Danes claim to have "proven" iBook G4 logic board defect

Looks like Steve needs to spend a little less time working on his blog and a little more time hammering out the kinks in his portables. You may recall the endless logic board problems with the original G3 iBook, which was eventually the subject of an official Apple "repair extension program." Apple claimed to have worked all those problems out in the G4 rev, but there were still reports around the 'net that many of the machines tended to fail in the same way as the G3s after a year or so: sporadically powering off and then rebooting to black screens and whirring fans. For its part, Apple generally insisted that there were no defects in the G4 design and didn't implement a similar repair program. That might have been the wrong course of action, however, as the Consumer Complaints Board in Denmark just released the results of a study they say shows certain components on the iBook G4 logic board loosen slightly with each power cycle, leading to overall system failure. The Board also concluded that Apple is liable to Danish G4 owners for repairs, and indeed, El Reg reports that Apple International is now settling a number of outstanding cases. No word yet on how this will play out outside of Denmark, but we'd think the opinion of the world's most most technologically-advanced nation might hold some sway at 1 Infinite Loop.

[Alejandrus @ May 4th 2007 6:04AM]

I have had 3 logic boar replacements, one display replacement, and one top-case replacement and other minor issues, all whithin warranty of my PB 15, figure it out. Last repair lasted almos 3 months (no comments). In total it has been for repair 4 times under warranty. I have to point out that I am in Europe. Now, one year out of warranty, my airport does not work, top case cracks again and the display shows pink spots. Apple is not what it used to be. I think now Apple = crack. I have filled a complaint through the European Union Consummer Agency. I have had enough from this jerks.

[MickeyMoo @ May 4th 2007 6:09AM]

Ummm - WTF?

[harveyhanson @ May 4th 2007 6:10AM]

Everyone griefs dell, but so much for Apple build quality too!!

[LittleJoe @ May 4th 2007 8:10AM]

Yeah but unlike Dell, Apple dosen't make you go through 10 people at an Indian call center for 2 hours, so that they end up sending you a motherboard they make you replace yourself, with 4 hours of over the phone guidance.

[Matt Hadder @ May 4th 2007 6:37AM]

My G4 Titanium powerbook has been great so far. It's no toughbook, but I'm hooked on the OSX.

Apple should make a rugged laptop like Panasonic. Why? Because people drop things & $#!+ happens. Should take care of the component loosening trouble and some human error to boot. (pun intended)

[Zeno Davatz @ May 4th 2007 7:42AM]

We are also having problems with our MacBook Pro. It basically just switches off when it feels like to switch off. Very annoying!

[athenebelle @ May 4th 2007 12:45PM]

Um actually my experience with the applecare people had me on there for an hour trying to get them to fix a problem that was less than a year old (for me as I didn't receive the computer until two week after I bought it). They did eventually make an exception for me considering and sent a box to have me send it out but that was after pointing out that hte next closest applestore was two hours away (either ST. Louis or Memphis, tn).

[Ben H @ May 4th 2007 9:07AM]

You are right LittleJoe. Instead, Apple pretends like nothing is wrong until they are forced to look at the situation by a government committee. I would much rather have it this way.

[fishpatrol @ May 4th 2007 10:10AM]

I'm on my third iBook. Two G3s died after repeated logic board failures and other issues the techs couldn't peg. Replaced with a G4 iBook and told (as mentioned above) that all the issues had been taken care of. My G4 iBook started shutting off this week, death-fanning when I try to restart it. I know my experiences aren't typical, but you've got to learn your lesson sometime. As much as I like OS X, and as handy as a portable computer is, I won't be buying another Mac laptop any time soon.

[Rich Calabrese @ May 4th 2007 10:30AM]

I just had this fixed and paid the price.

[Rob @ May 4th 2007 1:55PM]

Yeah - same here. Just paid $300 to fix the logic board on the REPLACEMENT ibook that Apple sent me after 3 repairs on my previous G3 ibook for the same problem.

At some point, even the most loyal customers get fed up!

[Matt B @ May 4th 2007 10:56AM]

The way study sounds like, it is either poor manufacturer quality or planned defection after warranties dry up.

