A MacBook owner has posted a chronological log of his year of MacBook ownership, documenting the troubles had with the machine. While this user has been hit particularly hard, it does show the potential nasty side to owning a defective computer. Here’s the full timeline, reprinted below:

My Year Of MacBook Troubles
May 16, 2006

Eagerly buys just-announced MacBook.
May 30

MacBook delivered.
Late June

After about four weeks starts to shut down intermittently. Happens seven times over the next five weeks.
Jul 29

Four shutdowns in a day. Calls Apple. Told to send it to service provider to have logic board replaced.
Aug 17

Macbook returns from repair.
Sep 16

Shutdowns again. More frequently this time. On average 2.8 times per day the next few weeks.
Sep 22

Calls Apple. Logic board needs to be replaced again. There’s a new revision that addresses shutdowns. Promised compensation of some kind when my problems are resolved.
Oct 4

MacBook returns from repair.
Oct 6

First shutdown upon sleep due to low battery. Sleep at first seems normal: the display is shut off, the LED lights up, then before it starts to throb the machine shuts down.
Nov 1

Second shutdown upon sleep. Happens three times the next three weeks. During this time, I realize that the screen backlight is weaker, possibly since plastic replaced. Compares with friend’s new MacBook to have it confirmed.
Nov 17

Calls Apple. Told to reset PRAM and SMC. Later same day: another shutdown upon sleep. Four more during the coming days.
Nov 20

Calls Apple. Told I will get a new replacement MacBook.

Asks about compensation. Support person says that new Core 2 Duo would be considered a compensation. I refuse to accept this, saying that I would have been compensated if second switch of logic board succeeded, but I wouldn’t after having MORE troubles? Support person changes his mind and says we should talk about compensation when my problems are resolved.
Dec 13

New MacBook arrives. Core 2 Duo, yay!
Dec 17

First shutdown upon sleep. Happens a couple times the following days. Also, battery is sometimes reported as not found (crossed-out battery in menu bar). When disconnecting power cable, goes to sleep.
Jan 18, 2007

Calls Apple. Told to reset PRAM and SMC. This seems to make things worse. Calls Apple again. Replacement battery is ordered.
Jan 31

Replacement battery arrives. Seems to work fine. Later same day, shutdown upon sleep.
Feb 1

Calls Apple. Told to replace my 2GB RAM with the shipped 1GB (note: I had shutdowns before upgrading memory), then run Hardware Test, perform Erase & Install and run Apple-only install for two or three days. If problems remain, I’m told, the machine would have to be sent away for repairs.
Feb 2

Hardware Test shows nothing on consecutive runs of both Quick and Extended.
Feb 19

Finally has time to backup everything and do Erase & Install. Later same day: shuts down twice. I charge it just a tad and pull the cord: soon shuts down again.
Feb 20

Calls Apple. Basically told to always plug in the cord or put machine to sleep upon low battery warnings. (Support person claims the warning says this clearly. Which is not the case, it says “If you do not, your computer will go to sleep in a few minutes to preserve the contents of memory”.) If I don’t it’s an error on my part and Apple denies responsibility. Also told to calibrate battery, which I do overnight.
Feb 24–Apr 19

Six shutdowns upon sleep. Twice battery is reported as missing.
May 1

Shutdown upon sleep. Installs battery update.
May 2

Gets MacBook from bag and finds that it is rebooting. Due to battery update?
May 5

Reboots as I close lid. Battery at 55%.
May 15

Shuts down upon sleep. Calls Apple. Long call. First told to reset SMC and PRAM and call back if problem persists. Not satisfied with that answer. Talks to other support person. Checks lots of things. Then told to do Erase & Install and run Apple-only install for a couple of days, to rule out that this is a software issue. Doesn’t matter that I did this a couple of months ago. Sigh.

Tomorrow 1 year since placing the order.

Just when we thought a problem was in the past, it rears its ugly head again. Such is the case with the MacBook Random Shutdown problem that plagued a considerable amount of Core Duo MacBook’s, and which we all thought was resolved, until now:

I have had a MacBook Core 2 Duo (Late 2006) since early January 2007. On February 18, I came back into my office to find it off, which was odd, because I never turn it off (I usually put it to sleep).

Later that day, while I was working on it, it shut itself down without warning (it literally clicked off instantly — no apps were shutdown and the OS did not restart properly) and then went into a fit of restarts similar to the once shown in the video below.

