[Full-Auto]

My Macbook had the Superdrive die in it a couple of months ago. No biggie, I swapped it out myself as it was out of warranty.

Today I discovered the Superdrive in my brand new Macbook Pro is dead. It will read and burn CD's, and read DVD's, but it can't burn DVD's... just like the drive in my Macbook.

What is it with these Superdrives? The failure rate on them has to be through the roof. I bought the Apple Care on my MBP (thank God) so I'll be taking it back to Apple for them to fix. But this sucks, I hope I don't have to do this a couple of times a year as that seems to be the rate at which they're failing.

[Tomchu]

My original SuperDrive in my 2006 MBP burned one DVD before it promptly dropped that ability. The replacement I got worked perfectly, and has worked perfectly for 1.5 years now.

[forumhound]

quality control is really lacking these days it seems. i lost a superdrive in an mbp a few months back (same symptoms as described above) and the one in the mb sounds like a shotgun when loaded. i doubt that one will last the warranty period. also, the drive in the mbp must be the slowest drive on the market these days. it just sucks. the one in the mb is faster for some odd reason...same media, slower write times. go figure.

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by Full-Auto 

I bought the Apple Care on my MBP (thank God) so I'll be taking it back to Apple for them to fix.

No, thank your hard-earned cash that Apple is happy to take because they didn't do their job right and expect you to pay (again) for it.

[ibook_steve]

Just to remind everyone, Apple does not manufacture Superdrives. They are an OEM purchase from other manufacturers. They are thoroughly tested when the machine is tested during production, but you can't completely blame Apple for shoddy drives it didn't design or build.

Steve

[Kyle76]

Steve, I must differ with your opinion. If Apple puts its name on it and sells it to the public, I believe they ARE responsible for the finished product. There are many different parts that Apple does not manufacture, but it's the company's responsibility to find reliable suppliers if they are going to include those parts in their machines.

[Full-Auto]

Yeah, I agree it is Apple's problem. Apple doesn't make it's own chips, LCD's, etc. but it is responsible for the finished product.

For many years the Superdrives have been problematic. I was hoping my new MPB wouldn't suffer from the bad Superdrive problem... but alas it wasn't to be.

Since this problem has been on going, with so many people reporting problems with their drives, I have to wonder why Apple hasn't acted to correct the problem. They should either force their vendor to improve their product or they should find another source for drives. DVD drives are a commodity so finding an eager vendor to replace their current one shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Regardless, it's a bummer to have to get my 1 month old MBP warrantied already. What sucks is I know that I will likely have to replace the drive again before the system reaches the end of its life cycle.

[ibook_steve]

When you look at it that way, I'll give you that. I guess I still have the Apple employee mindset!

In any case, thinking the SD will die again for you before you get a new machine is really going against the odds. That would just be really bad luck. I've had my MBP now for a year and half with no problems.

Steve

[Luca Rescigno]

I used to have a G4 Mac mini, and I replaced the combo drive with a DVD burner myself. Never had any problems for the year or so I owned it.

Then I replaced it with a PowerBook G4. About a year after I got it, the Superdrive stopped burning discs (it still read them, but it would spit out every DVD-R and CD-R I inserted, regardless of the brand). Got it fixed under warranty of course. But then I sold it so I don't know if the Superdrive still works or not.

COINCIDENCE? Probably. But that was the only time I've had an optical drive fail on me. I do think Apple cuts corners with their optical drives, which is too bad considering it's $200 extra to get a Mini or a MacBook with a Superdrive (I know they give you other things for that $200 too, but it's still a rip off).

[Cottonsworth]

I guess this is one of those posts where mostly people with problems will post. If you have a working superdrive you are probably not going to post "Working Superdrive here!" I have owned two PB 17" G4s that had their superdrive take a crap. I have replaced the drives myself and it doesn't seem very sturdy.

[Sage]

My dad’s iMac G5’s superdrive is failing, as is my MacBook’s combo drive. Quality for all other components have been spot-on.

[CharlesS]

In my family, there are:

2 iMac G5s - both of them eject the CDs with too much force, so the disc falls down on the desk, bounces around, and ends up in a pile of dust bunnies behind the desk.

