My children and laptops are a combustible combination. They have each been through multiple laptops over the past few years and we now are smart enough to buy the industrial strength extended warranty (the one that covers everything, including acts of supreme beings). This smartness did not, however, permeate our little pea brains until just recently, so Caitlin’s PowerBook that was purchased last year is not so covered.

When she brought us a key that had popped off the keyboard when the machine was only a few months old, I believed it was an isolated occurrence and worked for several hours to “pop” the key back on. When her power cord broke and needed to be replaced, I, somewhat nervously, thought this could happen to any laptop. As is frequently the case, I was proved thoroughly wrong. Her keyboard is now missing about 17 keys, the battery will no longer hold a charge, and the second power cord broke off inside the laptop, bending the connector to such an extent that the repair center claims that the motherboard needs to be replaced.

Total cost (parts only) to fix the laptop = $1,300.
Total cost to replace the laptop = $2,000

We’ll go with the fix-and-pray route, hoping that the labor charges are less than $700.

As we walked into MicroCenter today (the only Apple authorized dealer in a 25 mile radius), I noticed a sign on their front door:
No Smoking
Food or Liquid

I suppose if you smoked something gaseous it would be ok.