[stefls]

Yo,

Since my experience with the quality of Apple-hardware is not as positive as it should be (or am i just unlucky or maybe to spoiled?), I am curious how you people have experienced this (good or bad!). My 'story':

* iMac bondhi, rev. A 96 Ram (OS8.6-9.0)
Terrible! Continuous crashing, cause(s) still unknown, been gone for repair three times, nothing was found: they claimed they had fixed it (video-board), but when asking deeper they admitted they only ran tests and found nothing! Still charged an incredible amount of money (Apple certified company), until today not fixed.

* iMac DV400 blueberry 512 Ram (OS9.0-10.0.4)
Although I had bad experiences I couldn't keep myself from going with Apple again. With OS9 I had many issues, although I did know quite a lot of extension and apps. conflicts. OS9 really drove me crazy, talkin' about efficiency...! It has been send back because of broken USB-ports (...) and a vibrating screen (waves) when playing music somewhat louder. The latter problem has never been solved, but became less of an issue when the SoundSticks arrived.

* iBook 600 128 Ram (OS10.1)
Works like a computer should work. Only issue so far is the adapterlight not turning amber any more . I am confident this third Mac does better than the previous two, and it better should do

Stefan

[maybe the ibook-section is not the best place for this thread...]

[ 12-11-2001: Message edited by: stefls ]

[jtc]

I would have to agree, it seems the quality has gone downhill drastically in the past few years.

My first two Macs - a PB 520 and beige G3 were used every day for years (5 and 3.5, respectively) without a single problem. They never went in for repair. I've bought two iBooks in the past 7 months - both shipped with defects severe enough to have to go back for repair.

My parents had a 6100 for 4 or 5 years that was used everyday. They recently bought a dual G4, and it has been nothing but problems for them.

[Cipher13]

PowerBook 100 X 2 - never a problem. Now they won't charge, one won't boot, and both have power supply probs (the adapter).

Mac Classic II - love that machine. It was awesome... major workhorse. 10 years later and it develops a mobo prob... she won't boot now

PowerMac 5500/250 - when we got it we had several drive failures; 3 complete HD crashes. Turned out to be a motherboard problem. Replaced free of charge. Since that, the machine has been wonderful. 4 years later and still chugging along. A few months ago the video chip got damaged somehow (I left it on overnight in my bedroom; very hot night, high humidity too... dumb move by me), and in the morning, well, I couldn't see much . I since replaced the mobo with another (bought a second 5500/250 for spare parts), and she's workin' like a charm.

PowerMac G4 400 - NEVER EVER had a single problem with it. To this day I've never had to so much as call Apple regarding a problem with it. Brilliant.

They're just the machines I've owned... I've worked with hundreds more.

Nothing compares to the OWR machines... the 500 MHz iBooks are awful (power probs - other than that they're cool) - the TiBooks all suck - the original iMacs sucked majorly, but the new ones are cool - and since Mystic the Towers have been going down hill.

They don't make 'em like they used to...

[ntsc]

I would have to disagree on this one.

SE/30 still runs today
PowerMac 6100/60 still runs today 2 replacement HDs neither one shipped with the machine, the one which did still runs.
PowerMac 9500/110 still runs to day never any probs
iMac DV 400 still runs today, get the waves issue but that is as a result of the iMacs design i would certainly not have said that it was anything to do with a problem with the machine itself.
iBook came last week, not a single dead pixel everything appears in working order, however obviously problems may crop up.

While i think it probably true that Apple's build quality has reduced now to equivalent to that of the high end WinTel manufacturers ir Dell etc i don't think its too significant. People wanted cheaper Macs Apple can't expected to have the same quality as on the machine from say 6/7 years ago which cost double plus inflation for equivelent spec.

You get what you pay for

[Voch]

I've actually had pretty good experience with my Macs.

Apple PowerBook Duo 230/8/80 and Duo Dock: perfect

Apple PowerBook 540 (purchased used): perfect until I dropped it (goodbye, LCD!)

PowerComputing Power 120 desktop: perfect except for possible overheating recall (replaced the heatsink compound on the processor; turnaround was two days) and had to replace the motherboard battery after a few years (expected)

Apple PowerBook Duo 280c /320MB HD/modem (given to me by a friend): perfect (still in use by a friend of a coworker)

Apple Power Macintosh G3 "beige" desktop: perfect (okay...the CD-ROM drive is a little loud) even after a 466Mhz ZIF upgrade; still my home desktop machine

Apple iBook (Dual USB) 500 DVD: perfect (fingers crossed)

Voch

[beacon73]

My experiences have only gotten better with time.

