MacBook Logic Boards are Expensive.

[CompuMedics PC Repair]

I was just looking at a MacBook for a client, and usually, I don't have to deal with Apple products. They had spilled water on the keyboard, and it was toast, I could see where the shorts happened. I was pricing a logic board for the repair, and they are anywhere from $599.99 to $900.00. That is about as much as the laptop cost my Client in the first place.

I am not complaining, I was just taken aback because I am used to PC hardware prices, and the comparison to Apple was stark.

My Client informed me that they plan to just buy another computer, and I am wondering if they will go PC or Apple again. A PC motherboard of the same spec as the damaged one would be about a third of the cost for a new board. Not to mention the laptop would have been cheaper to buy in the first place.

I do not consider myself biased against either platform, but the price comparison is a little ridiculous, for the same hardware,you are paying a premium for the Apple name.

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

Whenever we have an out of warranty logic board replacement that needs done, the absolute cheapest way to do it is to mail it to the Apple depot for a flate rate repair. A flat rate repair for that machine would be around $300. BUT, that's if there was no evidence of a spill or drop. Once you get into accidental damage or stock ordering non-return parts, the price skyrockets..

 

[iisjman07]

It's a shame they cost so much, I quite like the idea of people spending a bit more money on a machine and actually taking care of it. The problem with a lot of pc's nowadays is they're built so cheaply and repairs can easily outway the cost of a new machine, whereas with macs the repairs usually worth the money

 

[CompuMedics PC Repair]

It would be nice if PCs were more expensive, but parts were the same price, you know? So you could make a little bit of money on repairs. Apple makes it as expensive to repair the machine as it is to replace it.

It's a shame they cost so much, I quite like the idea of people spending a bit more money on a machine and actually taking care of it. The problem with a lot of pc's nowadays is they're built so cheaply and repairs can easily outway the cost of a new machine, whereas with macs the repairs usually worth the money

Unless you have to replace the logic board after a spill. I wonder if there is a way I can make spill damage less obvious.

 

[Velvis]

Im no Apple fan boy. I have a Macbook Pro that I use and like fine. But one thing alot of people forget is how well built Apple stuff is or the extra features. Things like the magnetic power adaptor connector or the auto keyboard lights or auto screen brightness. The bells and whistles do add cost, but are nice to have.

How many laptops power jacks need to be replaced because of pulling and bending of the cord?(I have done a ton) or screens cracked when they fall from someone pulling on the power cord and having the whole laptop fall. None of that happens with the mag-safe connector.

I personally have done 6-7 Dell 1525 hinge replacements, I cant imagine having a hinge issue with my Macbook Pro.

I am not saying Apple stuff isnt overpriced, but you cant compare them to the $399 Dell cheapies.

But good god it would be nice to open a picture on a mac and be able to left/right arrow to see the next picture in the folder.....

 

[gunslinger]

Im no Apple fan boy. I have a Macbook Pro that I use and like fine. But one thing alot of people forget is how well built Apple stuff is or the extra features. Things like the magnetic power adaptor connector or the auto keyboard lights or auto screen brightness. The bells and whistles do add cost, but are nice to have.

How many laptops power jacks need to be replaced because of pulling and bending of the cord?(I have done a ton) or screens cracked when they fall from someone pulling on the power cord and having the whole laptop fall. None of that happens with the mag-safe connector.

I personally have done 6-7 Dell 1525 hinge replacements, I cant imagine having a hinge issue with my Macbook Pro.

I am not saying Apple stuff isnt overpriced, but you cant compare them to the $399 Dell cheapies.

But good god it would be nice to open a picture on a mac and be able to left/right arrow to see the next picture in the folder.....

You beat me to it. I hear how over priced Apple products are all the time. Mostly from people who don't own Macs or are just parroting what they have heard.


You don't see many people switching from Macs to PCs, there are reasons for this.

 

[CompuMedics PC Repair]

Im no Apple fan boy. I have a Macbook Pro that I use and like fine. But one thing alot of people forget is how well built Apple stuff is or the extra features. Things like the magnetic power adaptor connector or the auto keyboard lights or auto screen brightness. The bells and whistles do add cost, but are nice to have.

How many laptops power jacks need to be replaced because of pulling and bending of the cord?(I have done a ton) or screens cracked when they fall from someone pulling on the power cord and having the whole laptop fall. None of that happens with the mag-safe connector.

I personally have done 6-7 Dell 1525 hinge replacements, I cant imagine having a hinge issue with my Macbook Pro.

I am not saying Apple stuff isnt overpriced, but you cant compare them to the $399 Dell cheapies.

But good god it would be nice to open a picture on a mac and be able to left/right arrow to see the next picture in the folder.....

I am sorry, I didn't mean to say they were over priced, my Client said she paid 900 dollars for the laptop, fine it is a Mac, it does have some nice features, there is a premium. But when you have to replace a logic board for 800 dollars that is a bit off.

Now, to be fair, the logic board on a Mac looks as though is has more thought put into it than a PC board. It is small, compact, and the ones I have seen, are all one piece. On a PC there are daughterboards, and wires and heatsinks and fans, and all sorts of craziness going on in there.

