[scgf]

With some horror I noticed a vertical pink/brown line appear on my spanking new 12" G4 iBook screen today. The line was pencil thin and appeared just over three-quarters of the way across the screen on the right side. It was there on booting up, when booting from the CD, in fact anytime the screen was lit up. I tried zapping PRAM and NVRAM, changing screen resolution etc. to no avail.

I did some digging around and found vertical lines galore - all pertaining to G3 iBooks. The dreaded logic board issue?

I rang my dealer who told me to ring Apple. Apple questioned whether my iBook was indeed brand new since the serial number showed the unit as having been build in October 2003.

To cut a long story short, I argued with my retailer that they should replace my iBook. I bought it only three days ago. They wouldn't have it, and insisted I send it to them so they could send it to Apple to verify the fault.

In the end, I invoked the UK's Distance Selling Regulations which entitles the buyer to cancel a purchase made online, by telephone or mail order, within 7 days and receive a refund.

The retailer agreed, since they had no other option, and they are arranging for a courier to collect the iBook tomorrow. I have placed another order, this time with the UK Apple Store. I decided I would pay a little extra for a 60GB hard drive and integral bluetooth. Maybe I will get a more recent machine this time!

[polendo]

Just to make sure.. that IBOOK was 2000000% sure to be a G4? There was no way in a 1000 years that probably it was a G3 sold as a G4?

If the G4 get the logic board failure too, then I don't what the h@ll Apple is doing in their manufacturing plants.

Hopefully you get your Ibook in order.

[scgf]

Originally posted by polendo:
Just to make sure.. that IBOOK was 2000000% sure to be a G4? There was no way in a 1000 years that probably it was a G3 sold as a G4?

It was definately a G4. Apple's system profiler showed it as an 800MHz G4 and it had the G4 logo below the screen. Apple themselves identified it as a G4 when I rang in to report the fault.

It would appear that I got one of the first G4 iBooks - the date of manufacture was October, so maybe the first few still had the logic board fault?

I will have to wait a couple of weeks for my new iBook since ordering from the Apple Store involved a build-to-order item, then Apple deliver from Taiwan. They estimate shipping on 16 Feb.

Thanks for your comments, polendo.

[pat++]

or this was just a defective unit... it happens sometimes... no need to worry (yet)

[dracoleb]

When I first got my G4 iBook it had a while horizontal line on the screen, seemed to be a flaw in the the LCD rather than the system. Took it to the Apple store and they had me walking out w/ a brand new iBook within hours.