[Alejandrus @ May 4th 2007 11:08AM]

Apples claims their after purchase service is the best one. Really? Which data are they relying on?

[Raider007 @ May 4th 2007 11:35AM]

My girlfriend is having the same issues, her g4 ibook is about a year old, she's had the logic board replaced 3 times (twice in 1 week about a month ago), harddrive replaced, wireless replaced, fans don't turn on and it over heats, they dinged up the case and over tightened the screw on the bottom so it's cracked the case. I'm telling her to start throwing a fit and get something done, it's been in and out of apple care way too often and for too long (they kept it for 3 weeks at one point)

[Timerider @ May 4th 2007 11:51AM]

I'm on my iBook G4 now. I haven't had any logic board problems, but I have had hard drive problems. The original hard drive crashed and had to be replaced and I lost some stuff.

We have had problems with our PowerMac G4 logic board, however. It shorted out and had to be replaced a few times. It occurred whenever it was in sleep mode and the power went out. It wouldn't start up afterwards. Now it doesn't happen because we bought a battery backup system (UPS).

[Omar G. @ May 4th 2007 11:57AM]

My iBook G4 was under AppleCare and the logic board failed after two years. I got it back, shipped to my door after just a weekend (they were very fast with the repair), but I wasn't doing anything crazy for it to break. One minute I was using Firefox, the next I froze and when I rebooted, I got the black screen and fan whirring.

This sounds like an actionable defect if it's happened to so many people. I had a Toshiba Satellite that had a design defect and it took about 3 years for the class-action suit to finally get settled. I'd settle for some cash toward a newer model iBook with a longer warranty.

[mister falcon @ May 4th 2007 12:15PM]

Common failure path. I used to work at a one to one initiative installment of iBook G4's. Just about two thirds of the iBooks deployed had this issue occure at least once, often times repeatedly - the replacement boards weren't any better for longevity. Needless to say, it's only a matter of time before someone calls Apple on this one.

I've encountered at least 500-1500 instances of this issue, so it is not isolated or unusual in any way. And yes, I am in America.

[Lokizilla @ May 4th 2007 12:19PM]

Sounds like what's happened to my G4. Black screen, fans whirring.

I was quoted £425 for a logic board replacement at Apple, Birmingham (UK). No way it's worth that much.

[KenAllen @ May 4th 2007 12:21PM]

I use my iBook G4 everyday, I've never once had any problems with it besides the extreme scratching of the white outside casing, which really isn't too much of a problem, but it looks bad.

[rp @ May 4th 2007 12:47PM]

Sorry, but this is not a new problem, and is not limited to *books by any means. Back in 1997 I had a 3400c that went through the exact same problem, failing logic board shortly after warranty expiration. Everyone who has used Apple products for a while knows that you absolutely must get the extended warranty if you have a laptop, and it wouldn't hurt to get it on your desktop either. Also, never buy first revisions. Otherwise, you are quite likely to get screwed. It's a tough lesson to learn but you'll get it eventually.

[Sapo @ May 4th 2007 7:55PM]

so when someone buys a apple product as soon as is available should be considered an idiot or someone that like to risk?

[Freakshow1 @ May 4th 2007 12:50PM]

4 towers, 1 PB, 1 MBP, 2 iPods. No problems. None, Zip, Zilch. Oh, well I guess my PB latch broke 4 years after I bought it.
And Apple does = Crack.
Cuz I be buying everything they sell.

The interesting thing is how many people still bought the iBook when there was all of these known defects. Didn't anyone do research before buying those things?
@fishbowl... They all have issues, be it Apple, Dell, or IBM. Get a MBP. at least it is in Reve 4 or 5 now.

FS

[Alejandrus @ May 4th 2007 1:02PM]

Before my permanent broken PB I had a chinese laptop for which I paid 1200,-- (compare it to the 2200,-- of the PB) and I repaired it twice for the same problem in 3 years. My wife bought a IBM thinkpad R Celeron for 1000,-- three years ago. No problems, none, zip ...etc (I am typing on it right now as my PB's airport does not work, among other issues). Dude, believe me, if I buy a laptop anytime soon, it wont be a MBP.

