I have noticed that computer quality has gone down over the past
few years. It's not just Apple; many companies have products that
don't hold up as well as they should.
If you've ever used a compact
Mac, you've probably noticed that they are built like tanks.
They are very hard to damage accidentally, unlike some of today's
machines. The same thing goes for the older keyboards and mice,
while today's keyboards are made of flimsy plastic and are easily
broken.
While computers aren't made as well as they were, for example,
12 years ago, they don't cost as much either. If companies put as
much quality into manufacturing as they did in 1990, computers
would still be very expensive.
Computers have become remarkably affordable within the past few
years, but the lack of quality means that consumers may have to
replace parts on their own and deal with confusing hardware
problems. This isn't a new problem, but the issues have become more
difficult for technicians to fix now that computers are more
advanced. Advancement of technology is a good thing, though - the
computers of 12 years ago can't do much of what people do on
today's computers. Just try browsing the modern Internet on a
Mac II.
Some computers are lemons to begin with, and the problems always
seem to start as soon as the computer's out of warranty. Other
computers work perfectly for years. There really is no way to
explain it.
The general rule in computing is that you get what you pay for.
A $699 Dell is not going to be as well made as a $1,599 Dell, just
like a $899 CRT iMac isn't going to be as well made as a $2,000 G4
tower.
Hard drives seem to be what dies first on most computers, and
the low-end models don't usually come with the best drives
available. If you do buy a low-end computer, consider replacing the
hard drive with a better, faster one as soon as you get the
machine.
One nice thing that PC users can do is move the logic board and
power supply into a newer, bigger case. Mac user's don't have that
as a realistic option (although some people have done it anyway),
but there are a lot of external peripherals that can be added to
make up for features that might be missing in an inexpensive
Mac.
The power supply is another thing that often goes bad on
inexpensive computers. While you can't just go out and buy a better
one for a Mac, you can help it last longer by making sure that any
vents on the computer aren't blocked and are kept free from dust
buildup. If your Mac has a fan, make sure that is kept clean also -
a recent computer I worked on had about an inch of dust on the fan,
which basically meant that it was doing absolutely nothing.
Another option, instead of buying a new bottom-line Mac, is to
buy a used or refurbished midrange or high-end Mac (such as a G4
tower instead of an iMac), which will give you a few more features
and better overall quality.
Of course, computers these days aren't typically used for more
than a few years anyway - if your iMac dies when it's four years
old, you might have been starting to think of a new machine anyway.
But if you plan to keep a computer for more than three or four
years, don't buy a low end model.