1995 PowerBook 5300c (NEW)
2 months after purchase
- Plastic Bezel around the screen and keyboard were coming
apart. The top and bottom parts were warping, sent it in
and Apple replaced ALL of the plastics.
5 months after purchase
- Power cord broken and power reciever on PowerBook no longer
working. Sent it in, Apple replaced power adapter and fixed/
replaced power reciever on motherboard, they also replaced
ALL my plastics AGAIN, as they started warping AGAIN.
6 months after purchase
- floppy drive fails
told to send in the whole powerbook, they replace the floppy drive
and give me a new revised motherboard.

1997 Amelio announces 7 year warranty on PB 5300's..
My powerbook is stolen from my dorm room in college.
This turns out to be a blessing because I used the insurance
money to buy the ONLY powerbook available from Apple at the time:
Duo 2300c

1997 Duo 2300c (New)
Never had a single problem with this AWESOME Duo!!!
This thing kept plugging away hour after hour, page
after page of writing my thesis in college. I could never
sit and write papers in once place too long (needed a change
of scenery to stimulate my brain) so I had to move around
the college campus every couple hours and this Duo was
perfect!!! Small footprint and very reliable.
1998 Sold the Duo for a Gateway Desktop (Boo! Hiss! Boo! Hiss!)
Hey, needed the extra PC to learn on so I could go out and get
a job fixing servers, pc's and networks...

2001 iBook 600 DVD
This laptop is just plain AWESOME!!!
One problem with power adapter...Apple is sendin me a new
one soon. But no dead pixels, which is GREAT, and no other
problems!!! My Duo 2300c has grown up!!

SE30 - still works but floppy drive is dead and they are expensive to replace c/f wintel drives.

Rev A iMac - no problems, sold it to a friend he still uses it without problems

DV400 iMac - no problems except the DVD drive does not get on with my Norton Utilities CD, never has done. The CD works everywhere else, the iMac can read every other CD I have. I made a copy in the end.

iBook dual 500 - no problems, I think it could be made more robust and still look good, but maybe the more fragile appearance means we treat 'em better and they last better for it, though if they did one in stainless steel....maybe not.

[vmarks]

Mystic G4/400 (gigabit) Never a problem.

iMac rev.a (bought it for cheap with a dead analog/video board.)
iMac rev.b (two of them, bought for cheap with dead analog/video boards.)

iMac Summer 2000 350mhz (taken from the owner when it failed two months out of warranty- dead analog/video/power board. That owner has owned Macs since 1986, and every one she has still runs flawlessly, except for the iMac.)

Notice a pattern here?

Still, the machine itself is pretty robust when you separate all the monitor garbage from the computer.

wow, defects? just the opposite from my experience. some of the finest consumer products you can buy, and certainly among the most complicated.

512e mac (1987, I think) STILL Works

Mac Plus STILL Works

Mac SE (sold)

Original Mac II (sold)

Power Mac 7200/75 STILL Works

PowerBook 180c STILL works

Power Computing 130 (sold)

iBook 300 Turquoise STILL works perfectly

2001 iBook 500 combo AWESOME, finest computer I have ever owned! Not a single problem.

To me the quality and functionality just get better and better, especially when contrasted with the capability and complexity. Just my two cents....

[Agent69]

I have owned the following Macs:

-Powerbook 100
-IIsi
-Classic II
-LCIII
-Quadra 700
-WGS 6150
-iMac (Rev. C, Strawberry)
-G4 Cube 450
-iBook 500

The only Mac that I have ever owned the gave me trouble was the Cube. Apple replaced the MB and it worked great after that.

I really like my new iBook, which my wife was nice enough to allow me to purchase last month. The screen doesn't have a single dead pixel on it. It is now my main computer, with a PC running Windows 2000 as a backup and MP3 creation device.

Perhaps the only thing I don't care for is the iBook keyboard, which feels cheap and flexs in some areas as I type, but I am still quite happy with it.


Agent69

[ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: Agent69 ]

[Naplander]

My take on the topic......

My first mac - a G4 400 gigabit model. Fine - except for a wierd firmware issue, which caused me sleepless nights. I finally got that sorted due to friendlt people on MacNN.....no thanks to Apple.

My girlfriends iMac DV 400. Nightmare...failed keyboard, with keys that wouldn't work. Dodgy video board that meant the machine needed to be sent in costing her �400.

Don't get me wrong - I love macs,,,,,,,but the hardware quality sadly does not seem to be there any longer.

[stefls]

Hi,

It's probably scientifically not justified (just by the info in these posts) to come to the following statement, but still:

Before the iMac-era Apple generally did better when it comes to quality of hardware (with some exceptions probably).
JTC already mentioned this, Cipher13 would (partially) agree, vmarks mentioned the iMac-videoboards, . But then, there are also users who had the opposite experience (beacon, e.g.).

Maybe it is indeed not justified to draw such a conclusion, taking into account the ever increasing complexity of hardware (or should complexity be considered only relatively???), but when you only look at the numbers and nothing else? Do more Apples cause problems nowadays in their first years than they used to? And if so, what about the seriousness of the probs? How can an iMacs screen show waves with the volume pumped up a bit: haven't these been tested? Or is it just the internet which gives you the idea that more problems occur than before? I mean, we all tell each-other our problems and we look for others experiencing the same problems.

