The other day I switched on my beige
G3 in order to type up an English essay. I logged in and left
it at the desktop while I went to get something. While I was coming
back, I decided I'd type the essay on my PowerBook - that way I
could edit it in the morning before classes started and print it
out at school.
Perhaps that was the right decision. After I finished my essay,
I went to turn off my beige G3. The screen was black, so I assumed
it had gone to sleep. Moving the mouse did nothing, and neither did
typing on the keyboard.
I figured that it must have somehow frozen, and I pushed
control-command-power in order to restart the machine. I heard the
chime; the light on the monitor went orange. After a few seconds,
the light turned green again, but there was no picture. Meanwhile I
could hear the hard drive spinning.
It didn't take me too long to figure out that the monitor was
dead and the machine was working fine. The biggest problem: I had
notated a piano piece I had written for my Music Theory class on
that machine, and it was due in two days. Two days to get a new
monitor, or borrow one from another machine. Unfortunately, since
this machine still has the old-style Mac monitor connector, I can't
use any of the PC monitors we have without an adapter, the last of
which I gave away.
I ended up borrowing a monitor that is also on it's way out
(after flickering a few times). At least I was able to print out
that piano piece.
What is it with monitors, though? It seems like almost every
monitor I've ever owned has died within a few years. The G3's
monitor was six years old, but I've used monitors older than that,
and they generally have worked fine. My grandmother's monitor is
from 1992. It works perfectly. Then again, the one I had connected
to my PC died last year, and that was roughly the same age as the
Apple one that died this past week. Oh, and you can't forget my
mom's iMac, which had it's monitor portion fail in 2001.
Do I sense a decrease in manufacturing quality when it comes to
monitors? I honestly am not sure who made Apple monitors in 1998,
but they certainly weren't as well made as some of the previous
models, most notably the 14" Apple Colour Display in 1993-94, as
well as the original 13" RGB Display that was available when the
Mac II shipped in 1987.
Then again, my 1996 Apple MultiScan 15 monitor died somewhere in
2002. It was purchased used, along with my Performa 6115 at the beginning of 1999. At
least I managed about four years out of it (I got more out of the
monitor than the computer).
It's still a bit disturbing when you have a better chance of
getting a working twelve-year-old monitor than a working
six-year-old one. This makes me wonder about the quality of current
Apple monitors. I used to own a 17" Apple Studio Display (the last
with a CRT, which featured a clear back and sides). It was an
amazing monitor - the picture was sharp and clear, and the monitor
itself looked awesome. It worked great for the two years I had it,
but how much longer would it have lasted? It might last another
three. Or it might last ten.
How about the LCD monitors Apple is currently selling? With an
LCD either the backlight or the cable would probably die before the
flat panel does, which is generally what has happened with
PowerBook screens.
LCD flat panels are also a bit more fragile than CRTs. Unless
packed carefully, anything just a little bit too heavy leaning
against or sitting on top of the LCD could cause it to crack. Of
course, putting something like a bowling ball on top of a CRT
monitor would destroy it, too.
Last year I ended up getting yet another CRT-type monitor for my
PC: a CTX 19" display, which, at $150, I thought was a good
deal.
And at least it has a decent warranty.
