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Hardware Failure, That Rare Mac
Headache
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94 -- Free shipping available.
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Other World Computing has the Upgrades, Enhancements, and Accessories for getting the most from your Mac. Quality Products, Competitive Prices, Expert Support Staff - www.macsales.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
Other World Computing has the Upgrades, Enhancements, and Accessories for getting the most from your Mac. Quality Products, Competitive Prices, Expert Support Staff - www.macsales.com
My trusty PowerBook had its very first hardware failure yesterday.
I must admit that I'm surprised and disappointed by this event. This
PowerBook is only a little over two-and-a-half years old.
Granted, I've used and abused the thing no end. Countless
productive hours a day (and we're not talking emailing and surfing,
friends). Rarely shutting it down. Hauling it to trade shows and
halfway across the country.
This little PowerBook has been the epitome of reliable. Not even a
dead pixel (fingers crossed).
You'd think that I would appreciate all the mileage I've gotten
out of this thing. It's been a real workhorse, after all. To be
honest, I'm the same way with my cars. If my car needs a major repair
(i.e., over $300) before the odometer ticks past 200,000 kilometers
(about 125,000 miles), I get annoyed. I'm still breaking it in at
200,000k, for crying out loud.
Reliability is something I'm willing to pay for, which is why I
switched to the Mac long ago. In fact, I made the switch when it
really was more expensive to buy a Mac rather than just mildly more
expensive, like it is now. It was a fairly big commitment,
considering how much I had invested in Wintel.
As a testament to its longevity, my first Mac is still with me. I
don't use it for anything, but I can still fire it up and surf the
Web and check email if I need to.
It would be too much to ask a portable computer to match the
record of my desktop. It's obviously more fragile and gets knocked
about quite a bit more. But still, a hardware failure at this early
stage can hardly be an indicator of good things to come.
To cap it, my dear wife listened for about two seconds to my tale
of woe before flat our refusing to entertain the thought of a new G5
desktop. I mean, seriously, the machine that's my bread and butter is
on death's door, and there's no replacement team in sight.
I'm starting to feel like the French national soccer team - aging
stars that just can't keep up with the young bucks.
I'm in a quandary. Should I replace the current machine (wife's
objections notwithstanding) or bite the bullet and get it repaired?
No extended AppleCare for me, so I'd be on the hook for the full
repair cost. (AppleCare is a wise investment but the money wasn't
flowing like a fountain when I laid out a significant amount of
savings to purchase my current machine.) Decisions, decisions.
What exactly happened to my machine? The tab key broke off. I
mean, c'mon, if a guy can't trust a keyboard day in and day out
(while command-tabbing about a million times a day), what can he
trust? It's all about reliability folks.
Now about that new G5....
This column will be my last biweekly one for Low End Mac. It's
been an exciting four years in the Mac world, and I'm anxiously
looking forward to many more. I'd like to thank all the loyal Low End
Mac and Mac Scope readers. It's been grand trading emails (and
barbs). I'd also like to thank the publisher of Low End Mac, Dan
Knight, for giving me the chance to write for his great site.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
Recently on Mac Scope
Connecting with the broader Macintosh community, 04.06.
"But beyond the very minor celebrity status that came with being published on Low End Mac, it gave me a real opportunity to participate in the Mac community."
Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache, 07.09.
Macs are usually pretty reliable, but a hardware failure after just two-and-a-half years is still disappointing.
Mac of the Day: PowerBook 165c, Feb. 1993 - The first color PowerBook had an attractive screen, slow graphics.
List of the Day: MacBook List for those using a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
September 5 in LEM history: 99: Why the G4 uproar? - 00: It wasn't even a Mac - 01: Stop the upgrade insanity - 02: Sharing your Internet connection - The evolving low end - 03: Apple #5 in laptops - 06: Installing Linux on a PCI Power Mac - PDQ PowerBook G3 at 8 - The good old days - 07: Comparing Apples and Dells - 12" PowerBook G4 reliability
Listen to Just the Music with the V-Moda Vibe Earbuds, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 09.05.
Well built, the noise canceling earbuds will let you hear all the nuances of your music without letting through background noise.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $999; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,450 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $1,849; rebates on new.
Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Refurb 8 GB, $199; new, $284; refurb 16 GB, $299; new, $370; refurb 32 GB, $399; new, $453.
Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $279; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz $390; 17" 800 MHz SD, $439; 1.25 GHz, $449; 20", $569.
Tomorrow's Solid State Drives and Notebooks, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 09.04.
Flash drives are great but have some shortcomings. Some thoughts on building better SSDs and notebooks to use them.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1 GHz, $550; SuperDrive, $625; 1.5 GHz w/o APX, $660; w/APX, $675.
Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 1.25 GHz G4 SD, $549; 1.42 Combo, $409; new 1.83 Core2 Combo, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 after rebate.
Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 1 GHz, $779; 1.33 GHz, $799; 1.5 GHz, $859; 1.67 GHz, $910.
11 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 09.03.
The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, SeaMonkey, Flock, and Camino tested in Leopard.
Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Used 700 MHz Combo, $120; 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $150; 1.42 GHz, $349.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Mac OS X 10.5, single user, $99; 5 users, $140; 10.5 Server, 10 users, $395; unlimited, $850.
Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Refurb 1.6 HD, $1,499; new, $1,690 after rebate; refurb 1.8, $1,699; new, $1,919 a/r; refurb 1.6 SSD, $2,099; new, $2,294 a/r; refurb 1.8, $2,299; new, $2,400 a/r.
Psystar Strikes Back, Countersues Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 09.03.
Psystar is trying to paint Apple as a monopoly and force it to license the Mac OS.
