Apple's flaky hardware strikes again

[drscott]

Well, friends, my two recent purchases from Apple have divergent fates.

Purchase A, the iPod Nano, is doing well. It's almost too small and elegant to live in the real world, so I'm not taking it into the cold, cruel outside until I have a protective case for it. I've cleaned up my music library using iTunes and downloaded more than I'll ever need into the Nano, plus a few photos (not much point to that, since the screen is so small, but it was fun.)

Purchase B, the Mac Mini Core Solo (the cheapest new Intel-based model), has been flaky from opening the box. According to what I see on Apple chat boards, a large number of these are going out with defective PMUs (power management units). The machine does not start up unless you reset the PMU *every single frickin' time*, and it never wakes from sleep either. So I'm on the line with Applecare in India right now trying to report yet another DOA machine so they can fix the problem. Waste of my time, since I'm just sending it back to Amazon when I get off the phone. And yes, I did check to be sure it is plugged in.

Comments

[ozdachs.livejournal.com]

And how long are the waits on hold? Anything that doesn't have to be described on a geological time scale beats Dell.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

On hold most of the first 30 minutes, though first answer was very quick -- the holds were for "I need to consult my supervisor" and the like.