Sans iBook

I’ve complained several times here over the last few months about some problems I’ve been having with my iBook laptop; just to recap, since December, I’ve had some kind of short/power problem that won’t allow me to run my computer on battery power. On the one hand, it’s not a big deal; on the other, what’s the point of having a laptop if you can’t use it when it’s unplugged? And besides that, it’s a pain in the ass to have to shut down and restart the computer every time I move it, even if I am only moving it from one room to another.

So, given that I’m not quite ready to buy a new one yet, it was time for a fix.

Yesterday, Steve B. and I made the pilgrimage to the Apple store in Novi (about 30 miles from here) to drop it off. I figured it would be more efficient than trying to deal with Apple customer service over the phone. I filled out some forms at the so-called “Genius Bar” with someone who seemed to take his job title of tech support er, “genius,” a little too seriously. Amusingly enough, there were spots on the form where said genius inspected to see if there was any visible cosmetic damage or liquid damage. In other words, if you drop the computer down the stairs and/or spill a beer into it, you have a whole different problem.

Since I didn’t drop it or spill anything into it (and as I think about it, it’s surprising to me that I’ve never done this with any computer I’ve had, and I’ve had computers for over 20 years now), and also since I didn’t have the AppleCare deal and my computer is long beyond warranty, this repair is going to run me $300. This was a tough call, and it falls into that space where people contemplate buying new cars, appliances, lawn mowers, etc.: while $300 might be too much money to spend on a repair, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new one. I’m just not ready to buy one of these new MacBook Pro things yet, and I figure if I can get another 12 to 18 months use out of this, then it will be worth it.

According to the Apple Support Repair Status page, my computer repair is “on hold” for a part. Hopefully, this “hold” will be brief. Though to tell you the truth, it probably won’t be the end of the world if I can’t get access to my laptop for a week or two. I’m typing this message right now on my son’s Windoze PC, my wife has a iBook I can borrow, I have two computers in my office, etc., etc. I am hardly technology deprived. Still, I kind of want my computer back. Like right now.

Man, I wonder how this withdrawal will feel in August when I’m away from pretty much any computer for (gulp) three weeks?