Apple

[Yeti]

True story. Switched from iphone (2nd gen) on ATT in chicago (reception blew) to sprint. Decided to go cheap, with a blackberry.
Been about 5 months. Plan is nice and cheap. Canceling service, going back to iphones. Hate this f'ng device. It does nearly everything the iphone does, just with 1000x more frustration. Too bad I'm too late to buy Yeti's awesome phone.

Yea. It's already enroute to the Philippines. Sorry duder. Maybe next time. I'm sure I'll be replacing the thunderbolt in a few months

[BH]

True story. Switched from iphone (2nd gen) on ATT in chicago (reception blew) to sprint. Decided to go cheap, with a blackberry.
Been about 5 months. Plan is nice and cheap. Canceling service, going back to iphones. Hate this f'ng device. It does nearly everything the iphone does, just with 1000x more frustration. Too bad I'm too late to buy Yeti's awesome phone.

Yea. It's already enroute to the Philippines. Sorry duder. Maybe next time. I'm sure I'll be replacing the thunderbolt in a few months

Hopefully the sync between the phone and your laptop exceeds your wildest expectations.

Hawk - let me know if you want dibs on my blackberry... might be time to upgrade your starTAC.

[thehawk]

True story. Switched from iphone (2nd gen) on ATT in chicago (reception blew) to sprint. Decided to go cheap, with a blackberry.
Been about 5 months. Plan is nice and cheap. Canceling service, going back to iphones. Hate this f'ng device. It does nearly everything the iphone does, just with 1000x more frustration. Too bad I'm too late to buy Yeti's awesome phone.

Yea. It's already enroute to the Philippines. Sorry duder. Maybe next time. I'm sure I'll be replacing the thunderbolt in a few months

Hopefully the sync between the phone and your laptop exceeds your wildest expectations.

Hawk - let me know if you want dibs on my blackberry... might be time to upgrade your starTAC.

Both my WALKMAN and blueberry have been consigned to the dustbin of history (top desk drawer actually).  My baseball will be broadcast through MLB'11 this year. 

You'll be buying cheaper with the Ver/ATT subsidy anyway.  General rumor is the next iPhone will have the same form, have  a 4" screen, use the faster ipad 2 chip and be out in June/July if you care

[Richard Chuggar]

True story. Switched from iphone (2nd gen) on ATT in chicago (reception blew) to sprint. Decided to go cheap, with a blackberry.
Been about 5 months. Plan is nice and cheap. Canceling service, going back to iphones. Hate this f'ng device. It does nearly everything the iphone does, just with 1000x more frustration. Too bad I'm too late to buy Yeti's awesome phone.

Yea. It's already enroute to the Philippines. Sorry duder. Maybe next time. I'm sure I'll be replacing the thunderbolt in a few months

Hopefully the sync between the phone and your laptop exceeds your wildest expectations.

Hawk - let me know if you want dibs on my blackberry... might be time to upgrade your starTAC.

Both my WALKMAN and blueberry have been consigned to the dustbin of history (top desk drawer actually).  My baseball will be broadcast through MLB'11 this year. 

You'll be buying cheaper with the Ver/ATT subsidy anyway.  General rumor is the next iPhone will have the same form, have  a 4" screen, use the faster ipad 2 chip and be out in June/July if you care

That's all fine and dandy, but how much will Yeti have to pay to break one and then resell it to a minority after he tries to rip off his internet friends that know it's already broken?

[CT III]

True story. Switched from iphone (2nd gen) on ATT in chicago (reception blew) to sprint. Decided to go cheap, with a blackberry.
Been about 5 months. Plan is nice and cheap. Canceling service, going back to iphones. Hate this f'ng device. It does nearly everything the iphone does, just with 1000x more frustration. Too bad I'm too late to buy Yeti's awesome phone.

Yea. It's already enroute to the Philippines. Sorry duder. Maybe next time. I'm sure I'll be replacing the thunderbolt in a few months

Hopefully the sync between the phone and your laptop exceeds your wildest expectations.

