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yongfook · Feb 15, 2002, 01:20 PM

dont get me wrong, I love my iBook (600, 384mb, OSX), its definitely the best thing I have squandered my student loan on so far.

I love the attention it gets ("is that what macs are like?"), I love burning cds/watching dvds on the go, I love OSX, I love how easy it is to integrate with windows networks.

BUT, why are a lot of them manufactured so badly? Does Apple have a reputation for slack quality control?

Many people on this board and others complain about certain parts of their ibook, like the squeaky hinge, the cd-drive popping out, the erratic power adapter, patchy lcds etc.

Why does this happen?

We pay over the odds (admit it, we do - unless you get an educational discount) for goods from Apple, who we believe are synonymous with high quality products, and yet we encounter so many glitches.

I dont think I would feel this strongly if it was a generic grey wintel laptop - theres no real sense of companionship, they feel more of a tool than anything else (Im not being biased, Ive owned 2 windows laptops, although granted, the iBook is the first one I bought myself). The iBook to me has become a central part of my life (what with my digicam, mp3s, and my iPod on order) and as such, when things go wrong, I feel terrible inside!

I have warranty, and I hear that the Apple post sales service is indeed very good, but like so many people, Im bitter that these little niggles couldnt have been fixed in the production phase. My attitude towards warranty is that I send things in when they *really* go wrong, not when theres a squeaky noise where there shouldnt be.

Plus, I dont think I could bear to be without my iBook for more than a week

anyway, just had to get this off my chest - any thoughts?

Jon

JeffZPgh · Feb 15, 2002, 04:16 PM

Keep in mind that the majority of people that post on forums like this only show up for the first time when they have a problem to report or ask about. So you wind up reading a disproportionate (to the entire Apple user base) number of complaints.

It sounds like you haven't actually had any problems with your iBook - I'd just say enjoy it and don't worry about the problems others might be having.

I have no problems with my iBook, though it does do the hinge squeak thing if I open it slowly - I'm pretty sure that's a design flaw and not evidence of slack quality control in production.

Jeff

yongfook · Feb 15, 2002, 04:21 PM

actually, Id say that proportionately, I read about more people who are absolutely thrilled with their iBook!

my iBook has the hinge problem - its annoying to say the least. And lately, my dvd/cdrw drive has been popping out if I dont handle the iBook with a feather-like touch.

Arkham_c · Feb 15, 2002, 04:44 PM

I have the creaky hinge problem as well. I'm not sure that it's anything to worry about, but I will probably get it fixed before my warranty expires. I think it would be unfair to say that the ibook has more problems than any other brand of computers. We're all just so in love with them that we don't want to see anything go wrong.

nick h · Feb 15, 2002, 04:54 PM

I gurantee that if there were a DellNN, their servers would crash because they would be flooded with complaining posts everyday.

vvedge · Feb 15, 2002, 08:44 PM

And the iBook is one of their best selling computers. with maybe 1-2 million owners already, you gotta expect the number of malfunctions or defects to be high...

dragonbong · Feb 15, 2002, 10:19 PM

With ibook problems, many of the types of descriptions are by first timers like me, and mostly they are just aesthetic problems. However I work at a computer store and the problem descriptoins i've gotten from pc laptops/desktops are often more serious and more frequent. I have experiences on both sides and from what i've seen the pc laptops perhaps less so on the vaio but overall mac is better.

NeoMac · Feb 15, 2002, 11:27 PM

Our newly purchased iBook has been flawless (knock on wood).

Nawus · Feb 16, 2002, 12:15 AM

no problem with mine!

Phoible · Feb 16, 2002, 03:52 AM

My iBook 500 has worked great since I got it last May. No problems here.

SunSeeker · Feb 16, 2002, 05:28 AM

I have the squeaky hinge problem. Will they fix it effectiveley if I send it back?

nest18 · Feb 18, 2002, 06:20 AM

I have mine since May too and only the track pad problem, but to me that's not a big deal ... use to have a lot more problem with my peecee !!

