My sister purchased a 17" MacBook Pro a couple of years ago. When I saw her at the end of last month it had just died: no display. I booted it up in Firewire target disc mode and ascertained that its hard disk seemed intact. A modicum of research suggested that the problem was a dead logic board, the transplant for which would run a cool $1K. "Did you get the three-year Applecare plan?" She had not. Further research suggested that a sufficient number of logic boards had failed on these models to suggest some kind of production flaw. I advised Sis to take it in to the Apple store and allude obliquely to this fact.

Apple was apparently almost comically cooperative. Golly, dead logic board? We certainly can't have that, can we? She got her computer back yesterday in good working order, no charge.

cordially,