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Rev. E 17" PowerBook mini review
- Thread starter tekmoe
- Start date
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tekmoe said:
Don't just think about it, I strongly urge you to do it.
Really eats me to see big corps get richer and small consumers getting burned. You probably set aside portions of your salary over a couple months to be able to buy that PB, Apple makes your lifetime's salary in hours.
You deserve better.
I bought a new 17 the first day it was announced (shocked one of the local Apple Stores had it in stock already). First I will admit the screen real estate is always a nice option; can't have to much. There were a few things about the 17 that made it impossible for me to like (subjective).
First the viewing range of this new LCD is not that great. Even being centered there was a little darkness (sort of washed out on the left and right side) issue going on, the 15" LCD doesn't suffer from that. Also it had the same dark corner issue that someone posted a picture of. Second I've always used/owned a 15 (ti/al) and I couldn't force myself to like the larger form factor. Third there was the flashing/flickering 1/3 bottom of the screen issue that others have mentioned.
So I decided to take it back and go back to my first and only love; The 15. At first I was afraid I'd miss the extra real estate, but the new 15 has a good amount of real estate (If you're not use to the old 17). Personally I was so used to the old 15, so the new resolution was a big plus. They also seem to tighen up the LCD hinge because now it's tight as a ******* *****.
The new LCD is just as bright if not a tad brighter than the 17 DDR I had. So now I'm running with 2GB's of crucial ram and this thing is treating me as good as I'd expect. After owning the 17 I have a lot of respect for the real estate that it offers. But the 15 is a breed of it's own and I now know how much I love her (again It's all subjective).
As corny as it sounds they say to know if true love is real you should let it go to see if it makes its way back to you... Well that's my story about the 15.
First the viewing range of this new LCD is not that great. Even being centered there was a little darkness (sort of washed out on the left and right side) issue going on, the 15" LCD doesn't suffer from that. Also it had the same dark corner issue that someone posted a picture of. Second I've always used/owned a 15 (ti/al) and I couldn't force myself to like the larger form factor. Third there was the flashing/flickering 1/3 bottom of the screen issue that others have mentioned.
So I decided to take it back and go back to my first and only love; The 15. At first I was afraid I'd miss the extra real estate, but the new 15 has a good amount of real estate (If you're not use to the old 17). Personally I was so used to the old 15, so the new resolution was a big plus. They also seem to tighen up the LCD hinge because now it's tight as a ******* *****.
The new LCD is just as bright if not a tad brighter than the 17 DDR I had. So now I'm running with 2GB's of crucial ram and this thing is treating me as good as I'd expect. After owning the 17 I have a lot of respect for the real estate that it offers. But the 15 is a breed of it's own and I now know how much I love her (again It's all subjective).
As corny as it sounds they say to know if true love is real you should let it go to see if it makes its way back to you... Well that's my story about the 15.
i called apple tonight. i explained to them that i think i have a dead pixel. he suggested i go to the apple store to have a genuis look at it. then i told him the alignment on the powerbook is not correct, which is true. i had this same problem with the 12" i bought a couple of months ago and had to return it for an exchange. the manager at the store even told me it was a known issue and he had no problem exchanging it with no restocking fee. the applecare guy told me again to take it to a genuis at the local apple store. i told him i would do so.
i went to the apple store after i ended the call and believe it or not, the same manager who exchanged my 12" a couple of months ago for the alignment problem. i introduced myself and explained the situation and commented about how he helped me last time. he made the process very simple. he basically had a genius look at it, type in some notes and created a case #, and told me to call apple back for an exchange.
in the end, i will call apple tomorrow (they are closed now) and will have them send me a replacement. i would have done an exchange in the store but mine is a BTO with the 7200rpm drive.
i will let you guys know what happens. thanks for the insight.
i went to the apple store after i ended the call and believe it or not, the same manager who exchanged my 12" a couple of months ago for the alignment problem. i introduced myself and explained the situation and commented about how he helped me last time. he made the process very simple. he basically had a genius look at it, type in some notes and created a case #, and told me to call apple back for an exchange.
in the end, i will call apple tomorrow (they are closed now) and will have them send me a replacement. i would have done an exchange in the store but mine is a BTO with the 7200rpm drive.
i will let you guys know what happens. thanks for the insight.
generik said:The lower screen flickering issue and inconsistent backlight issues sound quite serious.. dodgy connectors probably?
Do they occur on the 15" too? Suddenly I am more and more worried that when I get my PB I will end up with one of these duds
I have two 15" REV. E Powerbooks; neither has displayed the flickering or backlighting problem.
