I've been using Macs since the mid 80s, and I'm trying to think of some, but am drawing a blank.
The only possibilities I can think of are the two processor switches (680x0 -> PPC followed by PPC -> Intel) or maybe the first release of OSX (but that's not necesarily hardware related).
At one point, the iBook G3 had a 73% failure rate...
The first item on the list contains this gem:
> Anyhow, Apple put a 32-bit CPU on a 16-bit bus and created a monstrosity that worked okay as long as you didn’t use the modem or a network connection.
And the PowerBook 5300 was on the honorable mentions list. I remember that machine: it was notorious for the batteries catching on fire. And I've got personal experience with one of the machines on the honorable mention list, the Performa 630: the IDE hard drive was the bane of my existence back then, and the use of the execrable 68LC040 meant I was locked out of using certain software.
Oh, and here's another, much longer, list, from the same website: http://lowendmac.com/2014/road-apples-second-class-macs/
Consider, for example, the original Power Mac G4 release. There were three levels available: 400MHz, 450MHz, and 500MHz. Turns out Apple had overreached with the 500MHz speed, so they had to roll it back to 350/400/450. Quite an embarrassment at a time when Apple was struggling to convince people that their PowerPC chips outperformed Intel and were therefore worth a bunch of extra money.
The new MacBook Pro is a pretty decent machine. It has some typical first-generation hardware problems, and the design certainly doesn't make everybody happy, but it's not bad. And Apple has released outright bad machines in the past.
I don't remember a release with so many weird issues, that honestly should've been picked up pretty early during the design and acceptance phases.
I got hit by the 2011 MBP issue a year or so in. I had to buy a new laptop because Apple didn't issue the repair order until well after my AppleCare expired and I wasn't going to pay $500+ for the repair not knowing whether Apple would eventually pick up the tab.
Apple customer support refused to live up to the text of their manual, even when I read directly from it and requested that they repair the faulty GPU because I had remained within the terms of the manual.
They lost my business.
Mine died right (weeks) after my AppleCare ended.
Because a local authorized Apple dealer would fix it without an appointment (vs the local Apple Store), I took mine there.
I did upgrades too, but I always keep my original RAM and HD in case I get a nitpicky tech. I stuffed those in there (with a fresh OS install) when I sent it for repair and had no issue.
A friend of mine who has two of the same models but were not bricked yet - he had mixed experience at the Apple store. For his first one which was glitching badly, the Genius gave him a hard time because it was not glitching at the store (in spite of the repair order not indicating that the issue needed reproducing). They ended up fixing it, but not without causing stress to my friend.
My friend then repaired the second one right before the repair order was ending but did not get a hard time from the Apple Store for that one.
Because I had to choose between spending $500 on replacing a board (I already had replaced mine once under AppleCare - they basically just put a new version of the defective board in, and it started glitching in less than 3 mos) or spending a little more on a new laptop, I opted for the latter. And at that point, I was officially on the path off of OSX.
I would have stuck around if Apple issued the repair order sooner (i.e., before my MBP bricked). Apple historically has had a great reputation for making people whole again. Given how much I spent on my 2011 MBP, I expected better, sooner.
Still, they should have honored what they promised in their manual. The fact that I even had to break out the manual (via PDF) is an annoyance. The representative's failure to honor that language, even as they readily admitted that yes, that was an official Apple manual, and the manual says I should be covered...but we're not going to cover this repair because we're not going to cover this repair...that was where I lost patience. I left the store and vowed to never buy another Apple product.
I read stories on the Apple Support boards related to repairs on the 2011 MBPs and some people were getting laptops back from Apple with RAM upgrades missing, etc. And because of the Geek Squad horror stories (yes, I know Apple is not the Geek Squad - but better safe than sorry), I'd rather just give them a working HD with no data on it.
-- edit
Having said all of this, you can't swap out parts with the newer macs as easily since they're not as user-serviceable as the 2012 unibodies and earlier.
Absolutely refused to fix it, wanted $1500 to replace the logic board and the liquid cooling system. I've refused to buy Apple ever since.
And what's worse it just hints a deeper issues, the 6/6plus bendgate and the more recent display gate were kinda meh, now this line which not only had some questionable design choices but also has multiple hardware issues.
Things just seem to be broken.
People are disappointed.
Technically, the 12" MacBook was worse than the MBP refresh in every way: Only one USB-C port, extremely underpowered, flimsy keyboard. Commenters everywhere ridiculed it, but it was obviously an "optional" product. So what, Apple often releases things that are too far ahead of the curve for most people. (Voice-controlled iPod shuffle, anyone?)
But by calling it the new MacBook Pro, they've pretty much guaranteed that none of its laptops will ever be thicker again, or come with "older" ports, or with a traditional keyboard. They've put upper limits on all its laptops now. It's not that I am disinterested in the 2016 release. I also can't imagine how the 2017-2019 releases could possibly appeal to me, unless they surprise us with a MacBook Pro SE.
This is not like the disappointing 2014 Mac mini, which Apple can fix overnight just by updating the parts. knocks on wood...
There was a gap of several months where 2011 MBP owners' AppleCare had expired before the Repair Order was issued - and people like me whose machines had failed were faced with a hard choice - pay >$500 for a fix or buy a new laptop.
Prior to the repair order, the logic board replacements had the same GPU defect. I had my logic board replaced once already under AppleCare, and it got GPU glitches within 3 months of the repair. There was no point in replacing it again and again only to get the same problem over again.
The GPU problem is genuinely fixed with the post-Repair Order boards though.
I imagine the situation was even worse for people who did not buy AppleCare.
The annoying part is Apple silently ignores defects for a while till it becomes unpopular not to. But yeah, Apple has had design defects in several Laptop cycles. over heating issues, hinge breakage, the infamous swollen battery, retina coating issues, etc etc.