1 PowerBook G4 - the optical drive no longer functions, and the owner replaced it with an external FireWire tray loader.

3 iBook G4s - two of them have had their optical drives die and needed to be replaced. One of these has actually had its drive replaced twice (moral: get AppleCare).

One MacBook - owned by my sister, with whom I haven't had any contact since she got it, so I don't know how it's doing.

One MacBook Pro - mine. Less than two weeks after getting the machine, the SuperDrive started acting up such that DVDs just spin for a minute and then spit back out when you insert them, instead of mounting like they should. I can eventually get it to read a DVD if I insert it about 10 times or so, but I'm sure this drive isn't long for this world.

Meanwhile, the tray-loader in an ancient Power Mac G4/450 still works exactly as it did they day it was new, as does the laptop tray-loader in my old Pismo, and probably even the ancient tray-loader in my parents' old PowerComputing clone from 1997 if they still have that thing in a closet somewhere.

Conclusion: Slot-loading drives suck. They fail far more often than they actually work, which is why the MacBook Air's lack of an optical drive isn't any shocker - having no optical drive is only marginally different from having a slot-loading drive. Unfortunately, Apple insists on using slot-loaders for almost all of the rest of their machines, even for the desktop line (I can understand it for notebooks). Therefore, you have to buy AppleCare or else you are going to be using an optical-less machine before long.

[ghporter]

Are the superdrives that people here have discussed all the same model? Are they all the same VERSION of that model? Have they all failed in exactly the same way?

I'll bet that there are at least a couple of variables in play, from physical environmental factors to oddities in how the drives are used, that have an impact on whether they fail or not, and how they fail if they do. That's not to say that there isn't some sort of systemic problem with the drives Apple is putting in MacBooks, just that they guarantee these parts for a limited time for a reason.

I haven't seen anything like the volume of reports of this problem that I did when other, very major problems came to light. Logic board issues, the whole first gen AirPort problem, those had lots and lots of people reporting them all the time. Maybe the folks here are just the tip of the iceberg, or maybe they're more aggressive users. Time may tell us a lot on this issue.

But to say that Apple is negligent in using these drives is pretty extreme. Has anyone contacted Apple about how many of these drives they've gone through?

And Apple Care for a laptop is not just some gimmick to make tons of money for Apple. Laptop parts are more expensive, Apple laptops are built "interestingly" so it often takes a lot more work to get into them to fix stuff, and you really want someone who knows what he's doing tinkering inside your Mac. I have Apple Care on my MBP (which will run out just about exactly when I graduate next year), and I got it on my iMac because the extra cost was relatively trivial. But it's not a scam, it's insurance. I personally hope I never have to make use of it for either of my machines.

The level of rhetoric and inflammatory language in this thread has been pretty mild so far. Let's keep it that way, OK?

[Full-Auto]

As for me, I pamper my Mac's. I really do love the little guys and you couldn't get me to switch back to PC's if you paid me to do so.

As for environment, my machines live in a nice, clean, smoke free, average temp of 70 degrees office. If they are moved, they are placed in protective sleeves and then into another protective carry bag. I had burned a total of one DVD with my MBP since buying it 3 weeks ago. My second attempt uncovered the issue of my SD not working.

The same is true of my MB. I burned very-very few discs on that system. The SD probably failed long before I discovered it. Since I don't have Apple Care on that unit, I replaced it myself with a OEM drive I found online for $90. Since my MB is an early model the original drive was only able to read DVD's and burn CD's. I was happy to swap it out with a DVD burner anyway... not that I use it much but it's nice to have.

I'm praying my new iMac 24" doesn't have this problem... that would be a total bummer as lugging this thing around is not fun and the Apple Store is 60 miles away by train and cab.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Full-Auto 

I'm praying my new iMac 24" doesn't have this problem... that would be a total bummer as lugging this thing around is not fun and the Apple Store is 60 miles away by train and cab.

I'm trying to picture someone lugging an iMac on the El...it's not a complimentary picture, but it IS funny. You're right that it would suck-a lot-if you had to haul a new iMac in to have its drive replaced.

