Lots of Complaints about Apple quality...what gives?

[corbin_a2]

It seems that a lot of threads contain complaints about Apples quality control on recent Mac's. Anyone what to give some insight to what's going on? Are these problems related to the switch to intel, or is it a bigger problem that is effecting all products? Is this a design problem? Or more of a problem with the assembly process and the components? Has Apple changed who it has assemble it's computers post Intel switch?

Ideas???

 

[plinden]

People who have problems are louder than those who don't have problems.

Also, if you have a problem, you ask about it on MacRumors, but if everything is fine, you tend not to post about it.

If you did a survey of the percentage of "I have a problem" posts on MacRumors and compared it with the percentage say five years ago, it probably isn't much different. I certainly haven't noticed a big change in the two years I've been posting here.

 

[jhu]

in manufacturing, there is no such thing as completely 100% flawless. there will inevitably be some defects. all computer manufacturers have to deal with this. as with most things, i think that quality in the entire industry has improved since its inception. but because the volume is so much greater, there will inevitably more defective units out there even if the percetange of defects has decreased.

also, i have not data to backup this up

 

[CanadaRAM]

Apple is selling more machines than at any time in recent history, more first-time Mac buyers are entering the market, Apple are bringing new machines out faster, and they have reduced the price (of the consumer machines at any rate) steadily. All four add up to a higher number of people with problems, real or perceived.

 

[animefx]

Maybe Apple is too far ahead of its time... Maybe if the MacBook Pros were 2 cm taller than the heat issue would be a lot better. Sure its great looking and "cool" to say my notebook is 1 inch thick, but If the cooling technology isn't advanced enough yet then I think there are going to be some problems.

I LOVE Apple's designs, but maybe they should take a year off of "making things smaller" and let the rest of the components become even more energy efficient, and smaller, and allow time (or better year research) for other cooling technologies to arrive.

So, as I should have said earlier... I think heat can causes a lot of problems.

I used to build PCs, but I am by no means an expert on Apple components.. In fact, I just posted a question about "what is a logic board" in the Apple News Users Board.

 

[bah-bah'd]

People who have problems are louder than those who don't have problems.

Also, if you have a problem, you ask about it on MacRumors, but if everything is fine, you tend not to post about. it

This is why voluntary polls and reviews are really not that helpful. You are mostly collecting opinions/information from people who are driven to action by strong feelings, interest or experience. Most people don't care enough to do anything.

 

[WildCowboy]

And even with all of the "issues" with Apple quality, they still rank among the best computer manufacturers in terms of initial build quality. And they're among the best in customer service to help you when something does go bad.

 

[Foxglove9]

I don't think problems are any more common now than in the past. If anything I think it's better considering how many products Apple has on the market these days.

 

[khisayruou]

I don't think problems are any more common now than in the past.

I agree. I vividly recall the problems of the past and they are no different than todays. One thing is for sure though, Apple has a devouted user base and they will speak up when there is anything wrong...I know I did!

 

[Chris Bangle]

2 reasons....

1)Apple are beginning to care more about profits then consumer happiness.

2)New switchers to macs who dont know how to use mac proucts and end breaking them...

Apple qulaity is taking a dive... Its like mercedes in the late eighties/early mid 90's... Nano is of poor quality and ipod packaging is cheap. There cutting cost on things like quality and added extras.

People who dont feel passionate about thier macs tend to not care about them and they end up breaking because of themselves... Most of time in apple stores when people return ipods its becuase they dont know they need a computer or think you put music on it by putting cd's into the ipod... People are just stupid and think the quality is bad when infact its there stupidity

 

[mmmcheese]

Maybe Apple is too far ahead of its time... Maybe if the MacBook Pros were 2 cm taller than the heat issue would be a lot better. Sure its great looking and "cool" to say my notebook is 1 inch thick, but If the cooling technology isn't advanced enough yet then I think there are going to be some problems.

