Well as the new owner of a MacBook – my first Mac ever – I was very concerned about the discussions re: random shutdowns and “mooing”. My MB arrived brand spanking two weeks ago and I played with it for the first two days enjoying it thoroughly. Day 3 is when the bad news hit…..shutdown….shutdown…no startup at all…ah ohhh! So I;m officialy a DOA and although AppleStore are replacing it with a new one I have to admit I am certainly peeved that I am out a computer (and $2k) for what will amount to over a month – and that replacements are simply being placed in line with new purchases….I think Apple could be a tad more proactive with the damage control here.

BUT coming a PC background where blue screens of death and random shutdowns are the norm, I am not that concerned that the whole MacBook product is a lemon – just suffering a small case of the “Microsoft-flu” LOL. It is a new product, and like all new products, there is a settling time in which new problems will make themselves known.

I just consider it “evil-fate” that of course mine had to have a problem!

(I am of course assuming I just got a dud and my new one will be a-ok when it eventually arrives)

Does anyone remember the Powerbook 5300ce? It’s been called a Road Apple by some and it looks like the MacBooks are following suit. Sure, Gene is right that once in awhile there are rare, bad hardware reports that unfairly tarnish a product but there is also the rare, bad products that unfairly tarnish a manufacturer. To me, this appears to be a bad product and I won’t buy a MacBook. That being said, it won’t stop me from buying other Apple products. Like the 5300, I trust Apple to stand behind the MacBook and all of it’s other products. But like the 5300, I doubt this model lasts more than a year.

Count up all the web sites reporting this, and consider that most consumers don’t report problems to web sites, and you can guess that the problems are not in the dozens, but in the tens of thousands or more. I believe that Apple will eventually create a templated trade-in/repair program with its own web page like the one it once had for iBooks. I suspect they are developing such a program right now.

It’s hard to gauge the numbers yet. True, John, it may indeed be sufficient to create an extended repair program to deal with the issues. On the other hand, it may only be a few bad lots on the production line (which can total a few thousand of course) and the repairs will be addressed through the standard warranty. But thanks for tracking this information and we all await news of how it all turns out.

Peace,
Gene

Apple can either try and compete on the basis of cheap computers like every other box, or continue along the path it had set as a stand-out easy to use, reliable and quality manufacturer. With the overwhelming demand for products like ipods, and with such a large base of users communicating via internet, stories with hardware problems do abound. I think that Apple needs to keep the focus on quality. Anything else may give short term gain at the expense of long-term sustainability.

Gene knows his stuff more than most, but I have to disagree with him that this problem is just the same few bad apples that you’d find with any model Mac. The numbers of affected MacBook units are far higher than with your average Mac model, and far greater than a “few dozen or even a few hundred.” Look around the ‘net and you find a lot of expriences like Andrew’s above that indictate that this problem is widespread. For instance, one small site web site (http://www.macbookrandomshutdown.com/) has registered nearly 200 users with the problem. I received several dozen camplaints in a 2-day period at MacWindows.com, from people in four continents. The Apple discussion forums are full of these reports as well: one recently created thread on the topic had over 12,000 views (most Apple discussion threads have a few hundred views at the most)–that’s pretty compelling evidence of a wide-spread phenomenon. Count up all the web sites reporting this, and consider that most consumers don’t report problems to web sites, and you can guess that the problems are not in the dozens, but in the tens of thousands or more. I believe that Apple will eventually create a templated trade-in/repair program with its own web page like the one it once had for iBooks. I suspect they are developing such a program right now.

The main problems being reported are the random shutdown syndrom (RSS), track pads that stop working, batteries that swell to alarmingly large size (the BBC has good pictures of this), hot batteries (like Andrew above), and the moo sound (also called the “whining” problem). They could all be related, though it’s hard to say. Apple has been replacing motherboards, batteries, fans, and trackpads, sometimes more than once. A trade-in/repair program should streamline all this for them and bring down the costs.

Well balanced article.

My own experience – I have been involved with a roll-out of 70 Mac Mini’s that only had one hardware failure – a dud ethernet port. I have also been involved with maintaining 10 Intel iMac’s and Macbooks, and so far 5 out of 10 have had hardware faults. Apple service has been mostly good so far, I think its the resellers who are a bit tardy in the whole process.

And my own Macbook has the random shutdown and is in for repairs. Our other ones don’t, but we have held off applying the SMC Firmware update as that seems to bring it on somehow.

