Apple opens MacBook repair extension program

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Users who bought MacBooks between May 2006 and December 2007 that are experiencing hard drive problems may be covered under a new repair extension program.



Apple announced the repair extension for users of the 13" notebook models on Monday.



"If your MacBook was purchased in the date range listed above and shows a flashing question mark on the screen, please take it to Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider and they will examine the hard drive to confirm if it is eligible for a replacement, free of charge, under this program," the company said.



The affected models have 1.83GHz, 2GHz, or 2.16GHz processors and hard drive capacities of 60GB, 80GB, 100GB, 120GB, or 160GB.



MacBook users affected by the issue can arrange for a repair with their nearest Apple Retail store by setting up an appointment with the Genius Bar or look up their nearest Apple Authorized Service Provider.



The program extends hard drive coverage for three years from the date of purchase or until August 15, 2010, which ever is longer. The program does not extend standard warranty coverage.



MacBook customers who have already paid for out of warranty repairs that qualify under this program may be reimbursed for their costs.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    Oh.... I paid to have mine repaired. Cool.
  • Reply 2 of 23
    I replaced my original drive with a much larger one years ago. It's a very easy and inexpensive procedure, these days.
  • Reply 3 of 23
    Problems. There are a lot of them these days with Apple products or am I wrong?
  • Reply 4 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TiAdiMundo View Post


    Problems. There are a lot of them these days with Apple products or am I wrong?



    I'm not sure what the exact number is but it sure seems like this stuff comes out well after the fact. It's like they don't admit anything is wrong with the computers and then a few years later come out with these programs. Kinda crappy, really.
  • Reply 5 of 23
    The problem hard drive is the notorious Seagate 7.01 Hard drive. It's not Apple's fault. The hard drive is one of the worst hard drives in history, in that if it fails, you WILL loose everything to the point not even Drive Savers can recover it. There used to be a time when there was not a week that went by where I did not see a failed 7.01 hard drive. I still see them to this day and they are bombs waiting to go off.



    If you have one, replace it NOW and make sure you have a backup.
  • Reply 6 of 23
    The hard drive in my MacBook that was purchased between May 2006 and December 2007 broke about a year ago, I fixed myself with my own money and this is the first I've heard about the warrantee program. Johnny-on-the-spot Apple!





    FEB 16, 2010
  • Reply 7 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic View Post


    The problem hard drive is the notorious Seagate 7.01 Hard drive. It's not Apple's fault. The hard drive is one of the worst hard drives in history, in that if it fails, you WILL loose everything to the point not even Drive Savers can recover it. There used to be a time when there was not a week that went by where I did not see a failed 7.01 hard drive. I still see them to this day and they are bombs waiting to go off.



    If you have one, replace it NOW and make sure you have a backup.



    I disagree, when you buy an Apple computer you are supposed to be paying extra for premium parts and premium software, comparatively speaking. You'd think they would have done a better job researching which drive to go with.
  • Reply 8 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by steviet02 View Post


    I disagree, when you buy an Apple computer you are supposed to be paying extra for premium parts and premium software, comparatively speaking. You'd think they would have done a better job researching which drive to go with.



    They are most likely using the drives they get the best price on. My Macbook 2,1 from the affected time period shipped with a Fujitsu drive. (Which I've since replaced twice, it runs without problem in an external enclosure.)
  • Reply 9 of 23
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Do I get reimbursed for replacing this drive or was I supposed to wait for three years to get it fixed?
  • Reply 10 of 23
    my macbook with 80 gig seagate drive...



    I replaced the 80 with a 120 when i bought it,

    the 120 failed with the dreaded click of death, so i returned the 80 to the machine, and sent the 120 away for warranty, and received a "refurbished replacement"



    the 80 failed with click of death just out of warranty period, so I've been waiting for this to be announced for a few years now.. I replaced the 80 again with a 500, so maybe i can get that covered woot!
  • Reply 11 of 23
    Actually if you can prove you paid to have the drive repaired, a receipt etc., most likely will be reimbursed for the money you spent. You should call and talk to someone before complaining, unless you are just trolling, if that's the case by all means continue.