Hawk - let me know if you want dibs on my blackberry... might be time to upgrade your starTAC.

Both my WALKMAN and blueberry have been consigned to the dustbin of history (top desk drawer actually).  My baseball will be broadcast through MLB'11 this year. 

You'll be buying cheaper with the Ver/ATT subsidy anyway.  General rumor is the next iPhone will have the same form, have  a 4" screen, use the faster ipad 2 chip and be out in June/July if you care

That's all fine and dandy, but how much will Yeti have to pay to break one and then resell it to a minority after he tries to rip off his internet friends that know it's already broken?

I don't think Filipinos are considered a minority in the Philippines.

[powen01]

True story. Switched from iphone (2nd gen) on ATT in chicago (reception blew) to sprint. Decided to go cheap, with a blackberry.
Been about 5 months. Plan is nice and cheap. Canceling service, going back to iphones. Hate this f'ng device. It does nearly everything the iphone does, just with 1000x more frustration. Too bad I'm too late to buy Yeti's awesome phone.

Yea. It's already enroute to the Philippines. Sorry duder. Maybe next time. I'm sure I'll be replacing the thunderbolt in a few months

Hopefully the sync between the phone and your laptop exceeds your wildest expectations.

Hawk - let me know if you want dibs on my blackberry... might be time to upgrade your starTAC.

Both my WALKMAN and blueberry have been consigned to the dustbin of history (top desk drawer actually).  My baseball will be broadcast through MLB'11 this year. 

You'll be buying cheaper with the Ver/ATT subsidy anyway.  General rumor is the next iPhone will have the same form, have  a 4" screen, use the faster ipad 2 chip and be out in June/July if you care

That's all fine and dandy, but how much will Yeti have to pay to break one and then resell it to a minority after he tries to rip off his internet friends that know it's already broken?

I don't think Filipinos are considered a minority in the Philippines.

I think he really meant to type "minor". 

[smg]

Apple is causing me extreme cognitive dissonance.  I love them, and yet I hate them.  I feel like an abuse victim who keeps coming back for more.  My extremely expensive MacBook Pro (which is itself a replacement, because they were unable to fix chronic flickering issues on the original) loses internet connectivity constantly.  Not connectivity to my network, just to the internet.  A six day software "fix" did nothing.  A six day hardware fix also did nothing, but that time, they replaced it with a higher resolution monitor that was not originally an option on my machine.  I asked if that would be a problem  They said no, shut up and be happy with your upgrade.  Cut to the display going black on multiple occasions, with no way to bring it back short of forcing a restart with the power button.  Then, they replaced it with a display of the original resolution -- and that display went black.  So now there have been three round trips to the Apple Store, most with my three month old baby.  Today was spent creating a new partition and installing the OS to see if it would happen on a clean partition.  Guess what?  It would.  No idea what happens now, but obviously, this drama is not close to over.

I have personally inspired the purchase of at least two Macs and five iPhones by friends.  Thankfully, none of those people have had issues like I am having, but I am seriously ready to pull out my hair.  I am one of those people who wanted to throw up at that article from a few weeks ago, showing how much you would be worth had you bought Apple stock instead of Apple products.  Yet, I know I won't switch away from Apple.  There's really no alternative, once you've bought in to the ecosystem.  I mean, how cool is it that I could stream music from my phone to my stereo when my computer (and thus my music library) was in the shop?  And has anyone ever used the "floating" screensaver on their Apple TV?  I mean, come on, that is just cool.

See what I mean?

