Introduction

We thank MacInTouch readers who participated in our recent laptop survey. More than 10,000 laptops were logged, along with many thousands of comments.

Survey Design

Our survey spanned every laptop capable of running Mac OS X, encompassing 41 models sold over seven and a half years. A challenge in ascertaining the reliability of any device is that more time gives them more opportunity to break, so new devices should always look more reliable at first glance. Our survey asked participants when their laptop first needed a repair — "first year", "second or third year", and "fourth year or later." These correspond to the duration of Apple's standard one-year warranty, the AppleCare extended warranty program, and any repairs that might happen outside any warranty coverage period.

We also asked participants if they purchased AppleCare for their laptop. MacInTouch readers have strong opinions about whether or not AppleCare is a good investment; we hoped to quantify how often it is invoked for service. Hoping to gauge which models might have had repeat problems, we also asked how many times a laptop was repaired (regardless of warranty status) — as well as providing an option for "It broke, but I didn't have it fixed." (Thus, repair numbers do not always exactly match problem reports.)

We also asked what components were repaired or replaced (if known), with check boxes for most major laptop components, as well as an "other" choice.

Finally, since accidents happen, we asked if the laptop was ever dropped.

Summary

• Overall average: 41% repaired (lifetime)
• Overall standard deviation: 0.17 (large variation between models)

Fewest Repairs:

• original (colored) iBooks
• PowerBook G3
• 12" PowerBook G4 (2005)
• 12" iBook G4 (recent models)

Most Repairs:

• iBook G3 (esp. in 2003, motherboard defects)
• 15" titanium PowerBook G4 (esp. in 2003, optical drive, case/latch/hinge)
• 15" aluminum PowerBook G4 (first version, screen defects)

Component Failures

• Overall component failure average: 5%
  Standard deviation: 0.035 (large variation between component types)
• Most common failures (>1 STDEV above average): motherboard, display, hard drive
• Least common failures (>1 STDEV below average): RAM
• Less common failures (0.5-1 STDEV below average): keyboard, trackpad, case, latch

Charts

Repairs by Model and Time

Green cells indicate repairs significantly below average (ie, more reliable)
Red cells indicate repairs significantly above average (ie, less reliable)



* Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding or variations in owner reporting.
Some laptops failed but were not repaired, so total failures (43%) are slightly higher than total reported repairs (40.6%).

 

Component Repairs

Green cells indicate repairs significantly below average (ie, more reliable)
Red cells indicate repairs significantly above average (ie, less reliable)


(click to enlarge)

* Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding or variations in owner reporting.
 

Analysis

In our analysis, we focus largely on first-year and second- and third-year repairs. Although we tracked fourth-year and later repairs, mostly it just tells us older models tend to break down.

The Titanium PowerBook G4s, which were quite popular, were more broadly troublesome than most models, with optical drive problems and case/latch/hinge problems being the most common issues.

But by affected percentage of models, the G3 iBooks were the worst by far, with more than half requiring logic board replacements. Apple created a warranty extension program for some versions, but not all. (MacInTouch readers are still reporting newly failed iBook G3s, and the warranty extension program has ended.)

The white 12" iBook G3 series became much less reliable through its first five revisions, reaching a 73% failure percentage! The last revision dropped to a 49% failure percentage — much improved over the previous model, but still unconscionably high. The problems appear to have been solved, for the most part, in the newer iBook G4 series.

By contrast, 17" and 15" Aluminum PowerBooks, PowerBook G3, and iBook G4 12" models all appear to have become more reliable as new versions were introduced. This may indicate that Apple engineers were able to learn from early problems and fix them.

The single most reliable Apple laptop in our survey is the original Blueberry, Tangerine and Graphite series iBook, with a low 8-11% repair percentage.

Included for the curious is the percentage of dropped laptops. The drop percentage correlated very loosely with hard drive and optical drive repairs. It also correlated with power brick replacements. Power bricks are solid state and quite sturdy, so this seems an unlikely cause — and one must remember that correlation is not causation. We're not inclined to make too much of these correlations — none are strong. It would not surprise us if being dropped damaged hard drives and optical drives. Apple may think there's a relationship, as shown by the "sudden motion sensor" hard drive protection included in recent PowerBooks.

Component Trends

Over the years we saw particular improvement in some areas, as well as models with characteristic problems. The PowerBook G3 Series (especially the first two revisions) and the Titanium PowerBook G4s were particularly vulnerable to hinge problems, typically resulting in damage to internal video cables with resultant display problems. (These problems were widely reported at MacInTouch and other web sites.)

The new hinge design introduced in the white 12" iBook proved much more robust, with a very low failure rate — more than one full standard deviation below average for all Apple laptops. This hinge design was incorporated into the new Aluminum PowerBook G4 series. With this change, PowerBook hinge repairs dropped from a high of 10-20% to about 2% — not bad for the most stressed mechanical component in a laptop.

iBooks seem to be somewhat vulnerable to keyboard problems; we don't know if this is because the keyboard is a less robust mechanism, or because iBooks are said to take more of a beating. (The original blue and orange iBooks were designed to withstand being carried around by elementary school students.) But according to our survey, PowerBooks are dropped more frequently than iBooks! Although 17% of readers admit to dropping their laptop, this did not correlate with the rate of repair. (Unsurprisingly, the older a laptop model, the higher the chance it was dropped.)