It has done this half a dozen times in the 24 hours since, and I can rarely work on the machine for more than an hour.

You can read more here about this users particular story. Is this an isolated incident? We certainly hope so.

Now that Apple has solved the Random Shutdown problem, a new and opposite issue has popped up. Some MacBook’s are resurrecting themselves from being turned off or put to sleep, and turning themselves on!

A thread on Apple’s Discussion Boards details the trouble with several user accounts of the problem:

katedoyle86 describes her experience:

When i turn off my mac book i find that a couple of hours later the battery is really hot, and when i finally manage to turn it back on it comes up with an error message saying that it unexpectedly turned on.

machogg corroborates:

This has happened to me 5-6 times now! And please, the simplictic suggestion that the cover was shut down too quickly doesn’t cut it. If the screen goes black , the machine has shut down! Only to be found on with the blinking light, or really hot in the bag. This is a real and dangerous problem!

Other users are skeptical, such as jasperboy:

I laughed out loud when I read this. It must be a spoof, right? Shall we call it Random Shut Up?

Whatever the cause, the complaints are obviously humorous because of the largely publicized “Random Shutdown Syndrome” that has been bothering some MacBook users for months now. This has happened to my MacBook once during transportation in a laptop bag, I assume it got jostled and perhaps the trackpad button or a key was hit to awake it from sleep mode - the most likely explanation.

Happy Halloween!

Discuss this in the forums

AppleInsider was first to report that Apple has released a new SMC firmware update for the MacBook, claiming it will prevent or fix the dreaded random shutdown problem.

From Apple:

The SMC Update improves the MacBook’s internal monitoring system and addresses issues with unexpected shutdowns. This update is recommended for all MacBook systems, including those that received warranty repair.

Some in the Mac community are already doubting the update will make a difference, stating that a firmware update won’t change the fact that wires are physically melting to the heatsink, as we have reported in the past. Perhaps the melted wires aren’t related to all cases?

The user RainRacer2 on the website digg says the following regarding the melting wires:

As an Apple Tech, I can confirm that this is simply ignoring a bigger issue. I have seen first hand dozens and dozens of MacBooks with the thermal sensor wires melted to the side of the heatsink. Though this may be a nice temporary fix to get people up and running, I really hope that Apple is not encouraging this as true fix.

Another user, longofest, has a similar critical opinion:

Here’s what I’m thinking about this update… The “improvement” is actually the firmware just ignoring short-circuit situations when the heat-sink expands and comes into contact with the thermometer. If this is the case, then you may in fact degrade your ability to detect true over-heat situations in your MacBook.

Looks like Apple’s trying to take the cheap way out of this problem, instead of fixing the root hardware issues involved.

As this update is brand new it is impossible to determine whether or not it is completely effective in preventing the random shutdowns from happening in all cases. Apple does say the following however:

If you continue to experience trouble with your MacBook after applying both updates or if your MacBook is in a state that will not allow you to install the updates please contact AppleCare for further assistance.

Discuss this in the forums

A user on Flickr has posted several high resolution pictures documenting Apple’s fix for the MacBook Random Shutdown problem. The above image is of the old and new MacBook heatsink, the replacement of which supposedly fixes the problem. Flickr user ‘youd0ntkn0wwhoiam’ says this:

the new heatsinks also come with pre-applied thermal paste, which is awesome. no muss, no fuss, wipe it, squish it, and go.

here you can see the main difference between old and new: the old one has the thermisistor cables glued to the gray metal near that little tab, whereas the redesign mainly is the cables being held in place with a small strip of kapton tape

The other images are interesting as well and worth a look if you are curious about the Random Shutdown problem. Apple is apparently no longer replacing the entire logic board on afflicted machines, according to ‘youd0ntkn0wwhoiam’ :

The original repair strategy for the MacBook Random Shutdown problem was a kit, both a new main logic board, and replacement heatsink. Since then, they’ve switched to just new heatsinks, but they’re identically designed

I don’t think people care much about how it is fixed, they just want their MacBook to work without dying at random.

Discuss this in the forums

A German software developer has created smcFanControl, an easy to use application to manipulate fans inside the MacBook and MacBook Pro. It is essentially a GUI interface to the command line tool we tested a few days ago, which does in fact lower CPU temperatures by running the fans at a higher and constant rate.

