back to article Fanbois Apple buyers howl over crocked iMacs

Apple customers are howling over a pair of recurring flaws in the company's new iMac desktops. Some buyers say machines are arriving on doorsteps with a conspicuous crack in the lower left-hand corner of Apple's built-in display, while others howl that their freshly-shipped systems won't even turn on. Each flaw has spawned …

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  1. Tony 9
    Badgers

    Fickle...

    I love the fact that someone can be a loyal customer for ages then be a 'customer lost' when one thing doesn't quite work out...

    1. dagrichards
      Paris Hilton

      As a fanboi I am offended

      Or offensive?

      I am much concurring here, having been a 'user' since 1995. I guess the trick is you have to have had your eyes open. I understand that Cupertino can make mistakes, so when confronted by fail it does not disturb my world view.

      Mac's are nice systems.

      OS X is a nice Unix - we even get Photoshop again without having to run IRIX

      Relax, everybody has a problem form time to time, despite what the Cupertino propaganda machine may say.

      Paris - because she's hot. Being a fanboi I always go for proper form, sometimes function follows

      1. George 24

        OSX is Unix

        Of course OSX is as nice as Unix, because it is Unix....

    2. Dazed and Confused

      Re: Fickle

      I imagine that they feel that they have paid through the nose for the last 15 years to buy a product that is just perfect and they've just had their rose tinted glasses broken.

      For many people, paying more for a quality, reliable product which you don't have to worry about is a sound move. For many it is even the best economic decision. But it only works so long as the products are perfect, so long as they really do not ever need to worry about them. The moment they are bust then there is no difference between a mega buck uber Apple and a 5buck back street windows box, if it's bust it's bust.

    3. Rob McDougall
      Jobs Halo

      FUSS

      Perhaps the customer in question simply wanted to kick up as much a fuss as possible, then sit by his phone waiting for Steve to ring...?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    If you want to be taken seriously

    how about you stop using the word 'fanbois'? Say 'fanboys' if you feel the need to try to be funny (and fail) but at least stop using made up words.

    It's not a word.

    If you use it, that makes you a moron.

    1. Doug Glass
      Go

      I Actually Prefer ....

      ...the word ApplFAN. It implies a certain fruitiness, has a reference to an Application (App) and points to a certain part of the human body's lower posterior...FANny.

      But you're right. The constant use of non-words always implies a lack of maturity if not education. Which certainly covers Apple Fanatics if not the parents who actually make the money to buy the toys.

      1. No, I will not fix your computer
        Happy

        Fanny...

        Means something different in the UK to the US, although real men covet others but wouldn't want one themselves, they do tend to be quite expensive, only good for certain jobs.... maybe it's more accurate?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      @AC re: if you want to be taken seriously

      > how about you stop using the word 'fanbois'? Say 'fanboys' if you feel the need to try to be funny (and fail) but at least stop using made up words.

      > It's not a word.

      > If you use it, that makes you a moron.

      'tard? How about 'tard? Is that better than ``fanboi''? personally i take offense at ``moron''. for info, most words were made up at one or other point in their life, and also other words have their meanings changed. what ever happened to l33t-speak? did that offend you too? how about ``lol'', didn't that make you laugh out loud? Do you get yr nikkers in a twst abt uther perposefull missppeelllings made four saik ov youmor? Misplaced apostrophe' drive up yr' blood pressure too? Fer christsake lightenup! Pedant! That's also a word!

  3. Frank Thomas
    WTF?

    the differance?

    "though some indicate the display is at fault, not the machine itself"

    I fail to see how the machine is not at fault, when it's single largest component (aside from chasis) is broken. not to mention that booting or not, a laptop is entirely useless without screen.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Got mine today, thought it was DOA too...

    I picked up my 27" Core i7 iMac today from UPS and when I got it all unpacked it wouldn't turn on either. Having read this story earlier on MacRumors, I was gutted as I assumed mine was DOA. However, after some investigation it seems that my problem was down to a slightly funny power button. A light press until it clicks doesn't seem to do it, I have to press it a little firmer but it now works like a champ!

