Using a rubber mallet to fix your MacBook?
It seems to have worked for me! I was having some trouble tonight after my hard drive started whirring on my (less than one-year old) MacBook. I’ve had the hard drive replaced once (this is why my published thesis is about 20 pages shorter), and was pretty ticked to hear it causing a commotion once again (no pun intended).
The thought of traveling over 1.5 hours to the Apple Store tomorrow after my son’s class was not appealing, so I decided to take matters into my own hands – after backing everything up, of course. Turns out that a couple of gentle knocks to the bottom of my MacBook with a rubber mallet has solved the problem.
This whole thing got me thinking – should I purchase an extended warranty for my MacBook? I can’t believe that I am really thinking about this. I still do not understand why Apple stresses customer service and the quality of their machines but wants you to pay $250 to extend your warranty from 1 years to 3 years. If this MacBook dies, I would have to fork out roughly $1000 for a new one. Right now, I cannot justify forking out 25% of the cost of a new computer for a warranty on an older (but perfectly functional) one.
Why get a Mac in the first place? I am really smitten with the iLife applications for creating home movies, and have been thinking of trying to sell my services locally. I recently made a dvd using the pictures from a relative whose wedding was in the 1950′s, and it was really rewarding to be able to give her such a timeless gift. I also love having a machine that runs multiple operating systems at the same time.
One other thing is that we don’t feel the need to have the newest technology right away. We like to keep computers for as long as possible – my old Dell laptop is on her way out after 6 years. We cross our fingers every time we have to reboot, since it doesn’t always like to start up. The Inspiron 9100 is a great computer, but the processor was made for a desktop. Despite adequate ventilation, it overheats and shuts off periodically, and it has been doing this more frequently. We’re putting aside Best Buy gift cards from Boomertowne towards the purchase of a new desktop (hopefully we can find one that still has Windows XP!).
What would you do if you were in my shoes? The warranty for this one doesn’t expire until September (I think), so I still have some time to think about it.
I was actually on the fence last August about buying the extended warranty for my Mac Book Pro. However, I’ve had a Powerbook before than nearly died on my after a few days after the warranty expired. The diagnostics at the Apple repair shop in Vancouver cost me around $80. Then the guy found nothing and just said that the best way to fix it is to thoroughly remove everything (meaning transfer my files to an external drive and bring it back). I didn’t have an external drive and around that time, I needed to fork out $200 to buy that HD to contain my files. It was horrible. I had to buy the Mac Book Pro the next week and spent $2500 because I use the laptop for work.
I guess it depends on your use for the Mac Book. If it’s for work, definitely get Apple Care, it’s a tax deduction for your business anyway. If it’s for home use, it all depends. In the long run, for me, it’s given me peace of mind at least.
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