When Apple's first generation of Intel-based laptops started rolling out, first with the MacBook Pro—the Intel version of the PowerBook—shipping in February and then the MacBook— the Intel version of the iBook—in May of this year, initial user reports seemed almost too good to be true. Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to run OS X and Windows in a single bound! It was rare to find too many user complaints about these brand new Macintels at first, and anybody who did voice concerns were met with skepticism.
However not too long after they started shipping, the complaints started seeping in. The MacBook Pro was whining (I don't think any of us got any cheese in that box). There was some video of a MacBook on fire. MagSafe connectors were melting down and nearly killing innocent kittens. What was happening!? It seemed like these Revision A laptops from Apple were receiving an awful lot of bad publicity, both off and online. How true (if at all) were they, and how likely we we to find ourselves climbing out of our apartment windows, trying to escape yet another MacBook-based catastrophe?
Whining
One of the original and most widely covered issues that sprung up with the MacBook Pro after it first shipped was this mysterious "whining" noise. Users reported that their MacBook Pros were emitting a faint buzzing sound from near the LCD or the keyboard (possibly from the speakers themselves) that could usually only be heard while in a quiet room, but enough of a noise to drive someone to insanity after some time. Curious users prodded further into the whining issue by discovering that opening up Photo Booth and then quitting the application somehow caused the whining to stop, at least temporarily. It had always been somewhat of a mystery as to what exactly was causing what became known as "The MacBook Pro Whine," but Apple officially acknowledged the problem with a knowledge base article on the topic in July of this year, instructing users who suffered from the whine to contact AppleCare. Check that one off the list of Acknowledged Apple Boo-boos.
Heat
Heat was also quickly becoming a common complaint amongst MacBook and MacBook Pro users, especially for those who used their laptops on their laps and other non-desk surfaces. A comparative experiment on operating temperatures between a MacBook and a Dell laptop showed that, in come locations on the casing, the Macintel was emanating heat at a noticeably higher temperature than the Dell it was being tested against. Was the problem caused by improperly applied thermal grease? Indeed, an Apple service manual seemed to be instructing technicians to apply entirely too much thermal paste to the processors, and some users were able to open up their machines and apply a more sensible dosage of thermal grease which eventually resulted in a huge temperature drop in the operating temperature of their machines. This heat problem certainly seemed to look more and more like Apple's fault, and a problem that could have been fixed easily at that.
At some point, Apple released a Software Update that was reportedly addressing some of these heat issues, but soon thereafter, an article on Apple's knowledge base advised against using your laptop on, well, your lap. Apple even eventually put up a knowledge base article claiming that there was some possibility that, if your MacBook was running hot, there might have been a piece of plastic blocking one of the cooling vents. The only problem with this alibi? There were absolutely no reports of anybody ever finding this elusive piece of plastic. Nice try, Apple.
But what about fires and other catastrophes that we'd heard so much about? Indeed, there was an account or two of MacBooks going up in flames, but certainly not a phenomenon that would be considered widespread. What did have a few people worried, however, were at least three separate accounts of MagSafe connectors melting down in some way—in at least one case while the user was not even home and thanked his cats for disconnecting the MagSafe before it burned down the place—which also seem to be a statistical anomaly amongst MacBook and MacBook Pro users. For the time being, there is no official acknowledgment of any fires or meltdowns by Apple, but they have reportedly replaced all of these users' machines very swiftly, no doubt for fear of quickly-spreading bad publicity.
Discoloration
Another issue that came up not too long after they started shipping was an odd discoloration on the casing around the palm rest areas on MacBooks, particularly white ones. Originally addressed as "improper handling" by Apple, the problem was spreading and the discoloration seemed impossible to remove, even showing up in places on the case where hands would not normally be placed. Finally, Apple admitted that a manufacturing "defect" caused the MacBook discoloration and threw up a knowledge base page instructing afflicted users to contact AppleCare for service on their discolored MacBooks. Acknowledged Apple Boo-boo numero dos.
Batteries
MacBook Pro users started reporting warping batteries in droves after a couple months of use. Some people were concerned about fire hazards while others were concerned about the swollen battery affecting the MacBook Pro's casing. Indeed, the warping batteries starting causing a number of problems amongst users, including random shutdowns and erratic trackpad behavior. Finally, after what seemed like hundreds of accounts of users experiencing warping battery issues with their MacBook Pros, Apple came out with an official battery recall for MacBook Pro batteries that were sold with laptops before May of 2006 due to batteries not meeting Apple's "high standards for battery performance." We'll count that as a third Acknowledged Apple Boo-boo.
Logic Boards
Users who were not suffering from random shutdowns caused by warping batteries were complaining about random shutdowns of another kind. They were reported to be happening at any time, while plugged in or on battery, and usually multiple times in a single computing session. The complaints started to mount more and more, spreading around the web like wildfire and yet never managed to get too much publicity—at least not on the MacBook Pro Whine level. Amongst the hundreds of posts about this particular problem on Apple's discussion boards, users started reporting back that Apple was either replacing their machines on the spot or having them sent in for repairs, citing logic board issues. Suddenly, we are taken back to memories of Apple's previous run-in with logic boards on the iBook G3 that eventually ended with Apple acknowledging the problem and launching a global logic board repair program for the iBook. Such an acknowledgment has not occurred yet for the owners of MacBooks and MacBook Pros who have experienced what are being referred to as logic board problems on their machines, but as the problem spreads further with no official response, it would be foolish of Apple not to try to make things right in the hearts of Mac laptop users once again with another worldwide repair program.
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These continual issues on the first Intel-based Mac laptops have been leaving a bad taste in the mouths of both loyal Mac users and new switchers alike. Instead of hearing potential buyers asking excited questions about which MacBook or MacBook Pro to get, we are beginning to hear cautious and concerned questions about whether they should be worried about this or that hardware problem before buying.
Nearly three years ago, our own Eric Bangeman observed that Apple's quality control had been slipping through the cracks. Since then, however, things seemed to be rebounding for the quality of Apple products in the eye of the consumer. At least until recently, when again we find ourselves bombarded with news of user issues on nearly every topic imaginable. With some of them starting to be acknowledged by Apple, it's certainly heartening to see Apple trying to fix some of the problems that it has created, but consumers are beginning to wonder how much suffering they're willing to go through first before receiving an Apple product that "just works" the way it always should have. Has Apple's quality control taken a nosedive yet again? We'd certainly be hard-pressed to say that it hasn't, given the volume of available evidence. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Apple is (now truly) in a stronger position than it ever has been in the past, with a rising marketshare and seemingly endless possibilities in both the near and far future. It would be a terrible shame to lose that position because of a few QA faux pas and the bad PR that follows.
Apple could not be reached for comment on this topic.