MacPrices.net

Is Apple ‘Book Quality All It Should Be?

by Charles W. Moore

There was an interesting thread on MacInTouch running last week. An IT technician reported that a batch of 600 MHz iBooks used by faculty and administration at his school had suffered a 20 percent failure rate with their hard drives, nearly 20 percent failure on motherboards, and a nearly 100 percent battery failure after three years. On the other hand, the Dell Latitude D600 laptops at the same school had manifested no failures in two years.

But also last week, PC World magazine reported the results of its eleventh annual Reliability & Service Survey, and as usual, Apple machines scored top "Better Than Average" ratings across the board, both in in desktops and laptops. Dell only scored "Average" ratings in both categories. What gives?

In the PC World survey, conducted from April 1 through August 31, 2004 , reliability ratings included problems on arrival, any hardware or software problem, and satisfaction with reliability. Desktop and notebook users also reported the number of failed components (one or more original parts) and failed core components (CPU, graphics card, hard drive, motherboard, power supply or RAM). Peripheral users took into account problems severe enough to contact tech support and a product's ease of use.

First, while it sounds horrific, a 20 percent failure rate is probably somewhat better than average for laptop computers being used in a rough-service environment like a school. It’s probably more remarkable that 80 percent of the machines in that particular batch of G3 iBooks suffered no reported non-battery related failures. With lithium ion batteries, service life of more than 18 months should be considered a bonus, even though in some individual cases, you can get much longer than that. For example, the original battery in my 1998 WallStreet PowerBook is more than six years old and still going strong. However, my two years newer Pismo PowerBook has suffered two battery failures.

As for those Dells' sterling reliability record, another MacInTouch poster noted that a former employer had experienced dramatically higher failure rates (40%) for a bulk purchase of Latitudes put into service 4 years ago, while someone else reported that in the last three years a failure rate for Dell Latitude L400s of about 140% (on average each has died 1.4 times in three years), and a failure rate for Latitude X200s over 1.5 to 2.5 years of over 90%, not counting a white patch screen problem afflicting about half of those machines; a failure rate on Latitude X300s over 0.5 to 1.2 years of about 38% (hard drives and motherboards), and a failure rate on Latitude D600s over 0.5 to 1 year of about 20% (all motherboards).

Another MacInTouch commentator noted that an article about extended service contracts on p.86 of the current issue of "BusinessWeek", reports that: "One third [of laptops] fail within three years"

Yikes! Suddenly that 20 percent failure rate over three years for the G3 iBooks doesn't sound so bad after all.

And the G3 dual USB iBook has probably the worst reputation for reliability of any Apple laptop model ever save for the PowerBook 5300 — those two machines having the dubious distinction of being the only ones Apple has implemented extended service programs for. If we deduce that other Apple portables (including the G4 iBooks) have much better reliability, and the industry average is a one-third failure rate over three years, then Apple's standing in the PC World survey is completely explicable.

So if there is a one-in-three chance of a laptop computer crapping out during its first three years of use, are laptops a poor value compared with more reliable desktops? Depends on how you look at it. Personally, I've been using laptops almost exclusively for more than eight years, and I've had just one major hardware failure — the original 233MHz G3 processor in my WallStreet PowerBook at 3 1/2 years. Even that proved easy to fix once I figured out what the problem was, and someone kindly provided me with a replacement processor daughtercard gratis. The WallStreet has been back in daily use for the past 14 months, and hasn't missed a beat. And as I noted above, it even still has its original battery.

However, while I put a lot of hours on my 'Books, they don't get a whole lot of mobile use, and I'm obsessively careful with them when they are taken on the road. I use well-padded cases, try to ensure that they don't get moved much or bumped with the hard drives spun up, and so forth. I never even had any reliability problems with my PowerBook 5300.

Still, while Apple's laptops offer better than average reliability in the product category, there is a lot of room for improvement, and being dragooned into buying AppleCare extended warranty coverage doesn't cut it for me. It rubs me the wrong way being told to buy extended warranty coverage in the probability, rather than remote possibility, of having serious hardware difficulties in the first three years of ownership of something as expensive as a laptop computer. I've never done it, and never been sorry so far in a dozen years of Apple Computer ownership.

The real deterioration in Apple's portable ruggedness and reliability set in with the release of the Titanium PowerBook in January, 2001. Aesthetically, I find the razor-thin profile of the TiBook and AlBooks appealing, but from a ruggedness and practicality standpoint it leaves much to be desired.

