Smiles for service
Your clause “ State of the Mac ” ( June 2007 ) confirm my experience with the excellent help you could get from Apple and its authorized service provider . I was in Australia with my 17 - inch PowerBook ( bought , with AppleCare , in the United States ) when its screen started own problems . I take it to an authoritative Apple reseller in Brisbane ; two days later , my beloved Mac was back with a new projection screen . I can only imagine what would have pass if I ’d had a Windows box in the same situation.—John Uytendaal
There is a disconnection between your respondents ’ expiation with their Macs and the failure rates they describe . Over 40 pct of Macs in the survey had problem with circuit boards , remembering , or fans , and almost as many had hard - drive problems , with some model transcend 50 percent in those categories . Displays also had high bankruptcy rates . So it ’s puzzle that over 85 percent of owner would rate that reliability a 9 or 10 ( out of 10 ) . Failure rates like that in the self-propelling industriousness would lead to immediate mandatory recalls.—Jason Dougherty
Those component failure rates are a pct ofall Macs that had problems . Elsewhere in the article , we noted that approximately a tail of all Macs in the study had problems of some sort . So some 40 percent of roughly 25 percentage had problems with electrical circuit boards , retentivity , or fans.—Dan Miller
One sphere you neglected to touch on on in your report on Mac reliability : What come about after AppleCare expires ? My G5 is only a few calendar month beyond the loss engagement of its three - year AppleCare insurance coverage , but it has developed a mar on its logical system board ( for the 2d time ) . It would cost more than $ 1,000 to repair it . I think a computer should last more than three geezerhood and a few month . And if a job takes place when it ’s out of warrant , indemnify it should not cost as much as buying a new one.—Jim Hartel
I was surprised by one comment in your report on Mac reliability and overhaul . Fred Morris , one of the people you interview , had received an apparently bum iMac ; he sound out , “ Apple did n’t have to supersede my iMac . They certainly were n’t obligated to give me a better model than I returned . ” I ’m sorry but , yes , they were ! Before Morris received that new computer , he had to make two trips to the Apple Store , then send his computer back to Apple , and then wait for a unexampled one to arrive . How long was he without a fully functioning simple machine ? In my opinion , what Apple did was just . I do n’t think Morris should find as though the fellowship did him a large party favour . He and Apple entered into a contract . He agreed to make up a thousand - plus dollar , and Apple agreed to leave a quality computing car . Apple fail to bear on its part of the deal . Replacing the archetype with one that work was only fair ; the “ rise ” was defrayment for his inconvenience.—Jon Barresi
A greener Apple
Michael Gowan ’s “ Eight way to Go Green ” ( Working Mac , June 2007 ) was an splendid clause , but it had one serious problem : The units of energy use of goods and services cited in the article are incorrect . Wattsmeasure therateof energy consumption . So the phrases “ you’re able to save about 40 watts of electrical energy per Clarence Day ” and “ you ’re fall behind an norm of two watts per hour ” make no good sense . The clause has a lot of useful information ( I ’d always question how much power was saved in rest mode ) , but in its present material body it ’s confusing.—Evan Romer
You are ripe . I tried to make the numbers easy to empathise , but I tripped over my good intentions . I should have used Isaac Watts , not W per hour . And when I calculated the money save by shutting off a Mac , compare with let it kip , I should have used watt - hours . Thanks for aim this out . ( See thecorrected versionof this story.)—Michael Gowan
“ 8 way of life to Go Green ” focused in the main on ways to cut your major power consumption . That ’s good , but it ignores another , more serious problem : Manufacturing electronics is an environmentally dirty occupation that ware gigantic amount of money of vim and drinkable water . Greenpeace late ranked Apple as the least green of 14 major electronics maker , for its use of toxic chemicals and its failure to set a timetable for phasing out the use of those chemicals . Of course , Apple has vigorously deny Greenpeace ’s charge , and many consumer also discount them . But whatever the merits of those charges are , getting the electronics manufacture to clean up its enactment is an essential first pace in achieving really light-green computing.—Les Simon
Greenpeace has recently tempered its criticism of Apple , applauding the ship’s company ’s novel environmental initiatives ; read more about ithere.—Dan Miller
Turned off by the Apple TV
With all the hype and brouhaha about the Apple TV , it took me a little while to figure out what the equipment actually does . It enable you to send off digital contentedness from iTunes to your TV , right ? That ’s it ? Then I return . Two things would have to pass off to make me deal about the Apple goggle box : First , it needs to be able to streamanyvideo content directly from the entanglement to my TV . Second , content provider ( Apple admit ) require to solve the HD trouble . Maybe the Apple telly will amount to something in a few years , but for now it ’s much ado about nothing.—Micah Dirksen
Spam fighters
Christopher Breen ’s review article of antispam tools ( June 2007 ) was fantabulous . Over the old age , I have tried both SpamSieve and Spamfire with success . However , I have found a much easier and better solution to the job of junk e-mail : Gmail , the free tocopherol - mail guest offered by Google . I now filter all of my e - ring mail through a Gmail business relationship , which catches 99 percent of my junk e-mail . It ’s easy to set up : You simply forward-moving ring armour get off to your normal vitamin E - ring armour address to your Gmail savoir-faire , and then download your e - mail from Gmail ’s inbox with whatever POP client you care ( or through the vane interface ) . you may always consider the chain armour that Gmail has filtered as junk e-mail . It ’s childlike and free , and it works!—Daniel Blackburn
It ’s a shame that your review of antispam software did n’t include Spam Arrest , an online service that use a challenge - response mechanism to permeate your mail service . I use this service in conjunction with Apple Mail , and it works almost perfectly , filter out all the debris and only at times filtering out valid content . It ’s also bright enough to monitor my outgoing messages : after I send a message to an reference , chain armour from that address is allowed in . The icing on the patty is that the vane interface allows me to determine mail , both valid and unverified , when I ’m away from my Mac.—Rob Bonner
One other peak for avoiding spam : Before my holiday last class , I set up an automatic “ out of bureau ” reception through my ISP . Lo and behold , when I return , my inbox was inundated with spam — and it kept coming . I ’d advise your readers not to do the same . By the path , I buy SpamSieve on your recommendation , and it worksgreat . It certainly deserves the five - black eye rating you throw it.—Lisa Wendt
