The Case for Extended Warranties on
Notebooks
From Alan Zisman:
In general I agree with your article re. AppleCare; my rule of
thumb: always buy extended warranties on laptops; never buy them on
anything else.
It is a gamble . . . I don't find phone support
very useful, but I've had enough hardware problems on laptops (both
Apple and non-Apple) to make these extended warranties worthwhile.
Here are brief summaries of my last five laptops:
- Compaq Presario laptop, bought in 2000 (Pentium III-750). I
forget the problem, but this had one issue covered on the extended
warranty. I no longer own this system.
- iBook G3/500, bought in
April 2001. This one has run without problem through all warranty
periods; it finally had a power-supply issue last month, when it
was 5-1/2 yrs old, requiring about CDN$120 in repairs.
- Dell Inspiron 8200 bought Feb 2003. These Pentium 4 models were
notorious for having a CPU that was probably too hot for laptop
use; it required a motherboard replacement, covered by the extended
warranty.
- iBook G4/800, bought in
Oct 2003. This was a real lemon - it required 2 keyboard
replacements and 3 hard drive replacements, all covered by
warranty. It's still up and running, and hasn't had any problems in
the last 18 months . . . but I certainly got my money's
worth from AppleCare.
- Dell Inspiron 6400, bought June 2006. So far no warranty
issues, but it's a bit early to tell.
So not counting #5, three of my past four laptops required
repairs that were covered by the extended warranty. While
admittedly unscientific, it seems suggestive to me!
Alan Zisman
Hi Alan,
Thanks for the comments. As I said in the article,
it's a dice-roll.
My history with laptops:
PowerBook 5300,
bought November 1996 - No problems in 12 month warranty period. The
trackpad button failed about year four, after it had been handed
off to my daughter. Apple insisted on replacing the entire case
plastics under the Extended Service Program, although the rest of
the original stuff was fine. Long retired, but still runs after ten
years, although the HD makes alarming noises.
PowerBook G3
Series II 233 MHz, bought January, 1999 - Zero problems until
the processor suddenly expired at the 3 1/2 year mark (AppleCare
wouldn't have helped). Replaced it with a scrounged one and no
further problems. Currently my wife's email machine.
PowerBook G3
Pismo, purchased (used) October 2001 - Zero problems, still in
daily use.
iBook
G3/700, purchased December, 2002 - Zero problems, still in
frequent use.
PowerBook 17" 1.33
GHz, purchased Apple Certified Refurbished February, 2006 -
Zero problems, still in daily use.
I understand the arguments, but so far I'm way
ahead of the game not buying AppleCare even if I do someday get a
lemon.
Charles
An Alternative to AppleCare
From Shaun James
Instead of or in addition to depending on your clumsy factor is
plain old insurance. I bought insurance for my personal PowerBook
from Safeware.com and when a client dropped it and Apple wanted
$1,000 to fix the dent in the lower case, my insurance picked up
the tab. No fuss. No hassle.
Shaun James
Macintosh System Analyst
Hi Shaun,
Good point. I have an all-perils personal articles
rider on my homeowners' insurance covering our computers. Paid off
big time when my son's WallStreet was stolen back in '99.
Charles
Confusion from Reading Article on
AppleCare
From Sebastian Soyka
Hello there,
I just read your article To
AppleCare or not to AppleCare.
Maybe I got something wrong, but the final statements don't make
sense to me.
IMHO, the MacBook and Mac mini have pretty much
become "disposable" computers in the sense that out-of-warranty
major repairs make less sense than with PowerBooks. Replacing a bad
logic board or broken display will most likely run you close to or
even more than what you can get a refurbished example of the same
model for - and with a fresh one-year warranty if you buy an Apple
Certified Reconditioned machine. Currently, Apple Certified
Refurbished 1.83 GHz Core Duo MacBooks are selling for just $850
with a full year warranty, 90 days of phone tech support, and yes,
AppleCare eligibility.
However, if you'll sleep better knowing you have
AppleCare coverage, don't let me talk you out of it. The degree of
risk one is comfortable assuming is a personal matter, and
statistical probabilities notwithstanding, with any mass-produced
product there will always be a percentage of lemon units - so if
you do decide like me to roll the dice, be aware and prepared that
once in a while they turn up snake-eyes.
