BigSexy Has Arrived

Actually, the new MBP arrived on Wednesday morning, two full days ahead of schedule. So far, so good. It's been a bit crazy, so I haven't really spent a lot of quality time with BigSexy, just got it loaded up with the programs I needed. What is amazing to me is how few programs are actually disc based - only Photoshop CS3 and iWork '08. Everything else was a fresh download. How times have changed.

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Apple Customer Service Experience - Part 1

Earlier this week, Apple made news as achieving exceptionally high customer service ratings, the same day that Michael Arrington bemoaned the lack of quality in some recent Apple products he purchased. Naturally, the tech blogosphere exploded with commentary and comments on both sides of the argument. Gruber elegantly smacked Arrington down, the increasingly irrelevant Scoble chimed in with some nonsense, overly smug Mac owners pointed fingers at their Windows-PC owning brethren and screamed "nyeener-nyeener." One of my sisters, a Dell owner, can't understand why people are so down on Dell customer service, until I explained that unless you pay the extra money for business/gold level support, you're stuck with dealing with minimally trained off-shore CS people who want you to reinstall Windows when you're monitor is malfunctioning.


Me, I couldn't care less about the results of this survey. Since the early-1990s, when Apple expanded tech and warranty support beyond the first 30 days, my experience has been nearly 100% satisfactory. Of course, there have been a few times when I've spoken with CS reps who don't quite seem to know what they are talking about or were unaccountably snarky, but in 15+ years of Apple-provided tech support, the experience has been consistently excellent.


As to Michael Arrington's comments regarding build quality - he seems to be living in a world where Apple had, until recently, an unassailable position in quality and out-of-the-box performance. Unfortunately, that's never been true. There have always been lemons - both of my sisters (the Dell owner and the Mac owner), have both had some serious quality problems with their Macs. The first generation of PowerBooks were awful, the Titanium PowerBooks were only marginally better, the Rev A G4 and G5 towers were problem-prone, the first generation of the flat-panel iMacs had serious rattles and mid-plane issues, the first generation of the 30" Cinema Displays had an alarming tendency to pinkness, the first generation of G4 iBooks had logic board problems, and on and on. And let's not forget the battery life issues for the first and second generation iPods - there was a rather protracted lawsuit on that one.


What has trumped the problems people have had with quality and build issues is how Apple has dealt with the problem. I've been lucky - in 22 years of Mac ownership, I've had only a handful of problems - a burned out power supply on my original 512k Mac, a prematurely drained internal clock battery on my PowerMac 6100, and a MacPro logic board that farted and played dead on iDay last year. A pretty good record, considering the number of Macs I've owned over the years, until I purchased a refurbished 17" MacBook Pro last June. My 15" PowerBook was in perfectly good condition, except that it was very finicky with software that's been built primarily for the Intel Macs. I had to give several heavily animated presentations in July using Keynote at The Convention in Ohio, and the PowerBook didn't have enough horsepower to carry it off. I was going to commit to either a MacBook or a 15" MacBook Pro, when I checked the refurb list on the on-line Apple Store. There, I found my dream model - the 17" with the glossy screen. It was the immediately prior generation - 2.3 GHz, with a 160 GB hard drive, but it was about the same price as the 15" I was thinking of buying. I'd been assured by friends who had bought Apple Store refurbs that 95% of the time, the refurbs are actually new products that had been opened and returned and couldn't be sold as new (rather than products returned for problems and then repaired). Since the refurb was covered under the same warranty as a new unit, buying the 17" seemed to be a no-brainer decision.


I got the MacBook Pro, and it was as good as I hoped. The only trouble I had was when I was playing with the Spore Creature Creator. It seemed to really stress the processors - the back got extremely hot very quickly, and there was one time I left the program running and closed the lid. The MBP wouldn't wake from sleep, and I forced a reboot. After that, I was careful to close SCC before putting the MBP to sleep, and ever experienced the problem again. I was delighted with the laptop, and it performed as expected during my conference and presentation.
Unfortunately, things turned sour as soon as I got home. Literally. After driving 12 hours straight through from Columbus to New York, I unpacked the car and dragged just the essentials back upstairs, which meant just my laptop (the suitcase filled with dirty laundry could wait until the next day). I wanted to check my office email, but much to my dismay and complete bafflement, the MBP just shut it self down. I rebooted, and it happened again. I rebooted, and it wouldn't event start up.