    1. Stacy

      @AC: Got Mine Tofay

      So the power button on your really expensive machine is broken so that you have to press it in just the right way to get it to work and you give that a thumbs up? Wow... I wouldn't even accept that on a netbook, let a lone a top of the line machine...

  5. Jonathan Mills
    Thumb Down

    at least they've got theirs...

    ... mine's been ordered since the 9th (when i changed my order to a i7 from a i5) and still no sign of it shipping. apple are claiming "mid-december", they're shafting resellers good and proper in then land of oz.

  6. blackworx
    FAIL

    Fanbois, take aim, shoot me, the one with the flag!

    What is it with people over-reacting these days? This just makes me think of that foam-mouthed kid after 17 hours of Call of Duty whatever-it-is.

  7. Sly
    FAIL

    Quality Control?

    Apple doesn't need quality control... their fans will pay for any ol' crap coming out the doors.

    I'll take a beige box any day of the week over some glitz because I can ...

    1. Fix it myself without special tools

    2. choose the parts I want to fix it with and not something on a special authorized list

    3. pay less for #2 because I hate paying for overpriced #2 (there's a pun in there somewhere)

    4. usually get satisfaction sooner than letting some corporate tech fix it.

    Linux, windows, mac, BeOS, OS/2, DOS, ... who cares what OS it runs, the hardware is what runs it and if the hardware is overpriced and unable to be fixed with just a screwdriver or two that I can find at any old hardware store, then it's just not worth it.*

    so if you're a mac head, get a mac pro and forget about the all-in-one iMac-in-trash. Even though it's not a "beige box", it's still a box and can be fixed with a screwdriver or two.

    *mobile devices are exempt from this rule.

    1. Jeremy Chappell
      Flame

      Not DOA

      There is no way I'm fixing a computer that's DOA - no matter what colour it is. For a lot of buyers an "all in one" is a great way to go. Seriously, you want some horrible box cluttering up your home?!

      Mac Pros are all very nice, but currently the iMac is far better value in the Apple range (and actually not bad amongst all computers). The Mac Pro looks really expensive at present, compare a single processor Mac Pro with 30" Apple display with the iMac Core i7 - that Mac Pro doesn't look like good value does it (sure it has a Xeon, bigger screen and slots - but wowsers it's expensive)?

      I imagine Apple will release a new Mac Pro (and displays) early next year that will address this pricing discrepancy.

      On the OS front, I think that's at least as important as the hardware (maybe more so) as it dictates which applications you can run. (Probably BeOS, OS/2 and DOS will be a bit limiting - application wise)

    2. That Awful Puppy
      Jobs Halo

      What a lovely list you have

      Re: 1, 2, 3, and 4

      Some of us prefer screwing around with things other than computers. Like girls, who, unlike even the prettiest iMac, are soft and smell really nice.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Happy

        Dunno!

        If you were married to my missus, you'd spend all day in the den, playing with your PC!

      2. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        @ That Awful Puppy

        Strangely enough, Puppy, some of those soft, nice smelling things actually use computers too. Are you suggesting all the fangirls become lesbians or something?

        Or are you just another stereotypical geek, for whom computer are things boys use?

      3. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        lol

        Considering you're posting on the register, and using the Jorbs Halo icon, I don't fancy your chances too much.

        Your mum doesn't count.

    3. Gabor Laszlo

      *mobile devices are exempt from this rule.

      They should'n be. My Moko Freerunner came with a screwdriver in the box.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Paris Hilton

        ..and by god, you need one

        Ours came with a cool mini peli-case, too. In the end, people were squabbling over the case, and the crappy phone went in the recycling.

    4. Tim Cook
      WTF?

      "(Apple) fans will pay for any ol' crap coming out the doors."

      Um - if that was true, their wouldn't be a story here, would there? Last time I looked, the headline wasn't "Satisfied Apple buyers don't mention crocked iMacs".