Not to mention how easy it was to get into the case of this MacBook, with the exception of those stupid Y shaped screws holding the battery down.

I will hate on a Mac because of the price, but when a Client asks about a worry free laptop, I recommend an Apple.

Oh hey, by the way, I just thought of this. Lets say you buy a 1525, and replace the jack once, you are out what, 30 dollars for parts, 80 for labor. That is about what I would charge. So 110 bucks over the assumed life of the laptop, but an Apple will fetch 500 more than a comparable PC, for a few small conveniences? I was just using your example.

You don't see many people switching from Macs to PCs, there are reasons for this.

Brainwashing? I hear people complain about their Apple's all the time, but they say a PC is too complex for them, or too much trouble, or they talk about viri. I don't blame them, give the people that want simple, easy to use machines, just that. I love that you can just plug an Apple in and start it up and it just works.

Apple is just one of those companies, like Coke, or McDonald's. When you think of an MP3 player, you think IPOD, when you think of a phone, you think IPHONE, they are ingrained in our consciousness.

 

[gunslinger]

Some quick points. I have maybe 20 personal friends who own Macs and know another 50-75 that I talk with sometime from my youtube channel and I'd say 98-99% of everything I have ever heard about Macs has be positive.

Second thing. I have a Macbook I got back in 2008. I paid $900 for it. The going rate for it is about $650-700. Show me a $900 PCs resale value in 3 years.

 

[CompuMedics PC Repair]

Some quick points. I have maybe 20 personal friends who own Macs and know another 50-75 that I talk with sometime from my youtube channel and I'd say 98-99% of everything I have ever heard about Macs has be positive.

All of your friends got exactly what they wanted, and they paid a premium for it, of course they will be happy, no one will dispute that. Who complains about something that they are happy with.

I was making a statement based on people who owned a PC and then bought a Mac. I was hearing about them missing their Zune, or they miss a game they liked, or they miss cut and paste, or window memory.

Others like being about to dig around in the OS and change things, even if it did get them into trouble.

Second thing. I have a Macbook I got back in 2008. I paid $900 for it. The going rate for it is about $650-700. Show me a $900 PCs resale value in 3 years.

Apples are a luxury brand, of course they hold their value. Just as a Mercedes holds it value more than a Mazda. No one is disputing that, but I will make your point by saying that a Mercedes parts for a repair will be costlier than a Mazda.

IN ADDITION: I started this topic to exclaim that I was amazed that a logic board was $800 when I am used to sub $300 motherboards. I did not start it to disparage one brand over the other, if that is the case, I am truly, truly sorry. My only personal bias is the price. If you came to me with two identical laptops and the only difference was price, and more involved work on the cheaper one, I would choose the cheaper of the two.

 

[Ccomp5950]

How many laptops power jacks need to be replaced because of pulling and bending of the cord?(I have done a ton) or screens cracked when they fall from someone pulling on the power cord and having the whole laptop fall. None of that happens with the mag-safe connector.

I personally have done 6-7 Dell 1525 hinge replacements, I cant imagine having a hinge issue with my Macbook Pro.

I am not saying Apple stuff isnt overpriced, but you cant compare them to the $399 Dell cheapies.

Going over my records (in the last 4 years)...

Macbook Pro Thermal Paste rework: 36
(Local College)

Removing CD's from stuck Mac bays: 5
iMac screen replacements: 20
(The above 2 items from the local Newspaper, early adopter of iMacs)

PC Laptop hinge replacements: 22 (15 in the last 12 months)
Emachine power supply replacements within months of purchase: 19
PC Laptop Power Jack replacements: 72
Virus spyware removal (PC of course): 982
PC failed memory: 112 (1/3 of those is from the local appraisal district, one batch of Dell systems they purchased had 2 512mb PC3200U that all went bad around the same month)
Data recovery failed hardware PC: 480
Data recovery failed hardware Mac: 5 (bad batch of systems I think the local print shop purchased, all failed within the same 3 months, the high end PowerMac G5's)

Given...the numbers for mac repairs are higher for me since I'm the only person (non-pizza tech) within the 2 counties that will mess with an Apple system (or any other *nix variant it seems), so my competitors absorb some of the PC repairs. But when the local college found out I worked on macs I was flooded there for a bit with the Macbook Pro's, they were ordered for a department when they had a certified mac guy on their IT staff. They became a Microsoft Shop later on and then these started causing problems. I was told I had touched 3/4 of their Macbooks.

When you normalize the numbers against market share and price of hardware, it appears macs really aren't that much better.

 

[meanderer]

it would be amazing if the magsafe is used by everyone... but apparently apple has it patanted.... or else we should be seeing them everywhere.
just a thought.

 

[Ccomp5950]

it would be amazing if the magsafe is used by everyone... but apparently apple has it patanted.... or else we should be seeing them everywhere.
just a thought.

Would be nice. I used to think adding an easy to get to daughterboard for the power would be smarter but not sure if that's patented as well or not.

