G4 iBook design flaw proven

Sun, 6 May 2007

Ibook

Once upon a time in Denmark, err… actually just a couple days ago …

Just like everywhere else, the consumers in Denmark complained about their G4 iBook powering down with no obvious reason and booting up with a blank screen and the fan running on half a billion revs.

Apple, of course, refused to repair these laptops, claiming that there is nothing wrong with the design, that the fault is primarily due to misuse by the computer owner, and that the computer is already out of warranty anyway.

After receiving bucket loads of complaints, the Danish National Consumer Agency decided to take matter in their hands and sent a G4 iBook to Delta, an independent electronics laboratory to do their own post-mortem examination.

The investigation showed that a solder joint between two components had broken, so that current could no longer pass through them. It also showed that the breakage occurs because the solder joint loosens slightly every time the computer is turned on and off. [photos]

As the result of this, the Consumer Complaints Board of Denmark determined that consumers in Denmark will be able to return faulty computers to Apple. [press release]

So if you have a faulty G4 iBook, and you were thinking of a holiday in Denmark these days …