    I had some bad memory that I paid to have replaced, I was sent a form that I sent back with my receipt and was compensated, just saying apple is pretty fair about this stuff.
  • Reply 12 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AdamIIGS View Post


    Actually if you can prove you paid to have the drive repaired, a receipt etc., most likely will be reimbursed for the money you spent. You should call and talk to someone before complaining, unless you are just trolling, if that's the case by all means continue.



    I had some bad memory that I paid to have replaced, I was sent a form that I sent back with my receipt and was compensated, just saying apple is pretty fair about this stuff.



    5 years to admit there is a problem does follow Apple's MO. Depreciation for a company for a computer is 3-5 years. The computers for home, small office computers have been replaced and already written off.



    "It just works" should never be used in an Apple Commercial again. Considering how rock solid Windows 7 has been I'd say that just doesn't work anymore.



    Apple is experiencing the same thing as Vista for Microsoft. Mac (anything OSX Leapord) is still full of bugs and many pages of complaints on Apple's own site Not to mention the bad press of OS and hardware, software and Aperture 3.



    Just on this site alone the list of apology arictles for Apple is amazing.



    The last thing I have to say is the iPad and iPhone OS4 better offer more than is being released to the public, because as of today Apple is 3 years behind both OS's.
  • Reply 13 of 23
    Well, I am surprised Apple is running such a program for a computer that is almost 4 years old.

    Too bad I don't use that drive in my MacBook anymore it's used in a windows computer but could always switch and see if it dies.



    This also brings up some other bad memories I have had with this Apple system. First the hard drive crashed and got replaced with the same one (under warranty). The plastic was replaced because of the orange discoloration on the palmrest (under warranty), my local dealer replaced my magsafe adapter for free since their were issues. My dad at the time thought with all the issues being fixed that I should have no more and told me not to get the AppleCare since I had not other big issues, but that was a mistake. After the one year warranty my DVD drive died and I tired calling Apple to see if they could fix it since I had so many other issues. The repair person was nice but said it was against Apple rules, so I asked to talk to this manager. The Manager was no more helpful and said he could not do anything else except replace it for about $350.



    With that I gave up and moved on and got a Dell notebook that has had little for issues except Windows Vista. I still have my many enjoyable Macs like iMac G5, PowerMac G4 MDD, G4 Cube, a vintage Apple Lisa, and a few others. My mother has always been interested in going back to the Mac platform so I helped her get a 2009 intel iMac that has been very stable so she is very happy.



    The 2006 MacBook still gets used but has taken a little more damage with the cracks on the plamrest from the lid closing which I believe they also had a program to repair/replace which I took in but Apple denied repair my system. This new extension program has open the can of worms and now I am wondering if it is the right time to bug Apple again about a replacement, maybe a refurbished MacBook? Should I email [email protected] and see if I can get a reply from Steve Jobs?



    OK, maybe not.
  • Reply 14 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AngusYoung View Post


    5 years to admit there is a problem does follow Apple's MO. Depreciation for a company for a computer is 3-5 years. The computers for home, small office computers have been replaced and already written off.



    "It just works" should never be used in an Apple Commercial again. Considering how rock solid Windows 7 has been I'd say that just doesn't work anymore.



    Apple is experiencing the same thing as Vista for Microsoft. Mac (anything OSX Leapord) is still full of bugs and many pages of complaints on Apple's own site Not to mention the bad press of OS and hardware, software and Aperture 3.



    Just on this site alone the list of apology arictles for Apple is amazing.



    The last thing I have to say is the iPad and iPhone OS4 better offer more than is being released to the public, because as of today Apple is 3 years behind both OS's.



    What the...?



    I guess you have not been using the Apple products that the rest of us have been? Smooth seamless deployments for both work and enterprise for me, with minimal admin, rock solid stability and very happy users.



    3 years behind? Oh right... Windows 7 uses the registry, Apple really has to catch up on that.
  • Reply 15 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Oh-es-Ten View Post


    What the...?



    I guess you have not been using the Apple products that the rest of us have been? Smooth seamless deployments for both work and enterprise for me, with minimal admin, rock solid stability and very happy users.



    3 years behind? Oh right... Windows 7 uses the registry, Apple really has to catch up on that.