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

Going over my records (in the last 4 years)...

Macbook Pro Thermal Paste rework: 36
(Local College)

Removing CD's from stuck Mac bays: 5
iMac screen replacements: 20
(The above 2 items from the local Newspaper, early adopter of iMacs)


When you normalize the numbers against market share and price of hardware, it appears macs really aren't that much better.

If that's the total of Mac repairs you've done over 4 years, I'd hardly take your market share comparison as a good reference on the debate of PC vs. Mac reliability. I'd say you've done maybe a few Macs at best. I fix on a regular basis Macs for several school districts and 2 state universities. One University is one of the largest in the country that sends quite a bit of Mac work our way. Yeah, Macs break and I don't dispute that. But some of the things you are pointing out are NOT known or even acknowledged issues by the Apple community. Most of the things I see are failing hard drives and damage due to accidents. Replacing thermal paste on Macbook Pros I've really only had to do when doing logic board replacements, unless it was a case where a machine was so filthy that the paste had literally turned to dust (again user fault). This iMac screen problem I've never seen and I've pretty much seen it all. I won't dispute it could be an isolated incident with that model with that particular batch they received (seen that before also), but is far from a common issue with iMacs and is a very small percentage of those models sold world wide. I'm not saying their are not some known Mac issues like the iMac G5 blown caps, Macbook Pro NVidia GPU issue, The macbook cracked top case issues, etc..But a majority of the hardware issues are due to supplier parts in Apple equipment. How many PCs received this same batch of bad caps and bad NVidia GPUs? Also what about software issues? It doesn't look like your record shows any software repairs that have had to be repaired in the last four years, yet virus removal on Windows boxes is literally keeping you in business.

 

[Ccomp5950]

If that's the total of Mac repairs you've done over 4 years, I'd hardly take your market share comparison as a good reference on the debate of PC vs. Mac reliability. I'd say you've done maybe a few Macs at best. I fix on a regular basis Macs for several school districts and 2 state universities. One University is one of the largest in the country that sends quite a bit of Mac work our way. Yeah, Macs break and I don't dispute that. But some of the things you are pointing out are NOT known or even acknowledged issues by the Apple community. Most of the things I see are failing hard drives and damage due to accidents. Replacing thermal paste on Macbook Pros I've really only had to do when doing logic board replacements, unless it was a case where a machine was so filthy that the paste had literally turned to dust (again user fault). This iMac screen problem I've never seen and I've pretty much seen it all. I won't dispute it could be an isolated incident with that model with that particular batch they received (seen that before also), but is far from a common issue with iMacs and is a very small percentage of those models sold world wide. I'm not saying their are not some known Mac issues like the iMac G5 blown caps, Macbook Pro NVidia GPU issue, The macbook cracked top case issues, etc..But a majority of the hardware issues are due to supplier parts in Apple equipment. How many PCs received this same batch of bad caps and bad NVidia GPUs? Also what about software issues? It doesn't look like your record shows any software repairs that have had to be repaired in the last four years, yet virus removal on Windows boxes is literally keeping you in business.

I record software issues as software issues, I don't differentiate between PC and Mac. before a year ago blown caps meant "sorry, looks like there is no fixing that, going to have to replace the entire ____" I haven't seen any cracked top cases, going to assume those were warranty items or they just didn't bring them to me. I know I worked on some failed mac hard drives but I don't know how many since I didn't differentiate (data recovery is data recovery is data recovery) in my notes until the print shop off the top of my head I'll say once a year or so.

I opened up saying my numbers are not to be taken as gospel, but here they are. I'll agree PC Virus/Spyware removal and general service calls are my big money makers that are consistent. Also know that before Jan 1 2010 is numbers from another shop I worked at before I opened my own, I kept records out of curiosity, not out of business essentials.

If someone kept better records or had more business (therefore a better sample) I'd accept their numbers just as readily, but working with what I have available, this is the conclusion I've came up with: "Macs are no better than PCs when it comes to workmanship."

 

[CompuMedics PC Repair]

Would be nice. I used to think adding an easy to get to daughterboard for the power would be smarter but not sure if that's patented as well or not.

I just took apart a Dell 1525, and it has a daughterboard for power as well as the USB slots next to the power jack, very small and easy to get.

 

[wtigger]

Would be nice. I used to think adding an easy to get to daughterboard for the power would be smarter but not sure if that's patented as well or not.

Well, DC jack repair is getting easier on some PC models Some HP, Dell and Toshiba models use a pigtail now, instead of having it soldered onto the motherboard...

 

[wtigger]

My general experience, as a tech, is that MAC's are MUCH more difficult to take apart than PC's I have all the service manuals (purchased on eBay), and follow them carefully. But since I don't do high volume MAC repair, it takes me 4 times longer to take apart a MacBook than a PC laptop... But with practice I'm getting better... But my least favorite job is replacing the "glass" covering the LCD on Macbook Pro's... Real PIA... Very time consuming...

I own PC's and Mac's both, and all computers have their issues and quirks... And Malware (on PC's) is 75% of my business...