I think it is best to hold off on Intel gear until rev C.

I have a MacBook Pro 15″ week 19 build. No problems! The unit is as cool as my previous PB G4 1 GHz model. I have had a number of Apple laptops and all have had AppleCare on them. I only needed it once with a logic board failure in an PB G4 Ti 887MHz. I have had IBM and Dell notebooks as well and they were reasonably reliable as well. There will always be hardware failures especially as more and more sub-assemblies (like power supplies) are integrated in to the production line. It is how the company corrects those defects that is the true measure of quality.

Gene,

Two months ago my wife and I upgraded to the new Intel iMacs, one each. We decided to get factory reconditioned iron to save a little money. Hers worked right off. Mine wouldn’t burn media properly, leaving drop-outs. I sent it back. The second reconditioned iMac I received had a stripped screw in the ram access bay door. I sent it back. Snakebit now by “factory reconditioned” equipment, I ordered new. This machine wouldn’t burn media at all except at minimal speeds. The Apple tech was nice but suspicious as this was my third machine in two weeks. Hm. He suggested the problem might be the media itself. He said he would take the machine back and allow me to order a new one — which would have been the fourth Mac in three weeks — but first he wanted me to try new media. As I live in the sticks, not easily done. But I drove forty miles to the nearest town (San Louis Obispo) and bought a different brand of media. It worked. Problem solved. This is being written on that iMac.

The day I confirmed my new iMac was working fine, my wife’s blew a motherboard. As it was past the fourteen day point of no return, Apple wouldn’t replace the computer. We dragged it down to SLO where the local Apple Store replaced the motherboard. We then drove down ten days later, picked it up, drove home only to discover the machine had no sound. Apple finally (reluctantly, as we hadn’t purchased AppleCare) sent out a tech who replaced the new motherboard with another new motherboard, and new speakers. Now it works as well.

Through all of this Apple was exceedingly decent and patient. I do believe their quality control has slipped of late, but Apple makes up for it with extremely sensitive tech service. Would I ever leave the Mac for Windows? No. Not as long as Apple makes good.

I must say I’m a bit jaded on this subject. While I’ve owned three 12″ PowerBooks (a Rev B and two Rev Cs) and had narry a hickup with any of them, my MacBook experience was anything but pleasant. My first one suffered from the random shutdowns and had some physical case issues (warped palmrest). After three weeks at the repair shop it came back with the shutdown issue fixed, but the case just as bad and the trackpad button broken for good measure.

Apple replaced that first MacBook and the new one ran cool and quiet, but the screen was so washed-out that it was all-but unusable. Apple replaced that one as well as I was quite vocal about not going through the3-week repair process again on a computer I’d been able to use for one week.

MacBook number 3 was mechanically perfect, and didn’t shut down, but it made the famous “Moo” noise and ran at up to 90 Celsius even on a light load (Safari and Mail).

In the end, my return period had long since lapsed and I had a machine that ran so hot that it melted the varnish on my desk. Needless to say, I am no longer a MacBook owner and with the 12″ PowerBook being out of production and Apple having nothing else small enough for highly-mobile me, I’m using a ThinkPad now as my mobile computer. I’d buy another Apple portable if I could trust it, but with the currently shipping models I do not.

Hi Gene
I have owned about 10 Apple computers over the years, starting with the much-loved Mac Plus. Along the way, I’ve
owned a road Apple (Performa 520) but all of them worked.
Right now I’m typing this on my self-upgraded original clamshell iBook. In May 2005, I bought myself a retirement present
a G5 20″ iMac, with an extra helping of RAM. For some unknown reason, I purchased the Apple Care extended warrantee.
This was a Rev. B machine and its serial number fell into the video/ power supply catchment. However, it ran well, with only
a few hiccups (screen dark, fans roaring on start up) until early last month.
It would seem that the logic board has failed. It’s still in the shop (2 weeks tomorrow) and I haven’t heard boo about it.
Thank goodness for Apple Care. The technician said that a logic board is about $840 Cdn + installation.
I’m beginning to harbor doubts about Apple’s quality control on this model. There was one other G5 iMac awaiting service, that
I could see and this was in the bustling metropolis of Sechelt, British Columbia.
I enjoy your articles very much – they are usually a breath of fresh air in the superheated world of Mac journalism.

I think this writer has gone off the deep end.

Yes, but it’s a fun place to be

Peace,
Gene

I think this writer has gone off the deep end.