Come to think about it, I've only burned a few DVDs with my iMac, and even fewer with my MBP... I may have to do some checking to see whether my hardware is still working.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Are the superdrives that people here have discussed all the same model? Are they all the same VERSION of that model? Have they all failed in exactly the same way?

They're obviously not the same model, and certainly not the same version, since I'm talking about a number of machines spanning from the original 12" PowerBook G4 from five years ago to a brand-new MacBook Pro. Technology changes quite a bit in that time - but the fact that slot-loading drives suck doesn't.

I'll bet that there are at least a couple of variables in play, from physical environmental factors to oddities in how the drives are used, that have an impact on whether they fail or not, and how they fail if they do. That's not to say that there isn't some sort of systemic problem with the drives Apple is putting in MacBooks, just that they guarantee these parts for a limited time for a reason.

Again, it's a number of different users, so it's not something a particular user is doing to it. In addition, my MBP is pampered (and of course the two iMacs in this equation just sit on a desk). The time I discovered the optical drive was flaky was the first time I tried putting the install DVD in - the problem's clearly been there from the start.

But to say that Apple is negligent in using these drives is pretty extreme. Has anyone contacted Apple about how many of these drives they've gone through?

I didn't say Apple is negligent - I just said the drives suck. With a laptop, there's not much alternative, but I do wish they'd use something else for their desktops.

And Apple Care for a laptop is not just some gimmick to make tons of money for Apple. Laptop parts are more expensive, Apple laptops are built "interestingly" so it often takes a lot more work to get into them to fix stuff, and you really want someone who knows what he's doing tinkering inside your Mac. I have Apple Care on my MBP (which will run out just about exactly when I graduate next year), and I got it on my iMac because the extra cost was relatively trivial. But it's not a scam, it's insurance. I personally hope I never have to make use of it for either of my machines.

What? When did I say AppleCare was a scam? Quite the contrary - I said that you'd better get AppleCare since you're more likely than not to need it when the optical drive fails.

[ghporter]

Charles, my response wasn't aimed specifically at you. It was more toward the numerous others here who always figure that if something isn't going their way, it's somebody's fault. My questions were meant to be hypothetical, not specific.

I mentioned the negligence issue because there are several posts suggesting that Apple needs to police every single drive they install, from cradle to the user's grave. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's the feeling I got.

My statement about Apple Care is there because I wanted to cut to the chase and prevent a cascade of "yeah, they're just out to take our money." There's already at least one post in this thread that's leaning that way. I wholeheartedly agree that Apple Care is NECESSARY for any laptop for the reasons I stated above.

Obviously I was not generic enough in making my points. Sorry for the confusion.

[The Placid Casual]

Well, my Superdrive in my MBP quit reading CD's last week (although still plays DVD's), but just checked, and found out that yep, the DVD burning function has gone here too...

Spec of drive is as follows:

MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-857:

Firmware Revision: HAE4
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

And Apple Care for a laptop is not just some gimmick to make tons of money for Apple. Laptop parts are more expensive, Apple laptops are built "interestingly" so it often takes a lot more work to get into them to fix stuff, and you really want someone who knows what he's doing tinkering inside your Mac. I have Apple Care on my MBP (which will run out just about exactly when I graduate next year), and I got it on my iMac because the extra cost was relatively trivial. But it's not a scam, it's insurance. I personally hope I never have to make use of it for either of my machines.

In recent years, Applecare seems to be *essential* too... since the Intel switch, from a purely personal perspective, quality has gone through the floor. I have had 8+ Apple machines, all have needed repairs. My Thinkpad, and those of 10 other colleagues have been flawless...

It's just a shame that in Europe, Applecare costs so much more than similar services from rivals. Dell are doing 3 years on a laptop for 120 Euro atm, which is barely 1/4 of the cost of Applecare on a MBP which runs to 439 Euro!

[imitchellg5]

My dad got a MacBook Pro last month whose SuperDrive was DOA. I hope this isn't a trend.

[Full-Auto]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I mentioned the negligence issue because there are several posts suggesting that Apple needs to police every single drive they install, from cradle to the user's grave. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's the feeling I got.

