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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > New iBook has Warped Case

New iBook has Warped Case
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Kelvin
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Jun 21, 2004, 10:44 AM
 
I just bought a 14" iBook and got back from a trip. I stored the iBook in a backpack type notebook pack. The front compartment has room for the digital camera, a Canon A40 and my Canon ZR60 camcorder. I got back yesterday and now notice my iBook wobbles on my desk. The packpack was stored flat but the camera and camcorder, which aren't that heavy, were on top of the iBook. The backpack was on top of a softside suitcase in the van during the 13 hour drive each way.

Everything seems to work OK. I suspect the area around the battery compartment corner may have gotten "tweaked" since it appears to be the most flexible part of the chassis.

I bought the iBook 9 days ago.

Should I bother taking it back? If I get it repaired it'll probably do it again on the next trip. Maybe I should have stored it so the laptop was on it's edge.

I'm really upset this has happened. I can't believe just the weight of my digital camera and camcorder, about 3.5lbs, resting on the iBook in the adjacent padded compartment would do this. The user manual doesn't have any transportation advice.

I'm almost tempted to take the 10% restocking hit and return it.
     
iREZ
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Jun 21, 2004, 12:26 PM
 
Hmmmmmmm.............that sounds strange, I'd never guess that the iBook could warp after having weight on it. The resiliant plastic can't be bent from light weight can it? If it bothers you then you should take it back and see what happens, if you could live with it then by all means do so, but personally I would get it repaired before any other cosmetic issue could void the repair (ie. you accidently drop it later and want to fix the wobble but Apple will blame it on the fall).
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The Placid Casual
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Jun 21, 2004, 01:14 PM
 
Originally posted by Kelvin:
I just bought a 14" iBook and got back from a trip. I stored the iBook in a backpack type notebook pack. The front compartment has room for the digital camera, a Canon A40 and my Canon ZR60 camcorder. I got back yesterday and now notice my iBook wobbles on my desk. The packpack was stored flat but the camera and camcorder, which aren't that heavy, were on top of the iBook. The backpack was on top of a softside suitcase in the van during the 13 hour drive each way.

Everything seems to work OK. I suspect the area around the battery compartment corner may have gotten "tweaked" since it appears to be the most flexible part of the chassis.

I bought the iBook 9 days ago.

Should I bother taking it back? If I get it repaired it'll probably do it again on the next trip. Maybe I should have stored it so the laptop was on it's edge.

I'm really upset this has happened. I can't believe just the weight of my digital camera and camcorder, about 3.5lbs, resting on the iBook in the adjacent padded compartment would do this. The user manual doesn't have any transportation advice.

I'm almost tempted to take the 10% restocking hit and return it.
Act fast, say the defect was there all along, and return it as a DOA...
     
discotronic
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Jun 21, 2004, 09:02 PM
 
Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
Act fast, say the defect was there all along, and return it as a DOA...
I agree. The sooner you let them know the better. I don't think that the weight you had on it should have made it warp. Defect in the casing maybe?
     
zen
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Sep 12, 2004, 05:42 PM
 
Hi,

I have a 12" iBook G4, and this morning I noticed exactly the same thing as you - the case appears to be warped slightly, so now if you rest your hand on the right-hand side the book tilts and goes "clunk" as the corner hits the table.

The iBook was in a sleeve inside a carry bag and got jarred against the ground yesterday as the person carrying it tripped on a step. Is this kind of thing likely to warp the base of the book?

Everything seems to work ok...the iBook is fairly new (~3 months), so I guess I could claim it on the warranty that it was warped all along?

Zen
     
armandocerna
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Sep 13, 2004, 12:51 PM
 
Maybe you accidently knocked one of the feet off of your ibook?
     
UFOff
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Sep 14, 2004, 10:04 AM
 
Hey,

a few weeks ago school started and I was carrying around my new 12 iBook in my backpack with a lot of textbooks, etc. It had a Zeroshock sleeve so I figured it would be ok. Not so. It also got the warping problem, so much so that I had to place two credit cards underneath the front right foot to keep it from going "clunk".

I was pretty pissed, but I noticed that whenever I took the iBook out of the bag at night and used it, the next morning it would be level. If I didn't use it that night and left it in the bag, it would be warped.

My advice? Leave the iBook on a surface you are certain is flat overnight and somehow the case will "settle" back to normal. It might even take a day or longer. But it worked for me, so hopefully you won't have to send it in. Now I try to take the iBook out of the bag whenever it isn't being transported.
     