Now a user on Apple’s Discussion Boards is reporting that his Random Shutdowns have halted by running smcFanControl and forcing the fans to run at twice their normal speed:

I installed SMC Fan Control last night, set my minimum fan speed to 3100 from the default 1500. Sounded quiet enough to spark my interest. I shut down, waited a few minutes and rebooted after setting the program as a startup item. I waited for my “all the time” RSD, and guess what? I haven’t shut down since.

I put the computer to sleep with the program still running, and guess what—I rewoke from sleep this morning without the RSD for the first time in months!!!!

Last week we posted pictures and information regarding the apparent cause of the Random Shutdowns - melting wires caused by poorly managed heat. It would then seem that by keeping the machine cooler via user fan management, a shutdown would be less likely to occur. This is by no means a solution or fix to the Random Shutdown problem, but if you have an affected MacBook it may be worth a try until you send the unit to Apple for repair.

Click here to download smcFanControl v1.1

Discuss this in the forums

AppleInsider and the Guardian Unlimited are reporting that disgruntled MacBook owners are organizing a class action lawsuit against Apple in response to the dreaded Random Shutdown issue.

From AppleInsider:

The issue, which users have dubbed “RSS,” or Random Shutdown Syndrome, has been well documented on Apple’s discussion boards and other forums around the web. During ordinary use, affected MacBooks will randomly shut down, effectively rendering the systems unreliable.

Users have reported shutdown intervals anywhere from once a week to several times a day. Sometimes, one random shutdown will occur within minutes of the previous one, making the notebooks completely unusable.

Compounding frustrations is Apple’s inability so far to completely remedy the issue for most users after holding their faulty systems at repair depots for lengthy periods of time.

There doesn’t appear to be a website available for information on the lawsuit, and as of now it is unknown how users will be able to opt in (or out) of the class action suit. It is unfortunate that MacBook users feel they have to resort to legal action to find a remedy. We still recommend contacting Apple directly if you experience the random shutdowns, it is worth noting repair times for some individuals have been several weeks plus.

Discuss this in the forums

The flickr user ‘thatsiebguy’ has posted high resolution images of his opened MacBook that suffered from the dreaded Random Shutdown’s. He discovered that certain wires were actually melting to the surface of the heatsink, causing the system to shutdown. He also notes in the photographs that their is a brownish discoloration on the heatsink, likely caused by the excessive heat buildup. ‘thatsiebguy’ then goes on to rearrange the placement of the wires, supposedly solving the problem altogether. This is a rather extreme measure to take on your own, and it is highly recommended that if you are suffering from the Random Shutdown’s you simply call AppleCare. Opening your MacBook yourself in this fashion could easily void the warranty.

The Random Shutdown problem has plagued some of the consumer MacBook’s for several months now, but Apple has reportedly acknowledged the problem and discovered a solution is to replace the (apparently insufficient) heatsink on affected models.

Discuss this in the forums

ZDNet Australia has a story about the unfortunate delay some MacBook owners are facing when they send their units in for repair. Apparently there was a part shortage, causing some repairs to take over a month rather than the week or two stated in estimate.

After… numerous calls… to Apple’s main customer relations number, Baker was told that “every [Apple] service department in Australia is waiting for replacement parts”.

An Apple spokesperson told ZDNet:

“In terms of the logic board we have now got supply — they were shipping yesterday … apparently there was a bit of an issue but that has all been resolved and everybody has everything they need,”

The majority of repair delays seem to be related to the Random Shutdown Problem, which typically involves the replacement of the logic board and/or heatsink. My MacBook had its logic board replaced and sent back to me in about a week, but that was in the USA. Are Apple customers abroad getting treated differently?

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mikemchargue.com

90% of our MacBooks have experienced at least one of the following issues:

1. Random, frequent shutdowns. Machines generally have to be out for repair for days or even weeks because the needed parts on are backorder. This issue occurs in over 40% of our machines and many have to go back for additional service on the same issue.
2. No video on startup unless the user resets PRAM. Neither Apple Authorized Service Providers, nor Apple support has been able to offer any suggestion aside from “reseat the RAM.”
3. Top case-discoloration. A replacement top-case fixes it, but it’s still downtime for the user.

The blog article also states:

30% of our Intel iMacs have had logic board failures. One machine had to go back 4 times. Thankfully the Core 2 iMacs are, so far, functioning perfectly.

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