Need a new laptop for 1L Forum

[zeth006]

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270

Speak of the devil!

Youtube has plenty of hard drive upgrade tips. It's a surprisingly easy upgrade.

[zeth006]

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270

Ah I am mistaken then; good to know. Still can't replace the battery, but that isn't a bad trade off for one that has a larger capacity and a longer life span. Thanks for setting me straight.

...the screens really are still super fragile though lol.

Yes. Thin things require a lot more babying. The benefit of an aluminum exterior is a higher level of structural rigidity that in part compensates for fragility. It's because of the Asus UL30VT's thin, plastic exterior I jumped on the MBP 13. Sorry, but screen flex can go a long way toward reliability issues. Sure, it's thinner than the MBP 13. But I consider flex to be inexcusable. I'll happily sacrifice .5-.8 pounds of weight if it means I can get rid of it and still retain all the benefits of an ultraportable.

[Jericwithers]

Hrm mostly all good points, but I have my doubts about Apple's customer service. I heard its the best, but all they did was give me a finger when I came in with my broken screen (not to mention I had to sit around for 30 minutes and play with an ipad to get that finger ).

[kalvano]

Apple's customer service is great as long as you're paying for it.

But it's cool, I mean their warranty lasts just as long as everyone else's, right?

Right?

[zeth006]

Hrm mostly all good points, but I have my doubts about Apple's customer service. I heard its the best, but all they did was give me a finger when I came in with my broken screen (not to mention I had to sit around for 30 minutes and play with an ipad to get that finger ).

Applecare doesn't cover accidental damage. It covers hardware failures due to defects. Generally the Genius Bar is good about doing repairs and part replacements free.

But a cracked screen? Even Squaretrade charges up the roof for regular protection+accidental coverage! They jack up pricing for accidental coverage and they probably profit from it handsomely since they know most people don't drop their laptops. Admittedly $600 is steep for a screen repair. The benefit of a glued in screen is the thinness. But gluing in screens like that makes repairs a pain. I would've sold the CPU, RAM, HDD, and other parts I could've salvaged on eBay and bought a refurb for $850.

[zeth006]

Apple's customer service is great as long as you're paying for it.

But it's cool, I mean their warranty lasts just as long as everyone else's, right?

Right?

Sure. But remember that not all warranty coverage is the same. HP may officially offer to cover your laptop for 3 years. But from many stories I hear, I'd be careful about assuming it's all the same. If there's a GPU defect a la 8600M silicone design that's clearly Nvidia's fault, they often play hard to get on the phone. This is despite the fact that Nvidia's handing out a generous $100-200 million settlement fee to cover such repairs/replacements. Dell played similarly cute games with me even though my laptop had this defect. They chose to repair only a select few laptop lines and didn't cover mine. I wasn't the only one with this experience. There were a lot of other disgruntled Vostro 1500 owners on the forums with this same issue. Yet Dell did nothing.

But Apple? They offered a 1-year warranty extension across the board for ALL (not some) MBPs that came with this GPU. That's quality customer service for you.

[Jericwithers]

Hrm mostly all good points, but I have my doubts about Apple's customer service. I heard its the best, but all they did was give me a finger when I came in with my broken screen (not to mention I had to sit around for 30 minutes and play with an ipad to get that finger ).

Applecare doesn't cover accidental damage. It covers hardware failures due to defects. Generally the Genius Bar is good about doing repairs and part replacements free.

But a cracked screen? Even Squaretrade charges up the roof for regular protection+accidental coverage! They jack up pricing for accidental coverage and they probably profit from it handsomely since they know most people don't drop their laptops. Admittedly $600 is steep for a screen repair. The benefit of a glued in screen is the thinness. But gluing in screens like that makes repairs a pain. I would've sold the CPU, RAM, HDD, and other parts I could've salvaged on eBay and bought a refurb for $850.

For $600 you get a whole new top half of your computer, and the reason it costs so much to install is because they have to take apart both of those screens and install your wifi and bluetooth card out of your first screen and into the second. It was only the piece of glass broken on the screen too. My complaint is that Apple, instead of just replacing the glass, wants to replace the entire top half of the computer. Im sure they just fix the glass on my otherwise perfectly good top half of the computer and then get the next sucker for $600.

