[johnzoidberg]

I have a question about my 12" PowerBook G4, but it can apply to other PB users, too. How durable are the ports on the PowerBooks? I plug and unplug devices (mostly USB devices) from my PowerBook multiple times a day, most days of the week. How durable are the ports? Are the susceptible to too much wear? Are my concerns unfounded, and also, have there been any cases where the ports have just worn out from use? How well are they soldered onto the logic board?

i know, too many questions...

[ibook_steve]

All ports will eventually fail in some manner or another, but I'm sure the connectors Apple uses are rated at a very high plug-unplug number, probably in the thousands if not tens of thousands or higher. Obviously they have to be durable, so I'm sure Apple tests ports and only chooses manufacturers who can give them high durability connectors. All mechanical parts on all machines wear out eventually.

Steve

[SpaceRockness]

As long as a person doesn't shove or put too much presure on the ports when inserting cables they'll last very long/nearly forever(ex: until the machine dies). On my old iMac, I unplugged and plugged devices to the lower usb port quite a bit due to certain devices being picky(ex: refusing to work properly on a hub) and the ports haven't broke/worn out... not bad for going onto 6yrs huh?

My 1.25ghz PowerBook's ports haven't failed so far nearing the 11th month of ownership... I would say I don't use the modem or ethernet since I access the net/LAN via airport extreme. Other than that I plug/unplug my keyboard, iPod almost daily.

when all else fails, theres always AppleCare to save the day

[johnzoidberg]

Oftentimes, when I plug/unplug my mouse from the USB port, I encounter some resistance (the plug is somewhat snug) that requires me to put in a little extra strength. A little more than necessary, IMO. I've even checked to see whether I was plugging it in at the right angle. Should I be worried if I do it every day?

[MrForgetable]

Originally posted by johnzoidberg:
Oftentimes, when I plug/unplug my mouse from the USB port, I encounter some resistance (the plug is somewhat snug) that requires me to put in a little extra strength. A little more than necessary, IMO. I've even checked to see whether I was plugging it in at the right angle. Should I be worried if I do it every day?

got an ibook and i plugged in a USB mouse and it was quite snug also.

[moep]

Yeah, the ports should last almost forever under normal circumstances.

The only problem I had so far was with my iBook G4 - it fell of my lap while the ethernet cable was plugged in, landed on the ethernet-cable and shattered the port. Well, the port is still functional, but the cable won't "click" in anymore.