[Saul Goodman]

Apple is causing me extreme cognitive dissonance.  I love them, and yet I hate them.  I feel like an abuse victim who keeps coming back for more.  My extremely expensive MacBook Pro (which is itself a replacement, because they were unable to fix chronic flickering issues on the original) loses internet connectivity constantly.  Not connectivity to my network, just to the internet.  A six day software "fix" did nothing.  A six day hardware fix also did nothing, but that time, they replaced it with a higher resolution monitor that was not originally an option on my machine.  I asked if that would be a problem  They said no, shut up and be happy with your upgrade.  Cut to the display going black on multiple occasions, with no way to bring it back short of forcing a restart with the power button.  Then, they replaced it with a display of the original resolution -- and that display went black.  So now there have been three round trips to the Apple Store, most with my three month old baby.  Today was spent creating a new partition and installing the OS to see if it would happen on a clean partition.  Guess what?  It would.  No idea what happens now, but obviously, this drama is not close to over.

I have personally inspired the purchase of at least two Macs and five iPhones by friends.  Thankfully, none of those people have had issues like I am having, but I am seriously ready to pull out my hair.  I am one of those people who wanted to throw up at that article from a few weeks ago, showing how much you would be worth had you bought Apple stock instead of Apple products.  Yet, I know I won't switch away from Apple.  There's really no alternative, once you've bought in to the ecosystem.  I mean, how cool is it that I could stream music from my phone to my stereo when my computer (and thus my music library) was in the shop?  And has anyone ever used the "floating" screensaver on their Apple TV?  I mean, come on, that is just cool.

See what I mean?

Ouch, sorry to hear that. The display problem sounds like it might require a logic board replacement.  Failing that, possibly graphics card.  Swapping out the display didn't fix it so we can rule that out, and it must not be a software problem if it happened on multiple installs.  I once had a flickering issue that was corrected when I disassembled the entire computer to find that a video cable connector had come partially loose from the logic board.  I've also had a bizarre display problem with a MacBook Pro where horizontal lines and psychedelic colors filled the lower half of the display, and it would sometimes go away with a slap of the top bezel.  A logic board replacement fixed that one.  I'm assuming the PRAM, SMC, and NVRAM have all been reset on yours already?

A logic board replacement might correct the network connectivity issue also, although that could be a multitude of things.  Do other devices have problems maintaining an internet connection?  Have you been in touch with your ISP to make sure you have connectivity?  In the past I've had problems with my ISP not properly assigning IP addresses, which required a router replacement.  My problem sounds identical to yours.  I'd suggest the AirPort hardware itself (both the card and the antenna) and your network's router/settings/ISP combo as the prime suspects.

[smg]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. The display problem sounds like it might require a logic board replacement.  Failing that, possibly graphics card.  Swapping out the display didn't fix it so we can rule that out, and it must not be a software problem if it happened on multiple installs.  I once had a flickering issue that was corrected when I disassembled the entire computer to find that a video cable connector had come partially loose from the logic board.  I've also had a bizarre display problem with a MacBook Pro where horizontal lines and psychedelic colors filled the lower half of the display, and it would sometimes go away with a slap of the top bezel.  A logic board replacement fixed that one.  I'm assuming the PRAM, SMC, and NVRAM have all been reset on yours already?

A logic board replacement might correct the network connectivity issue also, although that could be a multitude of things.  Do other devices have problems maintaining an internet connection?  Have you been in touch with your ISP to make sure you have connectivity?  In the past I've had problems with my ISP not properly assigning IP addresses, which required a router replacement.  My problem sounds identical to yours.  I'd suggest the AirPort hardware itself (both the card and the antenna) and your network's router/settings/ISP combo as the prime suspects.

The logic board is new, as they replaced it with the display  -- and they only replaced the display because that is apparently where the networking hardware is.  Personally, I really did not believe it was a software problem, given that the first time it ever happened was immediately after a massive hardware swap, but I know you have to go through all the troubleshooting stuff.  The internet issue is much better, but that is due to my googling skills, and not any of the umpteen "repairs".  I changed the Airport settings to assign a DHCP address manually, and then chose a number that was outside of the range that the router would have automatically assigned.  Since then (and it's been about 4 or 5 days of heavy use), I've noticed the connection fail only once.  

