Apple to repair shutdown-plagued MacBooks under warranty
Apple Computer has acknowledged that a problem exists with some of its Intel MacBooks where the notebook computers may intermittently shut down, but has vowed to fix those systems free of charge.
"Some MacBooks may shut down intermittently under normal use," the Mac maker wrote in a memo to some of its service providers this week. "If this issue occurs on your customer's MacBook and the computer meets certain requirements, Apple will cover replacement of the affected parts under warranty."
For more details on the repair program, Apple told providers to check this knowledge base article, which ironically contains only the following line: "If your MacBook is shutting down intermittently, please contact AppleCare for service."
Complaints from disgruntled owners of the 13-inch widescreen notebooks began pouring into online forums in recent weeks, all claiming that their new Apple notebooks would "randomly" lose power and shut down. The uproar also fueled the creation of a Web site purely dedicated to bringing attention to the issue, appropriately titled MacBookRandomShutdown.com.
In its memo to service providers, Apple mandates that affected MacBooks be repaired with a matching logic board and heatsink set. This new logic board and heatsink combo part should be available to service providers by the end of this week, the company said.
In the meantime, Apple is channeling all "business-critical" MacBook repairs through its Austin, Texas repair depot for a faster turnaround times. Individual customers who filed complaints with AppleCare have also been able to send their machines into the depot, but some have been waiting in excess of one week to get their computers back.
"Some MacBooks may shut down intermittently under normal use," the Mac maker wrote in a memo to some of its service providers this week. "If this issue occurs on your customer's MacBook and the computer meets certain requirements, Apple will cover replacement of the affected parts under warranty."
For more details on the repair program, Apple told providers to check this knowledge base article, which ironically contains only the following line: "If your MacBook is shutting down intermittently, please contact AppleCare for service."
Complaints from disgruntled owners of the 13-inch widescreen notebooks began pouring into online forums in recent weeks, all claiming that their new Apple notebooks would "randomly" lose power and shut down. The uproar also fueled the creation of a Web site purely dedicated to bringing attention to the issue, appropriately titled MacBookRandomShutdown.com.
In its memo to service providers, Apple mandates that affected MacBooks be repaired with a matching logic board and heatsink set. This new logic board and heatsink combo part should be available to service providers by the end of this week, the company said.
In the meantime, Apple is channeling all "business-critical" MacBook repairs through its Austin, Texas repair depot for a faster turnaround times. Individual customers who filed complaints with AppleCare have also been able to send their machines into the depot, but some have been waiting in excess of one week to get their computers back.
Comments
The shurtdowns happened to me after less than a month of use.
I empathise with those with the problem though and getting lemon MacBooks. How many perfectly fine ones have shipped though by now... 300,000 ??
The dodgy Apple service centre in Malaysia refused to fix the modem dying on my iBook, claiming it was a "burn effect" which can happen due to lightning but at no stage was the iBook connected to the phone line when storms or lightning was going on. F*ckers. In 2003 I got a 23" cinema display and it had 3 dead pixels right off the bat. Too late did I realise they wouldn't fix it. I should have returned it. But anyway eventually I sold off the PowerMacG5 and CinemaDisplay via a small, decent Apple reseller in Sydney.
That's quite a story!
http://www.macbookrandomshutdown.com/ seems to be a really overblown site though for just 295 reported users having the problem reported on the website.
I empathise with those with the problem though and getting lemon MacBooks. How many perfectly fine ones have shipped though by now... 300,000 ??
Yes but that's assuming that most/all of the macbooks that have the problem were reported to the site.
295? multiply it by 10-20 to get the real figure, at the very least.
The title of this article is curious: Apple to repair shutdown-plagued MacBooks under warranty. Is there really another option in this situation? I don't think so. The product is only a few months old and it comes with a one year warranty, ergo the problem will be covered via warranty repair.
The shurtdowns happened to me after less than a month of use.
That's amusing, because in most places, it's illegal.
Yes but that's assuming that most/all of the macbooks that have the problem were reported to the site... 295? multiply it by 10-20 to get the real figure, at the very least.
Multiply it by 100 and you get 29,500 shutdown-defective MacBooks
Not being sarcastic, but yeah if 295 reported to this "obscure"? site, then multiply by 10-100 you get 2,950 to 29,500 shutdown-defective MacBooks.
Multiply it by 100 and you get 29,500 shutdown-defective MacBooks
Not being sarcastic, but yeah if 295 reported to this "obscure"? site, then multiply by 10-100 you get 2,950 to 29,500 shutdown-defective MacBooks.
Out of how many? I believe that, as of the last numbers estimated several weeks ago, over 300,000. That would mean between 1 and 10%.
1% is nothing, but 10% is meaningful.
Maybe if it's a bad chip or chipset on the board then maybe lots of 5,000 in a production run are affected. Just pulling numbers out of my a55 here.
Why don't you post these things in one post? Trying to catch up?
Why don't you post these things in one post? Trying to catch up?
It's a separate "thought stream" so it should be in separate posts. And yes since I was out in no-broadband wildnerness for 3 weeks it seems I'm watching you and Placebo's tail-lights. Last one to 6000 posts is a rotten egg...!!
It's a separate "thought stream" so it should be in separate posts. And yes since I was out in no-broadband wildnerness for 3 weeks it seems I'm watching you and Placebo's tail-lights. Last one to 6000 posts is a rotten egg...!!
Smells like my old chem lab.
14 days is the longest I'd find acceptable to get a warranty repair done.
For a product purchased so recently, I wouldn't accept that at all, I would demand a replacement. I would be pretty upset if it was my only computer and it was simply gone for two weeks only a month after purchase.
Taking a statistic then multiplying it by a random figure you've though up is kind of pointless...
There is some merit to it though, and in some cases, I think it has been studied with regards to customer and constituent complaints, I just don't know how I can dig that up.
I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that for every person that's reported a problem on a particular obscure site that there must be at least ten other people that has experienced the problem but don't go to the bother of going to said obscure site.