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cbrfanatic · 11:49 AM

This is crazy, my mom is a top exec for HP, lol, and she finally bought herself a Mac after letting her use mine, and her macbook arrived today, the 13 inch white with all the extra features you could add. Well, she turned it on, and before it even got to the first setup screen, a bright orange flash burst up from the vents at the bottom of the screen, and then grey smoked shot out. She called apple and they are sending her a brand new one once they recieve verification of this one being shipped back via FedEx. The macbook was from build week 26. Here are some pictures.
[removed two oversize inline images --tooki]

harrisjamieh · Jul 6, 2006, 02:43 PM

Yikes!

raekwon · Jul 6, 2006, 02:44 PM

Dude, send this story to TUAW!

cbrfanatic · Jul 6, 2006, 03:03 PM

whats TUAW if you dont mind?

Nai no Kami · Jul 6, 2006, 03:04 PM

Before sending it in, check if your version of MacLighter was up to date.

cbrfanatic · Jul 6, 2006, 03:07 PM

it really sucks because she had it no longer than 5 minutes! shes been tracking the shipping ever since she placed the order and it came today and now this. Is apple really having so many problems with the MacBooks?

cbrfanatic · Jul 6, 2006, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by Nai no Kami

Before sending it in, check if your version of MacLighter was up to date.

lol, it might not have, i didnt have a chance to check for updates, lol.
I wonder if it had caught fire more then it did, and wound up burning something or hurting my mom, how apple would handle it?

Landos Mustache · Jul 6, 2006, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by cbrfanatic

it really sucks because she had it no longer than 5 minutes! shes been tracking the shipping ever since she placed the order and it came today and now this. Is apple really having so many problems with the MacBooks?

Well that is hardly a fire. It is prob just some capacitor or PMU blowing out. This can happen easily with every electronic product

anamexis · Jul 6, 2006, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

Well that is hardly a fire. It is prob just some capacitor or PMU blowing out. This can happen easily with every electronic product

It can, but electronic devices emitting small explosions are actually rather rare.

Blubby · Jul 6, 2006, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

Well that is hardly a fire. It is prob just some capacitor or PMU blowing out. This can happen easily with every electronic product

How many electronic products have expoded on you? You must be seriously unlucky!

greenamp · Jul 6, 2006, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by Blubby

How many electronic products have expoded on you? You must be seriously unlucky!

He's right, it wasn't a fire nor an explosion. It was a capacitor blowing. Happens all the time in electronics actually. You just may or may not see the flash

j0nkatz · Jul 6, 2006, 04:50 PM

I had a cap blow on my Central Air compressor outside a few days back and I thought someone was shooting off fireworks a few days early. Thank goodness for homeowners warranty.

f1000 · Jul 6, 2006, 05:16 PM

Before we blame the MacBook, let's not forget that a power surge could've caused the explosion as well.

cbrfanatic · Jul 6, 2006, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by f1000

Before we blame the MacBook, let's not forget that a power surge could've caused the explosion as well.

it was running off the battery, and there was a small flame for like 2 seconds...

ChasingApple · Jul 6, 2006, 09:52 PM

The more I read the more I confirm revision 2 and after is the only choice for these

cbrfanatic · 12:10 AM

Originally Posted by ChasingApple

The more I read the more I confirm revision 2 and after is the only choice for these

same here, i have a powerbook g4 that im going to keep just incase the macbookpro goes bad...

Jawbone54 · Jul 7, 2006, 03:26 AM

Originally Posted by anamexis

It can, but electronic devices emitting small explosions are actually rather rare.

Unfortunately...

Every notebook session could be an adventure

buddy1065 · Jul 7, 2006, 08:09 AM

Not to worry; I think Apple is comming out with a fire Mac-stinguisher accessory to accompany their next revision. See link:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3036

seanc · Jul 7, 2006, 08:16 AM

De-ja-vu, there's an iBook G3 fire video floating around somewhere, that was because of the screen cable though and the fact that the mark is near the hinge could put the screen cable as the culprit, but i'm purely speculating.