Yes, other clients work and the ISP has been ruled out.  In fact, this started right around when my baby was born, and I assumed it was Comcast's fault (aren't all bad things?).  I had them out here when the baby was feeding around the clock and I was out of my mind exhausted, and they insisted their service wasn't to blame (there's a first time for everything), and then re-set up my wiring which I did not appreciate, and also replaced my splitter without telling me, which resulted in a worse signal.  So that was fun.  Then, I troubleshot the router.  No change.  Then, by coincidence, the power supply of the router failed and Apple replaced it.  Still no change.  Then, it finally occurred to me to see if other wifi clients were losing their connection when the laptop was, and they weren't.  So by then, I was fully satisfied that it was the laptop's fault, but Apple wasn't.  Vendors LOVE networking issues.  They can blame the ISP.  The router.  The neighbor's microwave.  The baby monitor.  Anything but their own machine.  

In any event, the card and the antenna and the logic board have all been replaced, as has the router.  The dude I was talking to today is supposed to call back tomorrow.  He agrees that Apple should be offering a solution other than returning to the store for the 4th time and dealing with the snotty Genius Bar manager.  ("We don't think it is the hardware, but we swapped it out to make you feel better.")

More then you wanted to know?

[Saul Goodman]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. The display problem sounds like it might require a logic board replacement.  Failing that, possibly graphics card.  Swapping out the display didn't fix it so we can rule that out, and it must not be a software problem if it happened on multiple installs.  I once had a flickering issue that was corrected when I disassembled the entire computer to find that a video cable connector had come partially loose from the logic board.  I've also had a bizarre display problem with a MacBook Pro where horizontal lines and psychedelic colors filled the lower half of the display, and it would sometimes go away with a slap of the top bezel.  A logic board replacement fixed that one.  I'm assuming the PRAM, SMC, and NVRAM have all been reset on yours already?

A logic board replacement might correct the network connectivity issue also, although that could be a multitude of things.  Do other devices have problems maintaining an internet connection?  Have you been in touch with your ISP to make sure you have connectivity?  In the past I've had problems with my ISP not properly assigning IP addresses, which required a router replacement.  My problem sounds identical to yours.  I'd suggest the AirPort hardware itself (both the card and the antenna) and your network's router/settings/ISP combo as the prime suspects.

The logic board is new, as they replaced it with the display  -- and they only replaced the display because that is apparently where the networking hardware is.  Personally, I really did not believe it was a software problem, given that the first time it ever happened was immediately after a massive hardware swap, but I know you have to go through all the troubleshooting stuff.  The internet issue is much better, but that is due to my googling skills, and not any of the umpteen "repairs".  I changed the Airport settings to assign a DHCP address manually, and then chose a number that was outside of the range that the router would have automatically assigned.  Since then (and it's been about 4 or 5 days of heavy use), I've noticed the connection fail only once. 

Yes, other clients work and the ISP has been ruled out.  In fact, this started right around when my baby was born, and I assumed it was Comcast's fault (aren't all bad things?).  I had them out here when the baby was feeding around the clock and I was out of my mind exhausted, and they insisted their service wasn't to blame (there's a first time for everything), and then re-set up my wiring which I did not appreciate, and also replaced my splitter without telling me, which resulted in a worse signal.  So that was fun.  Then, I troubleshot the router.  No change.  Then, by coincidence, the power supply of the router failed and Apple replaced it.  Still no change.  Then, it finally occurred to me to see if other wifi clients were losing their connection when the laptop was, and they weren't.  So by then, I was fully satisfied that it was the laptop's fault, but Apple wasn't.  Vendors LOVE networking issues.  They can blame the ISP.  The router.  The neighbor's microwave.  The baby monitor.  Anything but their own machine. 

In any event, the card and the antenna and the logic board have all been replaced, as has the router.  The dude I was talking to today is supposed to call back tomorrow.  He agrees that Apple should be offering a solution other than returning to the store for the 4th time and dealing with the snotty Genius Bar manager.  ("We don't think it is the hardware, but we swapped it out to make you feel better.")