I recently got a SE30 and a 6100, just for hobbying: these still work, just like ntsc's SE, but of course I don't know their past.

Just some thoughts, not very well organized, but hey... off to diner now!

Stefan

[babble]

I also find that my "new" Macs have more problems than my "old" ones...

Old Macs:
7600 PowerMac - Still works perfectly. Everyday use for the last 6 years.
9500 PowerMac - Still works perfectly. Everyday use for the last 6 years.

Except for both had AppleVision monitors... Ouch!
One is dead today and the other one is just surviving.

New Macs:
G4 Cube 450 - Had some problems with it turning on by itself (so what else is new ;-) Everything is fine now... Weird?
G4 DP450 - Just went last week to have it check, half the time, it took an hour to an hour and a half to boot up??? Apple tech tells me it's the Hard drive that's defective. Having it replaced right now by Apple. (when I bought it, I initialy bought a 400, but I had to bring it back the next day for a dead HD...)
iBook 600 - Just bought it last week. Work well... For now?

All in all I'm still lucky with my Macs.

[hempcamp]

I pulled my old Apple ][e out of the (unheated, somewhat moist) garage loft a few weeks ago, hooked it up, plugged it in, and it booted right up and ran appleworks like it did the last time it was used some ten years ago!

Granted, it's not useful for much other than nostalgic bouts with Carmen Sandiego, FrEd Writer, and Oregon Trail. I even found some of my elementary school writings on real floppy floppies!

Sadly, I can't say the same for the old IBM 8086 and PacBell 286 -- they don't even conduct electricity any more. Next task: dust off the old Wozniak specials.

--Chris

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by stefls:
<STRONG>Hi,

It's probably scientifically not justified (just by the info in these posts) to come to the following statement, but still:

Before the iMac-era Apple generally did better when it comes to quality of hardware (with some exceptions probably).
JTC already mentioned this, Cipher13 would (partially) agree, vmarks mentioned the iMac-videoboards, . But then, there are also users who had the opposite experience (beacon, e.g.).

Maybe it is indeed not justified to draw such a conclusion, taking into account the ever increasing complexity of hardware (or should complexity be considered only relatively???), but when you only look at the numbers and nothing else? Do more Apples cause problems nowadays in their first years than they used to? And if so, what about the seriousness of the probs? How can an iMacs screen show waves with the volume pumped up a bit: haven't these been tested? Or is it just the internet which gives you the idea that more problems occur than before? I mean, we all tell each-other our problems and we look for others experiencing the same problems.

I recently got a SE30 and a 6100, just for hobbying: these still work, just like ntsc's SE, but of course I don't know their past.

Just some thoughts, not very well organized, but hey... off to diner now!

Stefan</STRONG>

Indeed... the change occured when the switch to colourful plastics was made.

The Blue and White G3 tower, and the rev. A iMac.

The machines just got cheaper.

I believe a LOT of the problems had with newer machines, especially the older next-gen ones (ie. smurf and bondi), are caused by the architecture; the New World ROM is awful. I just don't like it. The whole thing with USB...

The old, HARD wired Macs rock.

All that aside, this Sawtooth G4 has been truly amazing.

[Kbee]

It is an interesting saga. Having worked mac retail for close to five years, I've seen first hand the fiasco that were both old and new Apple machines, and I've come to a conclusion that there will always be lemons, there is no way to escape it, it just sucks when its your machine. The worst mac ever, was the PB 5300. But if anyone thinks that they have gotten worse since the iMac, I'd have to agree, but it depends on the series. The rev a's awful, the rev b's pretty solid, the c's and d's excellent. The first DV's not bad, the second revision of those was solid. The sage-ruby-snow set was awful, but the flower power's seemed to be pretty good (Although I think we only sold graphite, what was Apple smoking?).
I've personally always had good luck. Two Blue and Whites nary a problem. An iBook SE, excellent. A beige G3 top notch. The cube, well, the cube has some issues but is not bad. The Lombard 333, I think the mobo went today (any spares? j/k) and the latest a iBook 500, which has been nothing but joy.

[stefls]

Well, at least one can afford a Mac nowadays...

Stefan

[Agent69]

Originally posted by stefls:
<STRONG>Well, at least one can afford a Mac nowadays...

Stefan</STRONG>

No kidding. I can remember the IIfx being incredibly expensive. Not to mention the TAM.


Agent69

[Paco500]

Mac Classic- Still booted last time I checked (~4 months ago). Never a problem. Did replace the HD, but it was a size thing- not because of a problem.

