Yes, it’s time for me to grump about my MacBook again (bought in the first weeks of MacBooks being released). Those closely following the shenanigans of my MacBook (which I have always wanted to love as dearly as my iBook) will recall that it’s had its share of problems. Discolouration issue? Check. In for repair in the first month or so! A few days later it comes back and they haven’t reven fitted the topcase properly. Discolouration returns only weeks later… Back for repair! It comes back… and the discolouration issue returns. Sod it, I think, I’ll just put up with it being yellow. So then I start getting random shutdowns. Back to the service centre! (And at this point, Apple corporate relations get involved because I kick up a stink.) Finally, it returns and the shutdowns have been fixed and they’ve replaced all the discoloured plastic again. Even better, this time the discolouration doesn’t return, so it looks like they finally got around to using a different sort of plastic.
And now, this evening, my ethernet port has stopped working, so I am having to use the internet on my MacMini, which is attached to a neck-killing tiny and ancient monitor. I look it up on the net, and it turns out several MacBooks have had this issue. So, it seems that tomorrow I will be back on the phone to Apple and awaiting a fourth repair on my eight month-old machine. Yep, that’s right - an average of one repair every two months. Pathetic.
All online comments said: don’t buy first generation Mac hardware; it is pretty much a testing ground, beta-ware. But I didn’t listen, because I wanted to test Scrivener on Intel hardware. Well, never again. So, just a warning to all: listen to the voices on the web. Don’t buy Mac hardware until it has been tested and revised for about a year or so.
I hear you, but I still risked it last December and bought a Mac Pro. The only reason I did that was that one of my friend bought it right after it was announced and he has no problem with his machine. Couple that with the lack of noises on the web means the Mac Pro is generally well built.
My 24inch Imac – which I bought hot off the announcement in September – suffers from what is now widely being called “The Black Screen of Death” under Boot Camp. This effectively means that for the moment I have no way to run 3D PC stuff on my intel Mac (parallels can’t do 3D yet). Plenty of the earliest 24s have this problem, which Apple refuses to fix or even recognize, since Boot Camp is Betaware.
My black MacBook has been flawless (purchased in October). I do feel your pain though. I was an early purchaser of a PowerBook 5300c…the worst laptop Apple ever made.
Keith, I also had my share of problems with my 1st Gen MacBook, unlike you however all my problems (discolouration, random shutdowns) were fixed by only one trip to AppleCare - and I’ve been happy with it since.
BUT, I think you’re topic heading should read “Never buy first generation Mac HARDWARE…”, as opposed to Scriviner, which although not really first generation software (with Scrivener Gold and then six betas) is at version 1.0.
Oops - quite. I just noticed that as I came to this thread, too. That’s what you get for posting after a drink or two (which seems to be becoming a theme). Wonder how many sales I lost.
I’m thinking of buying a black MacBook now, as I need a backup Intel machine for developing Scrivener on when the other one is on one of its many sojourns to the Apple service centre…
Well, I learned this lesson early on, having purchased Macs since 1985.
That said, my very first purchased Mac (as opposed to my first borrowed Mac!) was an SE right after they first came out. Paid 3 grand for the little sucker (still have it in my basement to be used as a planter!). It worked and worked and worked–gave it to my brother, gave it to my mother. That thing STILL works. Amazing little machine. But there was the powerbook duo laptop I bought right off which was a bomb (not in the good sense!). And other non-Apple products. Usually software too, at least with bigger developers who seem to think that those who purchase their first version software are signing on to be beta testers!!
NOT so of course with our beloved Scrivener!! Which I happily purchased as soon as Keith let us!!
Sorry you are having such problems with your MacBook, Keith!! There is little more frustrating than having one thing happen after another! Argh!!!
no discoloration so far on my new MacBook, one of the last of the Core Duo (not Core 2) that CompUSA was selling off. Had a manager’s special to boot so $788US and I didn’t pay too much attention to the very minor scratching. I had to reload the OS to get rid of the previous owner’s data which CompUSA left onboard, and the battery was DOA but quickly replaced by my local Apple Store.
But hey, they managed to leave an extra IR remote in the box so who’s to complain?
I have, however, bought an iCare polishing kit. I want to nip any discoloration in the bud!
I just noticed that as I came to this thread, too. That’s what you get for posting after a drink or two (which seems to be becoming a theme). Wonder how many sales I lost. 