I called AppleCare the next day, and they had me run through the some troubleshooting tasks: resetting the PMU (remove battery and power cord, and hold the power button down for 30 seconds) and resetting the PRAM (hold down the Command, Option and P, R, and M keys and then start the computer until it chimes twice). I was able to get the MBP running long enough to pull off all of the presentation and associated audio files, and it shut itself down about 10 seconds later. The next day (Friday), after work, I went to the Apple Store to drop it off for repairs. I was a little startled to find that there were no appointments for Mac issues until the following TUESDAY (this is why the surging popularity of the Mac platform is not necessarily A Good Thing). I was; however, able to do a Quickdrop, which was actually quite fine, since it was unlikely there was anything a Genius could to fix the MPB. The guy who did the intake on the Quickdrop advised that the earliest anyone would be looking at the MBP would be Monday.


Sunday morning (a day earlier than expected), I was a little startled to get a call from the Apple Store, letting me know that they were shipping the MBP off to the depot in Houston for repairs. I got the standard warning that if they found physical damage or water damage inside the case, it would cost me $1800 (I must have heard wrong), and that it could take up to 10 business days to complete the repair. I wasn't terribly discommoded by the prospect since I still had the 15" PowerBook for the bedroom. I just wanted the MBP fixed. ...


Part 2 follows

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Apple Customer Service Experience - Part 2

To make a long story short (not really), a week later, I got a call that the MBP was fixed and available for pickup. As I had suspected, it was the logic board that needed replacing (not an uncommon problem I found when searching the Apple Discussion forums and Google). That was August 11th. On Wednesday, August 19th, everything went pear shaped again. I was playing a new game (Saqqarah) with pretty intensive graphics (like Spore Creature Creator), and the back of the MBP got super hot, really fast. I got out my new infrared surface thermometer (bought to check out the surface temps of the computer equipment in my home office), and much to my dismay, the back of the MBP was registering at 127 degrees Fahrenheit. That's pretty hot - the AppleTV (a notoriously warm piece of gear) - was only registering 100 degrees F. I quit the game and shut the lid, putting the MBP to sleep. 20 minutes later, I wanted to check my mail, but the machine wouldn't wake from sleep - the latch light just kept glowing full strength. I forced a shut down and restarted - I got the full start-up chime and I could feel the vibration of the hard drive spinning up, but the screen stayed dark and the latch light stayed on.


Oh boy, not good.


I ran through the same troubleshooting techniques that I did with the original problems, but to no avail. Finally, after the fifth PMU reset, the screen came on during start up. I was pretty conservative in using the MBP (just checking email and surfing with Firefox), but I was really curious about what was causing the failure. I ran Photoshop, and once again, the back of the machine got very hot very quickly. I quit, but left the MBP opened for 20 minutes, and it cooled down to 92 degrees. I shut the lid and immediately reopened it, and it didn't wake from sleep. This time, no amount of PMU and PRAM resets would bring it back up. The MBP was, as far as I was concerned, dead, and I had no interest in doing any further troubleshooting or hooking it up to an external monitor to see if it was the display or the logic board. By this time, it was too late to call Apple, so I packed it up and took it to work the next morning (Thursday).


It was a quiet morning at the office, so I was able to call Apple at 9:00 am, when the tech support opens (I don't know why they don't operate 24/7). I spoke with a very nice and sympathetic CS rep (I think his name was Steve). After telling my tale of woe (he didn't even suggest we troubleshoot), he escalated to a Product Specialist - Jeff. I repeated the story, which annoyed me a bit, since I was on hold for about 10 minutes while Steve was supposedly telling this guy everything that I told him. In retrospect, I think he wanted to make sure I was not elaborating on the details, since the easiest way to catch someone in a lie is to make them repeat a story.


I was polite and even tempered and strove to keep my voice as even as possible, but when Jeff gave me my options - ship it back to Apple for a repair or drop it off at the Apple Store, I said no. Frankly, a repair at this point was unacceptable. The logic board was already replaced once, and whether the problem was the display (unlikely) or the logic board again, it didn't seem right that a new machine should have to have two major repairs in a little more than two months of ownership. I told Jeff that I either wanted my money back or a new machine (and by new, I meant another refurbished unit with the same specs). He went quiet for a few seconds and said that he wanted to speak with a Senior Product Specialist about this, and would I mind going back on hold.


