A few days ago I blogged about the “image persistence” issue with my 6-month-old 24″ iMac and how I was completely irritated with Apple’s focus on aesthetics at the expense of functionality.   I eventually got over the display problem (since the damage wasn’t permanent), and I began loving my Mac again.   However, our reconciliation was short because I am now having grounding problems with the Mac (noticed how I no longer claim it).

It all started this morning.  I was running extremely late for my 8 a.m. class (curse you, Biochemistry Professor!), and I needed to print the syllabus for another course.  When I logged into the Mac, I realized something was wrong.   Whenever I touched the Apple Mighty Mouse, Exposé would pop up.  I couldn’t click anything without being interrupted by Exposé.  After 3 minutes of frustration and failed attempts to get on Blackboard to retrieve the syllabus, I gave up and turned the computer off.  When I got home in the afternoon, I hoped the problem miraculously went away.  Of course it didn’t.  I managed to disable Exposé from popping up by removing the set functions from the side buttons of the mouse.  Even though Exposé no longer interrupts my every mouse move, something was still not right.  The mouse clicks every time I place my hand on it, and it’s rather annoying (it’s basically like the iPod click wheel sound but continuous).   The click only stops if I place my left hand on the aluminum side of my iMac while I use my mouse with my right hand.   I Googled the problem*, and apparently, this issue is also common**.   Many people noted that replacing their Apple Mighty Mouse did not solve the problem.  I can confirm that the issue is not with the Mighty Mouse itself because I plugged the mouse into my Sony Vaio, and there is no clicking sound.  Therefore, the grounding issue has to be with the iMac.  I called Applecare, and since I didn’t buy the additional warranty, I have to bring my 24″ computer into the nearest Apple Store.  My nearest Apple Store is in the center of a crowded mall.  I am definitely not looking forward to that hot mess of an experience.  Right now, I unplugged the iMac and all the peripherals.  I am leaving it unplugged for 30 minutes or so.  I am hoping the problem will be solved.

I am very disappointed with my Apple experience.  The iMac is probably the most expensive computer I bought in all these years, and it is also the one that gave me the most problems within the first months of using it.  I think OS X is fabulous.  It’s fast and efficient (but so is FreeBSD).  However, Apple’s hardware is another story.   Apple compromises its quality for its beauty.  I actually use my computers, so it has to work.  Apple has failed on that account.  This Mac is probably the last Mac I will own.  I hate you, Apple.  I hope another company comes out with more fashionable computers and user-friendly operating systems and steals all your sales.

* According to the many forums on the Internet, there is no DIY fix for this issue.   I think the real fix for this problem is just not buying any more crap from Apple.

** Americans are so litigious.  Why isn’t there a class action lawsuit against those Apple jerks?

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Edit on 1/21/09:  I unplugged everything for about 12 hours, and the problem with the clicking seemed to have gone away.  My Mac and I might just be friends again.

Edit on 1/21/09 (later in the day):  Oh, it’s still clicking.  The break-up is still very much on.

Edit 1/24/09: Okay, so I thought it was sort of weird how my mouse started acting up when I got the new TV. I thought it was just some sort of a coincidence. However, the more I thought about it, the more I think the two may be related. Today, I moved my computer 1-foot farther from my TV, and the random clicking stopped.

Edit 1/25/09: That only lasted one night. In the morning, it started clicking again.

Edit 1/25/09 (later in the day):  I exchanged my TV, and the clicking seemed to have gone away.  I hope this time’s for good.

Edit 2/12/09: The fix was for good. My mouse is fine now. So I love the Mac and hate the Sony S series TV. I’m so glad I brought that shit back and got a 42″ V series for the same price.