After two years of use, the right hinge on the cover of my HP Envy m6 broke, rendering the notebook totally useless. The notebook was never dropped and was never handled by the cover. It was used solely by me (a former college instructor and business analyst) -- 95% of the time in my home. This was a 2012 Christmas gift from my son (purchased November, 28, 2012). On June 14, 2015, I tried to boot up my notebook only to find a series of squiggles on the screen. Then I noticed the cover had split near the right hinge. I tried to snap it back in place and reboot but was unsuccessful. I took it to Best Buy and was told they would have to send it off for a diagnosis and I would be charged whether it was repairable or not. I then took it to an independent computer technician and was told I'd be better off buying a new laptop -- he recommended a well-known brand. He had seen this problem with HP laptops before.
Here's the thing. I purchased a Dell desktop in 2002 and it is still going strong today -- outdated but still working. My 2+ year old HP notebook broke without credible reason. I have read the threads in this forum and it seems others have had similar problems. Is this some form of planned obsolescence or just cheap material, poor design and inferior workmanship? I did not have the money for a replacement so I resumed using my outdated (but still working) Dell desktop.
To say that I am disappointed is a minor statement. I thought HP was better than this. What is HP doing to address the hinge problems that rendered HP Envy m6 notebooks useless? A reputable company stands behind its products.