Apple recalls small batch of 3rd-gen Apple TVs over defective part
In what appears to be a targeted recall program, Apple this week notified an unknown number of customers that their recently purchased third-generation Apple TV unit would be replaced due to a faulty part.
Apple reached out to a MacRumors staff member who bought an Apple TV "a few weeks ago" to inform him of the situation, explaining that only customers affected by the unspecified problem are being contacted. The company did not further detail the issue, but the fact that customer service is emailing buyers individually suggests it is limited to a small number of units.
Apple is overnighting replacement Apple TVs to users confirmed to have a defective unit, even if the hardware is not yet experiencing problems. Because the faulty part was not identified, it is not clear what owners need to look out for, though it seems Apple is already taking proactive steps to ensure seamless operation.
Apple last initiated a recall program for Beats Pill XL speakers in June after it was discovered that the internal battery posed a fire risk. Those who purchased the defective product were offered $325 in Apple Store credit or cash.
Apple reached out to a MacRumors staff member who bought an Apple TV "a few weeks ago" to inform him of the situation, explaining that only customers affected by the unspecified problem are being contacted. The company did not further detail the issue, but the fact that customer service is emailing buyers individually suggests it is limited to a small number of units.
Apple is overnighting replacement Apple TVs to users confirmed to have a defective unit, even if the hardware is not yet experiencing problems. Because the faulty part was not identified, it is not clear what owners need to look out for, though it seems Apple is already taking proactive steps to ensure seamless operation.
Apple last initiated a recall program for Beats Pill XL speakers in June after it was discovered that the internal battery posed a fire risk. Those who purchased the defective product were offered $325 in Apple Store credit or cash.
Comments
Hmmm.... Even though Apple is being proactive about the replacements, I wonder how quickly an unscrupulous customer and lawyer will concoct a class action lawsuit attacking Apple for willingly, knowingly selling the faulty devices in the first place? /s
I'd ask for cash refund since ATV4 is only (reputedly) 3 weeks away.
edit: Reversed my exclamation point.
edit2: As noted by [@]PScooter63[/@], inverted, not reversed.
Apple doesn't pre-announce new products that way. Not even to acknowledge that new versions are on the horizon. There was only one exception: Tim Cook letting a customer know that a new Mac Pro was coming, well in advance of the official launch.
Yes, I was being sardonic which I have since corrected. However, wasn't there something more recent with Eddy Cue on Twitter? It was revealing, but I'm not sure it was about an upcoming product release.
edit: Ah, he announced when an iOS 9 beta was coming. Granted, that's atypical for Apple but I'd also argue it's not in the same class as a new HW release.
And what a letdown it (garbage can Mac Pro) is—hardly anything in way of convenient LARGE external storage solutions, small internal storage, slow Thunderbolt 1, a nightmare to rack-up, and no recent updates.
Sales must be almost non-existent—most video professionals I know are either keeping old cheesegrater boxes or switching OS.
Wait, they’re just sending them out? Without even requiring a sign up to prove purchase? Huh.
Proactive shipment plus not telling us what the part is makes me a little worried that it might be related to the PSU… and fires. Of course I’ve not heard of any happening, but still.
The Mac Pro uses TB2. Its update will be using TB3.
No more so than the workstation market beforehand.
I love my Mac Pro and wouldn’t swap it for a cylinder. My GPU just died, but I have the option of getting a new one. I imagine I won’t have that option ever again for any card newer than what I’m getting, but I do have that option. I don’t have to buy an entirely new machine.
The cylinder, though sexy and an incredible value for its hardware (at launch) and fast as greased lightning… would force me to buy a new one. And that really runs into some lira. I love love love the device, but it’s not a fit for me. I want it to be, but it isn’t.
EDIT: Frig, I meant to edit.
I stand corrected on TB1/TB2.
You know there is going to be an update? Apple has pretty much let the MacPro cylinder languish since release.
People who use high-end WS like the MacPro need gobs of storage and the pathetic 1 TB internal storage max. does not hack it for any price. The external TB options for storage are ugly, inconvenient and expensive.
Dunno how you do things but our clients use External raids for their video storage. Their internal storage has never been an issue, neither has the cost.
Apple doesn't announce, but they have sent sudel hints, an fast paced recall like this could be one of those hints.
It has thunderbolt 2.
I'm noticing that Apple has been doing a lot of silent updates recently, to its whole product line, so a silent update in October/ November wouldn't surprise. I agree very well there, to be honest I expected them to do what they did, but was hoping the Mac Pro would be unique with its flash storage and start with 512gb, and go up to 2TB(I know that's only double what there is now). But honestly putting a fusion drive with 256GB SSD/5TB HDD is what the high end should have been, flash is great until it hits storage hard. Come on the iPhone can support 128gb now, but a device tons larger, $1000s more expensive is limited to 8 times that size!!!(granted types of SSD, but an option for largest or fastest wouldn't hurt.
I'd ask for cash refund since ATV4 is only (reputedly) 3 weeks away.
There's a chance, however slim, that Apple will replace the unit with an ATV4. I can't see them actually taking it apart to repair. But then again Apple probably still have plenty of new or refurbished ATV3 in stock to replace it with.
Several years back, I got a recall notice for my 7 year old, 1st generation, 2GB iPod Nano. It was a battery issue of some sort. I sign up, Apple sent me a mailer to use to send my Nano back and Apple returned a new (or maybe refurbished) 6th generation, 8GB iPod Nano Touch. For sure, Apple no longer had enough 7 year old Nanos in stock to fulfill the recall and it wasn't worth it for them to take it apart to replace the battery. So they replaced it with the newest Nano (at the time).
But if I had known that Apple would replace it with an 6th generation Nano, I would have kept my 1st generation Nano and take my chances. Even though it was only 2GB, the form factor is iconic and everyone knew it was an Apple iPod Nano by just looking at it. It's the iPod that Steve Jobs pulled out of his jean's hip pocket when he first introduced the iPod Nano during a Apple Music Event. I had to go on eBay and get another one. Even though I still had a black 4GB 1st generation Nano, that wasn't part of the recall, it's the white one that everyone remembers.
Speaking for myself, I switched from my old cheesegrater Mac Pro to an iMac back in 2010 (?) and never looked back. Some operations are marginally slower, but I saved a ton of money (which was hard to come by at the time).
No, they completely redesigned a computer to be the most impressive compaction of technology to date just to never ever update it.
Because Intel hasn’t made any new chips.
Hear hear.
Yep. I suppose you could use a directly-connected NAS over Ethernet, but what was wrong with internal storage?
Or they could completely abandon it (like the Newton or the other small Mac in a perspex box—what was it called, I forget!)
?1 TB max until Tiger released a 2 TB SSD a few weeks ago and still pathetically small—do you know how much storage raw 4K video uses per minute?
I stand corrected on TB1/TB2.
You know there is going to be an update? Apple has pretty much let the MacPro cylinder languish since release.
People who use high-end WS like the MacPro need gobs of storage and the pathetic 1 TB internal storage max. does not hack it for any price. The external TB options for storage are ugly, inconvenient and expensive.
Skylake. Until it's out, there's almost zero chance of a MP update. (And even then, it takes a while for Xeons to appear.)
I also use Fibre Channel for external storage but it's not the same as having 4 x 4 TB of internal storage.