Quality Control with Macbooks

[kappaman210]

Hey all,

I just got my Black Macbook a week or so ago, and I must say, quality control seems to be really lacking from Apple with these machines. I've had to exchange it three times already!!! The first one had a mouse button where the left side just wouldn't work at all and suffered from "squishyness." The second one had a couple of problems: When shut, the screen didn't align at all with the bottom part of the case and there were a few little chips close together on the left palm rest. They were very small, but still noticeable when I looked for them. Needless to say, I don't want these imperfections when I buy a $1500 laptop.

When we went to exchange the third one, they took it back with no problem. Since the store is about 30 minutes from my house, we decided to just open the replacement in the store and see if it was ok so we wouldn't have to make another trip. Well, we did that and it had the same problem as the first one, but on the right side! Ridiculous! The manager gave us another one (although somewhat reluctantly) and we opened it up. Everything seemed to be fine and still does. However, there was some sort of annoying metal clicking that could sometimes be heard when clicking the mouse button, but that went away when I did the paper trick that's all over the internet. Oh yea, there's also an extremely small mark on the right palm rest, but it's really not noticeable at all. I suppose I'm lucky that I don't have any dead pixels or something else wrong that could really mess up my macbook.

Regardless though, these problems are kind of annoying. I'm chalking it up to some very bad luck on my part though. I never had any sort of problems with my old iBook.

On the other hand, I LOVE this machine. Best computer I've ever owned. It absolutely runs circles around my old iBook. Awesome.

 

[66217]

About the keyboard button problem, I really don't know what Apple is thinking. They have changed my keyboard 3 times and they all have had the far right side of the button "strange". It just feels like less responsive, even though it works as the left side of the button.
But I have got to like it better sometimes, because it makes less noise

The only problem that really pissed me off was when the HD died.

I think the MB is having some minor problems because it has become very popular and a lot of people want it. So Apple has to make the production faster.

Roco,

 

[Mac'Mo]

What mouse? there isn't a mouse that comes with the MB. Well i got my white MB a few weeks ago and it's pretty perfect.

 

[kappaman210]

What mouse? there isn't a mouse that comes with the MB. Well i got my white MB a few weeks ago and it's pretty perfect.

The trackpad button. I guess I should have emphasized that a bit more.

 

[flopticalcube]

You must be a lemon magnet.

My MB is perfecto.

 

[4nr-]

Seems like you are being a little too much of a perfectionist to be honest... I've had no serious problems with my mb, just the rss but apple fixed that with a firmware update.

 

[iW00t]

All those are minor issues.

Ask yourself this - if you bought a Dell which exhibit these issues what would you do?

Why I wouldn't even have noticed it. Dells are pretty much priced as much as Macs today, so when expect more from Apple?

 

[Mac'Mo]

if its the mouse, you should send it to appplecare

 

[kappaman210]

I still have that metallic clicking on the trackpad button. It's whenever I click on the top part of the button, not on the bottom. And it's not like I have to fully click, it happens when I just lightly press on it. I've seen a thread or two with some other people saying they had this problem. It's just extremely annoying.


Any ideas on what I should do? I really don't want to go there and get another replacement, but I doubt that the wonderful geniouses at the Apple Store would do much. I'm very happy with this one, it's just that clicking gets to me.



Oh yea, and my Front Row remote doesn't work. Sounds like there is something loose inside of it.

 

[Mac'Mo]

I still have that metallic clicking on the trackpad button. It's whenever I click on the top part of the button, not on the bottom. And it's not like I have to fully click, it happens when I just lightly press on it. I've seen a thread or two with some other people saying they had this problem. It's just extremely annoying.


Any ideas on what I should do? I really don't want to go there and get another replacement, but I doubt that the wonderful geniouses at the Apple Store would do much. I'm very happy with this one, it's just that clicking gets to me.



Oh yea, and my Front Row remote doesn't work. Sounds like there is something loose inside of it.

yeah sounds like a boat load of problems, give AC a call

 

[orangemacapple]

However, there was some sort of annoying metal clicking that could sometimes be heard when clicking the mouse button, but that went away when I did the paper trick that's all over the internet.

where have i been? what kind of paper trick? i missed something somewhere. what does it do?

 

[brikeh]

Seems like you are being a little too much of a perfectionist to be honest... I've had no serious problems with my mb, just the rss but apple fixed that with a firmware update.

All those are minor issues.

Ask yourself this - if you bought a Dell which exhibit these issues what would you do?

Why I wouldn't even have noticed it. Dells are pretty much priced as much as Macs today, so when expect more from Apple?

You guys are amazing, I wish I could be as much of a forgiving loyalist. The RSS wasnt serious? Yeah right, give me a break. Dumbest thing Ive ever heard.

