Mac users!

[mejinks]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/18/macbook_apple_support_hell/

Looking at the power cord it is waaay to thin to be of any use. I think it was only a matter of time looking at the design of it.

[Belmit]

Read this yesterday. Whilst she has a point about the service she received and the faults encountered, I was a bit put off her by certain things in the article.

Arguably, as she puts it, she got a lemon. With the cumulative problems she was getting I'd have asked for a replacement weeks before the point where she was offered one.

I was slightly perturbed by her admission that she charges the Mac in the gap between the carpet and the sofa. Even if the power cord wasn't about to burst into flames, that sounds a bit on the dodgy side to me.

How was she using the Mac that she managed to burn herself on the arm? The power is on the back left side of the unit. Her arm must have been actually on the cord when it happened which begs the question, was she putting stress on the wire or accidentally half pulling the plug out so as to cause a bad connection?

Plus, when you've lost 50+ days of work (which if she was really worried about, she would have found another way to keep working) is it really worth keeping track of the extra half day? I stopped adding fractions to my age when I was four.

It would appear that most people experiencing this problem have noted that it's caused by over-flexing of the wire near the connector, breaking the wire internally. This could of course be fixed by a sheath on the end of the wire, but it probably helps not to twist it back behind the unit.

The article, whilst clearly addressing a known fault that Apple should have fixed a long time ago, seems very full of hot air.

[Daz]

Yeah, kinda with Belmit on this. I feel she's over-dramatising it a little. I'm amazed that anyone self employed wouldn't have sorted something out themselves to work in the mean time - certainly all the self employed people I know would never have sat on their ass.

Absolutely no excuse for the cable melting though. If nothing else it could be a PR nightmare after all that Sony battery shambles.

[Desmo]

Self employed and over 50+ days of doing nothing? Yeah, right.

[leowyatt]

Self employed and over 50+ days of doing nothing? Yeah, right.

Sorry but the article is complete tosh. Yes she may have problems with a laptop, don't we all but to not have a machine for 50+ days is complete stupidity.

[Belmit]

She gets right royally pwned in the comments. This being one of the best:

"I stressed that I often leave my laptop charging overnight under the sofa on the carpet"
Lets see - insulate your laptop with carpet and a sofa whilst on charge, like any laptop (or computer for that matter) it gets hot, it should be placed on a firm surface (like a desk) to allow airflow to all areas - thats why it has feet! I can understand the reason to hide it and that it might fit snugly under the sofa. Its akin to placing night lights on a plastic bath and wondering why you end up with a house fire.
So you slowly cooked your laptop every night and wonder why it failed bit by bit, you ignored the case going yellow and the screen failing and it appears it eventually melted internal wiring causing the power lead to eventually over heat and short out. Surely you notice it was hot when you removed it from under the sofa?
I guess your house doesn't have rcb's otherwise it would have popped them long before you got injured.
No wonder its a nanny state these days, some people have no common sense.
All I can say is RTFM... a few excerpts from it.
Important: read all the installation instructions (and the safety information in Appendix B....) carefully, before you plug your computer into the wall socket.
Apprendix B
remoce the power cord, battery etc if :-
you suspect your computer needs service or repair
The power adaptor may become hot.....Always allow adequate ventilation around the adapter....when possible place on a hard surface to dissipate heat.
...it is normal for the bottom of the case to get warm...place on a flat stable surface...
the bottom of the mac is a cooling surface that transfers heat.... is raised... to allow airflow....
Warning: Do not place your Mac on a pillow or other soft material when it is on
Sounds like Apple did everything they could except suggest that you shouldn't be entrusted with one of their products as you clearly aren't capable of operating it correctly (or any computer for that matter). Apple could have said hard luck you did not follow the instructions in the manual instead they sorted it out.

[Goose]

That's a good reply, and correct too. I love this whole 'it was someone else's fault' system some people have.

[leowyatt]

awesome reply Belmit well done people for telling her it states in the manual allow adequate airflow