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July 15, 2008 at 9:40 pm #587501
westwoodmomMemberI inherited an older iBook from my father in law and the display died. Any recommendations for Apple repair?
July 15, 2008 at 9:51 pm #631462
guidosmomMemberI am not aware of a place in West Seattle, but in the past I used the Mac Store in the U District.
July 15, 2008 at 9:54 pm #631463
cjboffoliParticipantwestwoodmom: What kind of “older iBook” is it? One of the colored original models or something more recent? Are you sure it is just the display? Does the laptop seem to boot up otherwise? Depending on the model I think you’re going to be looking at anywhere from $250-$450 just for the display replacement. But a diagnosis should also rule out whether it might be something else like the motherboard or GPU.
These guys are great and have fast turnaround:
July 15, 2008 at 10:01 pm #631464
westwoodmomMembercjb-It is a white iBook. The display just faded out one day on boot up, it will still power up but no display. I will give your guys a call to see if worth replacing.
July 15, 2008 at 10:11 pm #631465
beachdrivegirlParticipantI go to the store in Southcenter. You can either make an appointment ro call in. They have always been super helpful!
July 15, 2008 at 10:30 pm #631466
Dave-AndersonMemberI have an old iBook 14 inch that died. The display probably still works, since it was something bad with the mother board. If you would like to take it for spare parts to make repairs a little cheaper I’d be happy to let you have it.
July 15, 2008 at 11:10 pm #631467
ZenguyParticipantI know an Apple instuctor, let me see if I can engage him.
July 15, 2008 at 11:23 pm #631468
cjboffoliParticipantAs much as I’d usually try to support a local business, for something like this I’d really advise that you send it off for service to a shop that does these kinds of repairs in volume. As much progress as Apple has made as of late, this is still a Microsoft town. Taking an iBook to a local computer store would be like taking a child in need of a heart transplant to a large animal vet. I’ve never been to the authorized Apple shop on 45th in the U-District but I’d hazard a guess that they have had to jack their repair prices to survive now that there are three official Apple stores in the area.
It sounds to me as though the problem is in the display. Those CCD backlights can fail over time. My sense is that it if were the motherboard or GPU you would have had strange patterns and lines on the screen before the display died. You should inquire as to whether they can replace the light source as opposed to the whole display.
July 15, 2008 at 11:38 pm #631469
KenParticipantyo dave I will talk about the dead ibook if you don’t have another use lined up.
I have one sitting on my living room table with a cracked screen but it works fine except for the black parts of the lcd :). I have been checking craig’s list for weeks looking for an LCD that would fit it.
And for all you technoweenies who think no one but the droids at the apple store can fix them, it is a computer. Most computers are very very similar at the hardware level. I have fixed every type known since the trs-80.
The 14 inch Ibooks in white and with two usb ports are very old and slow but suitable for a kid.
Some of the newer Ibooks are possibly expensive enough to repair at apple store cost if your really really wanting to give that cash away.
Look up the model number (often in odd places like under the hard drive or battery) and see what a used one is going for on craigs list or ebay. Don’t pay more than that to fix it.
If you need the data off it I keep a variety of computers and drive enclosures around just to pull and transfer data from stuff I am working on.
July 15, 2008 at 11:43 pm #631470
WSBKeymasterThere is a relatively new computer outlet in WS that deals with Apple – you might check with them. TouchTech System, in The Junction (in the breezeway near Jan’s Beauty Supply, Many Moons, etc.) We’ve met its proprietor, haven’t done business with him yet but we do know Apple is one of his specialties – not sure if repair as well as sales – worth a call
July 15, 2008 at 11:43 pm #631471
KenParticipantApple has instructors?
umm why? I though people got them because PEECEES wuz just too hard to use…
osx is just a layer over bsd unix now. looks more like a finally fixed NeXtstep than the old macOS.
July 15, 2008 at 11:48 pm #631472
cjboffoliParticipantApple laptops are no TRS-80s. They’ve got a lot of microelectronics crammed into those little cases. If you’re comfortable cracking them open and tinkering with the innards, then good on ya. But I don’t think anyone going by the handle “westwoodmom” is going to have the same level of comfort and dexterity. And while Craigslist might be a great source for used parts dirt cheap, the parts you pull from a same-year model of iBook might just quickly fail from age as did the original parts you’re replacing. Laptops get a much higher level of abuse too and, especially if the person you are buying the used parts from killed their iBook, I’d question the state any of those components are in. Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying.
July 15, 2008 at 11:55 pm #631473
ellenaterMemberwestwoodmom,
be aware that some older ibook models are lemons. We had ours repaired under warranty, six times! The hard drives die over and over. If you are interested I can find out which models…
July 16, 2008 at 12:24 am #631474
westwoodmomMemberLOL about assumptions, cjb! This mom worked in IT for 10 years before and after the babe, but of course mainly with MS products, so anything to do with an Apple is a new language to me, yes. This is an A1007, I presume 800mz but not certain, no config label. I was using this mainly for my son and basic net use, so not like I ever expected much out of this, but it was actually faster than my dinosaur PC before the display fizzed out. Anyway, I will check on some of your ideas tomorrow after work-thanks!
July 16, 2008 at 2:02 am #631475
KenParticipantiBook G3 14″ (A1007) seems to be a 700mhz with ati gpu. Some of the ATI gpus lose their solder integrety in the crazy ball grid array socket.
If you have an external video adapter for the ibooks, plug it in and see if the video works. If it does then the lcd backlight or inverter can be fixed at a fairly reasonable price.
The lcd screen and the logic board are both usually at a higher price than a used g3 or g4 ibook.
July 16, 2008 at 3:10 am #631476
ZenguyParticipantApple has instructors because it is just enough different to warrant it and they are trying to market to older peeps as well. Pop in to any store and they are happy to show you their stuff.
July 16, 2008 at 3:15 am #631477
Dave-AndersonMemberYeah whoever wants it… first dibs to westwoodmom as the original author of this thread. If she doesn’t want it then it is yours Ken.
Dead motherboard but the dvd superdrive, airport extreme, lcd, 1gig ram upgrade and any other salvageable parts are up for grabs as long as you take the whole thing away (I’ve already partially disassembled it). Apple iBook 14″ M9628LL/A 1.33ghz powerpc g4. I salvaged the 60 gig harddrive and turned it into an external but you can’t have that.
July 16, 2008 at 3:50 am #631478
JanSParticipantwow…a thread for geeks – lol..j/k, j/k :)
actually, does anyone know where I might get my hands on a Mac for Dummies or Switching to Mac for Dummies for a friend…preferable free – lol..thought I’d ask here before I try freecycle :)
just click my name…my e-mail is on my website :)
July 16, 2008 at 4:34 am #631479
KarlMemberTry this link for Switching to a Mac for dummies / by Arnold Reinhold:
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