you don't like the machines you buy, just stop buying them.

Maybe he wants the new MBP but is pissed that it has defects. Would you be happy to receive your new Ferrari if it had a dent in the door??? And Yes you want a Ferrari....

I can see why Owners of the current MBP would visit these forums and vent their frustration. More annoying are the fanboys who have not purchased a current model and have a go at the users who are experiencing issues. From my exparience this has been the worst update since my 15 years with apple. I have given up on the new MBP out of frustration and 3 defects, I was going to instead get the new MBA but after reading the forums it seems that they suffer from horizontal lines across the display. So i am going to buy replacement parts for my G4 and stick with that.

And for all you people quoting %, I world in a very large multimedia company in the UK and we have Dells and MBPs, the worst offenders are the MBPs, 3 in 10 are returned to apple for replacement (and this is not cosmetic) so that is 33%, the worst of any computer we currently support. Quality of apple products has dropped in the recent years, its all about design now, and you would be mad not to get applecare as i doubt a new macbook would last 3 years without needed replacement parts.
 
What pure B.S. There are always going to be hardware problems, it's the nature of the beast. But the reason I keep buying from Apple is although they don't always get it right, they will eventually do the right thing. Here's a few examples:

A few years ago an iMac G4 (one with the long shiny neck) died after two weeks. Was bought from mail order, local dealer was repairing but motherboard back ordered with no estimate on delivery). Complained and dealer understood but they hadn't sold the machine so couldn't swap it. They contacted Apple for me, Apple called me and offered to have the dealer give me a new machine and they would reimburse the dealer. Outside the requirements they had to do, but something they did to get a happy customer.

A PowerBook Duo died three times and Apple finally replaced it with a new machine.

A new MacBook Pro arrived with a dead pixel. Technically they don't replace for this, but since I was reasonable with the Apple store and I had a history as a repeat customer they swapped it out for no cost.

Try this with Dell or HP. See how far you get. Sorry anyone who has problems but if you are reasonable it will get fixed. If you are a hot headed jerk who yells at people for a key that is crooked so little that you need a micrometer to measure it, then you probably won't get very far.
 
More annoying are the fanboys who have not purchased a current model and have a go at the users who are experiencing issues. From my exparience this has been the worst update since my 15 years with apple.

....

I world in a very large multimedia company in the UK

I'm sensing a pattern here, it seems like the biggest gripping is coming from people in the UK. Is it something in the water or what?

And for your fanboy statements, I have two new MBPs. This update from a quality perspective is at least as good as previous ones. The build quality on the ones I have and have seen at the stores is much better than previous models.
 
Could it be possible that Apple is actually sending 'refurbished'/recertified MBP's to those folks who have asked for replacements?
 
I thought I would chime in to hopefully make people feel better as well.

Mine was perfect out of the box. Got the nice LG panel, not a single dead/stuck pixel, and no scratches, dents or problems.

Purchased mine from an apple store.
 
I'm sensing a pattern here, it seems like the biggest gripping is coming from people in the UK. Is it something in the water or what?

And for your fanboy statements, I have two new MBPs. This update from a quality perspective is at least as good as previous ones. The build quality on the ones I have and have seen at the stores is much better than previous models.

I already stated that I'm in the middle of the US.
 
I'm sensing a pattern here, it seems like the biggest gripping is coming from people in the UK. Is it something in the water or what?

Yes, I think us Brits have a special solution added to the water to help us to fight of all the Steve Jobs reality field waves!
Or perhaps it's because we actually want something for the money and are not stupid enough to accept imperfect machines for $2500. Or have you just not noticed the number of AMERICANS on here complaining too?
Sorry if I'm being patriotic here.
 
I've went through 6 Penryn MBP's because of vertical stripes, scratches and broken 8600 cards etc. I settled for one of the new top end MBP's. The first few days of use was perfect but the fans started to make a loud whirring noise even when the computer was idle. I recorded it and sent it to the person who's dealing with my case at Apple. She said she wouldn't accept it either and asked me how we should proceed e.g. refund/replacement. I accepted a replacement and little did I know she had upgraded the processor in it to 2.8GHz for all the trouble I've had which I'm grateful for. This MBP is perfect and I believe buying a MBP these days is like taking part in a lottery. To be frank, Apple's quality control is terrible but there are some decent computers out there. I've always questioned how they can package something that is full of scratches and send it out to someone, surely someone would notice that?

It's obvious that people with perfect MBP's won't usually come on these forums unless they have a problem so by coming on here you're given the impression that all MBP's are faulty which isn't true. The new MBP's are shipping with defects in some cases but the thread title is slightly misleading suggesting them all.

I understand the OP's frustration as my case has been going from July and still isn't closed. I expect 100% perfection when spending £2,238 on a BTO MBP and if it isn't achieved then I won't keep the product. To anyone who thinks the other vendors' quality control is worse I don't really believe that, of all the laptops I've purchased from Acer they've all been perfect. I've got an old acer laptop which is now 3 years old and I've never had to contact Acer for anything. I've also just ordered an HP laptop and I've every faith that will be perfect too.