What on earth is with the Dell reference? How does that help his problem? What does Dell have to do with APPLE QC???

 

[iW00t]

You guys are amazing, I wish I could be as much of a forgiving loyalist. The RSS wasnt serious? Yeah right, give me a break. Dumbest thing Ive ever heard.

What on earth is with the Dell reference? How does that help his problem? What does Dell have to do with APPLE QC???

Why does Apple's QC have to be independent from the rest of the industry?

The fact remains that Apple basically are just making rebadged PeeCees with a EFI firmware and a slightly unique appearance. They are just as susceptible to all the quirks one would expect from the next lousy PC manufacturers all the same.

I wouldn't even be surprised if in Quanta's production lines Macbook Pros are assembled 5 metres away from those $700 Dell laptops. When you buy Apple you are basically just paying into the so called prestige. Don't for a moment let it get into your head that you are getting "quality".

It is just the same turd, but polished!

 

[brikeh]

Why does Apple's QC have to be independent from the rest of the industry?

The fact remains that Apple basically are just making rebadged PeeCees with a EFI firmware and a slightly unique appearance. They are just as susceptible to all the quirks one would expect from the next lousy PC manufacturers all the same.

I wouldn't even be surprised if in Quanta's production lines Macbook Pros are assembled 5 metres away from those $700 Dell laptops. When you buy Apple you are basically just paying into the so called prestige. Don't for a moment let it get into your head that you are getting "quality".

It is just the same turd, but polished!

Well, according to you the issues that the OP is having are minor and that is ********, It would be ******** even IF he had bought a Dell.

 

[iW00t]

Well, according to you the issues that the OP is having are minor and that is ********, It would be ******** even IF he had bought a Dell.

Erm, does Dell even have such a good replacement policy where you can just walk into a Dell shop and get a free replacement with little fuss?

Oh wait, I forgot, Dell has no shops.

You can try bringing it back to the best buy or whatever other electrical retailer and the salesman will just shove you to one side and tell you it is normal while he goes off to close that next sale.

Like... who cares, it is genuinely a minor issue. It is as if people are fussing over things like "Oh look, the keys on my Macbook are not perfectly aligned in their sockets. This key is tilted 1 degrees to the right while this one other is tilted a bit the other way!"

It is not like these things are manufactured to such tight tolerances that everything has only a 1 micron clearance from each other. Come on!

Now, stuff like cheapening out on components like the MBP screen, that really stirs me up, but stuff like the OP's experiences are just what are driving the prices of Macs up. Macs are so expensive because in this one case one person effectively resulted in 3 computers having to be sold at a lower price as a refurb.

 

[brikeh]

Erm, does Dell even have such a good replacement policy where you can just walk into a Dell shop and get a free replacement with little fuss?

Oh wait, I forgot, Dell has no shops.

Actually Dells policies on returns/Doa´s have been great IMO. Far better than Apple, much better support and much faster turnarounds. You can keep your misaligned piece of crap, me Im not putting up with it, I do agree with you on the screen tho. Thats why I returned mine, got a replacement and then returned that too. Since Ive had awful experience wíth macs(portables I should add) Theyre not getting any more of my money, thats consumer-power for you, not lowering your standards. The screen sucks? Return it. Its got squeaky keys and a misaligned body? Return it. If it doesnt bother you, keep it.

 

[Jiddick ExRex]

Macs are so expensive because in this one case one person effectively resulted in 3 computers having to be sold at a lower price as a refurb.

I my experience the only way Apple's computer prices have gone is down, and that is hardly due to unsatisfied customers.

 

[kappaman210]

Alright, I just found a fix to my clicking problem (I hope!!!).


With this latest revision of macbooks, Apple has put a little sticky circle thing underneath the battery where there the trackpad is. Anybody who has suffered a squishy trackpad button with the older Macbooks, and even some of the newer ones (I know I did), will know where this spot is, since that's where they've had to put the paper to get the button to work.

Anyway, I simply took this thing off and I no longer have a metallic noise. Now, I really hope this works and isn't just a temporary thing. That click was really annoying the **** out of me.


Needless to say, I'm going to make a trip to the apple store later today and see what they will do about my Front Row remote. I'll also mention the trackpad problem, but I doubt anything will happen. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

 

[4nr-]

You guys are amazing, I wish I could be as much of a forgiving loyalist. The RSS wasnt serious? Yeah right, give me a break. Dumbest thing Ive ever heard.

Wasn't for me. I knew apple would come up with a fix sooner or later. I either underclocked my mb to 1ghz by holding in the power button a bit longer when starting up or I ran it without the battery. Used it like this for about 2 weeks and then the firmware update came.