Last night, for no good reason, my laptop (only computer) power connection died. Fortunately I always have 2 of these, so I’m still working, but I had to order another. Just—died. I think Dell makes most of its money on these units. It’s how they get revenge for my annual keyboard replacement on my service policy. (I ruin keyboards. I wear them out.)
The power units are always the thorn in the side of a laptop user. They’re always a weak spot. The batteries are pretty good these days, since the famous Toshi/Dell burning batteries incidents…but the power supply sucks pondwater.
Ugh,the Dell laptop I used to have was terrible for this. It’s like they engineered the power supply to have a weak point right where the cable plugs into the back of the computer, just for the chance to charge some poor user a hundred bucks to replace it.
It’s down to 70, with shipping, but still!
I love my Dell. But the fragility of the power units is a pita.
And their ordering system. First they put their service tag on the bottom, upside down, in microprint. Secondly, their autofind doesn’t use Firefox, so after fighting my way through their Customer Service bots, I have to change browsers and do it all again, and then it tells me it recognizes me, but—I have to make the right choice for power units, and then get the credit card verification number, and, and, and. It’s like you have to fight to give them money and you’re still not sure you’re getting the right power unit…but it’s, of course, Mother’s Day and a Sunday, so I don’t expect service.
Do you wear the letters off your keys, too? — Mine has about 8 bald keys at the moment. I use a gamer keyboard because it has a lighter touch.
I type with the tips of my fingernails, and oh, yes, I wear holes in my keys. I have a relatively new keyboard at the moment and haven’t yet obliterated it, but I have not met a keyboard that can stand up to me yet. In the old days, my rate of typing exceeded destruct limits on IBM typeballs: I disintegrated a few, and had to pick their bitsy plastic bits (yes, they were aluminum-coated plastic)out of the works. Remember those? If you wanted to change font, you had to switch balls.
One of them I blitzed so badly it not only went to pieces, it flew 8 feet across the room in several directions…I found bits in the carpet, bits in the bookcase, bits on the other side of the doorway…
I love my top-of-the-line MacBook Pro, which allows me to run Mac OS X or Windows 7 Ultimate as needed. Unfortunately, Jobs seems to be turning Apple’s back on Intel chips. It’s nice, though, that replacement is when I need to upgrade, not due to a hardware failure.
My dad is an electronics geek (where I’m a software geek), and these days a VERY common request (“Do you think your dad could look at…?”) is the power connectors on laptops.
I’m beginning to think they’re specifically designed to die early. Dells, HPs, Compaqs… always the weak housing, disintegrating plastic, barely-connected contacts. It’s a cottage industry but he hates doing it because A) it’s such a hassle just to get them open and B) the manufacturers are usually NOT gonna give up replacement bits, they want you to replace the whole SYSTEM BOARD!