I've now been on the phone for 40 minutes, about a third of which has been spent on hold. All I can say at this point is that I'm glad that Apple has such strong ties to the music industry, because the hold music was pretty cool - Bela Fleck, Neil Young and a roots music group I never heard before (some day I'll have to blog about being on hold for my original ISP and having Annie Lennox ruined for me for over a year). After another 15 minutes, Jeff passed me off to Dan, who started to ask/tell me about my MBP that was shutting down at random. I corrected him and repeated the whole sad tale yet one more time, ending with my request for a replacement rather than a repair. Dan said that he knew that (my repetition this time was apparently unnecessary) and that's what he wanted to discuss with me. To try (yet again) to make this interminably long story just a bit shorter), Dan agreed that I should have my MBP replaced. After doing the mailing address intake, he asked if I had the order number for the original purchase available and he was surprised that it was for a refurbished unit. I asked if that would be a problem, and he replied no, of course not, but he'd have to locate a replacement unit for me.


I wasn't put on hold this time, so I could hear the keyboards clacking, and after a few minutes Dan came back on line. It seemed that there wasn't another 17" MBP with the same specs in the pool of available refurbs. Hearing this, I expected the next words from Dan to go something like this:


"Well, given that we can't replace your machine with another refurb right away, you've got a few choices. We can put you on the priority list for the next available refurb'ed 17" 2.3 Ghz with a glossy screen, or you can send your back for repair, or you can drop it off at your local Apple Store for repair."


You know what? I was offered none of these options. Dan's next words were this:


"We'll just have to send you out a new machine. It will be a 2.5 Ghz, 250 gb hard drive, 2 gb RAM and a glossy screen. Will that be okay?"


And I responded...


"Um, yeah, absolutely. That will be perfect."


Dan then ran through the RMA process. I wouldn't have to wait for Apple to receive my malfunctioning laptop back before they would ship out the new one. In about an hour or so, I would get a call from a Customer Relations representative to confirm my shipping address and the instructions for returning the MBP. I'd then get an email with a link to the FedEx RMA label, and once the package hit the FedEx system, my replacement MBP would be queued up for shipment.


You know what, it happened just as Dan said it would. By 11:30, I got a call from Victor, he confirmed my mailing address. A few minutes later, I got an email with the link to FedEx. I packed up the MBP and took it over to the FedEx/Kinkos that opened up a few months ago and had them scan it into the system. By the time I got back to the office, there was already three emails from Apple, an automated message confirming receipt of the package into the system, and another from Victor advising that since my package was in transit, the replacement order was now in process. The third message was from Apple advising that the order my replacement MBP had been completed and would be shipped soon.


I was really, really delighted, but by this time I had convinced myself that when Dan said "new machine" what he really meant was another refurb with better specs. That would be better than fine, too. Actually, when Dan said "new machine," meant brand new, fresh-from-the-factory-in-retail-packaging new machine. Friday morning brought another email from Apple, this time with the sales order number, which contained the part number - Z0F2, which is the product number for a new, not refurbished unit. The part number for a refurbished MBP is FA897LL/A (I put both items into a shopping cart to check this out).


Even if I still had any doubts, they were erased with the email from Apple this morning (Monday), with the FedEx tracking number. My computer's being shipped from Shanghai, China, not from California. The tracking page says "overnight" - so that means I can expect my replacement MBP to arrive sometime on Wednesday.


I couldn't be happier. Apple's taken some hits lately - mostly because it is held to nearly impossible standards. And there's always room for improvement - particularly with product builds, lately. But my experience has been nearly flawless.


I'll supplement this with another post after the replacement arrives.

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Memes Are Us

I've grabbed this from Carrie Lofty's Salome's Corner, who got it from Darla at Nichtszusagen, who got it from Grace at Sandier Pastures, who claims to have stolen it from Mak!Mej!, but I can't find any trace of it there:

1. What is your occupation? Lawyer.

2. What color are your socks right now? Not wearing any, it's still summertime and sandles.

3. What are you listening to right now? Michael O'Suilleabeahn's The Dolphin's Way.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? American cheese omlette with sausage, two cups of coffee.

