So… the new iBook…

Yes, a new iBook. Gratis.

Basically, the G3 iBooks that came out in the last series of G3s had a
slight engineering issue in the hinge. The cables to the video were
pinched tight or at least firmly in the hinge from the mainboard. Over
time, this causes the wires to lose the insulation to friction and
ultimately, the video wires short with the backlight wires, and well….
zzzt.

So anyway, I bought the AppleCare extended warranty in the first year I
owned it, and on top of that, there is an extended motherboard
replacement program from Apple to take care of this problem on the
series I had. While it’s inconvenient when it goes, I got used to
backing it up somewhat regularly, and I felt Apple was being fair in the
warranty replacement policies.

So, that said, it happened a second time (yes, about once a year). And
again it went in to get fixed. And it came back. The local dealer here
pointed out that I also had blemishing on the display, which I noticed,
but didn’t think much of. They noted that the level of degradation it
was displaying was also worth a replacement, and ordered the part. Ok,
that’s all good and fair. Wonderful.

Unfortunately, the new motherboard had a thermal issue that it would
overheat under load and lock up before the fan would kick in. That was a
component defect as well. So it was limping along, which got most of the
things done, but not much programming and no gaming. It’s a hobby
computer, so that was OK.

Apple at this point noted that I was under AppleCare, and had
essentially three motherboard failures and a pending display
replacement. Anybody can do the math and see that despite the fact I do
take good care of the laptop, this was costing them money, and starting
to grate on me. Then they did something that will likely keep me with
Apple and buying AppleCare warranties for a long, long time.

The replaced it. The local dealer pleaded the case, but ultimately, it’s
up to Apple, and the Canadian crew decided it made sense. Possibly they
were running out of the G3 parts by this point. In any case, Apple
didn’t just fix the problem, they made it right. That’s a rare
thing these days I find. And by replaced I mean I now have a G4 1.33 Ghz
iBook, with Airport Extreme, not a new 900 MHz G3 iBook. I had to give
up the RAM upgrade I had and wait two weeks without a system, but Apple
treated me with utmost respect and care in this matter I feel. They’ve
won a long-term customer from a first-time buyer. Now, I’m a big Apple
fan for a long time, but this treatment speaks more to the company than
the product. I’m impressed and very, very thankful to the crew at Apple
and here in Calgary at WestWorld computers. Thank you all!

Your mileage may vary, and I would never expect or feel Apple was
obligated to do this sort of thing. I was owed a fully-functional G3
iBook under AppleCare. That’s it. They went above and beyond, and
deserve a LOT of praise and respect for doing so in my opinion.

So in my way of saying thanks, I offer up this public thanks and
recommendation of Apple, and further, I ordered and am awaiting a new
Mac mini for my wife to replace the old Windows system she’s been coping
with for far too long. 1.42 Ghz SuperDrive to replace an old PIII-450
Mhz CD-RW. And most importantly to me, and Apple system to replace a
windows system that for home use, iLife ‘05 is a rocking good home media
authoring system we can have fun with the videos of the kids with.
iMovie in ‘05 is worth a whole heap of praise itself. -)