    Or maybe your users aren't using the computers in a way that exposes the bugs, maybe?
  • Reply 16 of 23
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AngusYoung View Post


    5 years to admit there is a problem does follow Apple's MO. Depreciation for a company for a computer is 3-5 years. The computers for home, small office computers have been replaced and already written off.



    "It just works" should never be used in an Apple Commercial again. Considering how rock solid Windows 7 has been I'd say that just doesn't work anymore.



    Apple is experiencing the same thing as Vista for Microsoft. Mac (anything OSX Leapord) is still full of bugs and many pages of complaints on Apple's own site Not to mention the bad press of OS and hardware, software and Aperture 3.



    Just on this site alone the list of apology arictles for Apple is amazing.



    The last thing I have to say is the iPad and iPhone OS4 better offer more than is being released to the public, because as of today Apple is 3 years behind both OS's.



    If there was ever one post to define "trolling on an Apple forum", this is it.
  • Reply 17 of 23
    This is a hard drive issue.

    Apple doesn't make hard drives.

    Apple doesn't have a crystal ball that allows them to know what parts are going to fail in 2-3 years.



    The affected computers were purchased between May 2006 and December 2007.

    If you purchased in May of 2006 your computer is 3 years 9 months old.

    If you purchased in Dec of 2007 your computer is 2 years 2 months old.

    I think this is a realistic timeframe to identify a problem.



    This is why I always buy AppleCare.
  • Reply 18 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pmz View Post


    If there was ever one post to define "trolling on an Apple forum", this is it.



    Please don't feed the trolls.

    Use the "ignore" function of the bulletin board.
  • Reply 19 of 23
    I have never seen any other tech companies would voluntarily extend the warranty of their products, not to mention the part affected isnt even their own bland. Others, like sony, didnt even consider replacing their batteries until many of them exploded.
  • Reply 20 of 23
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AngusYoung View Post


    ...considering how rock solid Windows 7 has been I'd say that just doesn't work anymore.



    Apple is experiencing the same thing as Vista for Microsoft. Mac (anything OSX Leapord) is still full of bugs and many pages of complaints on Apple's own site. Not to mention the bad press of OS and hardware, software and Aperture 3.



    Your drink, is that the release candidate for Microsoft Kool-Aid 2010?



    Windows 7 was a definite step in the right direction for Microsoft, and as always, evidence of the wonder that is Microsoft's incredible reworking of an ordinary office Xerox into a glorious tool of OS development, but it is hardly rock solid. Vista was an absolute disaster, a software Chernobyl. From its certification on machines that just plain shouldn't have attempted to run it to God-awful drivers, the issues with Nvidia in particular.



    In comparison, Leopard had a few minor and easily rectified issues. Some things that managed to slip by testing that required a couple patches for some applications. Otherwise it ran perfectly on the machines it was certified for. You're comparing a train wreck (Vista) to a scratch in the paint. Of course, you don't have any idea what you're talking about. You are troll, or a fool pretending to know something you simply don't. You said "many pages of complaints" rather than provide actual links, you said "bad press" instead of providing actual links. You're reiterating what you've heard or making crap up, instead of looking anything up. Always a smart move!



    Oh, and here's another thing, SNOW LEOPARD is the most recent version, released two months before Windows 7. If you had any idea what you were talking about, you would have cited the most recent version rather than Leopard, especially when trying to tell us where Apple is TODAY, Leopard was released back in 2007 and kicked Vista's butt from then on. As it should have, Vista should never have been released.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AngusYoung View Post


    The last thing I have to say is the iPad and iPhone OS4 better offer more than is being released to the public, because as of today Apple is 3 years behind both OS's.



    You didn't even know what the most recent version of Mac OS X was, what sort of expert could you possibly be? And are you really suggesting that there is anything honestly comparable to the iPhone in the smartphone market? Wow. My good sir, this is not the floor of the U.S. Senate, we operate on fact here and with all the respect in the world to modern media, mere assertion does not make fact. The facts are quite simply not on your side.



    This drink, does it come in cherry?



    Now, go ahead, say what ye will. I won't bother with response, although others may if they wish. Have a nice day.
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