Honest and skilled Apple shop in Hollywood, FL?

February 24, 2008 2:06 PM

I would like to find a computer shop in the Hollywood, FL area that can replace the hard drive in my fiancee's iBook G4. It's way too complicated for me to do it myself so DIY is not an option. Apple's "genius bar" refuses to do it so I guess we need to find a local computer tech shop. Any recommendations on a skilled and trustworthy place?
posted by R_Nebblesworth to Technology (12 answers total)

Here's the place to find Apple-authorized service providers: it lists four near you, but I'm not qualified to judge them.
posted by holgate at 2:10 PM on February 24, 2008

it's really not that complicated, you know. i've done it myself. it's easy, it just requires a bit of patience and to work your way through it.

i'm amazed that apple won't do it - that legendary customer service kicking in again
posted by ascullion at 2:15 PM on February 24, 2008

Response by poster: Acullion, I would love to do it myself, but I have a great knack for breaking small fiddly electronic thingies.

Thanks for the link Holgate, I am hoping someone will pop in with personal knowledge of one of these stores, otherwise I'll just roll the dice on one.
posted by R_Nebblesworth at 2:22 PM on February 24, 2008

I see you've probably already dismissed the idea but ascullion is right, its really not too tricky a thing to do at all.

I've just replace the hard drive on my powerbook g4 using one these guides and they are awesome. Each step is colour coded making it a really simple process.
posted by cantthinkofone at 2:22 PM on February 24, 2008

This looks like a step-by-step photo illustrated guide.

Just remember to ground yourself (not that it's that important, but, hey - old superstitions must be based on some basis in fact) by touching an exposed metal bit that's plugged into wall (or the metal screw holding your wall outlet coverplate in if it's not painted over).

Hard drives and HD connectors are pretty robust. Just make sure you know how to, and have everything required, to re-install a fresh OS on the, now, unformatted harddrive.

If your old HD is still viable (working), perhaps buy a 2.5" external HD enclosure and have yourself a backup solution (and so you can copy stuff from the old HD back to the new one).
posted by porpoise at 7:41 PM on February 24, 2008

Ok, I just read through the entire photo guide. Jeeze Louise. Macbooks are more user-service-hostile than Sony PDAs. Just about every other notebook computer I've seen has a big plastic button that you push et voila the HD pops out.

But it looks like it's not a big deal for anyone with opposable thumbs and the correct (simple, cheap) tools. If you can get an icecube tray to keep the screws sorted out, you should be ok.

Unless you have Parkinsons or terrible eyesight, I'm sure you can pull it off.
posted by porpoise at 7:45 PM on February 24, 2008

Out of curiosity, why would the 'genius bar' refuse to do this? Is it because the computer is older?

Thats kinda retarded, if so.
posted by tremspeed at 8:18 PM on February 24, 2008

I've also replaced an HD in a g4 ibook. Lots of screws, yes. A ridculous number of steps, yes. But the only tricky part for me were the hex screws in the shell. But even if you don't do it yourself, it's just a standard HD in a laptop, so you don't need an "apple genius". Any computer shop could help you.
posted by kamelhoecker at 8:56 PM on February 24, 2008

Why in the world would so many people think that the genius bar is there to provide free service? They do little things, like replace a broken key on a keyboard. Or, provide free consultation on what to do with a problem. They aren't going to provide hours of free service for you. Why is it "kinda retarded"? I think it's "very retarded" to think they would. Why don't other computer brands or independent computer shops put in a hard drive for free?
posted by SciGuy at 9:15 PM on February 24, 2008

Why is it "kinda retarded"? I think it's "very retarded" to think they would. Why don't other computer brands or independent computer shops put in a hard drive for free?

Where are you reading the free part? I've always assumed that the genius bar is like Geek Squad, but nicer and Mac-ier.
posted by !Jim at 10:05 PM on February 24, 2008

The genius bar is not the repair part of Apple. To get full service, you have to send it back to the mothership. The logic behind this is that Apple can quality control the technicians working on your machine. The genius bar is not Geek Squad. Apple will do extensive repairs for you for a fee. It generally isn't worth it. I'd take it to the Powerbook Guy (www.powerbookguy.com) myself and save the money.
posted by SciGuy at 7:30 AM on February 25, 2008

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that they should do it for free. I thought that's what they did, repair things and charge for parts and labor. In fact, I remember looking up what was involved for becoming an Apple "Genius", and I seem to remember people talking about spending alot of time in the back, making repairs. Isn't there some week-long training course they make you travel to take before you're a certified genius? I'd have to guess that hard drive upgrades MUST rank up there with ram upgrades as most common jobs people want done... what the hell else are they doing all day?
posted by tremspeed at 8:13 PM on February 25, 2008