Big Fat Octopus · Feb 18, 2002, 08:59 AM

I know 3 people with current model iBooks and 2 of them have the stiff, squeeky hinge problem.

One is so bad that the owner cannot close it until it cools down because it jams open. It has been back to Apple once and the problem came back within days of him getting it back! Apple said "it is a known problem" but do not go out of their way to encourage you to return it. They basically told him to live with it.

I'd love an iBook but I would not spend my hard earned cash on one until Apple fixes what looks like a major design flaw. I've been scared off by this fault because I've seen the stress on the LCD when trying to close these faulty iBooks and it's not pretty.

yongfook · Feb 18, 2002, 09:13 AM

Originally posted by Big Fat Octopus:
[QB]One is so bad that the owner cannot close it until it cools down because it jams open.QB]

Thats what mine is like, sort of. The hinge mechanism heats up and expands and it squeaks very loudly when I close the lid after an extended period of use (ie watching a dvd etc).

If I open the lid when the computer is cool, its fine, theres no noise. Im hoping it will 'go away', in time...

fingers crossed.

iCol · Feb 19, 2002, 09:07 AM

I love my iBook, I had no problems with it at all until its HD died 3 weeks ago, I should have got it back today, but Apple well, sorta lost it!

So, I will get my 'Book back tomorrow, I have been promised! lol.

Apart from that, fantastic little machine, I have loved every minute of using it. Apple products just work, but if you look hard enough you can find flaws with anything. PC users don't notice these little niggles, as they don't give a proverbial rats ass about their hardware anyway!

Us Mac users just fall in love with our little Mac friends! It’s a weird phenomenon!

Anyhoo, the Apple iBook is a fantastic little machine. I do not think there is anything wrong with Apple’s QC, it is just one of those things!

Col www.cnl100.8m.com

sniffer · Feb 19, 2002, 01:25 PM

Think there where much more complaints about summer 2000 (I might be wrong about wich edition..) imacs around here..
This is nothing, if you look back... Mmkay?

KetanMV · Feb 19, 2002, 01:57 PM

I don't know. Mine came out of the box with a purple screen - clearly a quality control issue. Outpost.com would not take it back (I should have threatened to disput the credit charge) so I was forced to send to Apple. Apple's tracking system is crazy - the box got back to them Friday and today Tuesday it still says they have not received it. Not cool at all...

Ketan

jtc · Feb 19, 2002, 04:00 PM

Originally posted by KetanMV:
I don't know. Mine came out of the box with a purple screen - clearly a quality control issue. Outpost.com would not take it back (I should have threatened to disput the credit charge) so I was forced to send to Apple. Apple's tracking system is crazy - the box got back to them Friday and today Tuesday it still says they have not received it. Not cool at all...

Ketan

I had a similar problem (not a purple screen, but my iBook was not useable), and disputed the charge with my credit card co. when the reseller refused to exchange it.

It is not acceptable for a store to sell you a non-functioning machine, then tell you to “take it up with apple.”

[ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: jtc ]

GORDYmac · Feb 19, 2002, 04:49 PM

There are some manufacturing abnormalities with my iBook (cooked trackpad), but overall I love it. It has put my 400 iMac DV SE up for sale.

Big Mac · Feb 20, 2002, 08:54 AM

Since I'm a proud owner of an iBook 466, I'm abstracted to a degree from the issues with the iceBook. While it is a fantastic machine - everyone will agree - I feel the hinge and optical drive issues are serious QA let downs that should be addressed by Apple right now, as opposed to a subsequent revision. I've experienced all of these issues first hand with the iceBooks I service and support, and the other anecdotes posted here speak to a wider spread epidemic than any of us would like to believe. We have to hope that most users are happy with their iBooks, yet I certainly wouldn't be happy if my machine had such flaws. Moreover, it stands to reason that we Mac users are a bit more permissive with Mac product defects than we would be with products from different companies. Our love for Apple likely clouds our judgment to some degree and allows us to overlook the faults. I'm not upgrading from my 466 any time soon. . .