IMHO you are stating the high out-of-warranty repair costs being
a strong point against Apple's extended warranty. But these
costs will be covered anyway, by Apple, during that extended
period.
And further above, you just claimed that signing up for
AppleCare coverage is (less than) 25% for exactly that
machine....
Each of these views makes sense to me, but the math example
invalidates your last statement I think.
Please let me know if I misread your article.
Best wishes,
Sebastian
Hi Sebastian,
AppleCare for MacBooks costs $250, actually
representing from 16.6% to 22.7% of the retail price of the
computer depending upon model. There was a math error in my
article, for which I apologize.
My point was that if you get a MacBook or a mini,
don't buy AppleCare, and something major fails at, say, 18
months, it probably makes more sense to buy a refurbished
replacement with another 12 month warranty than paying to fix the
broken machine. With a MacBook Pro, it would be a tougher call, and
the potential payoff to buying AppleCare is certainly higher with
more expensive machines.
Charles
From Sebastian Soyka
But 18 months are 1-1/2 years to me, and AppleCare will cover
for 3 years (from the shipping date) - so why should I have to pay
for the repair in that case?
This is the point I'm trying to make.
Thanks for your reply!
Regards,
Sebastian
Hi again Sebastian,
Eighteen months make a year and a half here too.
;-)
But what I said was :
"....you get a MacBook or a mini, don't
buy AppleCare, and something major fails at, say, 18
months...."
The syntax is grammatically correct, but perhaps
my meaning would have been clearer if I had included the (implied)
"and" before "don't buy,:
"...you get a MacBook or a mini, [and] don't
buy AppleCare and something major fails at, say, 18 months..."
In such an instance, you would be six months out
of the basic warranty period and have no AppleCare because you
didn't buy it, so would be obliged to pay for any repair
necessary.
Charles
From Sebastian Soyka
Yes, that changes the meaning of that sentence radically - from
imperative to conditional!
I think I'm "with it" now.
Thanks for replying,
Sebastian Soyka,
Copenhagen
Problem Using Target Disk Mode to Install
Tiger
From Max Steward (see Installing OS
X 10.4 'Tiger' on DVD-Challenged Macs Using FireWire Target Disk
Mode and Using FireWire Target
Disk Mode to Install OS X on Macs without DVD Drives)
Mr. Moore,
I need your help; for I'm sure you know how Apple tech support
can be unhelpful. I'm a college student and a musician who has run
into a small problem using Target Disk Mode to install Tiger.
The computers:
- iMac G3 (slot loading), FireWire equipped. - running 10.1
&,
- MacBook (for DVD drive)
- running Tiger
All is well until the installation needs a volume to install it
on. - the disk (iMac) is read, but the error message lying
underneath the icon says "Mac OS X will not boot from this
volume".
The FireWire cable is a $30, thick cable bought three days
ago.
If you could help me, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Max Steward
Hi Max,
I'm not surprised that Apple tech support isn't
much help with this issue, because the procedure of using Target
Disk Mode to install Tiger is not supported by Apple,
Which machine are you attempting to boot the
installer disk from? When I did it with my Pismo PowerBook and G3
iBook, I booted from the Pismo, and it worked for me, but it has
subsequently come to my attention that the better method is to boot
from the machine you want to install Tiger on and mount the DVD
drive on the other Mac via Target Disk Mode. Worth a shot if you
haven't tried it that way unless....
You didn't say what you were using for an
installer disc. If it is the software restore disk that came with
your MacBook, then that is likely your problem. Apple puts software
blocks in system install disks that ship with new Macs so that they
can (usually) only be used with the model they were purchased
with.
You need a generic OS X 10.4 install DVD (or a set
of 10.4 install CDs ) in order to install Tiger on your iMac.
Charles
From Max Steward
Sorry, I'm booting the DVD from my MacBook and trying to get
Tiger on the iMac G3. When I tried it the opposite way, with the
MacBook in TDM, I got a kernel panic error after restart ("panic:
we are hanging here...") right before the installer began. The
error also said "driver not found - powermac4"
The CPU is a PowerPC G3, so I was confused quite a bit.