I wouldn't expect them to replace a broken screen since it was my fault, but since it is a design problem with having a weak peace of glass they should have fixed that pre-launch or be willing to fix it for free once it breaks (or at least don't try to charge me $600). The computer had no damage to it at all, and it fell while in one of those hard-plastic shells and a soft zip case. However, the screen cracked like an egg shell. Oh well I shouldn't rant about it anymore, the good people at http://www.missionrepair.com fixed it for $220 and in 7 days door-to-door.

[kalvano]

Oh how generous. A one-year extension that you can purchase?

Just don't bother calling after 90 days if you don't buy that warranty they so generously make available after you fork over for their overpriced machines.

Don't get me wrong, I like Apple, but they've got advanced degrees in fucking people. They're almost as bad as Sprint.

[Jericwithers]

Oh how generous. A one-year extension that you can purchase?

Just don't bother calling after 90 days if you don't buy that warranty they so generously make available after you fork over for their overpriced machines.

Don't get me wrong, I like Apple, but they've got advanced degrees in fucking people. They're almost as bad as Sprint.

I've broken even so far. They didn't help me at all with my macbook, but when my ipod broke after 2 months of using it (software failure) they replaced it even though my 1 yr warrantee expired 2 weeks before going to their store (yet they tried to lecture me that I shouldn't leave the plastic on the ipod's face and should instead buy a plastic protector wrap from them ). I just hate it when customer service gets turned into a way to make money instead of being a service to your customers, and apple has done clearly that.

[zeth006]

Hrm mostly all good points, but I have my doubts about Apple's customer service. I heard its the best, but all they did was give me a finger when I came in with my broken screen (not to mention I had to sit around for 30 minutes and play with an ipad to get that finger ).

Applecare doesn't cover accidental damage. It covers hardware failures due to defects. Generally the Genius Bar is good about doing repairs and part replacements free.

But a cracked screen? Even Squaretrade charges up the roof for regular protection+accidental coverage! They jack up pricing for accidental coverage and they probably profit from it handsomely since they know most people don't drop their laptops. Admittedly $600 is steep for a screen repair. The benefit of a glued in screen is the thinness. But gluing in screens like that makes repairs a pain. I would've sold the CPU, RAM, HDD, and other parts I could've salvaged on eBay and bought a refurb for $850.

For $600 you get a whole new top half of your computer, and the reason it costs so much to install is because they have to take apart both of those screens and install your wifi and bluetooth card out of your first screen and into the second. It was only the piece of glass broken on the screen too. My complaint is that Apple, instead of just replacing the glass, wants to replace the entire top half of the computer. Im sure they just fix the glass on my otherwise perfectly good top half of the computer and then get the next sucker for $600.

I wouldn't expect them to replace a broken screen since it was my fault, but since it is a design problem with having a weak peace of glass they should have fixed that pre-launch or be willing to fix it for free once it breaks (or at least don't try to charge me $600). The computer had no damage to it at all, and it fell while in one of those hard-plastic shells and a soft zip case. However, the screen cracked like an egg shell. Oh well I shouldn't rant about it anymore, the good people at http://www.missionrepair.com fixed it for $220 and in 7 days door-to-door.

That's really nice to know. I'll keep that in mind.

[zeth006]

Oh how generous. A one-year extension that you can purchase?

Just don't bother calling after 90 days if you don't buy that warranty they so generously make available after you fork over for their overpriced machines.

Don't get me wrong, I like Apple, but they've got advanced degrees in fucking people. They're almost as bad as Sprint.

I'm not so sure I made myself clear. They gave the 1-year extension free no questions asked. Gratis. No money out of pocket.

But you're right. It was generous and it was a nice contrast with what Dell and HP did.

[kalvano]

I was more referring to Apple's generally crappy customer service and warranty coverage. Unless you pay for it.

[NYVA311]

Lenovo Thinkpad T-series. Several quality models to check out.

I'm about to purchase a Lenovo Thinkpad L512.

