The Danish Consumer Complaints Board says that the Apple G4 iBook has a serious problem in that there is a defect in some of the solder points located on the motherboard that prevents the iBook from starting properly. Seems that the constant on/off use of the computer will eventually wear the solder points until the system won’t boot.

In its press release, the Danish board states:

In a specific complaint case, the Consumer Complaints Board in Denmark now has evidence of a hidden, original design defect in Apple’s iBook G4. This can have serious consequences for the computer manufacturer, which has so far denied the existence of this defect. Thousands of users all over the world have tried to get Apple to acknowledge the fault and agree to take back the computers.

Users of iBook G4 find that the power goes off in the computer and the screen goes blank after just over one year’s use. But when they contact Apple to have the fault repaired or to return the computer, Apple rejects the complaint on the grounds that there is no question of a design fault, and that the 12 months’ guarantee has expired anyway.

I smell another conspiracy theory coming our way. The conspiracy crowd will tout the fact that the computers stop functioning just after the 12 month warranty expires. So Apple has done this on purpose to force consumers to buy a new iBook. I think not. But if you are the owner of a G4 iBook you should be aware of this problem. You may also wish to contact Apple to see if it has any suggestions.

Comments welcome.

[tags]apple, g4, ibook, defective, consumer complaint[/tags]