One of the worst experiences one can have when dealing with
computers is the failure of one's main machine, the workhouse one uses
on a regular basis. This is especially bad when the next best backup is
not only several years older, but also uses a completely different
processor architecture (more on that at the end of this column).
Unfortunately, I recently went through this when my iMac failed. However, this
gave me a chance to evaluate Apple's repair quality for myself.
This Baby's Hot!
My computer, as one can see in my
biography, is an 8-month-old Penryn iMac. Over the time that I have
owned it, I was puzzled by the utter lack of fan noise: Other people's
Macs would kick their fans in when they were put under load. Even when
both processor cores were under load, my computer was whisper quiet.
Additionally, I began to notice strange graphical glitching and flaky
behavior, with the occasional complete lock up, when the computer was
under load.
A few weeks ago, I happened to brush my hand across the top of the
case while ripping some videos. I felt like I had put my hand on the
hood of a black vehicle parked directly in Texas summer sun. I
immediately downloaded Temperature
Monitor from Bresink.
When I saw the readouts, I am sure the iSight detected the blood
draining from my face. The processor cores were rising to a heat level
well in excess of 160° Fahrenheit. Other components were heating to
similar levels.
I immediately knew what had caused the odd flakiness. After updating
my backups, I made an appointment at the local Genius Bar for
repair.
In for 'Repairs'
After checking my computer into the Apple Store, I waited for the
results of my diagnostics. When they came back showing no problems, I
was somewhat puzzled. They suggested reinstalling the OS, which I
readily agreed to. While I was concerned that they had found no issues,
I assumed they knew best.
When I called two days later, I was informed that a fault had been
found on the logic board, which was going to be replaced. Somewhat
relieved, I sat back and played the waiting game.
When my repair was ready, I went to pick it up. That was when the
"fun" began.
The Merry-Go-Round
When the I was asked to sign the pickup receipt, I noticed that my
job was labelled NTF, or No Trouble Found. Having arranged to pick up
my iMac before the store opened, there were no Geniuses on duty to
explain the anomaly. Unable to wait another hour, I went home,
intending to call after the store opened.
Upon doing so, my ride on the merry-go-round began. After waiting on
hold for several minutes, I was connected to a Genius who assured me
that my iMac was fully functional. Not only that, but he was completely
unable to find any record of my conversation with the other
employee.
After spending 15 minutes assuring the Genius that the other
employee was not the result of my active imagination, I gave up,
completely unable to convince him. But it wasn't over just yet.
Next time, I'll share the conclusion to this repair tale.
Don't worry. It has a happy ending!
I would like to take a minute here and mention how much easier it
was to move to my backup computer than one might think.
Going Back to a PowerPC Mac
My old 700 MHz eMac
works fine as a replacement machine. I am able to get around with speed
while running the latest release of OS X 10.4. Other than its
inability to work with Adobe CS4, which requires a G5 or Intel CPU, I
have not found any significant issues with moving my day-to-day
workflow to this machine.
One positive aspect of this experience is that it has allowed me to
reconnect with my PowerPC roots, and it turns out they match my fond,
fast memories. I must admit that I do miss having dual cores and 3 more
inches of screen, especially when encoding video in HandBrake, but I wouldn't be unable to
function if my iMac were broken beyond repair.
Try having this experience in the PC world. Lauren and Giampaolo, I hope
you're happy with your new PC notebooks, because I can guarantee you
won't be feeling so happy about them 7 years from now (the age of my
eMac).*
For those who would call me a mindless Apple fanboy, you might want
to know that I not only ran PCs exclusively for years before moving to
Mac (of my own free will), but I also have a much newer Dell PC that
gets beaten every time by my "ancient" eMac.
For the resolution of this, see Apple Comes Through,
Resolving Overheating iMac Problem.
* Editor's note: This is also the age of the dual 1 GHz Mirror Drive Door Power
Mac G4 I use every day at Low End Mac headquarters. There's still a
lot of useful life in those old G4s! dk