[zeth006]

I was more referring to Apple's generally crappy customer service and warranty coverage. Unless you pay for it.

Fair enough. I'm not saying they're perfect. I have heard a few horror stories in the past of Apple reps on the phone varying in terms of whether they were willing to offer repair service free even though the warranty service was paid for and active. The best trick was calling more than once until a nicer rep picked up and answered. I tried that with Dell but they put notes on my account and refused to budge.

On the other hand, I hear their official police is to replace your Macbook free of charge after three or more repair attempts. Sometimes, if they don't feel like fixing a complicated issue, they'll just hand you a new one right on the spot regardless whether it's the first time.

It can vary depending on the circumstances. While Apple does get top scores for customer service quality, that doesn't mean I'm not going to take good care of my MBP. It goes straight into the memory-foam skin before it goes into my notebook backpack. No 3D games or other intensive applications on it.

[JOThompson]

Oh how generous. A one-year extension that you can purchase?

Just don't bother calling after 90 days if you don't buy that warranty they so generously make available after you fork over for their overpriced machines.

Don't get me wrong, I like Apple, but they've got advanced degrees in fucking people. They're almost as bad as Sprint.

This is the only reason I haven't made the switch from PC to Mac. I can't do it in good conscience. I'll need a reliable new laptop for the next three years so I might just sell out my ideals soon.

[Jericwithers]

I was more referring to Apple's generally crappy customer service and warranty coverage. Unless you pay for it.

It goes straight into the memory-foam skin before it goes into my notebook backpack.

Your memory foam cannot save you...nothing can!!
--ImageRemoved--

[zeth006]

I was more referring to Apple's generally crappy customer service and warranty coverage. Unless you pay for it.

It goes straight into the memory-foam skin before it goes into my notebook backpack.

Your memory foam cannot save you...nothing can!!
--ImageRemoved--

It looks like it was involved in a Compton drive-by shooting. Don't worry. Messiah Jobs will protect my Mac from incoming bullets.

[Jericwithers]

It looks like it was involved in a Compton drive-by shooting. Don't worry. Messiah Jobs will protect my Mac from incoming bullets.

He sure didn't jump in front of em for me lol

[kalvano]

I was more referring to Apple's generally crappy customer service and warranty coverage. Unless you pay for it.

Fair enough. I'm not saying they're perfect. I have heard a few horror stories in the past of Apple reps on the phone varying in terms of whether they were willing to offer repair service free even though the warranty service was paid for and active. The best trick was calling more than once until a nicer rep picked up and answered. I tried that with Dell but they put notes on my account and refused to budge.

On the other hand, I hear their official police is to replace your Macbook free of charge after three or more repair attempts. Sometimes, if they don't feel like fixing a complicated issue, they'll just hand you a new one right on the spot regardless whether it's the first time.

It can vary depending on the circumstances. While Apple does get top scores for customer service quality, that doesn't mean I'm not going to take good care of my MBP. It goes straight into the memory-foam skin before it goes into my notebook backpack. No 3D games or other intensive applications on it.

Still missing the point. My point is, for the ridiculous premium Apple charges, I would except a better warranty than the competition, not a worse one.

Making you pay extra for phone support after 90 days? What the hell is that?

Apple needs to take a cue from Oakley.

[vexion]

Tossing in a vote here for the Lenovo Thinkpad T410s/T510s, if price really is no object. They're light, beautiful, powerful, and durable.

[zeth006]

I was more referring to Apple's generally crappy customer service and warranty coverage. Unless you pay for it.

Fair enough. I'm not saying they're perfect. I have heard a few horror stories in the past of Apple reps on the phone varying in terms of whether they were willing to offer repair service free even though the warranty service was paid for and active. The best trick was calling more than once until a nicer rep picked up and answered. I tried that with Dell but they put notes on my account and refused to budge.

On the other hand, I hear their official police is to replace your Macbook free of charge after three or more repair attempts. Sometimes, if they don't feel like fixing a complicated issue, they'll just hand you a new one right on the spot regardless whether it's the first time.