[Donny K @ May 4th 2007 1:50PM]

Just had this problem (gray screen/whirring fan) a couple weeks ago on my G4 iBook which is two years old. Still covered under Applecare, thankfully.

[iBook everlasting @ May 4th 2007 1:59PM]

The tires on my car are defective. With repeated use over time they wear out and need to be replaced. I demand that Goodyear offer a repair or replace program for these faulty tires.

People, computers are MACHINES. They are subject to wear & tear and are not designed to last forever. Perhaps the iBook's logic board is not as robust as others, but the fact is Apple cannot be held liable for claims outside of the Warranty period (standard or extended, depending on purchase agreement). Consumers buy a product with this knowledge.

[richie @ May 4th 2007 2:14PM]

Yes! finally some news about this issue! I been through 5 logic board issues from a G3 to my G4. I got so frustrated with this that i went ahead and just bought a HP to replace it. I hope Apple finally recognizes this problem and stops deleting my posts on their forum :D

[athenebelle @ May 5th 2007 12:40PM]

How about when they are about to phase out an old product, generally all of this sort of stuff should have been worked out of the system by that point in time.

[KC @ May 4th 2007 8:04PM]

If this was about a Sony battery or the PS3, we would have at least 5 pages of comments by now. Apple consumers just keep going back to Apple for more.

[junkie @ May 4th 2007 8:21PM]

my sister's 12" iBook G4 failed the same way.

[Gadget Extremist @ May 5th 2007 3:39AM]

This phenomenon is nothing new....

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/chip_creep.html

[athenebelle @ May 5th 2007 12:37PM]

I had multiple problems with mine. First was a screen that wouldn't stay up (separated from the hinge) nearly a year from when I first got it (therefore my warranty was out). I had to fight with the applecare people for them to fix it for me. Then my screen went out on me at the very beginning of August for no reason that I could tell. Considering the hinge problem I didn't even bother buying applecare because of that bad experience and TBH I didn't think it was worth it at the time. It was a calculated risk. At this poitn in time it is sitting in our computer room in piece wait for us to try and put it back together.....but maybe we should wait considering I dont' think anything we did would have fixed this (I had one wire that was pinched by the hinge causing it to wear away so I had thought that was the problem).

[johnfranks @ May 5th 2007 1:23PM]

soldering iron + illuminated magnifier + 2.5 hours of frustration = working ibook (& a happy girlfriend!)

not a repair for those with baseball bat at their disposal.

[mift99 @ May 6th 2007 5:34AM]

I had the same problem. mine went crazy after about 1.75 years. Even after 5 repairs of an apple retailer, they couldnt fix the problem... my hdd wasnt found by the computer due to a defective contact on the logic board... well, even after they replaced the whole logic board and the hdd it crashed after a few days again and now it is lying in my cupboard...R.I.P.

[lantrix @ May 10th 2007 10:27AM]

I had a G3 ibook with this issue. The logic board was replaced 4 times. The ibook now sits on a shelf un-usable because it happened again outside the extended repair programme.
I now have a Powerbook G4 still going strong (touch wood) and would hope this does not occur!

[Kliend @ May 12th 2007 10:43AM]

the same thing described in this article just happened to me.

[Dougal @ Jun 8th 2007 12:57AM]

Hi folks,
Well, my g4 hard drive crashed, it was a 30GB so I replaced it with an 80GB.
Point here is, it seems there is nothing wrong with the 30GB I replaced though while it was in my ibook it had all the symptoms ...clicking etc. I just bought a really cool USB 2.0 Universal adapter for all known hard drives (without their housing) from Newertech.com (http://www.newertech.com/products/usb2_adapt.php)and when I pluged in my supposedly trashed 30GB drive to this adapter it worked just fine, now I am using it as a spare/backup drive, no problems at all with the drive!
Anyone out there who can explain this to me I am all ears.

[Johnson @ Jun 26th 2007 12:54PM]

I've got the same problem!!
I couldn't turn my iBook on for several times already
It really piss me off!!