Lancer409
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Sep 17, 2004, 03:14 AM
 
good luck ... hope your problems get fixed ... .. after 10 days, you lose a lot of leverage

No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
     
LukeGX
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Oct 16, 2004, 07:00 AM
 
I had two problems with my iBook when i first got it:

1. I have had this warped frame problem. However I have noticed that if I leave the iBook sitting on a flat surface for a while it "warps" back to the correct shape.

2. When it was closed the screen didnt align properly with the base. There was about 1.2mm of overhang on one side and about the same amount of the base showing on the other side. I took it back within a week and they replaced the internal frame.
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Parky
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Oct 20, 2004, 03:50 AM
 
Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
Act fast, say the defect was there all along, and return it as a DOA...
I really don't think you should be advising people to commit fraud or rip of Apple.

The case was not like that when he bought it, and it sounds like it was damaged by the user.

It is valid to take it back and point out the problem and it may be a defect, but it's not OK to lie about it!!

It's fraudulent' claims like this that push up prices, shame on you.

Ian
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The Placid Casual
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Oct 20, 2004, 07:35 AM
 
Originally posted by Parky:
I really don't think you should be advising people to commit fraud or rip of Apple.

The case was not like that when he bought it, and it sounds like it was damaged by the user.

It is valid to take it back and point out the problem and it may be a defect, but it's not OK to lie about it!!

It's fraudulent' claims like this that push up prices, shame on you.

Ian
Shame on me?! Umm, don't think so.

"I bought this a week ago and the case seems to be warped"... A statement of fact. There is, as far as I can see, no direct fraudulent statement, an omission maybe, but no fraud.

If they then ask further questions fine, your conscience, however it stands, kicks in.

Apple can and *WILL* however examine the machine in detail and assess the damage. If they feel that they don't want to repair it, believe me, they won't.

Even if they do replace the machine, they will repair it and sell it as a refurb. They have also had had the interest from the income of the original sale. What does a case cost? I have it on good authority from Apple that they are *very* cheap indeed. Apple's loss is minimal.

It is up to the individual how they play it, and I was in part playing devils advocate, However you don't get anything unless you try... Apple has never been fair to me, or a lot of other people.

Then again perhaps I am just scarred by years of Apple's peculiar brand of 'customer service'..;

After buying 30+ Macs purely for personal use over the years, let alone my business purchases... I can't help remember all the times Apple has ripped me off, done *very* shoddy repairs, refused to replace machines after 6+ serious repairs within 6 months on the same machine, Left me with a �2000 machine that was unusable because of defects they called 'character', lost 2 laptops in Holland somewhere for 12 weeks etc etc

Shame on me? Shame on Apple for making me think it...

Peace,

TPC
     
spotze23
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Oct 20, 2004, 12:44 PM
 
hm.. "customer service"? what do you mean with "customer service"? waiting three weeks for a repair and afterwards waiting again three weeks for another repair and again? apple has the worst customer service i know. even the crappy dell machines have next day support (they really replaced my keyboard the next day) and a 3 year warranty (apple has only 1 year).

to prove my words: they sold me a whitespot powerbook with a noisy harddrive and a damaged touchpad (i waited until december to let them solve their whitespots). it took three weeks to replace the parts. the touchpad was still damaged. i sent it in to repair the touchpad. it came back with a damaged keyboard (hanging arrow/escape keys) and a bend superdrive (the aluminium part was bend down). i sent it to apple and after three week a powerbook with scratches on the top side and on the plastic frame came back. now much more keys were hanging.

the "customer service": after nearly one year, months without a powerbook, some reinstallations and backups and countless telephone calls they send me a brand new powerbook.
-> i sold it

i think about to buy an ibook. but i am really afraid of the possible trouble.
     
The Placid Casual
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Oct 20, 2004, 01:19 PM
 
Originally posted by Parky:
I really don't think you should be advising people to commit fraud or rip of Apple.

The case was not like that when he bought it, and it sounds like it was damaged by the user.

It is valid to take it back and point out the problem and it may be a defect, but it's not OK to lie about it!!

It's fraudulent' claims like this that push up prices, shame on you.

Ian
Ok, on reflection, you're right. It was recommending a dishonest action.

I apologise for my cynicism.
     
Parky
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Oct 20, 2004, 05:26 PM
 
Well done for owning up.

Ian
Computers - Au MacBook 2.4Ghz, iMac 24" 2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo
iPods - 5GB original iPod, 4GB nano - Red, 1GB 2G shuffle - Silver, 4GB 3G Shuffle - Black, 16GB touch, 16GB nano Red, 16GB iPhone 3G.
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My website - www.idparkinson.co.uk
     
   
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