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Just curious: do you use Windows?

      Microsoft has switched to using users as beta testers as well, which is why Vista tanked. So, no news from the software side either..

      1. No, I will not fix your computer

        Vista didn't tank..

        The beta test (Vista, Vista SP1) worked so well that the rollout will be very successful (Vista SP2, Vista SP3 aka Windows 7), I just put Windows 7 on a stock eee PC, more responsive than the cusom XP build.

  8. SirTainleyBarking
    FAIL

    A satisfied customer tells his friends

    A pissed off one tells the whole street

    1. Dapprman

      Analogies

      There is an old analogy.

      "It takes a life time to create a reputation, but only seconds to destroy one"

  9. clint11
    Black Helicopters

    Smoking

    Must be because the assembly workers are smoking and can not see what they are doing.

    1. Gannon (J.) Dick
      Grenade

      Um, Smoking

      No, according to the new Double Secret Probationary Customer Warranty Rules just never released today or any other day, Apple Products are required to be imported on ships manned by sailors whose families have not seen smoke of any kind back at least three generations. Evidently somebody conveniently "forgot" about a World War, winter, lighting a candle or a barbecue.

      Caveat FanBoy as we say in Cupertino.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The reason replacements are three weeks away

    is that these machines are build-to-order specials. Nice to see that those who've found themselves with a problem are choosing to see exactly how Apple handles the situation before flying off the handle

  11. Oninoshiko
    Pint

    good high quality product

    That is all

    (lager, clearly what the cuperteno drinking fountans have in them...)

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Just goes to show...

    whatever "brand" you prefer, it's all made in Chinese sweat shops now.

    You have the same right to return faulty goods no matter who made them, so save yourself half the money and buy that crap from someone who isn't pretending it's special.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Pink lady

    I don't see what was wrong with good old fashioned pen and paper.

  14. John Ridley 1

    Yeesh,

    What a bunch of whiners. Everyone ships bad product once in a while. Bunch of crybabies.

    You find crybabies on every product review forum. It's just that in Apple land there seem to be more of them.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cade Metz

    Bit of a twat.

    1. James O'Brien
      FAIL

      No no hes not a bit of a twat

      He is a twat. But I'm sure he embraces it where as you just come across looking like a fool.

  16. pj3090

    I'm sure the cracks are elegant

    And the computer fails to start in a sublime fashion

  17. Rab Sssss
    Flame

    He who bigs up their product

    With "just works" deserves a raft of shit when it fucking well don't...But no doubt the rabid mac fans will come up with all sorts of reasons why apple should not get a face full of shit over this...norm for the course by teh looks of things.

  18. Mr Ian
    Unhappy

    Unfortunate, really

    It's unfortunate that there's so many DOA's here and I think it's unfair to blame Apple for any of this. They appear to be trying their best to sort it out in the customer's best interest. However, this does bring to mind what I see as the biggest reason why I prefer to use PC hardware instead of Mac hardware. I enjoy having the ability to personally piece together the parts, and take them apart when there's a problem. Prepackaged and inflexible gear from Apple, Dell, HP, etc leave an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yep

      I agree. Thats all.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    @posts that say this is overreacting

    @All those who post here and elsewhere those posts saying that this is overreacting, that it's a small thing and that it should not have been reported.

    1) If the thread is ~200 pages long, it's clearly not a small thing.

    2) Even if it was, this is what news are for. You don't only report when a WW starts or ends. If you don't want to read about "small things" (your definition may vary), don't, that's the most effective algorithm I am aware of.

    Most funny is that the sort of people who post these probably posted a long, massive critic on the IE 6/7 bug (just an example, I hate Microsoft (and Apple, for that matter)).

  20. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
    Jobs Horns

    Yoohoo lads, it's me

    Hahahaha, I would never pass this up.

    iMacs are CRAP.

    I have said this, and I will say it again.

    iMacs are CRAP.

    ALL the _disadvantages_ of a laptop and desktop rolled into one with NONE of the _advantages_ of either.

