i seem to be having a shitty week, and it just keeps piling on. so yesterday, my hi-res 17" macbook pro crashed hard, and when i reset it, the screen refuses to come back on. the rest of the computer seems to work fine. now i am JUST out of my apple warranty and apple conveniently never sent me a notice to renew, so any repairs are coming out of pocket. from what i've read. the problem seems to be the logic board board, which is a 1000$ part.... really sucks because the little bit of money i did have set aside i used to buy tickets to fly home for the holidays, as well as a bit saved for an engagement ring.

i have an appointment with at apple today to confirm my fears, but i'm praying is something small. if not expect to see a sales thread from me soon. anyone have any kind of discount or know anyone at apple

uh-oh...someone is going to pop the big question soon....

Didn't apple issue a recall of sorts on some laptops with logic board issues?

So sorry to hear about this!!!!

Now you have me a bit scared... I guess I should get that Applecare in the next few months, I think I have until December...

Applecare is always a good thing... saved my butt a number of times.

the display issue is well known and it wouldnt surprise me if there is a known recall. also, calling and asking to renew the apple care cant hurt either. just see if there is a grace period for renewals.

I love Mac's don't get me wrong. I use two at home. But APPLE's Customer Service leaves alot to be desired. Applecare is expensive an limited to what it covers, and you're royally screwed if your apple product fails right after it runs out. Which I really think happens in 9 out of 10 cases. Makes you wonder right? They really charge out the ass for any repairs, most cases it makes more sense to buy a new item, which I think is their master plan.

WOW! 1K...that's insane!

In Japan they talk about the "Sony Bomb" a lot. Apparently a lot of Sony products mysteriously fail at around 13 months, which is very unfortunate seeing as how the warranty period lasts one year.

Could be a coincidence, or it could be a strategy to encourage guys like me who generally use consumer electronics until they are totally beyond all hope of repair to "upgrade"...

It is called Planned Obsolescence. That term says it all and it is not just the big corporations that think it, but the small companies as well.

I dunno about all this planned failure stuff... Before I got this MacBook Pro I had a Power Mac G5 for like 4 years, never had one problem with it. Then again, that was a PowerPC machine. I'll probably put myself on a toy ban and get the Applecare soon anyway!

Has anyone heard about how BMW began plans on a car that would run for 50+ years with very little servicing?
Apparently all the other auto manufacturers put a lot of pressure on BMW to put a stop to their plans. I haven't read anything about this, but was talking to one of my way-too-smart friends and he brought this up. If anyone has any links to articles about this I'd be interested.
But yes, Planned Obsolescence is a very real thing. We have the technology to build things that will continue working for decades (centuries?), but companies refuse to manufacture sturdy, reliable products because it would eventually put them out of business.

Oh, when the motherboard craps out, that's all bad. I just sent you an email about your computer, but didn't realize you're an Apple man. I'm good with computers, but PCs only. Good luck.

Apparently they give you a few months leeway to add Apple extended warranty, so you should call to double check. At least it was like this a few years ago when I forgot to upgrade. Tell them you never received any notification etc.