More then you wanted to know?

The wireless antenna is concealed within the bezel surrounding the display.  Maybe it's all one piece that can't be swapped out separately with the new models, but that seems quite inefficient.  What about the graphics card then, on the display issue?

[smg]

The logic board is new, as they replaced it with the display  -- and they only replaced the display because that is apparently where the networking hardware is.  Personally, I really did not believe it was a software problem, given that the first time it ever happened was immediately after a massive hardware swap, but I know you have to go through all the troubleshooting stuff.  The internet issue is much better, but that is due to my googling skills, and not any of the umpteen "repairs".  I changed the Airport settings to assign a DHCP address manually, and then chose a number that was outside of the range that the router would have automatically assigned.  Since then (and it's been about 4 or 5 days of heavy use), I've noticed the connection fail only once. 

Yes, other clients work and the ISP has been ruled out.  In fact, this started right around when my baby was born, and I assumed it was Comcast's fault (aren't all bad things?).  I had them out here when the baby was feeding around the clock and I was out of my mind exhausted, and they insisted their service wasn't to blame (there's a first time for everything), and then re-set up my wiring which I did not appreciate, and also replaced my splitter without telling me, which resulted in a worse signal.  So that was fun.  Then, I troubleshot the router.  No change.  Then, by coincidence, the power supply of the router failed and Apple replaced it.  Still no change.  Then, it finally occurred to me to see if other wifi clients were losing their connection when the laptop was, and they weren't.  So by then, I was fully satisfied that it was the laptop's fault, but Apple wasn't.  Vendors LOVE networking issues.  They can blame the ISP.  The router.  The neighbor's microwave.  The baby monitor.  Anything but their own machine. 

In any event, the card and the antenna and the logic board have all been replaced, as has the router.  The dude I was talking to today is supposed to call back tomorrow.  He agrees that Apple should be offering a solution other than returning to the store for the 4th time and dealing with the snotty Genius Bar manager.  ("We don't think it is the hardware, but we swapped it out to make you feel better.")

More then you wanted to know?

The wireless antenna is concealed within the bezel surrounding the display.  Maybe it's all one piece that can't be swapped out separately with the new models, but that seems quite inefficient.  What about the graphics card then, on the display issue?

They didn't check for it when it first failed, they just re-swapped the display.  I've informed my advisor that I am looking for a solution other than "just bring it back to the Apple Store" and he agreed, so we'll see what happens today, now that he knows that the display failed on the new OS install.

[Richard Chuggar]

The logic board is new, as they replaced it with the display  -- and they only replaced the display because that is apparently where the networking hardware is.  Personally, I really did not believe it was a software problem, given that the first time it ever happened was immediately after a massive hardware swap, but I know you have to go through all the troubleshooting stuff.  The internet issue is much better, but that is due to my googling skills, and not any of the umpteen "repairs".  I changed the Airport settings to assign a DHCP address manually, and then chose a number that was outside of the range that the router would have automatically assigned.  Since then (and it's been about 4 or 5 days of heavy use), I've noticed the connection fail only once. 

Yes, other clients work and the ISP has been ruled out.  In fact, this started right around when my baby was born, and I assumed it was Comcast's fault (aren't all bad things?).  I had them out here when the baby was feeding around the clock and I was out of my mind exhausted, and they insisted their service wasn't to blame (there's a first time for everything), and then re-set up my wiring which I did not appreciate, and also replaced my splitter without telling me, which resulted in a worse signal.  So that was fun.  Then, I troubleshot the router.  No change.  Then, by coincidence, the power supply of the router failed and Apple replaced it.  Still no change.  Then, it finally occurred to me to see if other wifi clients were losing their connection when the laptop was, and they weren't.  So by then, I was fully satisfied that it was the laptop's fault, but Apple wasn't.  Vendors LOVE networking issues.  They can blame the ISP.  The router.  The neighbor's microwave.  The baby monitor.  Anything but their own machine. 

