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iSky · Apr 16, 2003, 10:01 AM

Could someone please tell me if there were faulty production batches earlier this year? I am offered a machine that was built in the last week of February (..307..). Is that too close to the introduction, or can I get rid of my worries, now that I'm switching to the good side? Are there common problems with this precious piece of art?
Thanks for some advice!

eevyl · Apr 16, 2003, 10:17 AM

There are known issues with some PowerBook G4 12", but nothing more than any other Mac. There are no common flaws, I ordered my PowerBook early, before they begin shipping them, and it is free from any flaw.

Just to be safe I would recomend to buy AppleCare for it.

mcs37 · Apr 16, 2003, 10:33 AM

AppleCare is definitely a key thing to have. It's worth the upgrade price since Apple's standard warranty plan w/o AppleCare is pretty pathetic.

Your only flaw might be jerkiness in full-screen DVD mode, which seems to be fixed with 10.2.3. Also I hear the 12.1" PB has problems coming out of sleep sometimes. But that's just a rumor; I've never actually seen it being a problem.

Tell me how you like the 12"! I am hoping to buy one in August

AssassyN · Apr 16, 2003, 10:36 AM

Yeah, there were some 12" AlBook issues such as excessive heat, sticky trackpads, etc., but the occurance of those has gotten less and less since their initial introduction, and evenso, AppleCare will cover any of those flaws.

I would certainly (actually, I did on my 17" PB) purchase the extended AppleCare warrenty on a notebook; notebook's are nearly impossible to work on on your own and repair bills can be huge for them. Good luck!

iSky · Apr 16, 2003, 11:19 AM

Well, not that I intend to take the AlBook around in a backpack every day, but you do have a point there with AppleCare. I read in a few threads though, that the support is one thing that Apple needs to work on. Any experience ... good, or bad? Cheers!

AssassyN · Apr 16, 2003, 11:24 AM

Originally posted by iSky:
Well, not that I intend to take the AlBook around in a backpack every day, but you do have a point there with AppleCare. I read in a few threads though, that the support is one thing that Apple needs to work on. Any experience ... good, or bad? Cheers!

Apple's product communications is pretty poor, however, their tech supoprt is first class. If you purchase AppleCare, Apple will always take care of you if something goes wrong w/ your machine. And their repair times are traditionally very quick, and they've been known to fully replace products that can't be repaired after numerous tries.

The only downside is their phone support; although people always answer your calls quickly, the AppleCare phone support is only open from like 8am-6pm or something crazy like that, whereas places like Dell have 24/7 tech support. That's the one point I *strongly* disagree with, but aside from that AppleCare is top notch.

eevyl · Apr 16, 2003, 11:48 AM

Originally posted by mcs37:
Your only flaw might be jerkiness in full-screen DVD mode, which seems to be fixed with 10.2.3. Also I hear the 12.1" PB has problems coming out of sleep sometimes. But that's just a rumor; I've never actually seen it being a problem.

Actually, it is fixed with Mac OS X 10.2.5.

And the sleep problems, I did have some problems, but I found out it was mainly my fault. When I put my PowerBook to sleep and quickly disconect my USB hub, the PowerBook crashes just the milisecond before going to sleep. And it crashes badly, kernel panic in all glory. Easy workaround because if I unplug the hub before closing the PowerBook or wait until the machine is properly sleep, then no problems.

iSky · Apr 19, 2003, 01:29 AM

Just have to let all of you know that I did "the switch thing". Since today, 11:00am (my time zone) I'm a very happy owner of a 12" PowerBook (combo, 60gig HD, 640ram, AE).

It's sooo beautiful! Wish me luck that I won't get any trouble with my first piece of Apple equipment.
Okay, now how does this thing work...

AssassyN · Apr 19, 2003, 08:49 AM

Originally posted by iSky:
Just have to let all of you know that I did "the switch thing". Since today, 11:00am (my time zone) I'm a very happy owner of a 12" PowerBook (combo, 60gig HD, 640ram, AE). It's sooo beautiful! Wish me luck that I won't get any trouble with my first piece of Apple equipment.
Okay, now how does this thing work...

WOW! CONGRATS MAN!!!!

What an exciting weekend it's gonna be for you! And nice choice on maxing out that RAM!

OS X has such a beautiful interface, just tinker around with it for about 4-5 hours and I betcha you'll already begin to feel comfortable, I know I did! And for reference, check out www.osxfaq.com and www.macosxhints.com for little tips & tricks w/ OS X. And also, feel free to post any questions you have on this board & we'll be glad to help!

Congrats again man, and best of luck w/ your new machine!

sunrunnerfire · Apr 19, 2003, 10:46 AM

... now if only Apple was better at ramping up their production lines for new models. They always seem to get stuck in the revolving door of "too much demand, not enough supply".

gator · Apr 19, 2003, 10:52 AM

I assume you're referring to the 17" PB? The 12" PB didn't really have any production amount issues as far as I know... Apple shipped 82,000 of them last quarter.

AssassyN · Apr 19, 2003, 12:03 PM

LoL, definitely referring to the 17" PB. Clearly Apple had very little issues meeting that demand for the 12" PB, but the demand for the 17" PB probably blew Apple's mind, and their *still* having issues getting them to people who pre-ordered on keynote day, amazingly enough.