5. Can you drive a stick shift? No.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Magenta or Canary

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Dad, to let him know I was almost home.

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? It wasn't sent to me - I snagged it off of G-Reader.

9. Favorite drink? Alcoholic - Bellini. Non-Alcoholic - Arnold Palmer or club soda.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, and highlights too.

12. Pets? None at the moment, though I'm sort of a god mother to a friend's dog.

13. Favorite food? Lobster.

14. Last movie you watched? Ironman.

15. Favorite Day of the year? The day the clocks go forward.

16. What do you do to vent anger? Grind my teeth.

17. What was your favorite toy as a child? A stuffed rabbit named "Gail Nightingale."

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall.

19. Hugs or kisses? Hugs.

20. What kind of pie? Apple.

21. Living arrangements? Dad's downstairs, I'm upstairs.

22. When was the last time you cried? Four days ago, listening to Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

23. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, in boxes and out, empty bags from the dry cleaner, handbags.

24. Favorite smell? Anything that brings to mind good memories.

25. What inspires you? An interesting sky - the quality of light.

26. What are you afraid of? Falling.

27. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese, please.

28. Favorite car? To own - my Audi A4 Avant, to dream about - I don't dream about cars.

29. Favorite cat breed? Cats and I don't get along, but I do love talky Siamese.

30. Number of keys on your key ring? Seven.

31. How many years at your current job? 1.5

32. Favorite day of the week? Friday, and does anyone answer otherwise?

33. How many states/provinces have you lived in? Two.

34. How many countries have you been to? Three.

35. How much do you love "Knowing Me, Knowing You" by ABBA? Enough.

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Chainsaw Maid

Via Mark Frauenfelder and Boing Boing, here is the creepiest and most hysterically funny zombie Claymation short you'll ever see:



I don't know which is grosser - the newly zombified mom vomiting up her internal organs, or the zombie getting his arms and legs cut off.

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Emotions and Physical Contact

Why is that when I'm very happy, I want to hug someone, and when I'm sad or upset, I don't want to touch anyone? I'm not a person who generally needs or seeks out physical contact, and I am usually in a good mood. But I've noticed that when I am genuinely happy - something wonderful or unexpectedly good occurs, I find myself wanting to give and receive a hug. Conversely, when I am upset or sad, I tend to close myself off - from both physical contact and general contact.

Does anyone else feel like this, or am I just weird?

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Woof - The Dog Days of Summer

Jeff Scher's lovely animated short in today's New York Times is perfectly evocative of the hot, humid days of this waning summer. Watch it again in the middle of winter, and don't be surprised to feel the back of your neck getting dirty and gritty.

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Dog v. Balloons

Kenn - Thank you for this lovely bit of time sink. 83 seconds of pure and uncomplicated happiness.



Discovered at The Dog Files

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The Family Photo Album Dilemma - Maybe It's Solved?

It looks like David Pogue's ridden to my rescue yet again. A few weeks back, I lamented on the fact that my family photo albums were disintegrating, and that the project to repair them looked nearly insurmountable. I had even discarded the thought of scanning the pictures because of the sheer amount to time involved for getting pretty mediocre results.

However, based on the recommendation in David's most recent NY Times column, I am going to carefully dismantle those decaying photo albums and send the pictures into Scanmyphotos.com. For $50, this company will scan up to 1000 pictures, and send you back a DVD with your images in JPEG format. Of course, there are caveats - everything has to be properly organized and labled, there are extra fees for reorienting images, scanning the backs of photos, etc., but frankly - it seems worth every penny. Consider this - a sheet feed scanner that will actually accept photos (most don't) costs about $400. Not only is it expensive (the equivalent of scanning 8000 photos), it will be primarily a uni-tasker in your office, because the sheetfeed mechanism means that the unit won't work comfortably or well as a flatbed scanner (I know this from experience).

So, I am going to give this a shot. My sisters will be in this weekend to celebrate Dad's 82nd birthday, and even though they don't know it yet, they are going to help with those picture albums, like it or not!

Stay tuned, and I'll report on the results.

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