It can vary depending on the circumstances. While Apple does get top scores for customer service quality, that doesn't mean I'm not going to take good care of my MBP. It goes straight into the memory-foam skin before it goes into my notebook backpack. No 3D games or other intensive applications on it.

Still missing the point. My point is, for the ridiculous premium Apple charges, I would except a better warranty than the competition, not a worse one.

Making you pay extra for phone support after 90 days? What the hell is that?

Apple needs to take a cue from Oakley.

I understood your point, but herein lies the problem. I somewhat agree that the MBP 15 and 17 are expensive, but when I talk to people who make movies and edit photos, the premium is easily justified by the availability of Mac software for their professions. A lot of Windows and Linux users tell me that's the consequence of locking out OS X, but that's a different story we'll leave aside for another day. But for the MBP 13, I I'd say it's the best bang for buck around, but then again, that's just my opinion.

But I agree it IS a bit strange for Apple to have taken such a counterintuitive approach toward your screen repair. If it cost only $220 for a 3rd party to fix it, I have to wonder why Apple's Genius Bar weren't able to do the same outside of warranty. I don't suppose we'll ever get a full explanation

However, I have some doubts that your experience with that Genius Bar rep is actually representative of all Apple Genius Bar reps as a group. I've heard plenty of stories of customers getting free repairs--or even a free Mac--outside of warranty. Just a week ago, one guy told me how he got his old Macbook Pro fixed for free 2 weeks outside of Applecare Protection at a store in Cupertino.

Plus Oakley's individual products don't have anywhere close to the complexity or the number of moving parts a laptop has. Laptops can be pricey to service. There's a good reason there are at least 8 different computer repair centers within a 15 mile radius of my house. But you won't find a tailor or cobbler anywhere in my city since both trades are close to extinction in spite of a recent spike in their numbers in this recession.

Bottom line: When in doubt, buy a warranty. If you're feeling heat of the recession like many people, skip the warranty and jot down the addies and phone numbers of at least a couple of well-reputed computer repair centers in your neighborhood. I know of one that's a short drive of my house, but since I chose to buy AC, I have the option of driving roughly 20-25 minutes to the nearest official Applestore. 10 minutes to a 3rd party repair center.

[kalvano]

I haven't had any issues with a Genius Bar rep.

My point on Oakley is that they charge more than most companies that make similar products, like Apple. Their product is widely considered superior to the competition, like Apple.

Yet Oakley goes well, well over and above on customer service, unlike Apple.

[Jericwithers]

But I agree it IS a bit strange for Apple to have taken such a counterintuitive approach toward your screen repair. If it cost only $220 for a 3rd party to fix it, I have to wonder why Apple's Genius Bar weren't able to do the same outside of warranty. I don't suppose we'll ever get a full explanation

I gave an explanation for why it cost so much more for Apple to fix it. They replace the entire top half of the computer (LCD screen, LED lighting, glass piece, and metal case) when the 3rd party just replaced the broken glass piece (with what seems like stonger piece of glass actually). Now as to WHY Apple doesn't only replace only the one piece that breaks is simple: more money in fixing things that arn't broke. I would like to think that isn't the case, but there is no other logical explanation. To fix the glass you heat up the adhesive, peel off the glass, and then put a new one on. Replacing the entire top half of the computer, and having to disassemble both screens to put in the wifi cards in, is even more time consuming. The guy at the desk helping me didn't even advise me to go to a 3rd party to get this repair either; he would rather watch me get screwed and get a fat paycheck (or maybe he would get fired for letting the cat out of the bag that Apple was trying to screw me).

[zeth006]

I haven't had any issues with a Genius Bar rep.

My point on Oakley is that they charge more than most companies that make similar products, like Apple. Their product is widely considered superior to the competition, like Apple.

Yet Oakley goes well, well over and above on customer service, unlike Apple.

Dude, it's kind of hard to trust that your experience is reflective of all Mac owners' outside of warranty when Consumer Reports gives them a vote of confidence through their flashing badge.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?secti ... id=7423075

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/consume ... dated/1689 (older)

[kalvano]

What experience? I never said I had a bad experience. I said the whole concept is a giant "fuck you" to their customers.