iMac: Nine Months
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.
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I'm fighting the urge to say "I told you so !!!". :(
I had a really really terrible problem with an new powerbook I bought last summer, the keys would just stop working when the laptop reached a certain temperature. The battery life was awful and the birghtness of the screen was pathetic. I had that all of 14 days before I returned it to Apple for a full refund with a bad taste in my mouth. Six months later Apple released the newer Powerbooks with higher res screens and better battery life. So I took the plunge, still sceptical from my last outing into Powerbook territory. So far its been so reliable that I even prefer it to my dual G5 Powermac (not that I've had problems with that over two years on). Usually most Apple hardware I've had has never broken down and when it did Apple support has fixed my it within a week of sending it off to them, compare that to when Dell hardware breaks... What a knightmare... Of course I'm not too sure I would buy an iMac G5 though... They supposedly fixed the over heating problems but I don't think I could rely on one in a warm english summer.
Yee gadz!! Where's my formatting gone??!!
Perhaps, then, it's a difference between their consumer-oriented kit and their business oriented kit in terms of quality. I have to admit I've never heard of anyone with any problems with the G5, but I've heard of tons of people with various problems with anything with "i" in front of it, and I've also seen a fair few. Mind, I've seen a fair few dodgy powerbooks and heard of a few too.
and as for Dell, you get what you pay for, (except when you buy Apple kit, for the most part ;) )
Sorry about the formatting. Forgot to turn it on for comments. Should be working now. :)
Just got a call from the Apple store. They have replaced the power supply and believe that has solved the problem. I will probably pick it up today or tomorrow and see how it goes. Fingers crossed.
I've been wanting to get a Mac pretty badly recently. Not sure why. But I'm kinda scared of them. Again. Not sure why.