I am however using the Tiger install CDs which came with my
MacBook, (purchased three months ago) - so thank you for saving me
the greater confusion. I've heard that Apple does not take back the
DVDs in trade for CD media anymore; and all links I've clicked have
proved the same. I wish I had the 100+ bucks to buy Tiger, but I'm
running on a musician's budget. If you know of any way I could get
Tiger on this clunky, yet still very useful machine, please let me
know.
Thanks again Mr. Moore
- Max Steward
Hi Max,
It's very possible that there are issues and
complexities with respect to booting a PowerPC Mac from a Macintel
in Target Disk Mode of which I'm not aware.
In any case, the Tiger install CDs were only ever
available in an exchange deal swapping the generic Tiger DVD (and
20 bucks) for them.
One alternative might be to try to find an OS X
10.3 installer CD at a reasonable price on eBay or remaindered
somewhere. I'm inclined to think that Panther is a better choice
than Tiger for older, slower Macs, and I practise what I preach.
I'm running OS X 10.3.9 on my 550 MHz G4 Pismo PowerBook.
Charles
Editor's note: I suspect that part of the problem
is trying to install from an Intel-based Macs. As I understand the
process, when you install a "universal" version of Tiger, the
installer either chooses to install the PowerPC or Intel version of
the Mac OS depending on the CPU in your Mac. Further, Intel Macs
use the newer GPT partitioning scheme, where PowerPC Macs use
Apple's older AFM partitioning scheme. Since Intel Macs are not
designed to boot from an AFM drive, this would explain the "Mac
OS X will not boot from this volume" warning. dk
Giving 'Other Red' Benefit of the Doubt?
From Monk
Man, you'd think I'd have included the link the first time!
Sorry!
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2006/11/4/5856
From some of the comments, it appears he has a past involving
convictions for fraud and tax evasion. All the references you gave
are from sites under his control, etc.
In that Ars Journal, he defended himself and linked to:
http://jackwhispers.blogspot.com/2006/11/interview-with-jack-campbell-clearing.html
That in turn seems to link (near the bottom) to some of his past
issues.
The bottom of the Ars Journal also lists another charity with no
such issues in the past or questions over legitimacy.
I'm all for giving people a second chance, but in the interest
of disclosure it should be noted that there may be some
reservations about this Other Red charity. The fact that Product
(Red) might not deal with smaller companies is no real
justification for trying to ride on their coattails and free
publicity in addition to what amounts to a deliberate attempt to
confuse the two charities. I mean, why else choose such a similar
name?
Figured the LEM readers would want to know as much info as
possible before giving money away.
Monk
Hi Monk,
Thanks for the links. I had seen the second one
but not the first , which I have now read, including the
comments.
Here's the way I see it.
Jack Campbell is quite up front about the Other
Red program being a frank "clone" coat-tailing the Product (Red)
program.
Being as the point of all this is (or should be)
helping people who need help badly, I don't perceive any ethical
failure here. Other Red isn't in direct competition with Product
(Red), and the two programs logically compliment each other.
Obviously, Other Red will benefit from coat-tailing Product (Red),
but if that means the African orphans get more support than they
might have if they had called the program "Alternative Purple" or
some such, isn't that a good thing?
I also don't think anyone has a copyright on the
name or color red, which is about as generic as it gets. Here in
Canada, there is currently a "red" program in support of our troops
fighting in Afghanistan.
As for Jack Campbell's past legal problems,
whatever they were (as you say, they apparently had something to do
with fraud and tax evasion), he says that they took place 14 years
ago and that he completed his post-release supervision seven years
ago, so unless anyone can produce contradictory documentation, it's
time to let that matter rest.
Somebody on one of the forums you referenced even
took him to task for still having an address and perhaps a pied
a terre in Tennessee even though he lives in Kenya. Well, the
MacMice Danger Mouse (white model) I'm using right now has
"Designed in Tennessee, USA" prominent on its label, so the
Tennessee connection is not something Jack's trying to
downplay.