I LOVE Apple's designs, but maybe they should take a year off of "making things smaller" and let the rest of the components become even more energy efficient, and smaller, and allow time (or better year research) for other cooling technologies to arrive.

So, as I should have said earlier... I think heat can causes a lot of problems.

I used to build PCs, but I am by no means an expert on Apple components.. In fact, I just posted a question about "what is a logic board" in the Apple News Users Board.

Question: Is it a "problem" because you think things should be a certain way, or is it because the machine gets hot and it locks up or slows itself down because there is too much heat for the cooling provided?

 

[animefx]

I don't think things should be any certain way. I'm a mac fan 100%. All I know is when you have more space, you have better airflow rather than such a confined space where the heat has no where to go but to stay in the electonics.

Question: Is it a "problem" because you think things should be a certain way, or is it because the machine gets hot and it locks up or slows itself down because there is too much heat for the cooling provided?

 

[lamina]

I don't think things should be any certain way. I'm a mac fan 100%. All I know is when you have more space, you have better airflow rather than such a confined space where the heat has no where to go but to stay in the electonics.

I totally agree. The whole thing about the MBP not having a dual-layer drive because it's 1mm too thick for the case is absolutely insane. Never should a company sacrifice function for form.

 

[mmmcheese]

I totally agree. The whole thing about the MBP not having a dual-layer drive because it's 1mm too thick for the case is absolutely insane. Never should a company sacrifice function for form.

Sitting a PB and MBP next to each other, it's actually more than that. The body is quite a bit thinner, but the screen is thicker than the PB (probably to fit the isight). When both are closed, overall, the MBP is slightly thinner. From what I can tell anyway.

 

[BWhaler]

I used to be in the camp of thinking where you only heard about problems, not the millions of perfect products, so things could look worse than they actually were.

Now I am not so sure.

Personal experiences:
1. Current gen 17" PB has a terrible screen with uneven quality. After dealing with Apple twice and comparing it to others in the Apple store, it is not defective. It's just a crappy screen Apple is using. (And this is my 3rd 17" PowerBook, so I notice the difference. Yes, it is brighter, but not consistent.)
2. My 5G iPod has an uneven build to it
3. So does my new laptop
4. The new Intel mini had problems out of the box. I think they were software related, but they were so wide spread, there is no way Apple missed it unless their QA is asleep.

Plus, stories from the web are growing louder
1. The new Macbooks squeek continually
2. 5G iPod software bugs which prohibit use
3. etc.

Nothing is perfect, bugs exist. But I am really starting to think quality has gone down.

 

[miniConvert]

My very first Mac, Intel Core Duo Mac mini, had a raft of problems... and then died within two days.

Now I'm up and running fine, but it definitely wasn't a very good way to welcome a switcher.

On the flipside, customer service was excellent - they've even paid me for a new copy of World of Warcraft to replace the one lost inside the old dead mini.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Made in China, am i the only one who see's this? Made in China use to and still does mean made cheap, spin it all you want. You are paying a chinaman pennies so that U.S. CEO can reap in millions. think about it.

 

[XP Defector]

Make that young women and girls. And if you're attempting to offer an implicit critique of global capital in relation to labour, I'd shouldn't imagine you'll have much sympathy on a apple mac forum.

With regards to apple producing poor quality equipment, then it is a company and after all has to maintain competative in the free market enterprise. If Steve Jobs wants to acquire a larger share of the market, he is not going to do it by increasing costs of production. If apple sell themselves on exspensive hardware with solid design, they certainly failed with the MacBook Pro. No company should release faulty hardware and then rush to keep releasing 'revisions' subsequent to the items original sale.

 

[jhu]

Made in China, am i the only one who see's this? Made in China use to and still does mean made cheap, spin it all you want. You are paying a chinaman pennies so that U.S. CEO can reap in millions. think about it.

"made in china" does not necessarily mean shoddy quality.

 

[generik]

"made in china" does not necessarily mean shoddy quality.

Hell yeah!