Memory problems are relatively rare. One model with more problems was the PowerBook G3 Series, although its memory repair percentage was still low (3-4%).

Logic boards (motherboards) were the most replaced components, followed by displays and hard drives. The white G3 iBooks skewed the results, however, demanding logic board replacements at stunning percentages of 30-55%. No other model showed particular problems here; most ranged from 6-12% needing replacement.

Hard drives followed with an overall 9% replacement percentage. Some iBooks showed high failure rates, but we could discern no other pattern — not even over time. Some newer models fared worse than old models, which had more time for wear and tear. Hard drive quality appears to be luck of the draw — or the manufacturer's batch, as case may be.

Displays, like hard drives, are particularly vulnerable to accidental damage in laptops, but of more concern to most users is inherent quality. The original Aluminum 15" PowerBook G4 had the highest problem percentage, more than doubling its closest competition at 36%! (Many of these displays had characteristic white blotches. This was covered on MacInTouch and Apple provided replacements fairly promptly.) Later versions showed huge improvements, with problems dropping well below average. The Titanium PowerBooks also showed a relatively high display replacement rate of 10-13%. iBook G4s and 12" and 17" PowerBooks showed better than average display reliability.

Reader Experiences

Apple Customer Support

Generally, MacInTouch readers gave Apple support good ratings. Survey responses included reports of wrist rest replacements due to pitting in the aluminum, proactive hard drive replacements before failure (based on S.M.A.R.T. drive status reporting), and in one case, replacing an entire iBook 12" screen because the paint was flaking!

Other experiences include Apple Genius Bar staff fixing laptops for free just the after warranty period ended, using their discretion to help customers whose problems had begun during the warranty period. (This is sheer luck and sometimes frowned upon, so we recommend that if you have any problems during your warranty period, contact Apple and document it as quickly as possible. Genuis Bar staff want to help, but their authority is limited, and like all support professionals, they are under some pressure to keep costs down.)

Other respondents had mixed experiences: "[Sent original 15" Aluminum] PowerBook for case replacement — was told by Apple they would NOT repair it after [Apple] Store Genius guaranteed it. When I called them, I asked that they tighten a loose screw around the display if they were not going to replace the case. They said they would. An hour later, I received another call — Apple agreed to replace entire case after all. Hmmm."

An owner of a 17" PowerBook writes "Sent PB via DHL. Amazingly efficient. There and back in 3 days. AC power board replaced. There is still an occasional tingling when touching computer." (We suspect the laptop is shorted somewhere and passing faint AC wall current to the user — and should be sent back for repair for safety's sake!)

Not all experiences were positive. One reader reports of their white 12" iBook G3: "VERY hard work to get Applecare to fix defective case latch under warranty. Applecare Europe is hopeless — had to ship it to US at my expense to facilitate repair." (This isn't an indictment of all non-US Apple Support; another reader rates AppleCare UK very highly.)

Mistakes happen, too. An owner of a 15" Aluminum PowerBook writes: "Love the computer despite 2 screens failing and the third one has a dark patch at the bottom of the screen but couldn't face sending it back again. They also needlessly replaced the hard drive for one smaller than the original. I got £120 to spend in the AppleStore as compensation." Another 15" Aluminum user says, "I asked them to fix the latch, and instead they replaced the hard drive and logic board. The latch still needs to be fixed! But man, I love this machine."

And some readers are just plain unhappy, such as the 12" iBook (800 MHz) owner who proclaims in frustration, "The 12" iBooks are junk!"

Laptop lifespans

PowerBooks and iBooks seem to live long lives. One reader reports their PowerBook G3 is "almost eight years old and soldiers on just fine"; others have upgraded their processors or hard drives for improved performance, and many replaced their optical drives with newer, faster CD-RW or DVD-R drives from third party vendors.

Some laptops experience gradual degradation, but are still loved by their owners. One owner wrote "Screen backlight failed. Screen went pink. Replacement is failing now. Still going strong!" Another wrote, "Display replaced twice (white spots). Now, a year later, hinge is gradually tightening, and starting to short out the video. Will need to go in again during AppleCare year three. Still, I love this laptop — it's a joy to use."

AppleCare Extended Warranty

40.3% of respondents purchased an AppleCare extended warranty, which covers laptop faults for up to three years from date of purchase. Some owners swear by it, others don't care, and still others prefer private warranties that cover accidents as well as product defects.