    FFS, people, don't buy this shit. If you don't apple will be eventually forced to release cheaper 'proper' boxen.

    I can't believe and wasn't aware that they are actually putting i7's in these POS's...

    What a waste, FFS.

    Such a waste... such a waste.

    1. Michael Brown
      FAIL

      You Sir, don't have a clue

      An iMac gives you a nice big screen and all the power of a desktop without taking up a huge chunk of space either on or below your desk. I'd say those a pretty significant advantages. If you don't need a RAID array or slots for special purpose PCI Express cards (and these days with USB and Firewire peripherals most people don't) then the extra bulk of a desktop is pointless.

      The only advantage a laptop has over an iMac is that it's portable. Otherwise it costs more for less power and a much smaller screen.

      So, if you're not working on editing the next Pixar animation, and you don't need your computer to be portable, then an iMac is by far the best option (and the cheapest too).

  21. rvt
    Happy

    pick it up!

    people should stop ordering new equipment on the net.

    Just pick it up from the store, check it in the store carefully and only buy it when it's ok.

    This is a normal procedure in the rest of the world.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      but you can't!

      The 27" iMacs aren't available in store due to stock shortages - online order only, and even then you need to wait. The replacements people are getting are sometime in December.

  22. ZenCoder

    Don't be an early adopter ...

    1) They haven't had time to fine tune the manufacturing process

    2) They are rushing to get as many units out the door as possibly at the expense of proper quality control.

    3) They have to replacements in stock so if there is a problem you can't just walk into an Apple Store and have them exchange it.

    1. Jeremy Chappell

      Oh how true...

      Being an early adopter is never the most rational response. Of course, having seen a 27" iMac, you can understand irrational responses (it really is something to behold). It appears this issue is only on the Core i7 variant, others are fine (well have the normal number of DOAs - this happens with all products).

      Of course, this problem is made even more annoying for those affected by the simple face that the Core i7 is a build to order option - and a popular one. You can't get it swapped from stock, and replacing machines is adding to already long(ish) lead times.

      However, given all this nobody at Apple has denied the problem, and customers have been told exactly what kind of lead time to expect. I don't really see what more Apple can do. Clearly Apple will also want to understand why this fault is afflicting new systems and correct the problem (you can see that such an effort will do nothing to speed up the lead times).

      So is the iMac Core i7 a nice machine? Yes. Should I buy one now? Well if you're really in need of it, sure... But personally I'd hold off until the new year, let Apple address this. This kind of issue happens in the computer industry all the time, the problem for Apple is they have "iconic" brands and the iMac is such an iconic brand that problems like this get noticed. If we were talking about some HP machine with some cryptic number for a name would this be as interesting? (Would El Reg use words like Fanbois or "howling" - no, they probably wouldn't even report it, because nobody would be interested. Given HP's quality control it would be hard to notice that any particular machine had a problem more than the normal shoddy junk they barf out anyway).

      So the original commenter was right - being an early adopter of ANYTHING is a risk, sometimes it pays off and you get to enjoy a product before anyone else other times ... you get to talk to technical support (which is rather less fun).

  23. John Square

    All this fuss....

    ...surely "it's no big deal".

    Having said that, I think that the real story will be Apple's response. After all, every company drops one every now and then: the measure of how good a company it is is the quality of the response. £50 of iTunes vouchers would probably be a good starting point.

  24. Christian Berger

    Problem very simple

    The problem is simply that Apple doesn't make their own computers anymore. Now they only design them and send the design to cheap taiwaneese or chineese companies which put just as much care into production as they do with other products from other brands. Now since Apple products often are more challenging to produce, the rate of defects is higher.

    1. Daniel 22
      Happy

      Foxconn

      I may be wrong, but I thought apple used Foxconn for some of their parts... And whilst Foxconn aren't the biggest of brands, they have been making some very good stuff recently..

      In fact, even the cheapest of manufacturers have better standards than this fiasco...

