Apple MacBook 13-inch 1.83GHz Follow-Up

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Anthony Fiti
Kurtis
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Oct. 9, 2006

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In my MacBook review about two months ago, my final recommendation was a bit open-ended. My first technical support experience with Apple was very positive. My AC adapter broke and the folks at the Apple Store were creative in finding an adequate solution before I left for a vacation. However, my second experience didn't go so well.

Around July 6th, 2006, my MacBook started acting up. It would randomly shut down and then I couldn't turn it back on for a period of time. This condition only got worse with time, going from one or two shutdowns per day in early July to being completely unusable by the end of July.

On July 29th I brought my MacBook into the Apple Store for repair (again, with an appointment via Concierge). The Genius on staff was patient even though I couldn't reproduce the issue in the store. He still took it and recommended that my MBL (Main Logic Board, aka motherboard) be replaced. He said it should take 7-10 days. Unfortunately, I didn't get my laptop back until August 23rd, a whole 25 days later. When I reviewed the repair report, I noticed that they replaced the heatsink, the top case (where the keyboard and trackpad are), and the front bezel, but for some reason not the MLB.

I took the laptop home and within thirty minutes the laptop shut down spontaneously. As you can imagine, I was displeased. Not only that, but I was just about to head out of town, so I didn't get a chance to return my MacBook to the Apple store until September 6th. The Genius was helpful and empathetic about this being the second time I had to come in, commenting that Apple should have replaced the MLB the first time. I should note that it is more than just the board that is being replaced -the chipset, graphics engine and processor are all soldered to the MLB, so all of those parts are automatically switched out as well.

On September 19th, I received a call that my MacBook was ready to pick up. The next day I picked up the laptop, making sure to ask the Genius if I could test it before taking it home. He said sure and let me hook it up at the Genius Bar so I could try it out. I started two terminal sessions and in each I ran "yes > /dev/null" to maximize processor usage. After about five minutes I was satisfied that it didn't reboot, kindly thanked the Geniuses, and left the store. Now it has been a few weeks and I haven't had a single problem. I've been using it about 3 hours per night, and on weekends it's on all day (approximately 14 hours, though not in use 100% of the time). When I was having spontaneous shutdown problems before, the laptop would run 10 minutes or less before shutting off.

Even though I'm disappointed that it took 39 days in the repair shop (and an elapsed 8 weeks from when I first brought it in to the time when it was fixed), it is a relief to finally have a working, stable MacBook. As for what the actual problem was that caused my spontaneous shutdowns, there have been several theories. Rumors range from defects in the CPU (known errata that were not addressed), heatsinks expanding and melting the insulation off fan wires thus creating a short, or possibly a flaw in the MLB. Apple hasn't officially said what the problem is, and I don't suspect we'll find out any time soon. The important thing is that it was fixed under warranty by Apple, even if it did take them a while.

It feels good to be back on a working Apple laptop again. It's also nice to feel like the $1500 I dropped on the MacBook (including the extended three year warranty) wasn't money wasted. As for my recommendation of whether or not to buy one, I've talked to enough people lately who haven't had a single problem with their MacBook and rave about how much they like it. I'm almost ready to recommend them, especially since Apple has apparently realized what they must do (replace the MLB) to fix the random shutdown problem. Since the issue is well known now, they should have it back to you within 2 weeks.

Still, I'm not completely ready to recommend the Apple MacBook, but it's not for any quality issue - it's due to the fact that they're going to be updated within the next three months or so. Between now and the MacWorld San Francisco Expo in January (or possibly at the expo) it is expected that Apple will replace the Core Duo CPUs that power the MacBook Pro and MacBook (though not necessarily at the same time) with the next generation called Core 2 Duo - Intel's code name "Merom" chip. This chip will be 64-bit, instead of the 32-bit Core Duo chip. It has other benefits of course, like increased performance for the same power consumption and better power conservation technologies. So I do recommend Apple's MacBook, but you should wait a few months for the updated versions before dropping your cash for one.

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1 - Posted by Kurtis on October 9, 2006 - 11:05 pm

Digg it if you like it:
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