I assume you're speaking at least in part to me. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect my 3 week old SD to work. I also don't think it's unreasonable to expect my 14 month old SD work. Out of the 3 I own, 2 died. I don't know what gave you the idea I might abuse my systems... I certainly don't recall saying anything that might even suggest something along those lines. At least in my case nothing I've done to my Mac's would have caused this failure unless turning them on and using them is to blame.

My statement about Apple Care is there because I wanted to cut to the chase and prevent a cascade of "yeah, they're just out to take our money." There's already at least one post in this thread that's leaning that way. I wholeheartedly agree that Apple Care is NECESSARY for any laptop for the reasons I stated above.

I also said I was glad I purchased Apple Care this time around. Knowing the historical problems I've had, I will continue to make that investment in new Mac's because I know I have a very good chance of a SD failure.

Obviously I was not generic enough in making my points. Sorry for the confusion.

No biggie. At least you didn't call us PC fanboys.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

In recent years, Applecare seems to be *essential* too... since the Intel switch, from a purely personal perspective, quality has gone through the floor. I have had 8+ Apple machines, all have needed repairs.

I don't think Intel has anything to do with it - as I mentioned, I've seen PowerBooks, iBooks, and iMacs have their slot-loading drives fail more often than not. I think the problem is just that slot-loading drives suck, Apple likes to use them, and therefore Apple's going to have optical drive failures.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

I don't think Intel has anything to do with it - as I mentioned, I've seen PowerBooks, iBooks, and iMacs have their slot-loading drives fail more often than not. I think the problem is just that slot-loading drives suck, Apple likes to use them, and therefore Apple's going to have optical drive failures.

I take on board what you say completely, and have to agree about the major pain that slot load drives are.... style over function as always for Apple. However I can't help but wonder, having Intel effectively design and manufacture Logic Boards, which is the case now, has to bring compromises...

Each Mac is obviously effectively a derivative of a generic Intel Logic board design, tweaked a little to fit Apple's needs. Apple designers can apparently dictate to an extent the layout, but are hamstrung by certain guidelines in order that manufacturing is cost effective. For me, this doesn't bode well for quality, as certain components and necessities are dictated by Intel, not Apple.

I look at for example the Wireless Cards in the Intel iMacs. For 3+ years, we had efficient wireless cards in the 'Airport/Airport Express' actual physical cards, that slotted into dedicated holders on the Logic Board of all Macs. With the Intel switch, it was determined that there would be a switch to non user serviceable Broadcom chips, because they were compatible with the Intel architecture... and voila, a whole heap of trouble.

With every release, we seem to see more of these issues, which essentially are caused by factors that are not of Apple's making but reflect on the quality of Apple products. I for one, after 20 years, and scores and scores of Macs, will not be buying Apple when I replace my dying MBP next week.

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Conclusion: Slot-loading drives suck.

Agreed. My Power Mac 8600/200 has a still fully-functional tray-loading optical drive when I gave it away last year. But my mom's G3 iMac gets discs stuck in the drive all the time, even though she doesn't use it very much at all. Of course, there's a different level of complexity, nevertheless it is telling.

That said, mine hasn't failed yet, and I really hope it won't anytime soon...

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I mentioned the negligence issue because there are several posts suggesting that Apple needs to police every single drive they install, from cradle to the user's grave. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's the feeling I got.

Let me second the notion that it's not an unreasonable (actually, I'd say it's a highly reasonable) expectation to have a working system free of defects from the factory for two or three years. I think companies should stand by their products and claims of quality, especially when they are sold at a premium and branded as "superior" to the competition.

I don't expect Apple to give lifetime guarantees on computer systems. But I don't think 2-5 years (depending on the model- desktop or notebook, etc.) is unreasonable. I think AppleCare should be to extend the warranty beyond such a period and to cover the occasional user accident. AppleCare isn't cheap, and I believe it covers manufacturer defects that Apple should already cover free of any additional charge anyway.

Macs are suppose to be quality machines and we pay for them well, so I think there is a reasonable expectation here. If Macs were uber-cheap machines, there would not be, and the point would be moot "You get what you pay for". In the case of warranties, I don't believe we Mac users "Get what we pay for."

