Apple recognizes, will repair discolored MacBooks
Apple Computer customers who've experienced premature discoloration on the casings of their glossy white MacBooks may finally see some restitution, AppleInsider has been told.
In an internal bulletin earlier this week, Apple for the first time acknowledged that a problem exists with some of its white 13-inch MacBook notebooks, where the casings of the computer may inexplicably turn shades of orange after very little usage.
"Some white MacBook computers may exhibit discoloration on the top case after some use," the company wrote in a note to its retail sector and service partners. "If this issue occurs [...] and the computer meets certain requirements, Apple will cover replacement of the affected parts under warranty."
In order to be eligible for the extended warranty repair, a customer's MacBook must have a serial number that falls within the range of 4H617XXXXXXXX to 4H627XXXXXXXX. The notebook must be irresponsive to approved cleaning solutions.
In replacing the top case -- the affected portion of the computer containing the palmrest area -- Apple will also replace the display bezel, people familiar with the repair process say.
The warranty extension is being made available to MacBook customers in all of Apple's major markets, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Japan.
Customers afflicted by discolored MacBook syndrome should contact an Apple Care support representative by phone (1-800-800-2775 in US) or bring their computer to a local Apple retail store to arrange for diagnosis or repair.
Widespread reports of discoloration began appearing only weeks after Apple introduced the new Intel-based MacBook notebooks, which are available in both white and black (not affected). Since then, some customers have had success in getting their stained MacBooks replaced or repaired through a variety of avenues, while others have not.
It's still unclear precisely what causes the discoloration, however speculation on the Web suggests a bad batch of plastics may be to blame.
In an internal bulletin earlier this week, Apple for the first time acknowledged that a problem exists with some of its white 13-inch MacBook notebooks, where the casings of the computer may inexplicably turn shades of orange after very little usage.
"Some white MacBook computers may exhibit discoloration on the top case after some use," the company wrote in a note to its retail sector and service partners. "If this issue occurs [...] and the computer meets certain requirements, Apple will cover replacement of the affected parts under warranty."
In order to be eligible for the extended warranty repair, a customer's MacBook must have a serial number that falls within the range of 4H617XXXXXXXX to 4H627XXXXXXXX. The notebook must be irresponsive to approved cleaning solutions.
In replacing the top case -- the affected portion of the computer containing the palmrest area -- Apple will also replace the display bezel, people familiar with the repair process say.
The warranty extension is being made available to MacBook customers in all of Apple's major markets, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Japan.
Customers afflicted by discolored MacBook syndrome should contact an Apple Care support representative by phone (1-800-800-2775 in US) or bring their computer to a local Apple retail store to arrange for diagnosis or repair.
Widespread reports of discoloration began appearing only weeks after Apple introduced the new Intel-based MacBook notebooks, which are available in both white and black (not affected). Since then, some customers have had success in getting their stained MacBooks replaced or repaired through a variety of avenues, while others have not.
It's still unclear precisely what causes the discoloration, however speculation on the Web suggests a bad batch of plastics may be to blame.
Comments
Originally posted by crees!
Yea, 5 people complain about the discoloration and it turns into a "wide-spread" issue since it was posted on a website. Ooh smackdo!
It doesn't matter how many people complain. There's clearly a fault with some machines. Spend over a grand on a computer and you expect it to last more than five minutes.
Yet again more problems with new Apple hardware - what the f*** are they doing in quality control?
Originally posted by crees!
Yea, 5 people complain about the discoloration and it turns into a "wide-spread" issue since it was posted on a website. Ooh smackdo!
What are you saying? That Apple should ignore it?
I'm glad they're acknowledging the issue, no matter how small it is.
Originally posted by Shaun, UK
Yet again more problems with new Apple hardware - what the f*** are they doing in quality control?
what on earth is apple's quality control supposed to do to catch a bad batch of chemicals at a chemical manufacturer?
Originally posted by Shaun, UK
It doesn't matter how many people complain. There's clearly a fault with some machines.
...
Yet again more problems with new Apple hardware - what the f*** are they doing in quality control?
So it doesn't matter how many... ANY number of problems is bad quality control?
What Apple is doing with quality control AND support is the following: better than most other manufacturers
If you think Apple has a problem, I highly suggest you never consider any other brand. Apple may be the best of a bad industry, but they ARE the best. Any online forum for ANY product will make you think failure (discoloring?) rates are higher than they are--because it's human nature to report when you have a problem, not when you don't.
