Apple Computer today acknowledged yet another flaw in one of it’s computers, this time in the iBook. The “iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program” targets “component failures” that cause distorted video, freezes, and blank screens. Apple customers have been complaining of this problem for some time, and threatening lawsuits — and it appears that Apple has acknowledged the problem in order to head them off.
You may remember that the 15″ Aluminum Powerbook suffered from bizarre white splotches on the screen — including mine — and it took Apple some time to acknowledge the problem and fix it. The paint on the Titanium Powerbook flaked off; the FireWire ports on the same computer fried quite often; the Power Mac G4 sounds like a turbo prop plane; and many G5 owners report dead processors and DOA units. And these flaws are expensive — Apple’s recent financials indicate that they’re taking significant hits from all the warranty repairs they’ve been performing lately.
This weekend, reading about the advent of the Mac, I was reminded of the early days when Macintosh computers were built in California at a specially constructed factory. More recently, however, Apple’s products are built in Taiwan at no-name facilities from, it seems, relatively cheap commodity parts. As a result, most Apple products have dropped in price and are about the same cost — if not less expensive — than comparably equipped PCs.
But perhaps as a result of this process, Apple no longer seems to be immune to quality assurance problems. Bad news for a company which has seen it’s market share drop to less than 2%.
I still love Macs, and despite the problems they’re still the most trouble-free computers I’ve ever used. But I’ll be a little anxious when my custom-built G5 arrives next week. Will it work when I plug it in? Will it have to be repaired shortly after I get it?
