Rev. A 12" PB Anniversary Approaching...

[jxyama]

So, it's been a year since the original 12" PB was introduced... as such, I need to decide once and for all if I should purchase AppleCare or not.

Right now, my inclination is NOT to get it for several reasons:

1) my PB has been flawless thus far

2) if something was to go wrong, i'd feel better spending the $250 towards a new machine rather than repairing the old one. (as much as i love my machine...)

3) i am yet to hear about widespread, systematic problems with the Rev. A 12" PB, unlike the old iBook and the infamous motherboard or the Al 15" display white spots.

while many will disagree about my reasonings, especially 1 & 2, but right now, i'm interested in finding out more about my point #3.

basically, if there seems to be no systematic problems with the PB 12" in general, i'm willing to take a chance on skimping on the applecare and bet that my machine will last me a few more years.

i'm posting this thread to see if anyone's heard of systematic, widespread problems that i'm unaware of. ("problems" i'm interested in are real problems that render machine unusable, not cosmetic problems like hot left wrist area, slight wobbles, deformed plastic molding, etc.)

i'm not interested in "generic" posts claiming the great value of applecare, so please keep such posts out. i'm interested in finding out about genuine problems various people have had with the PB.

thanks.

 

[sethypoo]

Well, I've had my 12" PowerBook G4 for about 10 months, and have had absolutely no problems with it. It's an amazing machine, I have no qualms whatsoever.

I hope this winning streak continues with every Apple I purchase!

BTW: Old Skool 12" PowerBook owners unite!

 

[hugemullens]

My airport card went postal, required a trip to apple to figure that out. Other than that, and my complete lack of feet on the bottom, mine has performed flawlessly.

 

[mms]

The only problem I remember hearing about is the fan problem in Panther where the fan runs constantly, but that wouldn't have much to do with AppleCare.

 

[Kwyjibo]

Originally posted by mms
The only problem I remember hearing about is the fan problem in Panther where the fan runs constantly, but that wouldn't have much to do with AppleCare.

actually thats a setting in 10.3.2 ... that lowers the minimum temperature to start the fans to a level which is more or less on the high end of normal operation not extreme operation

 

[latergator116]

Well, I would normally say get the applecare just to be safe. But since it has already been a year and it has had no problems, plus if it did you would rather get a new machine, I would say skip it.

 

[peterskim]

i've actually had a bunch of problems with my rev. a powerbook.

1) my latch stopped snapping down. got it replaced.
2) spacebar on keyboard got stuck. got keyboard replaced.
3) power adapter cable got finicky. got it replaced.

all of these issues were within the first 6 months though and i haven't had any problems since.

 

[tjwett]

got mine in May, 12 days before they dropped the price to $1599 so far it's been great. having a battery issue lately but i think it's do to a Software Update. do i wish i had DVI out? yes. do i wish i had USB 2? yeah, sorta. overall i'm happy though.

 

[Squire]

Would that PowerBook trade-in program affect your decision?

Squire

 

[Grimace]

The powerbook trade-in program does not apply to Alubooks.

 

[evil]

ive had my rev a 12 for almost a year and have had a few problems.

1. the latch broke and the sensor that puts the computer to sleep also broke.

it still hasnt been fixed and i have to put the computer to sleep manually before closing.

2. the computer stopped charging and had to get that fixed.

3. the computer just litterally stopped working. it wouldnt even turn on or anything, even though the battery was charged. this has also been fixed.

unfortunately my computer has not been close to being trouble free. i am also unsure as to whether i would buy the applecare or just use the money for a new computer when the time comes.

the apple care for the powerbook is just so damned expensive.

 

[Grimace]

Also, if you'd put the $250 toward a new machine - is your old one THAT deficient? If it's a year old, and something goes wrong in the 14th month, buying a new computer sees silly when if it could have been fixed with AppleCare, you'd get another 2 years minimum out of it.