      Oh, and I'm a PC user, not a mac fanboi

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Foxconn

        I've been to the Foxconn Shenzen plant where they build Apples, and it's very impressive. Foxconn know what they're doing. The plant also builds Dells and a bunch of other stuff.

  25. Thomas 18
    Jobs Horns

    following microsofts lead?

    At least XBoxes worked for a time before breaking. Stop buying cheap crappy bulk components!

  26. The Original Ash

    @Tony 9 (First post)

    The trouble, Tony, is that Apple have *only* quality going for them. Microsoft has marketshare, Linux has servers and nerds who like to tinker, and Apple has remarkable build quality, aesthetics and stability out of the box. When those things are not delivered, it's a *huge* blow to the Apple customer, just like if Microsoft said "We're making our own internet, IE won't work with regular web anymore" and if the Linux community said "We're taking away conf files in favour of a Windows Registry-style central settings repository."

    It's akin to Rolls Royce shipping Phantom Drophead's with a tear in the roof lining. You bet they'll lose customers.

    1. George 24

      Rolls Royce

      Good analogy. Indeed it is like having a Roller delivered with a tear in the roof. It is also a good analogy because Rollers are expensive and are not that good. There are many cheaper and better engineered cars that offer better comfort, handling, power, economy, but do not have the badge...

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The crack in the corner...

    So is this a design flaw or poor quality control? If the former then I guess it might start appearing on machines some time after delivery? I hope for those concerned it happens while its still within warranty if it does.

  28. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    @ Christian Berger

    The BEST place to manufacture electronics is China and Taiwan. If you think products made there are somehow inferior, you are very very wrong.

  29. Anthony 13

    Perfect reason ...

    ... not to get a machine (iMac or PC) with an integrated monitor.

  30. Tim Cook
    Stop

    Quality control 0, Customer care 1

    It's dissapointing (for Apple as much as anyone) that whichever factory in China is stuffing these machines up. It happens, but of course it's not acceptable, and customers are bound to feel hard done by. But at the end of the day, if Apple set things right and replace the machines then it's not the end of the world.

    I ordered a Macbook Pro a couple of months ago - buiit to order with bigger HDD, memory etc. When it arrived, there were two notable dents in the base of the machine (presumably where someone in China had damaged it while installing the extra parts). I wasn't best pleased, but after a call to Apple we ended up with a perfect replacement machine one week later and £60 off the bill. Seemed fair enough to me.

  31. mccp

    @ sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD

    Meh.

    That is all.

  32. Doug Glass
    Happy

    Well, There is a ...

    ... bite out of their Apple. I always thought that meant it only took one taste to understand the rest of the fruit wasn't worth eating. But what in the world do I know? I just a satisfied Windows XP user who machines just keep working, and working and working....

  33. Michael Brown
    Jobs Halo

    Overreacting much?

    What's the big deal here? All companies, even ones that pride themselves on quality that you pay extra for, will have some quality issues from time to time. It's just not possible to have a 0% fault rate. What's more important is how problems are dealt with if and when they arise, and I have no doubt that Apple will replace the broken iMacs as soon as logistically possible. It's very unlikely that Apple will lose any significant number of customers over this.

    My Miele washer/dryer was DOA when delivered, but Miele quickly sent a man round to fix it and it has worked flawlessly since. I'm still glad I paid more for a top quality product.

    I expect to replace my iMac soon and wouldn't hesitate to buy one of the new 27" models.

  34. arran

    ordered 40...

    received them two days later.

    all of them worked.

    cant see what the fuss is about.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Alien

      ordered 40..

      still, now you have 40 pieces of shit!

      Skeletor will be happy with you.

  35. Ian Halstead

    Easy explanation.

    During the postal strike I nipped to the local sorting office to kick a few parcels around for myself, as this vital service was being neglected. There were these large heavy packages lying around that made a great sound when kicked on one corner...

  36. EddieD

    Not really news

    All machines have a failure rate, and citing 200 pages of turdspurt doesn't mean this is a serious problem, it's more an indication that folk are finding places to whinge more easily.

