Yep!
My Apple MacBook which I bought around October last year has developed some chronic diseases. It suffers from discolouration, an erratic trackpad button, an erratic P key and cerise sur le gateau a crashed hard disk.
Yes, you have correctly read the above. My 80Gb inside the MacBook has crashed. But, for once, I was lucky (?) because I had backuped everything on an external Firewire hard drive, a Macway Minipartner.
As you can guess, I use my MacBook professionally everyday. I use it at home and at work. It has become an essential part of my work flow.
I went to LCI today and the after sales service personnel told me that they are going to replace the hard disk and they will replace the entire top case of the MacBook hence solving the discolouration problem, the erratic keyboard and the erratic trackpad button!
(Someone told me once that you should never ever buy a generation 1 product. Now I know why! :-) )
It seems that everything will be covered by the 1-year warranty :-)
Meanwhile, I’m back to Linux. And it’s cool. In fact, I’m busy upgrading my Kubuntu to Edgy Eft right now :-)
Hmm – I thought that a Mac never has problems! Anyway, you’re lucky: all the expenses will be covered by the 1-year warranty. What a chance!
And welcome back to pure Linux!! I’m interested to know how much effort you’ll put to re-adapt to Kubuntu, given than the Mac is considered the most ‘usable’, ‘user-friendly’ computer system…
I had the exactly same problem with my black macbook, the discoloration was even worse as it turned off white. My ‘esc’ key was bust, luckily I had a spare usb keyboard. But as you said, the 1yr warranty covered all the repairs. Many people have had this problem and i think it has a lot to do with Apple outsourcing manufacturing to a fairly new taiwanese company for the macbook.
However, I also have the first gen macbook pro and this one has had no issue till now and is working solidly even if it gets banged around a lot as I carry it everywhere. And I also had a first gen powerbook g4 & before than the first gen powerbook g3… none had any issues other than a HD crash on the G3 and that because it was dropped on the floor while it was on. I think the macbook is a particular case.
hehe.. no expenses.. great, hope the problem doesn’t repeat itself when the warranty is over ;)
Hi Dilraj,
I also thought that Apple computers were indestructible… Fortunately, everything is still under warranty (I hope I won’t have the same problems afterwards). I’ll just have to cope without a laptop for two weeks… I guess I’ll become a guru of rsync :-)
@Shaan: I back your comment about the MacBook Pro. Almost a year after buying mine, I have not had any problem (well, this is my second, as the first one had a faulty iSight camera and was duly replaced). The top case is becoming loose at the upper-left corner from too much abuse, but some super-glue will take care of that ;-)
I am too poor to buy a MacBook Pro :-(
Hi avinash…
if you remember, i had requested for, and recieved! your help in setting up my MyT wireless network on my Ubuntu installation. And now coincidences being what they are… here i come across your blog with news that you are already using a MacBook, just as i was about to place an order for one!
So.. what has been your experience with the Mac? how does it shape up as compared to ubuntu? is it worth changing loyalties?
most importantly? did you get it here locally? (from LCI?) or did you get it from the US or elsewhere? the cost diference seems to be a bit steep as compared to the US prices!
ca eme dir ou, kan aster kitsoz nef(surtou kitsoz ki tou dimoune ti envi ena) bizin met ruban rouz… sinon gagne lizier:P
but its real sad knowing ur macbook got bust… i mean going back to a pc, must feel like regressing back to the stone age:P
i really thought that apple’s product were as good as they look… particularly seeing the price… if problems like that keep recuring, it might be a bad investment… after the waranty period is over…
Avinash,
I don’t know if you can purchase Apple Care in Mauritius, but I would highly recommend you do purchase some kind of extra warranty.
I have not experienced the discolouration problem (I do not rest my palms when I type), but I have experienced the Random Shutdown and that’s not fun at all.
To Nikhil:
An Apple Macintosh is a dream computer. Mac OS X is beautiful and powerful. And the community of independent software developers is as good and passionate as the Linux community :-)
I bought my MacBook at LCI as (i) it was difficult for me to buy it from abroad and (ii) I was worried about after sales service. It was more expensive than in the US (say) because LCI has a margin of around 10% (which is reasonable) and we have to pay 15% VAT here…
To csyke:
Apple computers are made in China like most computers in the world… Incidentally, they are not that expensive if you consider all the hardware you’re getting and also all the software. Someone made an analysis once and concluded that an equivalent Dell is much more expensive than an Apple.
To Patrick:
I’ll investigate about Apple Care. Thanks for the tip.
Hello Avinash,
Concerning your comments about most computers being manufactured in China, I can say that my Dell laptop has been manufactured in Dell land, Ireland. :D
If Apple is starting to outsource it’s products (I agree that it’s financially worthwhile to do so), then I’m afraid that its inherent quality will gradually decrease, that’s a fact … All things being equal.