You will find no brands that have zero warranty claims. Case in point: Dell's laptops-on-fire fiasco that they've been trying to keep quiet (which is probably easier than for Apple: Dell news is just not the attention-grabber Apple news is). http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060721-7325.html
Originally posted by DeaPeaJay
What are you saying? That Apple should ignore it?
What are you saying? Did you actual read and understand what I said?
Originally posted by baranovich
The question is, will they replace my PowerBook that has the same problem?
If you're talking about the "discoloration" I suspect your talking about: discoloration from wear on the metal (or black plastic). Forget about it.
Originally posted by DeaPeaJay
Yes I did, I thought you might have an underlying point. But i guess you didn't.
No, I was referring to the article here saying "Widespread reports of discoloration began appearing..." It's one of those things where one person makes the complaint on several sites, creates a free blog and posts pictures, then someone else is like.. "oh me too, I have this problem" and then the whole online community is in an uproar. Granted I don't know how many machines land within the range of those serial numbers but everyone, especially these rumor sites, jumps the gun on these situations.
Some kid takes his nano out of his back pocket and sees that the screen is cracked so he then goes online and complains in the same manner. An uproar ensues. Needless to say the kid SAT on his nano with his fat ass and that's why it cracked.
Issues as such need to be more heavily scrutinized and weighed before posting.
Originally posted by nagromme
You will find no brands that have zero warranty claims. Case in point: Dell's laptops-on-fire fiasco that they've been trying to keep quiet (which is probably easier than for Apple: Dell news is just not the attention-grabber Apple news is).
I, for one, would expect a Dell computer to catch on fire during normal use.
They know it affects people's buying decisions down the road and don't want any mental blocks when it's time to decide on new gear again. It would also affect Apples brand image on second hand sales.
Well done Apple!
"Think Alike... BE Different!"
Originally posted by crees!
No, I was referring to the article here saying "Widespread reports of discoloration began appearing..." It's one of those things where one person makes the complaint on several sites, creates a free blog and posts pictures, then someone else is like.. "oh me too, I have this problem" and then the whole online community is in an uproar. Granted I don't know how many machines land within the range of those serial numbers but everyone, especially these rumor sites, jumps the gun on these situations.
Some kid takes his nano out of his back pocket and sees that the screen is cracked so he then goes online and complains in the same manner. An uproar ensues. Needless to say the kid SAT on his nano with his fat ass and that's why it cracked.
Issues as such need to be more heavily scrutinized and weighed before posting.
I totally agree about the nano. The only difference with this discoloration stuff is that there's no way the people were at fault. The Chemical manufacturers are totally to blame.
But hey, at least the people with this problem aren't demanding a new iBook and stock options in the company!
Originally posted by SpamSandwich
I, for one, would expect a Dell computer to catch on fire during normal use.
Agreed.
Originally posted by DeaPeaJay
I totally agree about the nano. The only difference with this discoloration stuff is that there's no way the people were at fault. The Chemical manufacturers are totally to blame.
Agreed.
Originally posted by crees!
Yea, 5 people complain about the discoloration and it turns into a "wide-spread" issue since it was posted on a website. Ooh smackdo!
It's clearly more than 5 people, or else Apple wouldn't offer to repair them. Even if it were just 1 person, Apple should still repair it.
$1000 is a lot of cash. A defective product is a lot of crap.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
It's clearly more than 5 people, or else Apple wouldn't offer to repair them. Even if it were just 1 person, Apple should still repair it.
And Apple wouldn't? Apple repairs one-time problems all the time, that's what warranty is for. If your machine goes bad, they fix it. If the issue is not covered by warranty (like this cosmetic issue) then Apple STILL has the discretion to fix it--and they did for some people even before a formal policy developed. I've had cosmetic changes fixed for free on a 3-year-old PowerBook on the last day of AppleCare! They don't have to do it, but sometimes they will. And they certainly should, regardless of the warranty terms, if the product is brand new.
The number of instances (or as the case may be, the amount of hype) is not what makes Apple repair something--it may, however, make them give more info to their support people, and create a specific policy.
The fact that Apple is repairing them tells us nothing about the number of people affected.
BTW, I think it's cool that Apple's replacing the upper bezel too, even if that doesn't get handled the same way. Then you're sure of a plastic match.
"We have obtained some additional and exclusive information:
Apple has identified the problem. The plastic composition used in the past has been modified, and new cases are being produced. However, not all CMAA have received the new case, so do not rush to get your MB case exchanged, you might get the same problem again, or your notebook might be stacked for days or weeks before the modified case arrived.
In a couple of weeks, the case exchange will be performed in a couple of hours."
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2006-07-25/#5778