Originally Posted by ghporter 

My statement about Apple Care is there because I wanted to cut to the chase and prevent a cascade of "yeah, they're just out to take our money." There's already at least one post in this thread that's leaning that way. I wholeheartedly agree that Apple Care is NECESSARY for any laptop for the reasons I stated above.

Apple is definitely out to make money, and there are ethical ways of doing so, but I don't think highly of the AppleCare warranty program the way it is currently implemented.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Gamoe 

Let me second the notion that it's not an unreasonable (actually, I'd say it's a highly reasonable) expectation to have a working system free of defects from the factory for two or three years. I think companies should stand by their products and claims of quality, especially when they are sold at a premium and branded as "superior" to the competition.

It IS unreasonable for anyone to expect that 100% of anything will put up with the rigors of being used in a mobile environment for two to three years. 100% reliability is not something you can achieve, no matter what you do. Compound that with the fact that small, thin, lightweight, slot-loading drives are physically delicate, and you wind up with more failures than anyone would like. I'm certain that there are people at Apple that are at least as ticked off as everyone here about these drive failures. But it's the nature of the hardware that notebooks are subject to more harsh handling than desktops, and they have lighter parts that are more easily damaged because of their structure.

I am NOT saying that this is a good thing, nor that it's acceptable to have this many people's drives fail. I AM saying that I'm seeing unreasonable expectations of ruggedness in hardware that people gravitate to as much because it's light and has cool styling as because of its capabilities.

Finally, remember that almost everything anyone sees in support forums is problems, NOT success stories. To conclude from postings here that there is a huge number of these drives failing all the time is incorrect. Maybe there are huge numbers failing, but assuming that from posts on the Internet is hardly logical.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

I look at for example the Wireless Cards in the Intel iMacs. For 3+ years, we had efficient wireless cards in the 'Airport/Airport Express' actual physical cards, that slotted into dedicated holders on the Logic Board of all Macs. With the Intel switch, it was determined that there would be a switch to non user serviceable Broadcom chips, because they were compatible with the Intel architecture... and voila, a whole heap of trouble.

Actually, the last run of G4 laptops had soldered-on AirPort cards as well. I know this because my sister just had to replace her iBook G4 with a MacBook because the AirPort card failed and she would have had to replace the whole motherboard to fix it.

The AirPort cards originally came in a slot because they were optional. Once AirPort became a feature you couldn't sell a laptop without, it was destined to become an integral component of the motherboard, no matter what processor it was using - after all, when has Steve ever released a machine with more expandability than absolutely necessary?

It's not my impression that there's been any decline in hardware quality - to me, the MacBook seems much more solid than the iBooks it replaced - much less creaky, and no latch to break. Of course, you have the same issues with slot-loading drives that existed before the Intel switch, but that's nothing new. There are some issues with NVidia's drivers on the MBP, but that's software.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

It's not my impression that there's been any decline in hardware quality ...

I agree. I haven't seen any hardware failures in any of my acquaintances' Macs. Software? Yep-a classmate has constant problems because she is neither tech savvy nor careful in what she runs and so on. But no hardware failures. What we ARE seeing is an increase in how frequently we see Macs at all-the Apple market share has increased in the last several years, enough so that the "normal" proportion of hardware failures looks bad.

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

It IS unreasonable for anyone to expect that 100% of anything will put up with the rigors of being used in a mobile environment for two to three years. 100% reliability is not something you can achieve, no matter what you do. Compound that with the fact that small, thin, lightweight, slot-loading drives are physically delicate, and you wind up with more failures than anyone would like. I'm certain that there are people at Apple that are at least as ticked off as everyone here about these drive failures. But it's the nature of the hardware that notebooks are subject to more harsh handling than desktops, and they have lighter parts that are more easily damaged because of their structure.

I am NOT saying that this is a good thing, nor that it's acceptable to have this many people's drives fail. I AM saying that I'm seeing unreasonable expectations of ruggedness in hardware that people gravitate to as much because it's light and has cool styling as because of its capabilities.