In any event, the card and the antenna and the logic board have all been replaced, as has the router.  The dude I was talking to today is supposed to call back tomorrow.  He agrees that Apple should be offering a solution other than returning to the store for the 4th time and dealing with the snotty Genius Bar manager.  ("We don't think it is the hardware, but we swapped it out to make you feel better.")

More then you wanted to know?

The wireless antenna is concealed within the bezel surrounding the display.  Maybe it's all one piece that can't be swapped out separately with the new models, but that seems quite inefficient.  What about the graphics card then, on the display issue?

They didn't check for it when it first failed, they just re-swapped the display.  I've informed my advisor that I am looking for a solution other than "just bring it back to the Apple Store" and he agreed, so we'll see what happens today, now that he knows that the display failed on the new OS install.

Keep me posted.

[BH]

The logic board is new, as they replaced it with the display  -- and they only replaced the display because that is apparently where the networking hardware is.  Personally, I really did not believe it was a software problem, given that the first time it ever happened was immediately after a massive hardware swap, but I know you have to go through all the troubleshooting stuff.  The internet issue is much better, but that is due to my googling skills, and not any of the umpteen "repairs".  I changed the Airport settings to assign a DHCP address manually, and then chose a number that was outside of the range that the router would have automatically assigned.  Since then (and it's been about 4 or 5 days of heavy use), I've noticed the connection fail only once. 

Yes, other clients work and the ISP has been ruled out.  In fact, this started right around when my baby was born, and I assumed it was Comcast's fault (aren't all bad things?).  I had them out here when the baby was feeding around the clock and I was out of my mind exhausted, and they insisted their service wasn't to blame (there's a first time for everything), and then re-set up my wiring which I did not appreciate, and also replaced my splitter without telling me, which resulted in a worse signal.  So that was fun.  Then, I troubleshot the router.  No change.  Then, by coincidence, the power supply of the router failed and Apple replaced it.  Still no change.  Then, it finally occurred to me to see if other wifi clients were losing their connection when the laptop was, and they weren't.  So by then, I was fully satisfied that it was the laptop's fault, but Apple wasn't.  Vendors LOVE networking issues.  They can blame the ISP.  The router.  The neighbor's microwave.  The baby monitor.  Anything but their own machine. 

In any event, the card and the antenna and the logic board have all been replaced, as has the router.  The dude I was talking to today is supposed to call back tomorrow.  He agrees that Apple should be offering a solution other than returning to the store for the 4th time and dealing with the snotty Genius Bar manager.  ("We don't think it is the hardware, but we swapped it out to make you feel better.")

More then you wanted to know?

The wireless antenna is concealed within the bezel surrounding the display.  Maybe it's all one piece that can't be swapped out separately with the new models, but that seems quite inefficient.  What about the graphics card then, on the display issue?

They didn't check for it when it first failed, they just re-swapped the display.  I've informed my advisor that I am looking for a solution other than "just bring it back to the Apple Store" and he agreed, so we'll see what happens today, now that he knows that the display failed on the new OS install.

Keep me posted.

Worst case scenario - you could put it up for sale on desipio. Then try to sell it to yeti. Profit.

[smg]

The logic board is new, as they replaced it with the display  -- and they only replaced the display because that is apparently where the networking hardware is.  Personally, I really did not believe it was a software problem, given that the first time it ever happened was immediately after a massive hardware swap, but I know you have to go through all the troubleshooting stuff.  The internet issue is much better, but that is due to my googling skills, and not any of the umpteen "repairs".  I changed the Airport settings to assign a DHCP address manually, and then chose a number that was outside of the range that the router would have automatically assigned.  Since then (and it's been about 4 or 5 days of heavy use), I've noticed the connection fail only once. 