They should have drawn a line … Apple machines should have not sell it’s soul to the devil just to make a quick buck. Quality should remain quality.
Regards
Frederic
csyke:
Mo ti bizin mette ruban rouge lor pou moi aussi.
I have a colleague who has always said that my MacBook was like Fischer Price toys, that it’s too expensive, ..etc… Well, I have found out that it was because he wants one :-) and is actively trying to find out how to run OS X on his PC.
csyke so lizier mem tieter sa :p
next time dnt forget to put the ruban rouze
like many here i too thought that apple product were like..indestructible..specially for the price u pay for it..anyways..even if its an apple..its still just a machine..hope it get better soon..
To Frederic:
Don’t forget that most of the components used in a computer come from China and Taiwan… even in a Dell.
As for Apple selling its soul to the devil, this is not really the case as everyone knows that China IS the factory of the whole world now, India does the back office processing and design is done in the US :-)
Sad to hear you’re having so many problems with your Mac after 4 months. On a positive note, the worst happened to you while the warranty period is still valid.
The technician at LCI (Benoit) is really nice chap…he is an Apple Certified Laptop Technician. Very helpful. He works around the clock to fix our dearly Macs! Too bad the turnback time on Apple spart parts is extremely slow…
I’m surprised you didn’t experience the discolaration issue on your 1st generation MacBook earlier. This problems was widespread only weeks after the first batch were released.
Recently, one of my friends bought his second generation Core2Duo MacBook in Singapore. The battery stopped charging after a month. The AppleCentre where the unit was purchased, gave him a new replacement battery free of charge. No questions asked.
My experience over nearly ten years using Apple products has been quite good. I’ve used many first generation products: PowerMac G3 Beige, the orange clamshell iBook (aka toilet seat…), Titanium PowerBook G4, eMac and PowerMac G4 Mirror Drive Door (aka wind tunnel…for being the noisiest desktop Mac ever!) Luckily, I didn’t had any major issues. Mostly are standard ones: bad memory causing kernel panics/random crashes, hard disk and optical drive failures, etc. And they are all off-the-shelf components…so you are prone to the same issues as PC users.
The worst problem I’ve ever had was a CRT failure on the eMac two years after the warranty expired. Had to wait for nearly two months to get a new CRT and analog board. Cost as much as a brand new monitor to replace.
Concerning hard disk crashes, experience has taught me well about the importance of backups. While the cost per megabytes has dropped considerably, sadly the quality of hard disks in general has gone down…In the last three years alone, I’ve had four crashes: one on a 12″ PowerBook and three in external FW/USB boxes and a home-built desktop PCs. Unfortunately SMART status hasn’t been ‘smart’ enough to give the red flag before they died :( Could have saved me a lot of trouble…
I don’t think AppleCare is available in Mauritius. But Apple provides international standard 1-year warranty on all products.
The 15″ MacBook Pro is a great laptop. I’ve had the chance to use a fully-expanded one for a few weeks. The performance is truely amazing. Rosetta runs old PowerPC apps as good as a G4, sometimes even as fast as a G5. Windows XP flies on Parallels Desktop. Compared to first generation models, the temperature has gone really down and the fan doesn’t kicks in as often. The perfect laptop, if you ask me…something to add to my long wish-list!! ;-)
Thanks David for this extremely long comment :-)
You are right about Benoit. He is very helpful. And I think he’ll do his maximum to repair my MacBook quickly.
As for buying a MacBook Pro, I believe that will be the next logical step… as Christina also wants a laptop. I’ll give her the repaired MacBook and I’ll take the MacBook Pro! But, as you can guess, I’ll do that only when we win the lottery :-)
hi,
I’m planning on buying a macbook 2.0 (white) very soon but i’m having some second thoughts because of the 13” inch screen, could you give me your personal opinion on that matter? I’ve seen a macbook for the first time yesterday and it was only then that I realised that 13” is indeed small. Isn’t the widescreen format a disadvantage for viewing webpages or does the special resolution of the macbook compensate for that?
I am a medical student, I do a lot of: research over the internet, presentations, documents, spreadsheets, you know, office stuff and I also watch a lot of tv shows. Do you think a macbook will be appropriate for me?
Is mac os x really that wonderful?
The portability of the small macbook is obviously be an advantage but does it make up for the drawbacks of a tiny screen?
I look forward to get a reply from you.
(1) The screen is wonderful as the resolution (1440×800) is great. It may be a little bit small (people always tell me that I have a small laptop) but, to be frank, when I work, the size is not an issue at all. I suppose that Apple did a lot of research before settling for that 13″ size.
(2) Mac OS X is really wonderful. It’s a perfect cross (IMHO) between UNIX and a beautiful GUI. It’s as if you have a Ferrari. It looks beautiful and it has a massive 12-cylinders engine :-)
Go for it!