A 100% success rate is indeed unreasonable. But a 100% repair and/or replacement rate for those units that fail prematurely, falling short of their reasonably-rated lifetimes due to no fault of the user, is.

Now, if a failure is obviously caused by an accident not related to the quality of the components (like dropping it, spilling liquid on it, or frying the RAM slots by installing them with the computer on, to name a few possibilities), clearly the user, and not Apple, is responsible. Ditto if you're taking the notebook into extreme environments beyond Apple's stated ratings.

But while notebooks may be fragile and their components delicate, surely Apple, and every other company with a notebook offering is implying, merely by selling these units, that they should work properly for a reasonable amount of time, (again opinions may differ, but I think a period of somewhere between two and five years is not unreasonable) if treated with care and not subject to falls or other accidental damage.

This is an implicit guarantee, like it or not. Few people would purchase a laptop reasonably expecting it to last only one year (Few would say "Hey it was one year old! What did you expect?!", at the premature failure of a laptop). No, there is a reasonable expectation by the user that such a device should last somewhere within the range of 2-5 years, at the very least.

However, very much to "take our money", Apple will not make this implicit guarantee an explicit one, and instead charges for a warranty I believe Apple should offer at no additional cost with all its systems, were the company to stand by the quality of its products. Maybe I have too-high standards. Funny though, I thought that was a given for a Mac user.

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Finally, remember that almost everything anyone sees in support forums is problems, NOT success stories. To conclude from postings here that there is a huge number of these drives failing all the time is incorrect. Maybe there are huge numbers failing, but assuming that from posts on the Internet is hardly logical.

Of course. We all know that (or at least should)! No need to cover for Apple. ;-)

P.S. My MacBook, which so far has proved to be a great machine, has a fully functional sot-loading drive, so I'm not complaining about my experiences personally. I've been very happy with the overall quality of the Macs I've had throughout the years.

However, some widespread failures in recent years, such as the iBook logic board and video issues, do concern me, and the fact that Apple takes so long and is so stubborn to actually admit to a problem, to the point of needing to be sued to actually do so, is even more worrisome to me, and says something about the company.

I'm actually not as worried about the quality of the new Intel machines. Though I'm not a particularly ardent fan of the Intel CPU, I think the motherboards are solid if only because they need to be, considering how many companies employ them.

I think Apple liked to get "creative" in the pre-Intel era with the motherboard design and sometimes the user got to pay for such "creativity" if it didn't work out right. Even now, I'm sure Apple is "creative", but more within the proven standard and in other areas.

I'm debating the merit of Apple's warranty policy, not necessarily the recent quality of Macs, though. Time will tell if my MacBook will pass the test of time and use. <cross fingers>

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I agree. I haven't seen any hardware failures in any of my acquaintances' Macs. Software? Yep-a classmate has constant problems because she is neither tech savvy nor careful in what she runs and so on. But no hardware failures. What we ARE seeing is an increase in how frequently we see Macs at all-the Apple market share has increased in the last several years, enough so that the "normal" proportion of hardware failures looks bad.

I reluctantly say that I have to wholeheartedly disagree...

I recently worked for a company, which had an approx 50/50 split ratio of Macbook Pros, and IBM Thinkpads.

There were a total of 100 or so machines, with the Macs being Core2Duo Macbook Pros (mainly the 2.16 model), and the IBM Thinkpads comprising X60s, T41's, T61's, and a few T61p's.

All machines were imaged from a central 'corporate' image which included 10.4 (later 10.5) for the Macs, and for the Windows machines, XP Pro and various Anti-Virus.

The machines were used a *lot*, easily 10+ hours a day, 7 days a week, over a period of months. This usage included weekly flights, moving offices, home working, exhibitions etc.

There was approximately a ~30% failure rate on the MacBook Pros. Everything from Power Bricks, to MLB failures, screen failures, HDD deaths, and Optical drive deaths. In addition to the failed machines, you could hardly find a MBP that did not have a cosmetic 'anomaly' as the result of flights, hard usage or wear and tear. The hardware admin was on first name terms with Applecare, and was on first name terms with the guy who collected and dropped off the machines for warranty repairs!

