Before The Fall

OK, this week didn't start all so well. At around midnight on Sunday night, my Mac shut down. I was watching TV, and the Mac was on the desk, running. Then it wasn't.

The iMac with 24" monitor

I have always been the one to shout the praises of all things Apple, with my iMac, my iPod Touch, and my iHome alarm clock. When buying my previous Apple products, I have always purchased Applecare, the warranty extension program, for my prior purchases, I have not used it once for a computer. My last computer, an eMac, is still running, being used by my brother. It is about 8 years old, and after seeing him go thru 3 PCs in about 2 years, I told him to try the eMac, and he has been happy with it for almost 21 months.

So, when I purchased my latest, an iMac with a 24" monitor in October of 2007, I was pleased as punch. It was fantastic, fast, and just great to look at. I have always loved the way Apple designs things. Yes, I am a bit of an iTard. So much so, when it came time to extend my Applecare for the new iMac, I scoffed and said, 'why spend the bucks, nothing will go wrong with it. My Mac is unstoppable!'

Power Supply for the iMac

So the old saying is correct, pride goeth before the fall. Last Sunday, 9 months after I decided to not get the extended care for my iMac, it went belly-up. Monday morning, I took it to the only authorized Apple repair center within an hour of me. Since it wasn't responding in the slightest, I suspected, with the help of my friend Rickey, it was the power supply. When I arrived, I was greeted by Frank M, who tried to glad hand me a bit, and then asked me when I graduated Smyrna High School. Indeed, I had graduated with his older brother, Freddie. Yikes. And he also mentioned a classmate of mine that had recently passed, did I know? Nope, I didn't. Wanna know why? Most people didn't like me then, why should we chat now? Asshats.

I left the iMac with them, hoping to hear back on Tuesday or Wednesday. I heard on Tuesday late, when they whined about the fact I had over 400 GB of crap on the computer - as if I didn't know I had a stupid amount of mp3 files, pictures, and videos on my computer. Still had almost 70 GB free, and a large sum of the surplus needed to be burnt to a DVD and deleted. On Wednesday, I heard they were ordering the power supply, and should know more tomorrow. Then I got the call on Thursday, with less pleasant news. It wasn't the power supply, but instead the logic board. That, of course, was much more expensive - $140 versus more than $900 - and I contemplated buying a new computer or getting the repair. After realizing I had $300 of labor already [doesn't take much when they are charging $90/hour], I would go with the repair.

Logic board for the iMac - look for the gold, right?

So, on Friday at around 4:30, I called Frank, and guess what? The Logic Board they received was having issues. Sometimes it just didn't allow the video to pass thru. Frank tells me this is an issue [yarite, I had to be informed about that] and they would need to order another, and get it in on Monday - the weekend without the computer. And he said sometimes they get refurbished boards from Apple - factory refurbished mind you, but refurbished nonetheless - and I was just thinking 'I am paying almost $1,000 for a used board, are you freakin' kidding me?' However, I decided to let that go until Monday, for I didn't want to get ugly and ruin their weekend, more like just annoy them at the beginning of the week.

So, another few days without a computer, and I am using a borrowed PC to do this, and I am clueless about all this PC stuff. Just annoyed, but getting something posted. And missing my iTunes, but thankfully have the iPod Touch to keep the music going and I can watch an occasional video. But I can't rewatch Torchwood, see the last episode of True Blood, the first couple of episodes of Being Human, and God knows what else, including a fascinating documentary of the drag troupe Bloolips.

My savior, the iPod Touch

That aside, I better be getting good news on Monday about the computer. if they have more issues, or it costs me more money, I am liable to make them very sorry they were working on my iMac. I will keep you informed.