What I do know is that I've been a fan of MacMice
products for several years now based on their design and
performance. If someone buys an Other Red Danger Mouse, they get a
top notch product at a good-value price that is no higher than the
standard white Danger Mouse - and ten percent of the price goes to
the charity. MacMice may be able to recoup some of the ten percent
in increased sales volume thanks to enhanced publicity, but after
you deduct the overhead costs of manufacture, shipping,
distribution, and advertising, ten percent of the retail price will
amount to a much larger percentage of the actual profit, so I don't
see Other Red as being a commercial windfall for MacMice.
Reputations once damaged are very difficult to
restore, and it's extremely easy to be cynical in these distempered
times where scams and chicanery abound. However, my inclination is
that I would rather risk the (in this instance remote, IMHO)
possibility that Other Red is some sort of elaborate fraud than to
risk tearing down and derailing a project that seems highly
commendable if it's legit.
Just my 2¢.
Charles
MacBook Doesn't Cool as Efficiently with Lid
Closed?
Responding to that statement "You should also be aware that the
machine doesn't cool as efficiently with the lid closed, so keep an
eye out for signs of excessive heat buildup" in Avoiding Deep Sleep on the MacBook Pro,
Ed Hurtley writes:
Why not? The fans are on the back, not the top. With the LCD
off, it is not generating any heat. Apple specifically allows
'lid-closed operation', as they call it. I ran an original 12"
PowerBook G4 'lid-closed' for probably 5-6 hours a day, 5 days a
week, for close to three years, and it never had any issues.
I can play Windows games on my MacBook Pro (via Boot Camp) with
the video chip speed turned up to non-Apple defaults with the lid
closed for hours on end without having any issues. Yes, the fans
run a little faster in lid closed than without, but I have never
had any heat-related issues. (I also run Folding@Home the entire
time I'm in lid-closed mode, so the CPU is constantly at 100%
usage, often for 48 hours straight [weekends] with occasional games
thrown in to stress the GPU, as well.)
And, as various MacBook Pro disassembly photos show, the major
heat-producing components (CPU, GPU, Northbridge) are on the
underside. You can significantly improve cooling by putting the
notebook on one of those silly 'laptop cooler' stands. (I just use
two empty 'Altoids' tins to lift my MBP a little off the desk top
to improve airflow.)
Ed Hurtley
Hi Ed,
Heat rises, and while recent Apple 'Books don't
depend as much on heat egress through the keyboard as older ones
did, it still stands to reason that the machine is going to cool
more efficiently with the lid open (as you have noted yourself, the
fans run more with the lid closed).
IMHO, a laptop can never run cool enough, and I
keep mine on RoadTools
CoolPads or other laptop stands most of the time. My 17"
PowerBook still runs too hot for my liking, but then I don't want
to hear the fans at all. ;-)
Charles
Kudos for Afterthemac USB 802.11 g/b G54SL
Adapter
From Robert Morrow
Charles,
Thought I would drop you a quick note about my experience with
the Afterthemac USB
802.11 g/b G54SL+ Wireless Adapter. I think you mentioned it one of
your columns? I read so many I cannot remember where I read it, but
I digress.
My thoughts can be summed up in on word. Fantastic! I am
currently running an AirPort Extreme wireless network with two
AirPort Expresses acting as signal boosters (I have a
mother-in-law's studio in my back yard with several brick walls to
go through). Using my trusty 400 MHz Pismo with AirPort left me
craving a little more oomph in my download speeds. It is also the
last Apple computer running 802.11b in our family.
After following the instructions provided in the box (repairing
permissions) and after making sure my AirPort software was turned
off (I have an older Apple AirPort card installed), I installed the
driver for Mac OS X 10.3 (Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4 are
provided on the CD). After the restart, I plugged-in the G54SL
wireless adapter, went to the network selection in preferences,
selected the Ethernet Adapter (en2) device, and "shazam" I had
AirPort Extreme speeds instantly on my 6-year-old Pismo laptop. I
even check it against my 20" iMac and was getting the exact same
download speed. I would really give Afterthemac bit kudos for
making a product that works exactly as advertised.