Just to let you know that my MacBook was repaired two weeks ago and ALL the faulty components have been replaced free of charge by Apple and LCI.
All in all, I’m very satisfied :-)
Avinash,
Have you found out whether LCI satisfies the AppleCare Protection Plan?
Thanks,
Eddy
yes.
But you need to buy your AppleCare plan in a real Apple store :-)
Or, online!
Thanks for the info.
A friend in MU is contemplating buying a MacBook, and I was suggesting that he get AppleCare cover as well.
well good to see that you didn’t suffer to much after the little problem, i’ve had my c2d for about 8 months, and experience kernel panics about 4 times, random ‘memory’ freeze, but for everything that is had provided me, i am more than happy.
i am a marketing person and every apple represents marketing at it’s absolute best and to me i appreciate it. even though it costed me a shit load of cash.
i pretty much love everything about it, it does what it says and more.
but i always take immense care for it, as i do realise it is a very fragile piece of equipment which infortuantely my brother doesn’t understand, like leaving the computer running on a book shelf with half of body hanging out….should smack him on the face with a real hard hammer.
good luck
Hey guys you all seems to be well verse in technical computing, I need a small piece of advice; I am a postgraduate student in Finance and part of the course I have acquainted myself with MATLAB for financial modelling and forecasting, The big problem I am facing it can takes up to 1 hour to enable a simulation on my PC. Well all my classroom mates have Macbook Pro but it seems a bit too expensive for me to afford this stuff,
I need 2 advices;
1) Can I buy other brand name such as HP or Toshiba, and for what technical specification should I opt since my primary concern is to use for MATLAB financial forecasting and modelling.
2) I have spotted on e-bay here someone selling his Macbook Pro for £1500, do you advice me to go for it?
Thanking you in advance
Hi Rishi,
Matlab can be very processor intensive (as you have noticed). Make sure that whatever brand you buy (HP, Toshiba, IBM…), you get a powerful Intel Core 2 dual-core processor. Also buy lots of RAM (2 Gb at least).
As for the refurbished Mac on eBay, I don’t really know. Apple also sells refurbished MacBook Pro’s at decent prices. Check the online Apple store…
Ki position Avinash
Sorry to hear about your macbook – hope it’s fixed and returned by now (it has been 2 months)
Personally, I feel that the powerpc models were made of more serious stuff than the intel versions. I have a 12″ powerbook that’s been going as a development environment for nearly 14h/day for 2 years. Never a problem (just a bit slow sometimes). The newer 2.16GHz macbook pro (which I bought second hand, out of warranty) is a lot like a spoilt child: ask it to do any work, and it crashes, overheats, complains. FSCK and fix permissions don’t help. And like a spoilt child, once it goes to sleep it doesn’t wake up again! At least not the primary display. Sounds like a bad hardware bug. Maybe mine was made on a Friday afternoon.
Otherwise, my business partner’s macbook (white like yours) suffered similar issues: discolouration (we fixed this by rubbing with dilute isopropyl, seemed to work OK), malfunctioning P key (Apple store fixed this within 3 days). But hard disc has been OK until now.
reminds me, I should start backing this baby up. Do you know any way I can do so to my NFS mounted linux server (not really interested in buying more hardware right now…)
Yours
alam
Hi Alam,
In fact, I wrote this post 14 months ago :-)
My MacBook has since been repaired and has worked really well for the past year or so. I’ve just moved to Leopard and I am very happy.
Thanks for the advice will looks as you said for an Intel Core 2 dual-core processor. I thinks for a reasonable £700-750, I will have the necessary options for MATLAB
Hey I have an incredible tip I here to increase your bandwidth in Mauritius, seems to work incredibly here CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!
Increase your Bandwidth by 20%
——————————————————————————–
Windows uses 20% of your bandwidth! Get it back
A nice little tweak for XP. M*crosoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..)
Here’s how to get it back:
Click Start–>Run–>type “gpedit.msc” without the ”
This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:
Local Computer Policy–>Computer Configuration–>Administrative Templates–>Network–>QOS Packet Scheduler–>Limit Reservable Bandwidth
Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the ‘Explain’ tab :
“By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default.”
So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.
works on XP Pro, and 2000
other OS not tested.
how are you avinash you think werelated
you think we related where do you live
plz answer
Hi Rishi. Maybe we’re related. I live in Quatre-Bornes :-)
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.
Hello sirs,
I am seeking for old g4 , ibook or powerbookg4 and g5 macintosh. please help !
wooow you suck .downgrade from mac to kubuntu linux what a waste.
At least Kubuntu was working well at that time… while the MacBook was being serviced :-)
You suck too.
I’ve switched to 2GB of RAM ang 160GB of HDD and after that my MacBook became a little bit PRO =)