Performa 638CD- Total workhorse. Over the years have upgraded RAM, HD, CD-ROM and added Ethernet. This thing is still a daily driver- I use it for a TV in the kitchen (it has the built-in tuner w/ a cool Apple remote).

PowerBase 180- (I know it's not an Apple) Most everything was upgraded, HD, RAM, Proc (to a 240 mhz 603e). The only Mac I have ever owned to have a warranty repair- power supply bit the dust.

400 mhz iMac- Really my mother's machine. Nothing but problems. Constant freezes (4-5 times a week on average). After trying everything under the sun, I took it to Apple for warranty repair- they found nothing. Then I installed OSX. Like magic, it has never frozen again.

PowerMac G4 733- (non Quicksilver)- No problems yet.

iPod- 1 freeze prior to installing updates. Perfect since.

I have worked (professionally) w/ and around Mac's since 1995. In that time (OPNION FOLLOWS- NOT FACT) I have seen quality fluctuate a bit, but I would say that this is decidedly not the darkest period in Apple's Quality Control History. The era of PB 5300's, Performa 6300's, 7200's and 7500's was, without a doubt, the most embarrassing in Apple's history. Any problems w/ new equipment are NOTHING compared to those embarrassments.

Paco

[Joshua Johnston]

iBook 500 64M (Upgraded to 192M) CD-ROM

The trackpad peels. Badly. As soon as I'm done with my visit to NYC in a few weeks, I'm sending it to Apple for repairs that I've heard about. Other than that, no real problems.

In comparison, I have an IBM ThinkPad that's a total lemon. I will never spend my own money on an IBM consumer product again, nor will I ever purchase a Best Buy 'Performance Service Plan' if the manufacturer offers a comparably priced option themselves. You win some, you lose some, you learn lots.

[Chimpmaster]

My current mac is the only one ive ever had (an indigo ibook).

Ive had only one problem with it. The av port on the side failed (av out/headphone in).

I sent it to apple and they had to replace the logicboard. Not a day of trouble with it since though, in over a year.

I didnt get applecare so lets hope she holds out for at least another year or 18 months.

All in all, ive been very happy with the quality of the ibook - its a great machine.

[tobster]

My input:

Macintosh Classic - works wonders till. Never had any problems even though the computer did a good travel between Iceland and Israel, then back.

Apple StyleWriter II - Used this with the Classic, worked great! Only problem was with these little round rubber things that pulled the paper out. I remember how much I printed using that printer. Still works today.

Macintosh LC 475 - Wonderful machine. Cost me like 1200 dollars in '95 here in Iceland. It still works today and the only thing I did extra to it was buy RAM. It is maxed out in that now. Still works and I still love it.

PowerMac 6100/66 - Very nice machine. A lot of freezes though. Did me good in DTP and image stuff.

iMac rev a. 233 mhz - wonderful machine. My first 'New Gen' mac. Pain in the ass to upgrade though. Sold the machine last summer.

PowerMac G3 Beige 266 tower - got this when my company upgraded to a G4. I used it a lot at the company and we hardly had any problems with it. We had to get a new motherboard though. Moisture issue we think. Sold the machine last summer.

iBook 300 blueberry - I was thrilled when I got this machine. I was soooooo happy with it. Had no problems at all with it. Sold the machine last summer.

iBook 500 DVD - I knew I wanted this machine when they started selling it. When I got it I had a problem with the battery leaking some white stuff. Got a new battery. Been 100% since. Very happy with it. Only had it for 5 months though.

PowerMac G4/500 - bought this used some 5 months ago. Very pleased with it. Had problems at first though. FireWire didn't work, constant freezes (9 and X) but when I installed the very talked about Firmware upgrade the machine has been 100% since. Very pleased with it.

... can't wait for what lies in the future!

[ 12-14-2001: Message edited by: tobster ]

[l008com]

Mac #1)
Mac Plus given to me used, eventually the monitor went. But I might have been a factor in that, bad temper.
Mac #2)
Performa 550 purchased Apple refurbished. My glory Mac, used for about 5 years, I did more on that thing than you'd think was possible on an 030. Its CD ROM drive eventually started to go, but that was due to extremely high usage. Also, the monitor started to go ::my fault::. Then I got AOL and that was the end of that computer.
Mac #3)
PowerMac 7500/180MP Purchased USED on ebay. Later re-upgraded to 500MHz G3. Had some problems with some external hard drives in a home made drive tower, again, my fault. Also the crappy monitor eventually went, so I bought another crappy one on ebay, only 17" instead of 15". I got cable when I was on this machine {welcome to the real world}.
I later parted this machine out on ebay and bought a new G4, my first NEW Mac... but not before.....
Mac #4&5)
I don't remember the order, but i bought my first laptop, a real old PowerBook 520c on ebay for a fun toy, it was good, but the screen hinge was bad, it had a rough life. I also bought a Quadra 700 on ebay and built a web server/router out of it. (My web serving has since been routed to my G4) It still routes, although I am thinking of replacing it with something like a 7300
Mac #6)
PowerMac 533DP and 17" Studio CRT. BRand Spzankin' new. Upgraded to 640 MB of RAM, running 10.1.1. I am amazed on a daily basis, at how insane this machine is. It has SO much power, i can just do so much stuff at once and barely feel a slowdown.