Moreover, the metal PowerBooks are absurdly expensive to repair if they're damaged, and difficult to work on, even for properly equipped professional shops. For that matter, the G3 iBook (both the original clamshell and Dual USB models) are something of a nightmare to open up and repair as well, although their plastic case components are not nearly as astronomically dear as the PowerBook's metal parts are.

In terms of visual aesthetics and performance, the current crop of Apple laptops are the best-ever. They are spectacular-looking, and eclipse even high-end desktop models of two or three years ago in computing power, and their LCD screens are superb across the board. They also sell for prices that would bring tears to the eyes of folks who shelled out $5,500 - $6,500 for PowerBook 5300s, 3400s, and the early G3 PowerBooks half a decade or so ago. Where they fall short is in ruggedness and dependability, and that, regrettably, is not coincidental to their sexy, razor-thin form factors, sleek styling, and more attractive pricing, not to mention the torrid internal temperatures created by those more powerful chips. As the saying goes, "be careful what you hope for; you might get it."

The overall quality/reliability problems with newer Apple 'Books, as I see it, inhere mainly in three design factors, plus the likelihood that internal components may not be as well-made as used to be the case — partly a consequence of 'Books selling now for half what they used to or less. The design issues are:

1. Slimmer Form Factors: The laws of physics dictate that thinner structures are going to be weaker and more flexible as a general rule. Thinness also necessitates compromises in the design and execution of internal components, of cooling efficiency, and things like the mounting and protection of LCD display screens. Thin 'Books look cool, but the cost in diminished ruggedness and reliability is very high.

2. Case Material: Metal, whether it be titanium or aluminum, just isn't well-suited to a laptop computer reality, especially where weight and thin form factors are a priority. The traditional polycarbonate PowerBook and iBook cases are much superior to the metal jobbies from a ruggedness perspective. I've heard of many anecdotes of plastic 'Books surviving violent incidents without serious damage. My son once accidentally kicked his Lombard off a chair and across the room when he tripped over the power cord. The only damage was a mangled AC adapter cord connector plug.

A PowerBook 1400 belonging to a friend of mine once flew out of it carry bag which had been unintentionally left unzipped, and dropped about 4 feet onto concrete. Aside from some superficial scuffs and scratches, it was fine. Last year I knocked my PowerBook 1400 off its stand on to an oak floor with the lid open. I could detect no damage at all. You don't hear many stories like that about metal PowerBooks.

3. Heat Caused By Higher Performance Processors And Video Cards: While processor heat has been an issue afflicting desktop computers too, it is especially critical and much more difficult to deal with effectively in the cramped confines of any portable computer, and especially thin designs. Even in the somewhat thicker-sectioned iBooks with cooler-running G3 processors, heat is a prime suspect in the rash of logic board failures that was addressed by the extended service program (which has just been extended — see below). It's unlikely that any G4-equipped PowerBooks will prove to have notably long service lives, and this issue will be amplified when Apple ships a slimline PowerBook with a hot G5 processor inside.

The cure, so to speak, would involve positively addressing these three design issues. Function has been sacrificed to form in too many aspects in recent Apple laptops. If I had my druthers, I'd like Apple to build a thicker, heavier laptop with a polycarbonate plastic case and more efficient internal cooling. Perhaps the water cooling technology announced last year by Coology Inc., which is backed by Apple, will eventually prove the charm in that department.

And a final note on this topic, on Monday Apple announced that the iBook G3 Logic Board Extended Repair Program, which originally expired December 18, has now been "re-extended" to March 18, 2005. The program is available for certain iBook models (see below for a complete list) with serial numbers in the following range: UV117XXXXXX to UV342XXXXXX

For more information, visit:

http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/

And on that note, a Merry Christmas to all!

PowerBook Mystique MailBag

Re: Will There Be New PowerBooks At Macworld, And Will They Be G5s?

From: Peter E. J. Charette

Charles,

You are just too conservative sir. You certainly must suffer from PowerBook-refresh-itis.

My own infirmity involves a 17" inverted-salad-bowl-iMac. My original 800 MHz 17" iMac is long due for a refresh and Apple should know that an iMac refresh will open my pocketbook, and should yours. I speak sir, of the 23" dual 2 Gig iMac that will fill my desktop to the brim of computing excellence. I Charles, require lots of muscle and NO wires.

What say you?

Sincerely,

Peter

Charles