Chrispy said:Sounds like a happy ending
i will call it a happy ending when i get a new 17" that does not have dead pixels and the alignment of the screen is good. in the beginning of my review, i said the dead pixel really did not bother me. BUT, after i have thought about it, i have owned 1 ibook and 4 powerbooks. all 5 of these have never had a dead pixels. then i get my brand new 17" that i have been waiting for over 2 months to get my grubby little hands on...and it has a freakin dead pixel. the dead pixel grew on me and started poking at my eye. ok, it wasn't that bad, but still...you get my point. plus, i have talked with numerous other people who have said they have never had a dead pixel on any of their powerbooks/ibooks either. the percentage of people getting a laptop with dead pixel(s) is slim to say the least from what i have seen/read.
my 17" has a very stiff latch button. you can barely push it in with your thumb unless you use your fingernail. this is due to poor screen alignment. the first 12" i bought back in august had a very similar problem which was also due to poor screen alignment. the manager told me this and exchanged the 12" without any questions. knowing this, i used the screen alignment comment for my 17" because i know they will exchange it. when i was at the apple store, i mentioned nothing about the dead pixel. only the screen alignment.
i will call apple tomorrow and see what they have to say. i am 99% sure they will say "we will build another powerbook of the same one you originally ordered and ship it to you asap."
does anyone know if they expect me to ship my powerbook first? or will they ship me the new powerbook and then i ship mine back? will it be only the powerbook, or the entire retail box as if it were brand new?
thanks again guys and girls.
I have had many many powerbooks with deal pixels (3 in a row once). They make you send the powerbook back to them first and then they process your new order. They will send you a fedex label and you send the entire retail box back to them. After 3-5 days they will start to process your return.
(3 in a row once). They make you send the powerbook back to them first and then they process your new order. They will send you a fedex label and you send the entire retail box back to them. After 3-5 days they will start to process your return.
maya said:
Yes, I think we can start forming your conclusion from a sample size of 2 computers that you have owned.
And guys, don't put up with a screen that "flickers." I don't know why Tekmoe and someone else said, "Whoohoo, it hasn't flickered in 4 hours!!" Guess what? My 12" PBs screen hasn't flickered in 25 months.
Add to my list of flicker, and lookups internet problems...
...an inconsistent backlight.
I just noticed it, and it's terrible.
This 17" PowerBook is going back. I hope the store doesn't give me a hard time.
I am highly disappointed, and nervous since I am not certain the replacement will be any better.
But this is my 4th PowerBook and 3rd desktop in the past 3 years, and the first major problem, so Apple's average is good.
But I am still disappointed. And after the massive quality issues in Tiger, I just hope this is not the beginning of a trend for Apple.
...an inconsistent backlight.
I just noticed it, and it's terrible.
This 17" PowerBook is going back. I hope the store doesn't give me a hard time.
I am highly disappointed, and nervous since I am not certain the replacement will be any better.
But this is my 4th PowerBook and 3rd desktop in the past 3 years, and the first major problem, so Apple's average is good.
But I am still disappointed. And after the massive quality issues in Tiger, I just hope this is not the beginning of a trend for Apple.
after a one hour phone call with apple, they finally agreed to replace my powerbook all together. they wanted me to send it in for repair but i denied that offer. so i had to go thru 3 people before they agreed to build me another 17" with the 7200rpm drive. it's being built now and will be shipped to me hopefully this week. the lady said it would be shipped next business day. the only thing i have to pay for is to ship back the current 17". oh well.
i just hope the next one does not have any dead pixels and the alignment is much better.
i just hope the next one does not have any dead pixels and the alignment is much better.
nospleen said:
Yeah I never had to pay for shipping when I sent mine back
I have never had a good powerbook experience with the exception of my 12" that I had for awhile. I finally just bailed ship on them all together and ordered an iMac 1.9 17" instead. If I ever get an apple portable in the future it will be an iBook 12" for sure. So sad Apple can't seem to get things right on their powerbook line...honestly, i wasn't going to argue any further than that. i was pushing my luck as it was. technically, they could have told me "sorry, you are screwed and we can only repair it" because they are protected by their policy. my powerbook was not DOA so they had every right to decline an exchange. i kept pushing and telling them "but your apple care specialist told me on the phone last night that this is what you guys would do. why are you telling me otherwise now?". at that point, they let their defense down and said they would be willing to make an exception. psh.
so to pay 15 or 20 bucks to ship back the "defective" one to get another brand new BTO, i am not mad. i think i did pretty good. she's bumped the shipping method to 2-day express so it should be pretty quick. i checked the order a few minutes ago and it's arleady in the system. it says the latest ship date will be nov 3rd. most likely it will be shipped out tomorrow or tuesday.
so to pay 15 or 20 bucks to ship back the "defective" one to get another brand new BTO, i am not mad. i think i did pretty good. she's bumped the shipping method to 2-day express so it should be pretty quick. i checked the order a few minutes ago and it's arleady in the system. it says the latest ship date will be nov 3rd. most likely it will be shipped out tomorrow or tuesday.