Hi I'm Ben · Jul 7, 2006, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by buddy1065

Not to worry; I think Apple is comming out with a fire Mac-stinguisher accessory to accompany their next revision. See link:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3036

I hate this woman in the article. I can't stand people who try to get more than the deserve... $15,000 carpet in your hallway? I doubt it. Emotional damages to your son? Hardly. I hope they call Home Depot out to her house replace her $400 carpet and tell her to have a nice day. All my feelings for remorse are taken away by people who do bogus law suits.

Landos Mustache · Jul 7, 2006, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Blubby

How many electronic products have expoded on you? You must be seriously unlucky!

Ask powermac G5 owners. There is a HUGE thread on Macintouch about how current gen G5's power supplies are sparking out blowing out of the box.

It is never happened to me but when it does I would hardly call it a fire.

Gossamer · Jul 7, 2006, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by Hi I'm Ben

I hate this woman in the article. I can't stand people who try to get more than the deserve... $15,000 carpet in your hallway? I doubt it. Emotional damages to your son? Hardly. I hope they call Home Depot out to her house replace her $400 carpet and tell her to have a nice day. All my feelings for remorse are taken away by people who do bogus law suits.

If I read it correctly, the family was thinking of suing Apple for the carpet, and it was the poster who suggested emotional damage. But they have enough money to buy their son a MacBook for Christmas, and he left it on the living room floor unattended...so apparently he doesn't appreciate it that much, he was downstairs playing his XBox at the time.

tooki · Jul 7, 2006, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by cbrfanatic

it really sucks because she had it no longer than 5 minutes! shes been tracking the shipping ever since she placed the order and it came today and now this. Is apple really having so many problems with the MacBooks?

No, Apple isn't having "so many" problems. Most buyers have no problems -- you have to remember that people who have problems complain loudly, while the people who have none just go about their business.

tooki

Tarcat · Jul 8, 2006, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by cbrfanatic

it really sucks because she had it no longer than 5 minutes! shes been tracking the shipping ever since she placed the order and it came today and now this. Is apple really having so many problems with the MacBooks?

Hard to say. Forums like this really distort the perception of how reliable a computer is. Nobody starts a thread to say that their computer works and people with working computers are less likely to come to a forum like this in the first place. So everytime I buy a new Apple i'm paranoid after reading the forums. And everything i've bought in the last decade has worked like a charm, including my MacBook.

cbrfanatic · Jul 12, 2006, 05:54 PM

I had a pmu go bad in my powerbook G4 within 6 months of owning it, and i bought it in august of 05.

cbrfanatic · Jul 12, 2006, 05:57 PM

Update*
Apple promised to expedite the process and get her a new one asap, CS told her since she got a bad one that they will authorize an imediate build. she shipped it out the same day, 7-7, it is now the 12th and still no confirmation of shipment. how imediate is that?

Big Mac · Jul 12, 2006, 06:02 PM

I blame Intel.™

wako · Jul 12, 2006, 07:22 PM

Call back and raise hell with them. Demand to get a discount as well!

24klogos · Jul 12, 2006, 09:43 PM

big mac, i agree.

Originally Posted by Big Mac

I blame Intel.™

aristotles · Jul 12, 2006, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

I blame Intel.™

I blame the fatty burger in your sig.

Give it a rest already.

tooki · 02:22 AM

Haven't I already told you to knock it off, Big Mac?

Edit: yes, I have. Twice already, in fact, in May alone. You seriously are now given warning to stop polluting every thread you can find with anti-Intel propaganda, or you will be banned. Got it?

tooki

Ronainsworth68 · Jul 13, 2006, 12:34 PM

I have a MBP 15.4 and have not had any of the issues I have read about. It gets hot but thats it. I guess I just got lucky.

Jacob · Jul 15, 2006, 05:39 AM

The first Macbook I got (now been replaced with another which has also died recently..) supposedly died due to the overheating power adapter, which fried the machine. Was using it..suddenly my macbook turned off. The power adaptor was too hot to touch. v.v If anyone asks now, I'm not sure if I can recommend the macbook, the quality issues (for me) are below standard.