Yes, other clients work and the ISP has been ruled out.  In fact, this started right around when my baby was born, and I assumed it was Comcast's fault (aren't all bad things?).  I had them out here when the baby was feeding around the clock and I was out of my mind exhausted, and they insisted their service wasn't to blame (there's a first time for everything), and then re-set up my wiring which I did not appreciate, and also replaced my splitter without telling me, which resulted in a worse signal.  So that was fun.  Then, I troubleshot the router.  No change.  Then, by coincidence, the power supply of the router failed and Apple replaced it.  Still no change.  Then, it finally occurred to me to see if other wifi clients were losing their connection when the laptop was, and they weren't.  So by then, I was fully satisfied that it was the laptop's fault, but Apple wasn't.  Vendors LOVE networking issues.  They can blame the ISP.  The router.  The neighbor's microwave.  The baby monitor.  Anything but their own machine. 

In any event, the card and the antenna and the logic board have all been replaced, as has the router.  The dude I was talking to today is supposed to call back tomorrow.  He agrees that Apple should be offering a solution other than returning to the store for the 4th time and dealing with the snotty Genius Bar manager.  ("We don't think it is the hardware, but we swapped it out to make you feel better.")

More then you wanted to know?

The wireless antenna is concealed within the bezel surrounding the display.  Maybe it's all one piece that can't be swapped out separately with the new models, but that seems quite inefficient.  What about the graphics card then, on the display issue?

They didn't check for it when it first failed, they just re-swapped the display.  I've informed my advisor that I am looking for a solution other than "just bring it back to the Apple Store" and he agreed, so we'll see what happens today, now that he knows that the display failed on the new OS install.

Keep me posted.

Apple is replacing the computer.  Score.

[Richard Chuggar]

The logic board is new, as they replaced it with the display  -- and they only replaced the display because that is apparently where the networking hardware is.  Personally, I really did not believe it was a software problem, given that the first time it ever happened was immediately after a massive hardware swap, but I know you have to go through all the troubleshooting stuff.  The internet issue is much better, but that is due to my googling skills, and not any of the umpteen "repairs".  I changed the Airport settings to assign a DHCP address manually, and then chose a number that was outside of the range that the router would have automatically assigned.  Since then (and it's been about 4 or 5 days of heavy use), I've noticed the connection fail only once. 

Yes, other clients work and the ISP has been ruled out.  In fact, this started right around when my baby was born, and I assumed it was Comcast's fault (aren't all bad things?).  I had them out here when the baby was feeding around the clock and I was out of my mind exhausted, and they insisted their service wasn't to blame (there's a first time for everything), and then re-set up my wiring which I did not appreciate, and also replaced my splitter without telling me, which resulted in a worse signal.  So that was fun.  Then, I troubleshot the router.  No change.  Then, by coincidence, the power supply of the router failed and Apple replaced it.  Still no change.  Then, it finally occurred to me to see if other wifi clients were losing their connection when the laptop was, and they weren't.  So by then, I was fully satisfied that it was the laptop's fault, but Apple wasn't.  Vendors LOVE networking issues.  They can blame the ISP.  The router.  The neighbor's microwave.  The baby monitor.  Anything but their own machine. 

In any event, the card and the antenna and the logic board have all been replaced, as has the router.  The dude I was talking to today is supposed to call back tomorrow.  He agrees that Apple should be offering a solution other than returning to the store for the 4th time and dealing with the snotty Genius Bar manager.  ("We don't think it is the hardware, but we swapped it out to make you feel better.")

More then you wanted to know?

The wireless antenna is concealed within the bezel surrounding the display.  Maybe it's all one piece that can't be swapped out separately with the new models, but that seems quite inefficient.  What about the graphics card then, on the display issue?

They didn't check for it when it first failed, they just re-swapped the display.  I've informed my advisor that I am looking for a solution other than "just bring it back to the Apple Store" and he agreed, so we'll see what happens today, now that he knows that the display failed on the new OS install.

Keep me posted.

Apple is replacing the computer.  Score.

Let's celebrate