I have been happily using the iMac G5 for nine months.

However, this past week it has been turning itself off and not in a nice way.

I tried resetting the PMU - unplug for 10 seconds, reinsert the power cord while holding down the power button, then restart. I thought this may have helped as the system managed to stay on (but not sleep) through the night, but sadly the system powered off the next day.

I tried running the hardware test. The fans ran at full vacuum cleaner level. The system passed.

Still within warranty, I thought I had best send it to the store.

I rang up the store and pressed #2 (AppleCare) a few times, always ending in disconnection. Finally, I pressed #5 to actually speak with someone. They asked me to book an appointment online, which I said I would do if my mac could stay on long enough.

So I lugged the iMac to the Apple Store that afternoon. I was served quite promptly and sat there while the guy went through forms on his G4 powerbook stapled behind the bar. Would I like to backup the data for £35? Hmmm. No I don't think I would like to spend more money given that it was their hardware that failed.

The iMac is now in the shop having its insides replaced.

Let's see how it fares, but it does not bode well for getting more Apple hardware in future.