    What will be important is how the company deal with this - how much information is made available, speed of replacement and so on. Give us an update in a week or so, then we may be able to form a better opinion

  37. Giles Jones Gold badge

    While it may be a case weakness

    It doesn't mean it was like that before it was shipped.

    Couriers are pretty rough with packages, I had a Dell machine delivered to work which had a smashed up case.

  38. Michael C

    Are you Fing kidding???

    DOA Failure rates of shipped products are like 1%. Yes, 1 in 100 systems is bad IN THE BOX. This is lower for some models than others (particularly desktops are vulnerable, not so much laptops), but seriously, a 27" 30lb machine in a flat box easily squashed by UPS and you're blaming APPLE? Why not point the finger at fucking greenpeace on this one for making apple reduce their packing to such extreme measures things like this happen...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Read the Story

      If you had bothered to read the story before starting your fanbois fud you would have noticed that people complaining are pointing out no damage to the boxes. Also, when everyone reports the same fault (crack in lower left corner of screen), it points to a quality issue. Either inspections before packing were lacking, or packing itself neglected to properly support this part of the screen. Either way it's a fail.

  39. Joe Ragosta

    Missing option

    "Either inspections before packing were lacking, or packing itself neglected to properly support this part of the screen."

    Or, it's a mechanical failure for unknown reasons. Every electronic device has a DOA rate. Computers are no exception. Can you tell us what the DOA rate is for the i7 iMac? And how it compares to other computers?

    In spite of all the made up stories from Apple-bashers, no one claims that Apple is perfect or that there will never be a problem with Macs. If this is a significant problem, it will be fixed - Apple has always done so.

    And, in the end, Apple CONTINUES to have the best customer satisfaction and reliability ratings of any computer vendor.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Paris Hilton

      Common sense.

      Of course, you're quite right, Apple isn't perfect and neither is any other manufacturer.

      What makes it so much fun (form my point of view at least) is the apoplexy that the fanbois exhibit whenever you suggest that their lord Jobs may be, shock horror, only human or, worse still, the hardware may not have been assembled by choirs of angels and is actually just a stylish but rather expensive PC.

      Paris, heavenly but corrupted by original sin.

  40. Dave Hanks

    Slow down

    Anyone who is not able to take the risk of buying version .1 of any product should slow down. If you are in that much of a hurry, then at some point you will be burned. I have had only one Apple CPU arrive DOA in 20 years—out of over 50 units. Yes, it was pain. But I got over it. So will you.

  41. MrcX
    FAIL

    moa

    C'mon Reg, can't you come up with a little more shocking news? clearly you still hold a grudge against apple from a few years back (don't exactly remember what, something about an invitation to an apple event you didn't get, search your archives)... love a cynical note on all companies that matter, but this is too silly.

  42. Ammaross Danan
    FAIL

    Just swap it!

    If my computer (PC) came with a monitor defect or the like, just swap the part! If most likely is replacing an older system anyway, so I'd have a spare monitor to use while the new broken one is repaired/replaced. But, oh wait. It's an iMac, the all-in-one that requires "special" repair. Have a bad PSU? Mobo? Have to talk to Apple.

    Ever have to replace a MacBook Pro LCD? Granted, Laptop LCDs are by no means a end-user "grandma can do it" repair, but the $800 USD that the Mac store quoted me made me a do-it-yourselfer in no time. $200 USD later, had a nice new LCD with the new 1yr manufacturer warranty. Wonder if a new LCD from Apple would come with anything more than their 90 warranty for the fix...

    Yes, cynical I know. I'm not trashing fanbois, nor advocating PCs (since there are a LOT of bum PC parts too). Cost doesn't mean quality. Look at the cost of Vista development for proof of that.

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Missed the point?

    I think the phenomena looked from another perspective suggests how sturdy a customer base is.

    Has any other computer release (OS or hardware or both) generated quite so much enthusiasm either positively or negatively?

  44. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @ Zencoder

    The i7 machines are built to order, they don't keep replacement stock in the stores or anywhere.

