My Macbook Pro 13 Died.......

[reiner]

I know a lot of sailors run Mac gear and I loved my Macbook until a few days ago. It just shut down and that was it. It is only two years old.
I took it to the blue t shirt apple people and was told it needs a new logicboard and it would cost me $660 to fix. I asked if Apple is coming to the party since the computer is only 2 years old. They did say it is very unusual for a Mac to die that soon but sorry to say no help from Apple.
So now I'm thinking do I pay that and have more problems down the road, do I buy a new Win machine for less than $1000?
I got my old Dell Latitude D 620 out and it works beautiful. It has to be 5 years old at least.
What would you do?

Cheers
Reiner

[xymotic]

I'd look for a logic board on ebay.

[DeepFrz]

I have heard a lot of people on here say things like Apples are so reliable. I can tell you from experience that they are not all that reliable and that when they do break they are expensive. I can also say from experience that a well built piece of hardware will run Windows with very few if any problems and running MS Essentials I have had absolutely no problems with any virus. Even before MS Essentials was available I never had a problem with a virus and only one customer, one time, had a virus. It came from a memory stick plugged into an Apple computer on the network.

[iSaint]

Buy AppleCare with the computer and you get three years warranty. Very much worth it IMO. My MBP is three years old and running strong!

[maytrix]

$660 would buy a nice windows laptop

I'd wait a week or two and look at all the options that will be available running windows 8. Some of the stuff I've seen is pretty slick with the monitor being the computer and being completely detachable and doubling as a tablet.

Here's just one example I found - I've seen some better ones too.

The Complete History Of Computer And Gadget Sales In One Elegant Chart - Business Insider

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

I have heard a lot of people on here say things like Apples are so reliable. I can tell you from experience that they are not all that reliable and that when they do break they are expensive. I can also say from experience that a well built piece of hardware will run Windows with very few if any problems and running MS Essentials I have had absolutely no problems with any virus. Even before MS Essentials was available I never had a problem with a virus and only one customer, one time, had a virus. It came from a memory stick plugged into an Apple computer on the network.

Not a very helpful post.

I can tell you from experience that apples are far more reliable than windows machines at the hardware level. And VASTLY more reliable at the software level.

Blaming a windows virus on a mac is pretty awesome though, I dunno how you make that leap of logic.

And yes, Apple machines are WAY more expensive to repair. They also have much higher resale value. Dunno what that means for the OP though. His options are pretty simple: get a new motherboard, sell the old computer as scrap, buy a new PC or a different Mac.

One other option: I once had a problem child Macbook. I sent an email outlining my long purchase history, and my long troubles with that machine to Steve Jobs, the next business day "Apple executive relations" swapped out the laptop for a new one for the cost of shipping. Again, Dunno if they still do that but in General Apple is a very customer service oriented company.

You might be able to still add Applecare as well, but I think you have to do it before the warranty expires.

[DeepFrz]

That chart is interesting.

[DeepFrz]

I can tell you from experience that apples are far more reliable than windows machines at the hardware level. And VASTLY more reliable at the software level.

Blaming a windows virus on a mac is pretty awesome though, I dunno how you make that leap of logic.

I guess our experiences differ. My experience is if Windows is updated regularly and the PC is well built they will have very few problems.

I did not blame a virus on the mac, I mentioned where the virus entered the network. I know the artist that plugged in the memory chip and I was Net Admin at the time.

[Chuteman]

Have You looked outside Apple for repair options?

I used these folks iPhone 4S Repair | iPad Repair | MacBook Pro Screen/Glass, iPod Repair to fix a cracked glass screen and was very pleased at service & price. There was a couple of other firms I considered so there might be one out there than can do same quality job, with Apple parts for much less.

Good luck!

[Ex-Calif]

This spring it was a no brainer for me...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pav...&skuId=5043836

I would love to be able to justify a $2k plus computer but I can't.

Laptops are now "disposable" - cheaper to replace than work on. Macs are not...

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

This spring it was a no brainer for me...

HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop 4GB Memory 320GB Hard Drive g6-1d18dx - Best Buy

I would love to be able to justify a $2k plus computer but I can't.

Laptops are now "disposable" - cheaper to replace than work on. Macs are not...

I agree, this makes it a difficult choice. A couple years ago my macbook got stolen. (I went to 7/11 and someone walked into my house, took it off the bed and left a $2k Digital SLR and $700 Motorcycle GPS that were 2' away also on the bed)

Anyway, I didn't have any $$ at the time (duh, wonder why) so I bought a $300 Lenovo. It lasted a couple months until the cheap plastic frame flexed and I broke the screen. I was able to replace the screen myself for $80 (which is something you can't do with a mac!) but the new screen lasted about another month.

All that time, the thing has just been frustrating. I finally gave up and bought a used Macbook Air for $700. Couldn't be happier.

One more option for the OP, but the same model used and keep yours for parts.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by xymotic

Anyway, I didn't have any $$ at the time (duh, wonder why) so I bought a $300 Lenovo. It lasted a couple months until the cheap plastic frame flexed and I broke the screen. I was able to replace the screen myself for $80 (which is something you can't do with a mac!) but the new screen lasted about another month.

Never was a fan of the "Asian" brands - Lenovo, Acer, ASUS etc...

Wouldn't have bought it unless I could see it in the store and get "hands on." There really wasn't anything below $350 that I would have bought even though the cheapest Acer is like $250

So far, so good...

[colemj]

Having multiple macs and pcs on board for the past 4 years, and using both extensively for many years before that, the macs are by far the more reliable machines. Our two Macbook Pros are 5 years old with 4 of those years out cruising full time. They are in daily use and have had very few problems (one of them has an optical drive that is crudded up and doesn't seem to work now, but I haven't used a DVD/CD in years). Many of the people we meet cruising with PCs need to replace their computers within 3 years because of failure. It is very rare that we meet anyone out here with a PC older than a couple of years.

Having said that, your experience with a failure after 2yrs is not acceptable.

However, only you can decide what to do in your case. You need to decide how you use and interact with your computer and what tradeoffs you are comfortable with. Then get the one that fits you. We have both types because we have multiple needs that I find better met by dedicated computers rather than making tradeoffs.

I always get Applecare from a reseller on eBay for our macs. They sell it for half the price and I have never had problems with it. For very little money, you have 3 extra years of no questions asked repair and replacement warranty.

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

My experience is if Windows is updated regularly and the PC is well built they will have very few problems.

Getting a well built PC means paying more than $200 for a netbook and you start to approach mac prices.

Keeping windows updated is ridiculous. Every time I connect our pc's to the network, Microsoft wants to download 60-70 critical security patches to it. Try doing that regularly when out cruising where the internet connections do not support downloading. Even after updates are supplied, 4-5 more appear in the next day or two. Keeping windows updated is a full time job.

Mark

[witzgall]

Comparing the reliability between PCs and MACs is not a valid assessment. It is like comparing a Hylas to power boats. The Hylas is a boat made by a specific manufacturer, to a set of standards. Power boats are built by multiple manufacturers to varying standards.

Even within one PC manufacturer, they often built models to different standards. If you want a good, reliable laptop, I would look at specific models that are used by large corporations en-masse. Or models that are used in education. My personal experience with these extend to IBM - now Lenovo. They make some cheap models, but they also make some very robust laptops made for the corporate and education market. They are also designed to be easy to work on, which some of the consumer laptops are not.

On the consumer side, we have had good luck with Sony laptops.

I am typing this on a 5 year old Macbook Pro.

Chris