I have a good friend that has an older 667 MHz TI PowerBook that I am going to
try this on. His AirPort reception has always been pitiful. I will
let you know the outcome. Thanks for the "heads-up" on this device.
Great deal!
Onward and Upward!
Robert F. Morrow
Tomorrows Designs
Computer Tested: 2000 400 MHz PowerPC G3 Pismo Laptop, 512 MB
RAM, 40 GB hard drive, Mac OS X 10.3.9, AirPort card Installed
(now turned off!)
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the thorough report. Glad the
Afterthemac adapter works well for you.
Charles
iEmulator a Good x86 Emulator for PowerPC and
Intel Macs
From Bruce Thompson
Charles
I don't know if you have ever looked at or reviewed this software, but I bought it
about a year ago and it works perfectly! From their web page:
iEmulator 1.7.9 is a high-performance PC emulator for PowerPC
and Intel Macs running OS X 10.3.0 or later. It has been
tested with Windows 95, NT 4.0, 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista beta
2, and various flavors of Linux. iEmulator is a low-cost solution
for Mac users that require the use of Windows-only
applications.
The complete iEmulator 1.7.9 package includes:
- The iEmulator 1.7.9 Universal Binary Application
- A DOS Operating System, including a boot disk for Windows 9X
installation
- Comprehensive documentation, including step-by-step
instructions for installing Windows 98, 98SE, 2000, XP and Vista
beta 2
- Fast-Response Email Support
- Unlimited free updates
We recommend the use of Windows 98 or Windows 2000.
For those of us that still have a G4 iBook but need to run a
WinDoze app from time to time, this works just perfectly. You can
install the entire thing on a disk image, ZIP it, and copy it off
to a USB jump drive or burn it to a CD-R. If it ever gets a virus
you can't remove, just erase the disk image, copy the one you
archived back on to your hard drive, and off you go!
Thanks again for finding Green for me.
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
I generally try to steer clear of the Windows
orbit, as I have never had any objective reason to miss Windows
compatibility, but thanks for the report and info.
Charles
Windows 98 as 'Unsupported' as OS 9
From Ed Hurtley regarding Netscape 7 and Mac OS 9:
...on the lack of support for OS 9, and the 'full' support of
Win98.
Both are now 'retired' OSes. Microsoft officially stopped
supporting Win98, 98SE, and Me earlier this year. They are
officially non-supported. While some new software still does
support Win98, the vast majority does not. New hardware is also
unlikely to include drivers for Win98. I also second your 'Windows
for the Internet?' comment. Even Win98 with Mozilla 2.0 isn't the
safest browsing computer. Want antivirus? Sorry, Norton 2006 or
newer won't run on 98, and Microsoft's 'Windows OneCare Antivirus'
most certainly will not.
The main reason for the even grudging support of Win98 by major
companies? Large corporations. Large corporations like to keep
products around much longer than computer companies would prefer.
Heck, Windows NT 4.0 was officially supported long after MS
would have preferred to end it in 2001, but the deadline was pushed
back twice, finally ending support at the end of 2005 due to
feedback (a.k.a. complaints) from corporate customers. Mozilla
still supports Win98 because they are specifically choosing to
target older computers as part of their strategy. For 'average
consumer' products, 2-3 years is the limit.
I just bought Microsoft Flight Simulator X (the only reason I
have Boot Camp on my computer), and even on the fairly new MacBook Pro (2.0 GHz Core [1] Duo,
2 GB RAM, 256 MB Radeon X1600 overclocked to 400 MHz from the
Apple-stock 230 MHz) it is slow as a dog. I've seen reviews that
the brand-new Nvidia 8800 GPU can't even handle it at its highest
settings on a Core 2 Extreme system. And that's just hardware
reality. Software-wise, it is much happier on Vista than on XP (I
tried it on my Vista-beta machine, but it only has Intel 950
integrated video, and while the game does play, it is painfully
slow, even at minimum settings. That's with a 3.8 GHz
Pentium 4 and 1 GB RAM; even then, it stalls less often on Vista
than on XP on the same machine.)
Ed Hurtley
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