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samuel690069 · May 10, 2006, 06:30 AM

First time poster so please go easy. I'd like to firstly say that overall i'm pleased with my MBP 15".....its a week 15 product and i've had it nearly a week now.

There are a few build quality issue's:

1. The lid doesn't have an equal gap when closed (bigger on the right)

2. The keyboard keys are a bit uneven (high/low/bit on the wonk)

3. The slim piece of the aluminium case above the catch has a slight curve outwards.

4. The whine/buzz combo is present unless on mains power or the iSight is on.

I have only ever owned PC's before and wanted to give apple a go as I love there products and design (I have sereral iPods).
I really like the operating system and the user interface......i'm just a little dissapointed that by week 15 these computers still have some minor but annoying build quality issues.

The reason i'm posting is to see if any of you guys have a later build where the above issues have been sorted.....i'm also lothed to send it back as the screen has very even lighting and no dead/stuck pixels.

I have a day or so to decide if I should return it......just wondered if you think i'm more or less likely to get a better one? Thanks

pete · May 10, 2006, 07:20 AM

Sadly, a few of these 'issues' have been around for years now: the uneven lid gap, keyboard uneveness. The al above the catch should be flush and straight. The whine seems to be from the CPU and I remember that the last generation of powerbooks had that too.

skyman · May 10, 2006, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by pete

Sadly, a few of these 'issues' have been around for years now: the uneven lid gap, keyboard uneveness. The al above the catch should be flush and straight. The whine seems to be from the CPU and I remember that the last generation of powerbooks had that too.

I don't recall the 15" PowerBooks having the whine the MBP does.

samuel690069 · 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by pete

Sadly, a few of these 'issues' have been around for years now: the uneven lid gap, keyboard uneveness. The al above the catch should be flush and straight. The whine seems to be from the CPU and I remember that the last generation of powerbooks had that too.

Cheers for the reply......just got back from my lunch break and had a look in PC World at a MBP in there and it too had a very slight curve in the aluminium strip that separates the catch from the grey plastic edge.....its like there is a very small amount of tension in the case and because this is such a slim strip of metal it distorts it slightly. If you put the MBP on one leg and push down either side of the keyboard it pulls it straight....release and it shows again. Its not a major issue.....I just wish apple made there laptops in Japan/Germany/USA as QC seems very lax at the plant in China.

mark.s · May 10, 2006, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by dantay

The reason i'm posting is to see if any of you guys have a later build where the above issues have been sorted.....i'm also lothed to send it back as the screen has very even lighting and no dead/stuck pixels.

I have a day or so to decide if I should return it......just wondered if you think i'm more or less likely to get a better one? Thanks

I'm in a similar situation to you... I have a week 16 machine. The screen is great and I have yet to hear the infamous whine. When closed, I get a gap on the left hand side, around 2mm. It's nothing major, and I don't see it having any real effect on anything, but it does bug me. After getting a CTO machine and paying €3000 with local taxes, it just annoys me a little that the thing isn't 100% perfect.

Personally, I'm keeping mine due to the screen/non existent whine. I think it's the luck of the draw, as to whether you'd have any problems with a replacement machine... I've read that even the newest machines can have the whining sound. You just need to ask yourself whether this is going to annoy you in the long term, or whether you are comfortable with the way it is now (but I guess that's obivous

).

pete · May 10, 2006, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by skyman

I don't recall the 15" PowerBooks having the whine the MBP does.

Yes, I had two of them (returned both for other reasons) and they both had it. I think people attributed it to the GPU, but the sounds was quite similar - maybe a little less pronounced than the macbooks.

pete · May 10, 2006, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by dantay

Cheers for the reply......just got back from my lunch break and had a look in PC World at a MBP in there and it too had a very slight curve in the aluminium strip that separates the catch from the grey plastic edge.....its like there is a very small amount of tension in the case and because this is such a slim strip of metal it distorts it slightly. If you put the MBP on one leg and push down either side of the keyboard it pulls it straight....release and it shows again. Its not a major issue.....I just wish apple made there laptops in Japan/Germany/USA as QC seems very lax at the plant in China.