    Physical damage on a specific part of the machine could suggest that the machines were damaged in transit.

  45. RichyS
    Stop

    It's What Apple do Now that Matters

    Things break. It happens. It especially happens when new kit is launched (workers on the line still getting used to the process, packaging maybe not quite right, trying to meet order volumes and cutting corners on quality control).

    What really matters is how Apple deal with the customers after the event. My experience of Apple is that they are much better at this than other manufacturers. Case in point: the Sony battery in my MacBook started losing charge rapidly after 2 years of use (150 cycles or so -- these things are rated for 300). Apple said 'no problem, here's a brand new battery' then and there. My wife's Sony Vaio, on the other hand, had what appeared to be the same problem. sony said, 'no problem send it in to us to look at'. What they meant was 'no problem, send it in to us at we'll sit on it for two weeks. You won't be able to contact us to find out what's going on because we won't answer your emails, and keep bouncing you from call centre to call centre. After two weeks we'll send back you laptop (which you'll have to pick up from some skanky depot in Croydon) and tell you that the fault is "inconclusive", and suggest you buy a new battery. You'll then complain about this a bit more, but get nowhere. You'll buy a new battery for close to a hundred quid and that'll fix it'.

    That's the kind of thing you do to lose a customer. Not offer a full refund or to replace the DOA kit as soon as humanly possible.

  46. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: Fickle

    Yeah, I think he needs to look up "loyal".

    Anywhere, what's he going to buy instead? A generic accountant box from Dell?

  47. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I've lost count of ...

    The number of times I've had "beige box" hardware issues over the years.

    Yes, *I* can fix the problem with time and effort, but 99% of PC users worldwide would get stuck and would require someone else to fix the problem.

    I've seen new Dell laptops arrive faulty, Desktops a week old with failed motherboards - the list goes on.

    This is only a story because it's Apple and they have a record of supplying quality hardware.

    As we now know, there are *two* types of Apple computer products now - low end and high end.

    The whole concept of Apple being a quality product has shifted - it shifted when they entered the "household consumer" market - that market gets lower priced, lower quality hardware.

    An example of that would be the 21" imac and the 24" imac - the 21" has a lower quality monitor - it's "consumer grade" - many designers have been caught out by that!

    The issues with the 27" seem to be with the monitor manufacturers and you can bet Jobs is furious that thier quality control doesn't live up to the Apple ethos.

  48. Juan Inamillion

    @sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD

    Something wrong with your keyboard - every alternate letter is capitalised.

    Or maybe it's because you've got one hand down your trousers waiting for your balls to drop.

  49. sig

    @Doug Glass: Biological Sat Nav Needed?

    "...the word ApplFAN. It implies a certain fruitiness, has a reference to an Application (App) and points to a certain part of the human body's lower posterior...FANny."

    Don't know what you've been getting conjugal with, but in my experience the mons veneris and associated structures are found at the front of the female, not the rear.

  50. Michael Downie
    Thumb Down

    insanity

    I think this rabid insanity over faulty computers is, well, insane. I ordered my 2008 Macbook from Apple directly in the summer. When i ordered it, the nice American on the end of the phone said it would be up to two weeks because of stock shortage. Three days later i got the email to say it was dispatched and it turned up a further two days later. The screen was half dead and the HD making a horrible clicking noise. Called Apple staright away and the next day i had a UPS guy on my door to pick it up and three days later i had another one on my doorstep and a £50 iTunes voucher as an apology.

    Cant say i'd ever leave them if they kept treating me like this haha

  51. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Get a life!

    The one in your article needs to get a life! Seriously? One problem after countless years of good service and you're flipping your lid? You're gonna by dead of a heart-attack soon my friend, if that's how you react to a minor set back with one small part of your life!

    What did they expect? Brand new product, just out of the gate, course it's going to have problems! I only use Apple kit at home, but I am sensible enough to know that any new product to market never works perfect first time, even if it's released by the hand of Lord Jobs himself!

