Aug 18, 2010 08:13 AM
6871 Views
As a student at an art college I was required to buy this computer.
When I received it in the mail I excitedly opened it, plugged it in, turned it on, started to connect to the internet, for it to freeze, then crash.
The power cord died within days of receiving it, as did the battery. Both were replaced under warranty, which was a difficult process filled with condescending'geniuses'.
Later the logic board died. Another extremely rude'tech genius' later I discovered my logic board had died. It was replaced for free under the apple care plan. I was told it would probably be fixed in 3 days, but 5 days tops. After five days I called and asked what was going on, and was told they'd call me back and let me know.
When I didn't receive a call, I called back the next day and asked them why I hadn't even gotten a call since it was late, only to be told "Well it looks like we haven't contacted you yet."(DUH)
I got it late the next night.(So late, it almost ended up being the next day)
Soon after that the monitor went out. When I brought it to the store and turned it on, it snapped back on. The tech'genius' attempted to insist it must be a software issue. When I insisted I knew a hardware problem when I saw one he reluctantly agreed to check it out under my care plan. The monitor was replaced as there was a short in the cable that connected it to the computer.
Within a few weeks of that I was back for my CD rom drive. It wouldn't read any CDs, they determined it was broken and replaced it.(This was probably the nicest repair I had at that specific mac store. The genius and service was friendly and when I told him of former complaints he assured me if it wasn't back next day I'd get a call that night. I got a call that night and it was returned the same day. This was the only time this happened, but is why I gave service 3/5)
Recently the C key on my keyboard broke. I took it in only to find it was a miracle any of the keyboard worked. Apparently the entire thing was dead, they replaced it. It was an overnight fix and an overall not terrible experience. except for the wait
.
I have also had wifi issues when a strong signal is available, I've had to turn my computer sometimes to get a signal. My theory is that the casing is blocking the wifi signal(since anytime the monitor is facing a router it cannot get a signal). The bottom line, even if my theory is wrong, is that sometimes wifi is difficult to get even with a strong signal available.
A design glitch is that if you rest your hands or wrists on either side of the track pad, it sometimes causes your computer to click. This is an extremely annoying design glitch that can cause you to switch pages or where you are typing on the page.
Overall this computer has been unreliable, and not nearly as fast as I believe it ought to be. It has had 6 parts replaced under the purchased care plan I have.(Power cord, Battery, Logic Board, CD Rom Drive, Monitor, and Keyboard)
So If you love having your computer break twice a year while you are a student and need it for work, and also love computers with design glitches, and wifi issues, I would highly recommend this computer!
On the other hand if you want your computer to work, try getting a PC, or I hear older macs are more reliable. But this computer is a nightmare that I would only recommend to people I hated.
(Not to mention it's a stupid money hog! Gosh it was expensive.)
