[Rob van dam]

I just want to start of buy saying that im not here to get flamed by anyone i just want to know what sort of quality control goes on at apple today to say 5 years ago.I just want to ask this since apple has become more mainstream along with the use of online forums we are seeing more widspread issues.Is it the competitive nature of the marketplace forcing them to cut corners here and there or just genuine faults that are bound to happen.I read a while ago with the person involved around 1995(dont remember names) of quality control of powerbooks explaining what sort of tests they use to undertake to see how durable they were.With the secretive nature of apple as it is do machines like there notebooks ever leave there test labs to try real world conditions or are they just locked up for fear of someones prying eyes posting something on an online forum.

[Macpilot]

I would guess that 1 out of every 10 computers get checked on the assembly line.

As Apple sells more computers, there are going to be more DOA machines, which is just simple math. More DOA machines means more people posting on forums about their problems.

So far, it seems Apple still reigns king of customer service and quality control, however.

[BasketofPuppies]

Something like this.

[Rob van dam]

Originally Posted by BasketofPuppies

Something like this.

Well i read the article which is quite an insightful read.However i will try and find the article which i was refering to in regards to much thourough QC all those years back.

[ghporter]

I used to do Quality Assurance for a living. The scientific approach is to sample the product - you randomly select some number of samples at each stage of production and test them, you randomly select some number of samples of the finished product and test them thoroughly, and you randomly select some small number of samples of the finished product - NOT the same ones you've already tested - and test them obsessively. This can mean testing to destruction in things like resistors, lightbulbs and such, or testing in harsher than specified environments, and under higher or otherwise more demanding workloads for things like computers. You use truly random numbers to select the samples, not just "I think I'll check this one," and you obsessively record every detail of which, how, when, and what happened. It's a royal pain in the butt to do it right, but the result is knowing when things are going right, and when they don't, what's going wrong.

Macpilot has pointed out a Stunningly Obvious Fact that people simply ignore-the more products a company sells, the more failures will be encountered by consumers. DUH!!! This is mathematically unavoidable; a statistical fact that cannot be ignored by either the manufacturer or the consumer. Apple has been increasing its market share for the last several years, so that means more units in consumers' hands, and thus more failures.

There's no way to make any product 100% perfect, so even with the best quality assurance, you're going to have to put up with a few failures. That's why Apple has a warranty. Remember, these things are "Designed in California," but most (all?) are manufactured in China, so while Apple's obsessive-compulsive designers and engineers can produce The Very Best Design, they can't directly control production, and they can't control how the various components are made, either. Stuff WILL happen.

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Remember, these things are "Designed in California," but most (all?) are manufactured in China, so while Apple's obsessive-compulsive designers and engineers can produce The Very Best Design, they can't directly control production, and they can't control how the various components are made, either. Stuff WILL happen.

Designed by an Englishman in California, made in China by children.

[moonmonkey]

Double post

[osiris]

Not much, lately. A client had 3 out of 7 eMacs die only 3 months out of warranty. Ouch.

[Spliffdaddy]

If you choose to allow your manufacturing facilities to be out of your control, then your quality control sucks.

[tooki]

You really can't say that. The outsourced manufacturer may have more manufacturing expertise than you do.

tooki

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

If you choose to allow your manufacturing facilities to be out of your control, then your quality control sucks.

They're not out of Apple's control. They have standards, which if not enforced, affects the supplier companies as much as Apple, as they lose business from Apple as well. There isn't an automaker around today who makes most of the components/assemblies for their cars either; that's the way it is, but quality in the auto industry has gone nowhere but up.

Besides, Consumer Reports has rated Apple #1 in customer support and satisfaction for at least the last three or four years, based on actual feedback surveys.

[Rob van dam]

Originally Posted by KarlG

Besides, Consumer Reports has rated Apple #1 in customer support and satisfaction for at least the last three or four years, based on actual feedback surveys.

These reports have apple at the top in the states but i highly doubt that especially in Australia.I would take any consumer report in regards to apple in Australia with a grain of salt.But in reality how much control does apple enforce on these manufacturing plants?Do they carry out some sort of audit?

[- - e r i k - -]

Apple Norway used to run a campaign in the nineties that said they had 97,7% customer satisfaction.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by Rob van dam

These reports have apple at the top in the states but i highly doubt that especially in Australia.I would take any consumer report in regards to apple in Australia with a grain of salt.But in reality how much control does apple enforce on these manufacturing plants?Do they carry out some sort of audit?

I don't know about Australia, as I was addressing the issue in the U. S., but I don't believe they manufacture any product in Australia, so the quality of the machines should be the same. The tech support may be different (if they don't farm that out as well).

Apple, along with any large manufacturing concern, does audits on it's suppliers, I'm sure.

[volcano]

Originally Posted by Rob van dam

I just want to ask this since apple has become more mainstream along with the use of online forums we are seeing more widspread issues.

Read what you just wrote.

The more products you sell, the larger your user base. The larger your user base, the greater the chance of having a machine or product fail. The greater the chance of having a machine or product fail, the greater the number of users you will see flock to an online community for answers to their question regarding their products.

Make sense?

I remember seeing a post in the iPod forum a while back, and some poster was complaining about the iPod, saying that he sees SO MANY iPods in for repair when compared to other mp3 players that are currently on the market (apparently he worked at Best Buy). Well, duh! Apple has nearly 75% of the mp3 player market - of COURSE you'll see more of them in for repair!