It's just that it is one among many issues....I don't think it's the fact that they're made in China that is the problem. It's that Apple doesn't seem to have adequate quality control mechanisms in place.

Taiwan is still a much better place to manufacture these kinds of things as workers are better educated and trained and have higher standards and requirements in general. The problem is that Taiwanese companies now are moving all their factories to the mainland to save money....

Zeeb · May 10, 2006, 09:37 AM

yep, I also have the slightly uneven lid and crooked keyboard but I'm hanging on to mine since there is no whine and the screen is perfect. Since yours does have the whine perhaps you should exchange if you still can.

I don't care if my computer is made in China, because some Chinese factories produce very high quality goods, but clearly Apple has decided to save money and not pay for more skilled labor. Even cheapo computer makers like Dell can manage to build a case that lines up properly.

milhouse · May 10, 2006, 12:20 PM

I just picked up a 15" MBP yesterday. I have absolutely no whine at this time (battery or AC power), the keyboard looks fine (no unevenness) and I have no case curvature near the catch or latch.

My lid sits a bit crooked when closed as well and I've just noticed that only one latch drops down to secure the lid.

I have a week 13 machine produced at the Shanghai factory and it was number 13377 for the week it was produced.
You can check out your production info here: http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

Chris Grande · May 10, 2006, 06:10 PM

I think the bent lid issues (I have a slightly different warp issue present in the "Display Rear Housing" the part with the apple logo cutout behind the screen) where the edges are slightly flared and don't line up with the front bezel.

I think the reason Apple has these issues and more precisely the PowerBooks/MacBooks is because they are made from metal while the iBook/DELLs are made from molded plastic. The metal pieces are much more susceptible to being damaged/bent while being moved around the factories or while being stacked/stored,etc. The plastic pieces would have much more tolerance for this and would not be damaged by it; if the force was that great they would simply crack.

tycheung · May 10, 2006, 10:39 PM

nope, the past 3 iBooks I've gotten all have minor case parts misalignments.

Chris Grande · May 10, 2006, 10:56 PM

I was talking mostly about defects in a given part, when you have 2 separate parts coming together that a entirely different issue. Of course they both stink.

masugu · May 10, 2006, 10:59 PM

My 1GHz Ti Powerbook was flawless when I got it. My wife's 12" AL Powerbook definitely has some fit & finish issues.

I hope my next PB - 13" MB or 12"PB (if they have 'em) improve build quality

samuel690069 · May 11, 2006, 04:01 AM

Well I have spoken to Apple Store and they are sending me a replacement. The lady I spoke to said they were aware of the whine problem and I would be sent a new one that was made in the uk?! I didn't know they made them in the uk......asked if it was a re-con or brand new and she assured me it was new. She also said it is only now that she can say that the new one will not have the whine and before it was pot luck! I'm sure Apple don't manufacture MBP's in the uk? Cheers

pete · May 11, 2006, 07:46 AM

You're right, no apple computers are manufactured in the UK

samuel690069 · May 11, 2006, 08:31 AM

The girl at Apple mailed me back and said she was wrong and all MBP's are made in China and I would be getting the latest batch with no whine.....we shall see....prob no whine but 5 dead pixels an even more wonky lid and a heat problem.....the joys of being a consumer!

EdipisReks · May 11, 2006, 12:10 PM

my MBP, which i received on tuesday, doesn't whine and doesn't moo. it does chirp every once in a while, but both my G4 albooks did this too, so it doesn't bother me. the hard drive on my last albook, a 1.5, had a high pitched whine, which the MBP doesn't have. from a noise perspective, i'm very happy.

the casing around the screen doesn't exhibit any warping, and is quite flat when it's closed. the screen itself is very evenly illuminated. the machine does get a bit hot, and i might open it up at some point to see if a better application of thermal paste is in order. from a build perspective, the only thing that bothers me is the fact that the touchpad seems to dip just a little at the top. i'm also not happy with the trackpad feel compared to any of my powerbooks, but i don't like the trackpad on my friend's 1.67 powerbook (with two finger scrolling), so i'm sure it's just a metter of me getting used to it.

EdipisReks · May 11, 2006, 12:12 PM

btw, according to the above link, my book was week 13 at shanghai, production number 3277.