Worst ... iMac ... ever

iMac G5 purchased November 2004
More than $2,000
1 gig RAM in DIMMs of 512
250 gig hard drive
17 inch
Bluetooth keyboard and mouse
Applecare protection plan
now

April 7, 2006
hard drive and fan replaced

picked up May 8

May 12
logicboard replaced

picked up few days later

May 24
logicboard replaced again

(done in home)

Now goes to sleep in:
Safari
iDVD
Final Cut Express
iPhoto
Using external hard drive
Making disk image

When starts going to sleep, no clicking or using different programs helps.

After computer sleeps, it will work for 30 more minutes if let it sleep for 30-60 minutes. If wake immediately, it will sleep more and more quickly until it sleeps every 20 seconds.

Had to open computer to reset System Management Unit because it would not reboot.

When changing Energy Saver in System Preferences to “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible” and “Put the computer to sleep when it is inactive for ‘x’,” computer will not sleep.

OS 10.4.7 (10.4 plus combo update) reinstalled and drive wiped.

Told by Apple to take in for service for third time. (Logicboard was replaced in home second time.)

Buy a Dell for 300 bucks, everybody. Screw this crap.

I was once a psycho Mac evangelist and thought PC morons were morons.

(Ironically, my G3 iMac SE graphite [13 gig, 384 meg, OS 9.2.1] still works, albeit with no image on screen.)

Wow thats rough, I got the exact same machine as you at the same time and haven't had a single issue

That would drive me nuts...but a "psycho mac evangelist" would have a pretty good idea about Mac quality over a $300 dell, not to mention the OS comparisons. Good luck.

If I didn't have the extended warranty, it would be a year parts and labor. I'd be out 700 bucks in previous repairs and still be totally screwed.

The “specialist” on the phone was talking fast about how it's obviously a hardware problem when I asked if anything else could be done.

Then a while later, he asked if I were talking about a replacement. He reprimanded me for not just saying so, but then said they would not replace it at this time. I asked about the criteria, and he said there are some but he could not tell me what they are.

I asked what it takes to qualify as a lemon, and he almost came unglued, shouting, "That is not a term, that is not a phrase we accept at all. It is not a part of our reality" or somesuch nonsense. He was talking way too fast, and I wasn't taking proper notes.

Thanks for the positive vibes, though.

"but a 'psycho mac evangelist' would have a pretty good idea about Mac quality over a $300 dell, not to mention the OS comparisons."

Yeah, but it's "former" psycho mac evangelist. My computing experience, at this point, would not be much difference. If a 300-dollar Dell crapped in half this time, I'd chuck it and buy a new one. I can't do that with my splendid, two-thousand dollar mid-range consumer model.

Editor said:

"That is not a term, that is not a phrase we accept at all. It is not a part of our reality"

Click to expand...

Sounds like the words of Steve to an Apple employee

I have a 20" iMac G5 and haven't experienced a single problem. With every company no matter how great of a company it is there will be lemons. It's just a shame that you had to get one.

I have a similar model that is having problems but I use it anyway.

Editor said:

If I didn't have the extended warranty, it would be a year parts and labor. I'd be out 700 bucks in previous repairs and still be totally screwed.

The “specialist” on the phone was talking fast about how it's obviously a hardware problem when I asked if anything else could be done.

Then a while later, he asked if I were talking about a replacement. He reprimanded me for not just saying so, but then said they would not replace it at this time. I asked about the criteria, and he said there are some but he could not tell me what they are.

I asked what it takes to qualify as a lemon, and he almost came unglued, shouting, "That is not a term, that is not a phrase we accept at all. It is not a part of our reality" or somesuch nonsense. He was talking way too fast, and I wasn't taking proper notes.

Click to expand...

Next time you talk to them you should demand to talk to someone other than this "specialist" if you're not comfortable with his manner.

this many problems it should have been replaced, by apple, already..............

Haven't heard from the repair guys yet.

Apple deleted my thread from its support site, though. Wimps.

should they just lemon it since they replaced the logic board 3 times?

no computer manufacturer can produce 100% working units. Some just don't work right...that's the way it is. After that many replacements, they should replace it...but I would also at leat question the powersupply at this point. Faulty power supplies and cause some funky behavior and this could be taking out the system board.

I remember a guy called the help desk because his monitor died. I called the computer manufactuer (still under warranty) and they sent what was his third monitor. I suspected the graphics card was the cause as it is very unlikely to have TWO new monitors to be faulty like that, but they would not send a new card. That 3rd one died, but so did the graphics card in what I called a murder-suicide. After the graphics card was replaced, no more monitors died.

Called the repair place today. The guy said he's been doing different stuff but hasn't replicated it sleeping. He said he set it to sleep every three minutes and it did.

I told him it wasn't so much a problem with it not sleeping, although that did occur, but that it sleeps when it's not supposed to. I suggested having iDVD try encoding video in preparation for burning a DVD. He said he'd try to find it something hard to do.

I'm thinking of retrieving my graphite iMac G3. Aside from the screen, it still runs. I'll try to score a monitor from work so I can surf over the long weekend.

Every problem I have ever had with my macs the shop have been excellent, they even replace stuff without a receipt. That is one of the reason I use them and will carry on doing.

Is it an Apple store you are talking to or someone else? I only ever use the store

get on the phone with someone who is higher up than the regular person you will call...eg: call apple and get a customer service rep and tell them what you posted in the first thread and then tell them you dont want to talk to them about anything and that you want to talk to their manager.

from there demand a replacement at no charge. seriously, electronic devices and any other device has the ability to simply not work even with product testing and a good QC department. and you should not have to front the expense or the wasted time in this situation they should be replacing it completely for you
-chris

coach_z said:

get on the phone with someone who is higher up than the regular person you will call...eg: call apple and get a customer service rep and tell them what you posted in the first thread and then tell them you dont want to talk to them about anything and that you want to talk to their manager.

from there demand a replacement at no charge. seriously, electronic devices and any other device has the ability to simply not work even with product testing and a good QC department. and you should not have to front the expense or the wasted time in this situation they should be replacing it completely for you
-chris

Click to expand...

Make sure you get peoples names before you begin talking to them on the phone, people change when you have their name.

I got a call from the repair guy. He was unable to replicate the symptoms after a few days of trying.

Apple is convinced there is nothing wrong with it, he says.

Because I wasted their time, I had to pay the repair guys 80 bucks.

He says if it happens again, they will refund the money and recommend to Apple to put in a third logic board.

I've never been so pleased and enthusiastic! Yippee!

Deleted post due to stupidity.