I forgot one!
Oh yeah, i also bought my self a 6500 before i bought my G4 ,I intended to put it in my truck, a project known as Project| Blazintosh. Well, step one of this project was to remove the 6500 from its case. It ran for many months sitting on my bedroom floor, untill the motherboard eventually went. Did I mention I have a rug? Well the project has changed, I am eyeing a powerbook G3 233 with a broken monitor hinge. I think it will make the perfect mac for a vehicle, except that the 12.2" screen might simply be TOO big.

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by Kbee:
<STRONG>It is an interesting saga. Having worked mac retail for close to five years, I've seen first hand the fiasco that were both old and new Apple machines, and I've come to a conclusion that there will always be lemons, there is no way to escape it, it just sucks when its your machine. The worst mac ever, was the PB 5300. But if anyone thinks that they have gotten worse since the iMac, I'd have to agree, but it depends on the series. The rev a's awful, the rev b's pretty solid, the c's and d's excellent. The first DV's not bad, the second revision of those was solid. The sage-ruby-snow set was awful, but the flower power's seemed to be pretty good (Although I think we only sold graphite, what was Apple smoking?).
I've personally always had good luck. Two Blue and Whites nary a problem. An iBook SE, excellent. A beige G3 top notch. The cube, well, the cube has some issues but is not bad. The Lombard 333, I think the mobo went today (any spares? j/k) and the latest a iBook 500, which has been nothing but joy.</STRONG>

iMac C's and D's excellent? I think A, B, C and D sucked pretty majorly, heh.

[seanyepez]

I don't think I've recently had a defective Mac. The last one that was a lemon for me was the 5300ce/117, a machine which Apple took back in exchance for a brand-new 3400c/200. Since then, my family has had a revision-A iMac, a PowerBook G3/333, two PowerBook G3/500's, and a PowerBook G4/667. None of these machines have had bad pixels or broken themselves. It's always my fault (dropping, etc.) when something goes wrong.

Wait, do Pismo feet coming off count?

[MacGorilla]

I've had good experiences with Macs:

1) Mac Plus: still runs fine, tho I don't use it much.
2) Mac II: Runs great, my daughter uses it to write on (she's 12).
3) LC II: I play Command HQ on it often.
4) Quadra 650: Upgraded it to a PPC 601, still runs.
5) Power Mac 6100/60: I upgraded it to a G3, installed Mac OS 8.6 on it and I use it for Photoshop.
6) Beige G3/266: Works like a champ. I gave it to my aunt who uses it as her production machine at a local women's newspaper.
7) G4/400: My current beast. No problems, ever. I recently installed a second hard drive in it and a Radeon Card. I run Mac OS X and Gnu-Darwin on it. The extra hard drive contains Debian GNU/Linux.

Oh and my LaserWriter 12/640. I got USED on Ebay. Paper tray won't hold more than 50 pages of paper without jamming but otherwise works like a charm.

Apple makes great products. I would never use a PC (Unless it had Linux or BeOS on it)

[Agent69]

Originally posted by Cipher13:
<STRONG>

iMac C's and D's excellent? I think A, B, C and D sucked pretty majorly, heh.</STRONG>

The Rev. C I owned ran great. I never had a problem with it. I eventually sold it to fund the purchase of another Mac.


Agent69

[cc_foo]

These are machine belonging to members of my family.

PowerMac 6100: the 14" Apple Trinitron monitor died after 2-3 years. Fixed under warranty by Apple.

190cs: Power adapter got loose, and generally suffered the known defects for that model. Fixed by Apple for free.

Wallstreet II: Suffered the hinge problem after 1.5 years. One hinge first. Then the second hinge -- causing the screen to flop loosely. Fixed by Apple for a fee.

iMac Rev B: CD ROM drive would not stay inserted -- kept popping out. Eventually wouldn't read even when held in. Out of warranty, so bought the spare part and fixed.

8600: Bought 2nd hand. AV-in card not working.

PowerBook 1400cs: adapter died last week.

Beige G3 233, iMac (DV), iBook 500, iBook Tangerine, Stylewriter II, Stylewriter 1200, Stylewriter 1500: Still going. No problems.

[Michael T. Doyle]

Rev. A's have always been problematic, for any company. I don't think Apple's any different. And if there are more reported problems now, well there are also more mass market users now than ever before.

I've had problems but I guess I've had a pretty good track record.

Apple IIC: Flawless.