Of the IBM Thinkpads, there were no reported hardware faults over the same period, with machines having the same usage. Yes, there was a higher need for re-imaging, and also a much higher HDD format rate due to malware, but not one had to be sent in for repair.

In the end I double checked it all myself as I was so shocked. For me, I never saw this issue previously in companies I worked for back in the PBG4 (and prior) days, with Macs and PC's suffering around the same amount of hardware issues, so unless this is a total anomaly, from personal experience, I am firmly in the camp that says that MBPs are much more fragile than any Apple Laptop before them.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Gamoe 

A 100% success rate is indeed unreasonable. But a 100% repair and/or replacement rate for those units that fail prematurely, falling short of their reasonably-rated lifetimes due to no fault of the user, is.

I'm debating the merit of Apple's warranty policy, not necessarily the recent quality of Macs, though. Time will tell if my MacBook will pass the test of time and use. <cross fingers>

What is the manufacturer's MTBF for the various Super Drives? Hard drives are really robust, but something that thin, with that many externally exposed moving parts is going to necessarily be less robust. A year is not an acceptable MTBF level, of course. But remember that this is a "MEAN." That means that some will fail immediately, while others will run almost forever-the rated time is somewhere in between. Apple needs to pressure their suppliers, but again, they set the warranty period at a year for a reason.

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

I reluctantly say that I have to wholeheartedly disagree...

I am sadly impressed by your real-world findings. My MBP has been a solid performer for about two years now, in spite of travel, being hauled back and forth to school daily, and so on, and I had supposed that this was pretty much the standard. Your experience is troubling, both in the scope and frequency of failures you experienced.

I think Apple should get your data. A head-to-head comparison against the well regarded ThinkPad would probably get a lot of attention in Cupertino. I really hope it does.

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

Just to remind everyone, Apple does not manufacture Superdrives. They are an OEM purchase from other manufacturers. They are thoroughly tested when the machine is tested during production, but you can't completely blame Apple for shoddy drives it didn't design or build.

Whether Apple has adequate quality control of their optical drives is their own business decision, but regardless of that, whatever components they pick and end up in Macs reflect back primarily on Apple. Though the original manufacturer shares the blame also, we cannot excuse or in an way downplay Apple's ultimate responsibility.

And I just happen to think that Apple's warranty should reflect a reasonable, even conservative, estimate of its products' lifespan, and not force users to pony up more cash for a decent warranty.

[bjojade]

Do you know the exact failure rate of machines? Granted, you will find a lot of other people that had the same problem as you, but in reality, the percentage of machines that fails is quite low. I believe Apple figures the percentage of machines that will need repair under the 3 year AppleCare period is under 15%. While that may seem like a high number, it's one of the lowest in the industry.

Some people will have bad luck and have a higher percentage of their personal machines needing repair. Often times this can be because of their behaviors more than just luck.

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by bjojade 

I believe Apple figures the percentage of machines that will need repair under the 3 year AppleCare period is under 15%. While that may seem like a high number, it's one of the lowest in the industry.

Exactly my point. If the percentage rate is so low, Apple should have no problem owning up to the flukes that pop up now and then.

[theauthor]

I have an early 2006 intel core duo imac 17" with a uj-846. Ever since i bought the thing i had problems with the superdrive not reading DVDs. I thought it was just the DVD's i was using that were the problem. When it just went out of its 1 year warranty the superdrive completely refused to read any DVD's at all, just spun the disc a few times, made some nasty mechanical noise and spat them out. It was reading audio cds for a while but it can barely play those now either.

I want to sell it now and upgrade to a Macbook Pro but i'm stuck with it, and i don't want to rip anyone off. I've looked on ebay for a drive replacement, but there are several different model numbers, uj-846b, uj-846c and i don't know which is the right one. Possibly there is a different drive model altogether that might not die after several months of light use. I've seen the replacement guide for the G5, completely painless, but I know the iMac is a very messy affair inside its quite a mission to undertake. The replacement drives retail in the region of £40 and I know it will add some resale value to it. Has anyone here replaced a superdrive in the intel successfully, maybe there is a quick fix, or know where I could find a detailed guide?