Any chance of a 17in replacement for 550 write-off?

[Simon Chapman]

I wonder if the insurance companies are flooded with claims for accidental
and fatal damage to old computers when new goodies like the 17in PB are
announced....

Coincidentally, I just spoke to my insurers because my son came home this
morning with his TiBook 550 in pieces. His story was that he got drunk last
night, slept on the sofa at a friend's house and jumped up in the middle of
the night to go to the loo -- landing right on top of his TiBook which was
lying on the floor beside the sofa. Every part of it seems to be broken or
bent and lumps of the case are missing and yet strangely the screen isn't
cracked. But it sure is dead. I'm not going to take it further apart but
the motherboard must be broken, the keyboard is broken, RAM must be broken,
etc, etc. My insurers have accepted the claim and will pay whatever Apple
charges. I'm wondering what Apple will do if they can't repair it. Will
they send a replacement from the current 15in lineup? Could I persuade them
to send a 17in if I pay something extra towards it? Or will they just build
him a 'new' 550 from refurbished stock parts?

Simon