Performa 6360CD: Also flawless, but likely because it was a refurb.

iMac 233 (Rev. B): A little crashomatic, usually in games, that I attributed to extension conflicts.

Wall Street 292: Solid performance, but had the loose display cable/white screen problem. This surprised me since this was also a refurb Mac. Apple fixed in 2 days.

Pismo 400: Absolutely flawless. Just fragile as a potato chip.

Cube 450: Equally flawless. Only crashes come from AOHell and IExploder. But begn exhibiting the random restart problem after 11 months due to a loose piece of insulation. I lost a (backed-up thankfully) hard drive. Apple sent me a replacement gasket but I never installed it. A piece of white paper fixed the problem. Still quietly going strong :-)

iBook SE 466: Solid. Not a "defect" but the SE has the worst screen in the entire iBook series. Sound was never more than a whisper either. A real misfire.

iBook Dual-USB 500 (Rev. A): Had (still has) the sound problem with the beginning of sounds cut off sometimes due to power management anomalies. Other than that, as dependable as my Cube.

So I'm finally happy ;-)

[ 12-16-2001: Message edited by: Michael T. Doyle ]

[OldManMac]

Quadra 660AV bought used in '98; still running great for a lady I sold it to last year.

B&W G3/300 demo machine I bought where I work. Absolutely horrible! Constantly froze, did memory tests, swapped hard drives, etc. In the shop where I work almost as much as at my place. They took it back after six months and gave me a new G4 400/AGP, which had the same problems for about two months! Has run fine since February, and the B&W is still running at the store as a file server! Weirdest thing we've ever seen!

I've been thinking it was just my family...

Performa 6400 (family comp)
- still working like a charm, no problems - ever

PowerMac G4 450 (mine
- power supply problems, loud squealing (replaced PS)

Powerbook G3 (parents)
- Loud Hard drive (replaced HD)
- Power supply cord fried/broke (Apple replaced)
- Keyboard puts marks on screen

iMac (sister's for a few hours)
- Wiggly (headache inducing) Screen Problem (returned)

G4 Cube (sister's)
- Random shut downs - looks like power switch problems? (no action yet)

iBook (gf's)
- creaky hinge - _really_ bad creaky hinge... can barely open it sometimes ...(tried dry-lube.. helped a little)

iMac (gf's)
- LOUD harddrive - _really_ loud, unbearable... (no action)
- Wiggly monitor at 1024x768 - _really_ wiggly (no action)
...one more strike and it's going in for repair


I love apple, but am really afraid to buy a new system from them after this... I've got more PC horror stories though, so it looks like computers all around suck Still not an excuse though

-Adam Iser http://www.adiumx.com

[pkjackson]

I have owned the following machines:

The original Mac 128k - No problems
IIsi - No problems - I even ran dual monitors on this one!
7100 - Minor problems related to lightning strikes...apple fixed under warranty - Still in daily use by my kids today
G4/400 AGP - no problems - in daily use
iBook SE 366 - no problems - sold
iBook SE 466 - no problems - sold
iBook 500 DVD - tight hinge - sold
iBook 600 DVD/CDRW - one stuck pixel - in daily use

I have to say that I wish that we could have the origianl iBook case with the current higher-rez screen.

[rjc3]

LC III - bought new. flawless, still boots and runs like a champ (game of spectre, anyone?). This was one awesome machine - I took it to Turkey in my carry-on and traveled with it for 4 months in middle east. Had to replace the PRAM battery after 4 years or so.

Performa 6400/200 - bought refurb at an auction - the styrofoam packaging broke off the sub-woofer dial (am told that this was common problem with refurb 6400/6500). cheap to fix, and other than that, a flawless machine. runs today (mainly use it for the tv card)

iMac 266 - bought used. great machine, never had a hardware issue

iMac DVSE 400 - bought new. the greatest computer I have ever owned. slight flicker in lower screen when I crank the volume (not really an issue cause I have external speakers), and slight electrical buzz after I replaced the HD, but other than that, it is just perfect

Pismo 400 - bought new. keyboard scratches on screen. rubber feet vanished after only 6 months of use. folding door in expansion bay pops off occasionally, and it is tricky to reattach, but otherwise, this is one great machine.

All of my machines received HEAVY use and all ran like champs!

[King Chung Huang]

Power Mac 6100/60 AV (my first Mac):
Upside down label!
The label that said "6100/AV AV" was stuck on, upside-down, on my Mac!

PowerTower Pro 225 (Mac clone):
no problems

Power Mac G4/450 DP:
no problems

[vmarks]

Originally posted by hempcamp:
<STRONG>I pulled my old Apple ][e out of the (unheated, somewhat moist) garage loft a few weeks ago, hooked it up, plugged it in, and it booted right up and ran appleworks like it did the last time it was used some ten years ago!

Granted, it's not useful for much other than nostalgic bouts with Carmen Sandiego, FrEd Writer, and Oregon Trail. I even found some of my elementary school writings on real floppy floppies!