[ 02-20-2002: Message edited by: Big Mac ]

todrain · Feb 24, 2002, 10:37 AM

I've had nothing but good luck with my iBook 500 and the Originial I had before that.

The only Apple portable I've ever had with problems was a PowerBook 520 that had a bad floppy, but a simple replacement and all was well!

JeffZPgh · Feb 24, 2002, 12:20 PM

The hinge is nothing more than an annoyance that your usage of the machine adapts to (open it fast, never hear it again, who cares).

I've never heard of optical drive problems. What ARE the optical drive problems?

I'm so happy with my iBook 500 that I feel sorry for someone refusing to buy one out of fear of defects. It's a great machine.

rampant · Feb 24, 2002, 03:20 PM

Originally posted by nick h:
I gurantee that if there were a DellNN, their servers would crash because they would be flooded with complaining posts everyday.

Yeah, but mostly problems with stupidity, not actual hardware issues. PC hardware is on par or more than as stable as Apple's hardware, but most people who use PC's don't know the left mouse button to the right mouse button.

Tristrami · Feb 25, 2002, 02:25 AM

I just bought my second iBook last week (600/12" combo drive) as a gift for my wife. I have YET to have a problem with the old one. But I'm careful with it. It's an expensive piece of hardware--delicate and complex. I think the reason people complain about problems is that they are not careful ewith the iBook and rather than accept responsibility for negligence, they are looking to pin the blame on something, someone...ANYTHING...but themselves.

just my .02

vvedge · Feb 25, 2002, 02:49 AM

Originally posted by JeffZPgh:
I've never heard of optical drive problems. What ARE the optical drive problems?

Well, one issue is the drive door getting stuck open. It happened to me, might have been because of abuse to the door. It's pretty flimsy there. But I sent it back, they had to replace the drive and the door plate.

I got it back, now the door shuts fine, but when I push the door in slightly, the thing pops open. Clearly a botched repair, I'm sending my ibook in someday... not son though, I'll wait for something else to break (*crossing fingers*), before I send it back. The last time was the longest week and a half of my life...

ccsccs7 · Feb 25, 2002, 04:56 AM

quote:Originally posted by JeffZPgh:
I've never heard of optical drive problems. What ARE the optical drive problems?

quote:Originally posted by vvedge:
Well, one issue is the drive door getting stuck open. It happened to me, might have been because of abuse to the door. It's pretty flimsy there. But I sent it back, they had to replace the drive and the door plate.

Another problem with the optical drive is that some popped out without any user action (the tray, that is). Mine did this until I fixed it myself. If it happens again, it just needs to be fixed a little bit more until it is permanent, I've only had to do one follow-up fix and I haven't had any problems since.

anna katzner · Feb 28, 2002, 09:49 PM

getting better...

my "old" iBook (500/2001) had the faulty-power-jack-problem, apart from that: a great machine

with my new iBook (600/DVDcombo/2002 ) i got rid of the power-jack-problem but the 'Book seems to be somewhat just that slight little bit less well manufactured:

wheras with the iBook500 the casing was absolutely perfect, the new (600) 'Book has a slightly misaligned battery & trackpad (about 0.5 millimeters. but you can see it. if you really want to.)

that's all the problems i have with my notebook?
yep. must be an apple i use

anna

spb · Mar 3, 2002, 09:42 AM

2x probs - hinge - very sticky & noisy & the shift key on lhs of keyboard - 1/2 the size of rhs - why ?? the tilde / accent key is not so important- why not put on rhs where its out of the way - apart from that the only big prob I have is that os-x at the mo' just plain sucks..
too slow , buggy , incomprehensible & incomplete - anyway , 9 is soooo good, solid & wonderfully intuitive - why bother using x at all..?