In fact on that last day 30 or so years from now as that bright flash of light is committed to your last memory (btw it is not Jesus and His 2nd coming!) you will bear testament to the superiority of Chinese engineering

 

[jhu]

Hell yeah!

In fact on that last day 30 or so years from now as that bright flash of light is committed to your last memory (btw it is not Jesus and His 2nd coming!) you will bear testament to the superiority of Chinese engineering

i was reading a business week article on factories in china. a factory owner was interviewed and basically what he was that quality depends on money. if a company doesn't want to pay as much, the quality will be lower due to less resources devoted to qa, and vice versa. and this was for similar products being produced in the same factory.

 

[Edge100]

It seems that a lot of threads contain complaints about Apples quality control on recent Mac's. Anyone what to give some insight to what's going on? Are these problems related to the switch to intel, or is it a bigger problem that is effecting all products? Is this a design problem? Or more of a problem with the assembly process and the components? Has Apple changed who it has assemble it's computers post Intel switch?

Ideas???

Ever heard of sample bias?

The internet is not a random sample by any stretch. Meaning that you are FAR more likely to find people on the internet complaining about their problems than you are to find people satisfied with their purchase. There have been a few issues that were VERY common, such as the Airport issue that was resolved with 10.4.6, but other than that, I havent heard too many complaints that I havent also heard with previous Macs. This is the same reason that those online polls that spring up during election time are basically useless. Random sampling is the absolute core of statistical analysis, and without it, your observations are meaningless.

I posted this on a different thread here as well, but there have been several high profile issues with Macs over the last few years, as there have been with computers from every manufacturer. Thing iBook Logic board failures, wind-tunnel-like PowerMac G4s, etc.

You must realize that in order to truly assess whether there is a systemic problem, we would need a much different sampling method, that includes happy Intel Mac users, like me.

I got my Core Duo iMac last week, and I absolutely LOVE it. Best computer I've ever used. Not a single issue yet ('yet' added to fight Murphy's Law).

So there, add one 'tick' to the happy column.

 

[paddy]

2 reasons....

1)Apple are beginning to care more about profits then consumer happiness.

2)New switchers to macs who dont know how to use mac proucts and end breaking them...

1) Im sick of people thinking that Apples sole aim is consumer satisfaction. It is not. It is a corporation. Its aim is to make money.
Consumer satisfaction is important to them, but money more-so.

2) How would they manage to break a new mac??? Its a fairly hard thing to do accidentally unless you do something stupid like dropping it.

 

[Edge100]

1) Im sick of people thinking that Apples sole aim is consumer satisfaction. It is not. It is a corporation. Its aim is to make money.
Consumer satisfaction is important to them, but money more-so.

I would put it slightly differently.

Customer service is important to a corporation, like Apple, insofar as it affects the bottom line. OR, Apple will give the quality of customer service that best maximizes their profit.

Its like anything else in economics: poor customer service costs customers, but top-notch customer service costs the company too much. So they draw a curve of "customer service quality" vs. "profit". This curve will be parabolic. At the low end of customer service, profit will be low. It will increase to a maximum at the optimal level of customer service, and then decrease thereafter, essentially wasting profit.

This happens for EVERYTHING that goes on in a corporation. Apple isn't your friend, they want your money. And they will do just enough to get it.

 

[Electro Funk]

People who have problems are louder than those who don't have problems.

Also, if you have a problem, you ask about it on MacRumors, but if everything is fine, you tend not to post about it.

If you did a survey of the percentage of "I have a problem" posts on MacRumors and compared it with the percentage say five years ago, it probably isn't much different. I certainly haven't noticed a big change in the two years I've been posting here.

Plinden is excactly right.... i think the number of people that are happy with thier macs and have no problems with them outnumber (by far) the people that are having issues with thier new machines... The problem is, not many of the happy people are going to log into a site and talk about how perfect their new machine is running. (with the exception of some of us here on mac rumors ) BUT... the people with new machines that are having problems are going to start searching/looking for answers on the internet and discussing their issues... (so you tend to see more of the issues than non-issues) ....