Comments on AppleCare were mixed:

• "After the logic board failed for the fourth time, my G3 iBook was replaced with a new G4 iBook in November 2005. Very glad I purchased AppleCare!"
• "I highly recommend repair/replacement insurance on a laptop against loss/theft or problems AppleCare refuses to fix."
• "It's mostly been a pretty sturdy laptop, though it looks like it's going to have to go back a third time, and I wouldn't consider not getting AppleCare for any laptop."
• "Didn't actually buy the AppleCare warranty, but a 3rd party extended warranty- National Electronics Warranty (N.E.W.). Service done by an Apple Authorized Servicer."
• "I recommend AppleCare for every laptop purchase. Laptops are exposed to stresses that desktop machines never see. $350 is cheap insurance considering the cost of repairs."
• "I would've bought AppleCare, but it's not available to us yokels here in Florida through the Apple Store, thanks to our overprotective government. I was told it could be bought at CompUSA, but that seemed kind of sleazy to do to CompUSA." [See MacInTouch Reader Reports for more information on Florida's peculiar warranty environment.]

Anecdotally, some MacInTouch readers have reported better treatment and service if they've bought AppleCare, but we have no way to quantify this.

Accidents happen

About 15% of survey respondents admit to dropping their laptop. This doesn't correlate with the general repair rate, but as noted in "Component repairs" above, hard drive and optical drive failures may be related. We can't be sure from available data.

A 15" Aluminum PowerBook owner reported "Computer was dropped inside a well-padded shoulder bag, landed on the front-right corner creating small dent/bend to the case. No other problems." A 15" Titanium PowerBook user reports "Survived a drop of 4 feet with a dent in the side and still runs!" (One of our own 12" Aluminum PowerBooks was knocked off a coffee table onto a wood floor; the corner is bent and the bottom shell and wrist rest are somewhat separated, but functionally, it's fine.)

Another respondent warns of other kinds of accidents: "[PowerBook G3 FireWire] met an untimely death when my 4 year old spilled chocolate milk on it and didn't tell me for half an hour, as hot chocolate milk foamed up from under the keyboard (Cocoa programming?). Amazingly, after cleaning off the [motherboard] with warm water and a tooth brush, it worked for 5 more months. One of the best PowerBooks apple has ever made." (We note that one should only use distilled water with a computer.)

As in our iPod survey, owners are aware of the consequences of accident and take responsibility for it. Few (if any!) MacInTouch readers have admitted to trying to get accident damage repairs paid for by AppleCare — but Apple Genius Bar staff have been known to give owners the benefit of the doubt in questionable circumstances.

Survey Suggestions

MacInTouch readers, being an inquisitive lot, had suggestions for other things to survey. One whose laptop was stolen in an airport wrote, "The end of life story of the laptops might have been a useful piece of information to request. How many stolen, had coffee spilt in them, caught fire, etc."

Others suggested that we compare new vs refurbished repair rates. In our previous Apple desktop Mac reliability surveys, we found no statistically significant difference in the reliability of new vs refurbished units. In this survey, a few readers commented they had problems with refurbished laptops, while others reported flawless operation.

Conclusions

The iBook G3, which sold quite well, had the most failures of any Apple laptop we surveyed and the failures were critical (the motherboard). Some other Mac models have had quite a few failures as well, but they generally were due to specific component problems. The iBook G3 simply appears to have been a flawed design, but it took a long time for Apple engineers to get a handle on the problem and fix it.

Each generation of aluminum PowerBooks has shown improved first-year reliability, as have the iBook G4 revisions. Repair rates for these models appear to drop in the second and third years of ownership (where applicable — some are too new to measure), unlike the Titanium PowerBook, PowerBook G3 and 12" iBooks, all of which required more repairs in their second and third years.

When comparing models, we largely chose to ignore fourth year and later repairs, since this data is not available for all models and distorts reliability comparisons. Repairs increase with age, but we think this just reflects wear and tear — laptop computers do not lead easy lives. Despite the apparent increase in repairs as they age, owners of these older laptops say they are very happy with their Macs.

The "average" laptop in our survey had a roughly 20% chance of requiring some sort of repair in its first year, and 18% chance of requiring repair in years 2 or 3. Fourth year and later repair rates appear to drop, but this (and submitted comments) indicate machines without major problems remain in use, while machines with severe problems in earlier years are replaced.

Given the rate of repair of Mac laptops in our survey, extended warranties appear to pay off almost as often as not. We're somewhat concerned by the repair rates we saw in our survey, but PC World's January 2006 laptop reliability survey placed Apple squarely at the top of the list for both low problem rates and high owner satisfaction. (However, unlike its previous year survey, PC World did not list failure or repair rates, so an apples-to-apples comparison is not possible.)

Apple has led the notebook market, with laptops accounting for more than half of its overall sales. Over the years, we've seen a steady maturing of laptop technology as Apple has learned what works well and what is prone to failure. As usual, when radical changes are made (such as the ultra-thin Titanium PowerBook G4), there are teething pains, while economizing has its own risks, for which Apple has paid in high warranty repairs for its popular G3 iBooks. But it appears that Apple has since learned how to make affordable, yet reliable, consumer models, and steadily thinner and lighter, yet more rugged, professional models.

Trends suggest that Apple's latest crop of laptops may be the most reliable since the original, extremely rugged orange and blue iBooks. Based on what we've seen in this survey, we'd be pretty confident buying a new iBook or PowerBook today. It will be interesting to see what happens with Apple's switch to Intel hardware.

By Robert Mohns
(January 3, 2006)