    IT rules:

    1. NEVER use version x.0 of any software release!

    2. NEVER buy inital batch of any hardware product!

    3. NEVER believe anything BALLMER, JOBS, ELLISON or GATES say! ( They made money selling mostly vapourware, they can't help it, it's genetic! )

  52. Grease Monkey Silver badge
    FAIL

    JD Power?

    As many have already said it matters not what brand you buy all products have a failure rate. I recall the outrage when JD Power motoring satisfaction surveys first came to these shores I recall the outrage from the owners of certain brands when the results said things they didn't like.

    The idea that with Apple or Mercedes (for example) you pay a premium for quality and reliability may well be complete nonesense, or it may not. However it takes a special kind of idiot to assume that something is better or more reliable just because it is more expensive.

    I thought the modern consumer had become much more savvy than that. Or at least I did until I started reading forum discussions on the Canon G11 camera.

  53. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    I'm laughing all the way to the bank ...

    For I have a fully functional Hackintosh and it TURNS ON JUST FINE. Everything works great (even the genuine Apple wireless Keyboard) and it is actually faster on benchmarks than the MacPro it thinks it is. Its was built using a cheap AMD processor sitting in a totally bog-standard Gigabyte mobo.

    The Hundred quid 27" monitor works beautifully too.

    Game's up Apple.

  54. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Michael Brown

    Why do you assume that it's a high quality product? You pay over the odds for a niche system which has a pretty good OS, good after-sales service, and fancy shiny parts. It's well-known that the actual hardware inside Macs tends to be of an average or poorer quality to increase the profit margins. As has been said time and time again, if you wanted a high-quality system, you could get a far better system for the money you pay. This is not what you pay for when you buy a Mac (and I'm not going to knock you for buying one), and you seem to have got your ideas a bit muddled.

  55. This post has been deleted by its author

  56. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    @ Joe Ragosta

    "And, in the end, Apple CONTINUES to have the best customer satisfaction and reliability ratings of any computer vendor."

    Like the time they took eleven months to replace my iBook? Ignored all emails, calls and legal threats? Then left a note on the replacement iBook saying "This guy is an asshole"?

    Yeah. Really fine customer satisfaction, bud. Get a life. Not an iLife.

  57. Edward Noad
    Coat

    Apple suffer more...

    ...because they are more visible. Everyone has problems like this, I've seen entire orders of Dells arrive with cracked, broken bits of trim on the cases in pristine packing boxes. It's rare, but it happens, and Apple get talked about so much (I mean, come on, they make computers to a slightly different set of rules to everyone else, how much more controversial can you get?</sarcasm>) that when someone like this happens it gets blown into way bigger proportion than when it happens to anyone else. Like when that huge batch of fake capacitors got out into the market, many computer manufacturers got hit by swelling, bursting capacitors, but most people only heard about it because people kicked up a stink about (yup, you guessed it) failing iMacs. People need to get off Apple's back and start getting lives instead.

  58. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    A-pill Mac?

    Hmm from a company that sells an external USB drive $750 - Coz it's an Apple; compared to a bog stock 1TB drive, in an external case with cables and power supply for ~$150.....

    Hey Apple Fan Bois - Tell me, are you all just STUPID is is the management of Apply just GREEDY and likes to sell stuff to dumb shits?

  59. John PM Chappell
    Happy

    Overpriced shite shocker!

    It's really not news to anyone with their eyes open, to be honest; contrary to the hype, Apple kit is nothing special and often sub-par but with a very distinctive styling (which I have never liked and therefore won't buy). Apple are taking this level of flak because Apple customers are often either naïve or zealous brand followers and tend to believe their own propaganda on behalf of Apple, about everything being better and higher quality, backed by excellent customer service, with better software, etc, etc.

    In fairness to Apple, every company drops the ball now and then and the numbers are not huge but it's worth remembering that they built their entire business on the back of the ideas that their zealots spout and the claim that Apple kit ‘just works’, so when it doesn't...

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