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rootofnewtIt sometimes seems that I bitch a lot about the Macs in our home.
The truth is, I hold Apple to pretty high standards.
I used clones for several years. I bitched about them, too, but I wasn't afraid to open them up and fix them. Most of the hardware could be replaced within my budget. In the worst cases, I could just take a sledgehammer to the damn things and at least get *some* satisfaction. Parts could be used for jewelry or target practice. I could mine them for still usable components or just wire them up and let them blink prettily.
I expect more from Apple. I expect a machine that was *marketed* for relatively rugged use (student lifestyle) to have a bit more durability for something so simple as solder joints. This laptop has not been dropped. It has not been jerked around. It's not been yanked by the cord or dragged through the street. We've already had to replace the power cord (and for that, I owe![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
daq42 much love). Facing the prospect of a costly repair less than a year after buying the machine? Not so happy making. Yes, we were stupid for not buying AppleCare. I have no idea why we didn't do that, I can only assume our budget at the time just didn't allow for it.
The iBook is a ruggedly delicate piece of equipment. While it's relatively inexpensive as laptops go, we've still got over a $1k invested in this wee machine. We're young, living on one income, and trying to get ourselves settled--that's a lot of money.
I'm on one Mac or another most of my waking hours, unless I'm lucky enough to not be mostly house/couchbound on a given day. If I've been active recently, you can bet I'll spend several days resting on the couch, trying desperately to replenish my eager energy spoon reserves. I rely on these machines to keep me in touch with the rest of the world.
The truth is, I hold Apple to pretty high standards.
I used clones for several years. I bitched about them, too, but I wasn't afraid to open them up and fix them. Most of the hardware could be replaced within my budget. In the worst cases, I could just take a sledgehammer to the damn things and at least get *some* satisfaction. Parts could be used for jewelry or target practice. I could mine them for still usable components or just wire them up and let them blink prettily.
I expect more from Apple. I expect a machine that was *marketed* for relatively rugged use (student lifestyle) to have a bit more durability for something so simple as solder joints. This laptop has not been dropped. It has not been jerked around. It's not been yanked by the cord or dragged through the street. We've already had to replace the power cord (and for that, I owe
daq42 much love). Facing the prospect of a costly repair less than a year after buying the machine? Not so happy making. Yes, we were stupid for not buying AppleCare. I have no idea why we didn't do that, I can only assume our budget at the time just didn't allow for it.The iBook is a ruggedly delicate piece of equipment. While it's relatively inexpensive as laptops go, we've still got over a $1k invested in this wee machine. We're young, living on one income, and trying to get ourselves settled--that's a lot of money.
I'm on one Mac or another most of my waking hours, unless I'm lucky enough to not be mostly house/couchbound on a given day. If I've been active recently, you can bet I'll spend several days resting on the couch, trying desperately to replenish my eager energy spoon reserves. I rely on these machines to keep me in touch with the rest of the world.
