My iBook came back the other day from its second holiday at the repair centre in the Netherlands, about four weeks after I first contacted Apple. First, the good points: it works, and, this time, the specification is as it should be—900 MHz. The problem, however, is that the machine has been reassembled so badly that the entire bottom half of the machine is significantly and visibly warped, bowing downwards in the middle. It appears that the metal chassis is actually bent. I’m at a loss to understand how they did it. I can’t imagine that exerting that kind of stress on the internal components is going to do anything positive for their longevity.

So it’s gone back to Apple. For the third time. Am I absurdly optimistic in hoping for third time lucky?