Sadly, I can't say the same for the old IBM 8086 and PacBell 286 -- they don't even conduct electricity any more. Next task: dust off the old Wozniak specials.

--Chris</STRONG>

Hey!!!

All my IBM 8086/8088 computers (and I have four of them including the world's first laptop, IBM Convertible) still boot fine! What are you doing, stacking the Apple on top so the PCs get the flood damage?

[vmarks]

Originally posted by Joshua Johnston:
<STRONG>iBook 500 64M (Upgraded to 192M) CD-ROM

The trackpad peels. Badly. As soon as I'm done with my visit to NYC in a few weeks, I'm sending it to Apple for repairs that I've heard about. Other than that, no real problems.

In comparison, I have an IBM ThinkPad that's a total lemon. I will never spend my own money on an IBM consumer product again, nor will I ever purchase a Best Buy 'Performance Service Plan' if the manufacturer offers a comparably priced option themselves. You win some, you lose some, you learn lots.</STRONG>

Which Thinkpad have you got? I've got five of them in my family from various different models and all have pretty much been rugged and taken serious beatings. I had to change a keyboard on one when the trackpoint stick died ($15). What's the problem with yours?

Email me.
Victor Marks
[email protected]

[Voch]

I re-inherited (long story....it was in my other friend's basement for a while) my friend's old Macintosh SE/30. Works like a charm! Perfect monitor. I can't believe this machine is still alive (she took good care of it, though...it even has its own carrying case). 8MB of RAM and the original 80MB internal SCSI hard drive. Manufactured in July 1991. It's even been opened a few times by an "unauthorized technician" as I wanted to upgrade the HD but it turns out it's a pain to do.

Voch

[BrunoBruin]

With one exception I have had great luck with my machines:

* 512K Mac (1985, for $2,000!), gave away in 1994 (wish I still had it), no problems

* Performa 550 (1994), sold in 1996, still being used by the woman who bought it with no problems

* Power Mac 7500/100 (1996), I put a G3 upgrade card in it in 2000 and it's still running 24 hours a day as a server for a networked color printer

* Power Mac Cube, bought in 2001, has been in the shop twice, once for a problem with the AirPort connector (which may have been my fault ) and once for a new video card; both times Apple also replaced the main logic board (no profit on THAT sale, I'm sure)

* iBook (2001), bought it right after the introduction but it arrived in perfect condition, no dead pixels, no defects and no problems

* Blue Dalmatian iMac (2001), runs all day with no trouble

I've had more Macs than I can remember at work (currently a G4 DP 450), and not one of them has ever had a mechanical problem or defect.

[Jan Van Boghout]

I only had a problem with my Performa 6400 . The second day after the purchase , it crashed and didn't do ANYthing anymore . It was my first Mac and my dad was pissed for it . It had to go back to the store and something had burned on the motherboard (don't remember what) .
Then I started saving money for my own computer , and now I am the happy owner of a problem free iBook 500 . Best machine ever !

[Jelle Monkmater]

The only trouble I've experienced thusfar was with a 17" Studio Display which became totally crooked for no apparant reason. I sent it back about four times (got a replacement in the mean time) and three times it came back with nothing changed but dandruff inside the clear plastic casing and scratches on the screen. This was with some Dutch apparantly Apple certified company. Tel-something-or-other. Terrible, terrible company as it took ages between sending it back and getting it back.

Anyway, at one point I decided to simply keep the replacement, which subsequently also started to go crooked (and still is). Turns out that there's this uge metal beam under my floor which is electromagnetically charged that, quite literally, pulls the picture apart. Nothing can be done about that, but with a bit of reshuffling the image has become watchable again.

Interesting note: my parents downstairs have their TV in the same place, which is starting to go crooked now as well, just takes a little longer to do so.

I own a G4 DP 500 and a late 2001 iBook. If this is all the trouble I'll ever be having, I'll be sticking by Apple for as long as it exists.

My G4 Cube USB sound cuts out all the time? I have to restart to get the sound back. My mouse goes crazy too, Apple just sent me a new optical mouse. If anything else goes wrong the thing might have to be sent in for a new USB Bus.

[RevEvs]

Performa 630 : Hard Disk died (after about 3 years though)

2x Powerbook 1400 : No probs

PowerMac G4 (original 450Mhz) : No Probs

iBook Dual USB 500: 'E' key came off the keyboard after 2 days (apple fixed it within another 2 days)

Sound Sticks : Died after about 9/10 months


Overall no major problems

[stefls]

(...) It's even been opened a few times by an "unauthorized technician" as I wanted to upgrade the HD but it turns out it's a pain to do.

Voch

--------

Come on Voch! Even I - barely knowing what hd means - managed to replace a se/30 scsi-drive! Best of all, I haven't even been electrocuted! Maybe I can drop by, I'll show you how

Stefan

[Kilbey]

I have never had a problem with a Mac that I did not create (dang shareware).