Defective MacBook Pro's have no tie with customers in Britain I'm quite sure. They all come from China to begin with.
 
Curious as to how a few small dings, a slightly loose battery cover, and other minor cosmetic defects outweigh the warped cases, failing GPUs, displays with lines, hissing from speakers, dud and sometimes bulging batteries, and various other issues previous model MacBook Pro and Powerbooks?

Sorry but people claiming that the new MB and MBP have the worst build quality in Apple's history, really need to look into that history more closely. No, I am not defending apple, just trying to show how minor the issues effecting the OP really are.

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I feel sorry for you, but this is what happens when a product just comes out and they have to rush them through production due to high demand. My macbook is completely perfect, nothing wrong with it what-so-ever. So either I'm very lucky, or you're just very unlucky.

You will be able to find people who have had similar experiences with any computer company. As far as I can see apple quality control is the same as it always has been, very high.
 
Yes, I think us Brits have a special solution added to the water to help us to fight of all the Steve Jobs reality field waves!
Or perhaps it's because we actually want something for the money and are not stupid enough to accept imperfect machines for $2500. Or have you just not noticed the number of AMERICANS on here complaining too?
Sorry if I'm being patriotic here.

Well, I read this post after another UK post in a different thread stating that:

1.) The MBP in question has a 7200rpm drive.
2.) If you hold it at a 30 angle the drive makes more noise
3.) It therefore is a defect in the MBP because it's had of aluminum and the drive is directly connected to the aluminum (it's not, it's connected via rubber mounts).

I still think it's something in the water. :D
 
I too went through three mbp's and just decided to get my money back. I agree, quality control on these things is awful and for a machine that costs this much money it should be physically flawless out of the box. There are those who will insist that apple's qc is not bad and that there will always be more people voicing complaints than praise. No one knows what the ratio of good to bad machines is, but I'm thinking there is an overwhelming amount of faulty product out there considering there are many people out there who have had to go through more than 5 machines before getting a good one. If there were just a few lemons here and there as should be expected then there wouldn't be so many people who've had so many consecutive bad experiences. I was considering just breaking down and buying a dell but I really don't want to go back to windows... so I'll probably wind up trying again with the mbp in a month or so.
 
I've went through 6 Penryn MBP's because of vertical stripes, scratches and broken 8600 cards etc. I settled for one of the new top end MBP's. The first few days of use was perfect but the fans started to make a loud whirring noise even when the computer was idle. I recorded it and sent it to the person who's dealing with my case at Apple. She said she wouldn't accept it either and asked me how we should proceed e.g. refund/replacement. I accepted a replacement and little did I know she had upgraded the processor in it to 2.8GHz for all the trouble I've had which I'm grateful for. This MBP is perfect and I believe buying a MBP these days is like taking part in a lottery. To be frank, Apple's quality control is terrible but there are some decent computers out there. I've always questioned how they can package something that is full of scratches and send it out to someone, surely someone would notice that?

It's obvious that people with perfect MBP's won't usually come on these forums unless they have a problem so by coming on here you're given the impression that all MBP's are faulty which isn't true. The new MBP's are shipping with defects in some cases but the thread title is slightly misleading suggesting them all.

I understand the OP's frustration as my case has been going from July and still isn't closed. I expect 100% perfection when spending £2,238 on a BTO MBP and if it isn't achieved then I won't keep the product. To anyone who thinks the other vendors' quality control is worse I don't really believe that, of all the laptops I've purchased from Acer they've all been perfect. I've got an old acer laptop which is now 3 years old and I've never had to contact Acer for anything. I've also just ordered an HP laptop and I've every faith that will be perfect too.

Defective MacBook Pro's have no tie with customers in Britain I'm quite sure. They all come from China to begin with.

WOW! Well, mine is already 2.8 and I got the 7200RPM 250GB HD... so really the only thing like that I could see them doing is upgrading the HD to the 320GB 7200RPM which has not happened yet.

I'm also pissed b/c I have a $50 invisible shield and a $35 incase soft case here that I won't use until I get one worth keeping. Of course by the time that happens they will be long out of the exchange/return period. :(

This time when I call, I'm just gonna let them know they better hand pick me a good one so that I can use the stuff I spent extra money on and if they can't get it right, I'm going to hold them responsible for the costs that I cannot get back from the cases.

Thats for dam* shure.
 
With my first one, the fans were overly loud. Just got my replacement today. The battery/HD cover isn't flush with the edges, and one of the screws will not come out for me to replace the RAM. I'm really upset and don't know what to do.

Can they just replace the screw and the battery cover to fix it, or does it require waiting another week for a new machine (it's BTO).
 
With my first one, the fans were overly loud. Just got my replacement today. The battery/HD cover isn't flush with the edges, and one of the screws will not come out for me to replace the RAM. I'm really upset and don't know what to do.

Can they just replace the screw and the battery cover to fix it, or does it require waiting another week for a new machine (it's BTO).

I would probably say the latter is what is going to have to happen... the retail stores near me refused to get involved with my BTO machine at all.

Good luck!
 
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