http://www.cultofmac.com/262861/early-2011-macbook-pros-dropping-like-flies-heat-issues-blame/
Has there every been an Apple product line that didn't have a major defect, problem or recall. Don't get me wrong I love Apple, I am just glad I never paid retail for any Apple product I own.
http://www.elitemactechs.com/apple-recalls.html
and another one:
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/
I'm glad they are fixing it but I am shocked they owned up to it. My original comment stands...
MaxTek,
Apple is just like every other major corporation and has never ever been perfect.
Steven
As frustrated as I get with Apple, I do love Apple and Apple stuff, but your reply is the understatement of the year!
I understand your frustration if you are one of the affected. Look up samsung, lenovo, etc. They all have long lists of recalls (I looked it up myself)
Unfortunately as time has gone on it is a more and more common theme with manufacturers. Speed to market and cost savings have now trumped quality and longevity in many aspects of manufacturing.
Zan
I bought 2 new 2010 MacBook Pros for me and my brother, and both failed just outside warranty, then my used 2011 replacement also failed... so I certainly understand.
I really don't think Apple is that much different than anything else. If you compare it to Dell for example, you have the same issues. I would say some of it has to do with the cost/ease to repair, and if I had to guess, most $1000+ PCs are purchased by businesses where it might be covered under warranty then replaced.. And employees aren't likely to go complain everywhere when their work computer fails on them. Where the same might not be true of Apple (I feel many consumers buy higher end Apple computers than they might if they bought a PC instead, and keep it longer, and few businesses purchase Macs) -I may be totally wrong with this guess
I work mostly with 2 year old (and older) Apple and Dell products, they same problems seem to happen to all of them. A few examples. The GX270/GX280/GX620 around 2004-2006 had bad capacitors in almost every machine, just like the G5 iMacs of the time, the D620/D630 laptops in 2007-2008 had the nVidia graphics issues much like the iMacs and MacBooks of that era. The 2010-2011 video issues were similar to many Dell Laptops of the time. Apple is just using components like everyone else, where there's a problem with it everyone else has issues as well (in the above examples, bad capacitors and video issues)
The one problem that seems to be more typical of Apple is poor cooling, always trying to get things thinner and pushing the limits, and trying to be creative with airflow.
Just my personal experience. I've seen only a few problems with the Mac Pros and Mac Minis compared to other products, also few issues with the aluminum 2007-2010 iMacs (the video does fail occasionally, but out of several hundred I've only seen a couple that failed. I've not seen enough of the newer iMacs to get a good idea, but I haven't seen many problems. Most issues with the MacBook (not pro) have been abuse or liquid damage. There was a recall for the palmrest cracking, but that doesn't seem like a big deal. Probably the most common issue I see is the optical failing, which it does seem to fail much more often than other models. The worst issues since 2005 seem to me to be with the 2005-2006 iMacs, 2005 PowerMacs (leaking), 2008-2009 MacBook Air (which I think just overheat and just act weird, the newer case design seems to work better), and 2010-2011 MacBook Pros.
aaaannnndddd another one:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/anti-reflective-coating-wearing-off-macbook-pro-displays/
Hello MaxTek,
besides complaining about modern equipment it might be interesting to you, to examine a bit of history.....
it´s fact that while the Apple II series have been running the policy given by Woz, was to make computers
last for long periods.... ( even working today after 30 years ! )
In the mid 80´s merchants got together with Jobs the major control over the company ( starting at the point they
wanted to launch the Mac and get rid of the Apple II line ( besides the fatal decision of producing the flopping
Apple III where internal case design caused temperature problems )- that was the starting point where Woz was
being "transferred off from business" and releasing the policy of making solid hardware to the policy of "obsolecence" started to rule the company business.....
"you can´t sell new computers if the old ones are still working well" ... so at the beginning they tried with "mechanical obsolescence" by concept using parts that busted short after expiration date of the guarantee....
this found its peak at the time Apple lost a trial due to manufacturing phones ( iphone trials of Apple ) with
very bad accumulators and without replacement policy... after that they changed policy to "obsolesence by model"
by pushing the merchandizing departments and changing to "hipster" policy and scumming every Appleproduct older
than 2 years to be "out of date" and "not cool".
It´s rediculous to try a compare.... it´s a general policy in nowadays economy to deal with the one or other kind
of obsolesence..... the companies and shareholders are only interested in one number:
the amount of sales
and under no circumstance they are interested in
Years of usage....
that would be the end of the commercial philosophy of todays market....
it´s even nowadays a part of education in university in electronical design to get lessons
in calculation and design of limiting life and usage of products as close as possible
to expiration date of guarantee....
that won´t change unless behaviour of the customers will change...
if customers start judgement of product by expectation of usage and not by
"be cool" and "new design" and
salesamount start dropping if products don´t have sustainable design
that will be the turning point to step away from obsolesence.
At the moment it´s just even "part of the culture" that mobbing starts in school at the kids
getting mobbed if they dare to appear with "outdated" equipment at the schoolyard....
and most parents don´t even dare to battle that "philosophy".....
just "my 5 cents"
speedyG
I don't disagree with you about "planned obsolesence". But if your theory/facts is correct as stated in the first 3 paragraphs than why is my 1400c, IIci, Color Classic, IIGS, SE/30, SE, Plus, TAM, 128K, Powerbook G3 Wallstreet, Powerbook 180c, 5400/180 and Powerbook 540c (think that is all of them) still running perfect and with perfect cases? Yes pram batteries and main batteries have either died or replaced but the rest of the parts are great.
Even though planned obsolescence is true, I don't think peeling paint, cracking titanium and hot enough to cook pizza with the Powerbook TiBooks, dry-rotting internal plastic on all candy iMacs, bad video cables on the eMac, chipping and cracking palm rests on the black and white MacBooks, peeling coating on Macbook screens etc., etc was planned.
I think that is designing for the future, that never went far enough in research and development. Apple wants to push the envelope and than decide whether to play dumb or recall a product (the latter being the least). I have a feeling there will be problems with the new, just announced Macbook and its fanless motherboard. Who knows about the Apple watch. I love Apple products but as I said before I am glad I never bought anything new (except iPhones).
Well i can´t argue on Mac´s....
i only have a G3 and that one is still running flawless after i carried out several changes...
My experience is based on the fact that i have followed up Apple and have a bunch of Apple´s out of the II series...
till 1988 and then i switched to PC´s and by the fact that i had solved University on electronic engineering
and just visited several lessons at Technical University later related to Obsolescence and design in the end of the 9o´s....
and counting some other engineers in my surrounding group of friends. Besides had a university degree
in former days as merchant to get own knowledge on running own business....
but i´m watching developments in market and economy very carefully in the past decades....
so i´m used to a view behind the "advertizing front wall"...
anyhow.... the basic statements won´t change much.... obsolescence can be implemented in various kinds
and the basic rule on sales as a "must" in economics ( at least in most cases today )
unless ethical value will change to sustainability...
and unfortunatly not every progress is really a progress..... some will turn out to be bad...
I just wanted to spotout general tendency and the reason why....
speedyG