I have owned two 6400 with zero problems. One even runs OS 9.1 today and is a MP3 server for my entertainment center.

Rev. A iMac. I used this daily for over 4 hours a day with not a single hardware problem. I added 128MB RAM, Voodoo 2 card, 30 GB HD, 4MB VRAM, and at one time I had removed the CD-ROM drive and added a Y-cable and hooked up an external EIDE HD and the CD-ROM on the outside of the iMac. I sold it to my cousin recently who has never owned a computer, let alone a Mac, with "lifetime tech support" and she hasn't called once for help or support. I told her I get first oppurtunity to buy it back when she no longer wants it.

A friend still uses a 6400 with a L2 Cache G3 upgrade from Sonnet EVERYDAY for over 8 hours a day as his main computer for his sign company. AMAZING!!!

I currently use a Pismo 400 4-5 hours a day. Packing it up everyday and using it during breaks and lunches at work in a machining factory on the factory floor. And then packing it up and using it at home. No a single problem.

Thomas Johnson
Owosso, MI

[Voch]

Originally posted by stefls:
<STRONG>Come on Voch! Even I - barely knowing what hd means - managed to replace a se/30 scsi-drive! Best of all, I haven't even been electrocuted! Maybe I can drop by, I'll show you how

Stefan</STRONG>

Sure. Come on over. The Netherlands to Cleveland, Ohio, US. Okay.

Actually, I got some extra 4MB SIMMs that I dug up to work in the SE/30. It now has 20MB of RAM to go with its 80MB hard drive (63MB used). I even found Mode32 for System 7.5 on the Apple FTP site to address the extra RAM.

The only SCSI hard drive I have right now is a 6GB that I'd hate to put in the SE/30 (it's in my G3 desktop to complement the 6GB IDE drive). Could an SE/30 work with a drive that big? I assume I'd have to partition it. I may slap it in the SE/30 if/when I buy a larger IDE drive for my beige G3.

This machine absolutely rocks for being ten years old.

Voch

[Arkham_c]

I've had very good quality in all the Macs I have owned. Let's see, here is my Mac history:

1) Mac SE -- worked until my brother gave it to his fraternity (now MIA)

2) Mac IIsi -- worked for 2 years, then got hit by a power surge, which destroyed the motherboard. Gave the hard drive and RAM to friends.

3) Quadra 660av -- still working today, my grandfather uses it.

4) Powermac 7500 -- upgraded to kingdom come, the only original parts are the motherboard and one of the CD-ROMs, but it's still running strong (now it's a Genesis with a G3/400, a RAGE 128, a Voodoo3, 640 MB of RAM, 4 internal hard drives, and 2 internal CD-ROM drives)

5) original Tangerine iBook/300 -- still going strong, sold it to my friend, and his dad uses it.

6) Powermac G4/450 -- my everyday machine, works great running OSX.

7) Dual-USB iBook -- I am getting one soon, I am looking forward to it.

[cutterjohn]

IIcx power supply went flakey after 5 years... }

Powermacintosh 7500 - none

iBook rev. A - none

Powermacintosh G4/500 (sawtooth) - none

Pismo - none

iBook 500/DVD(dual USB) - none

airport - dasblinken lights of death after ~1yr (recalled)

[ccsccs7]

Here's my Mac list:

1. Performa 6116CD (motherboard sound input port went out, replaced with Powermac 6100/66 motherboard) upgraded to 264MHz G3

2. Mac SE (dual 800K floppies) bought used, works fine. When I checked to see if it worked at the second hand store, all I had to do was plug it in and look for the blinking "?" on the disk icon.

3. Mac SE FDHD (single floppy and hard drive) bought works fine.

4. Quadra 610 from eBay (it was supposed to be a Quadra 660AV!) booted fine.

5. Quadra 660AV from eBay (works fine, seems to have a little problem with artifacts being displayed on the monitor though). Giving to cousin soon as first computer.

6. PowerMac 6100/60AV (without the AV) from eBay runs fine. Originally had a problem turning on/off, but it was a bent case obstrucing the switch that was responsible. It was an easy fix.

7. Late 2001 iBook 600/Combo. My only complaints are the single dead pixel and trigger happy drive tray.

[IUJHJSDHE]

Ever since the iMac has anyone noticed that Apple is making very poor computers now!

Gad danm I hate where apple went. Now I can see only down hill for them if they keep this up.

[dlavi]

Mac Color Classic - never a problem in Seven Years.
Ice book - shipped with a broken cd-rw and then about 60 days later latch broke in base.
In my opinion saying quality has gone down is an understatement. I love my Ibook when I am using it but since it is so unrelaible and Apple Service seems to have it a lot instead of me I would think long and hard before buying a mac again unfortuantely.