[Adam Shapiro]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

maybe I got the model number wrong. The apple that went up in smoke was a Mac tower (~$2400) - I thought it was a G4, maybe it was a G3?

The G3/4/5 designations refer to the generation of processor used in the machine. It's possible that it was either of those two, depending on when you purchased it. Judging by the price you stated it was most likely a PowerBook.

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

Ive been using PCs since the first ones came out back in the 80's, and Ive never had a motherboard fail like that. I think a few memory sticks, a couple hard drives that went south

but heres the thing, with a desk top PC I could get a new motherboard for less than $100, easily - or upgrade to a newer processor and board and keep everything else for a couple hundred dollars.

It's definitely possible to have computers last those lengths, however it is also possible to have machines fail. I stated the two earlier examples. I have also had hardware failures of my own including (but not limited to) a motherboard failure, a faulty power supply, a sound input bus failure, multiple hard drive failures, a 3D acceleration failure on a video card due to faulty capacitors, etc. All of those were on PCs.

I do agree with you that the cost of replacing hardware outside of warranty is certainly lower for PCs though. Still, while failures certainly do happen, they aren't as common as one might think for any manufacturer.

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

This Applecare thing - all you are doing is paying even more for an already expensive computer, right? If the Apple sales guy is telling you 'you really want the extended warranty" then what is he saying about Apple quality?

I wouldn't say that. Every computer manufacturer and retailer provides some sort of warranty support, as well as an optional extended warranty. This is not limited Apple. If they didn't cover the product at all after the purchase date, then I would agree with you that there was an issue. The length of time that a company decide it is cost effective for them to cover the product varies greatly among the many well-known computer companies, as well as the lesser-known ones. I feel that, while it seems short in comparison to some others, Apple's policy is generally fair and of decent length.