Apple is much better at this now partly because it's such a high-profile company that is viewed under a monstrous magnifying glass so it doesn't want bad PR.
And I think it's just the opposite. When Apple was smaller, it seems like they gave the local stores more discretion. Now that they're so large, the stores have to 'follow the rules and policies'.
Back in the day, my son-in-law had a G4 tower in which the power supply kept crapping out. Apple would fix it under warranty each time, but it still had problems. After the fourth time, my son-in-law told them that if it happened again, he wanted a new machine. It did happen again, but by the time it happened, the G5 had come out and they gave him a brand new G5.
Around 2004, my daughter had her baby on her lap and the kid grabbed her laptop and pushed the screen back, breaking the hinge. It still worked, but they had to put something (like a large book) behind the screen to keep the screen up. She brought it to Apple and they said it wasn't worth fixing - the repair would cost about $1500. But then the video crapped out. She brought it in just to have the video fixed and not the hinge. She got it back and it was completely fixed and she called me up in tears because she thought Apple was going to charge her $1500+, but they charged her zero.
And I forget the details, but we had an issue with an iPod that was out of warranty, but Apple fixed anyway.
I don't think Apple would do any of those things today. The video on my late-2016 MBP had an issue and Apple fixed it for free, but it was still under warranty. I forgot to buy Apple Care on time and if it happens again, I'm totally screwed because it's a $700 repair.
I know Apple makes a lot of money on Apple Care, but I sincerely believe that when someone buys a machine like the current MBP's, that can easily cost $3000+, they should come with at least a two-year warranty if not three years. If Apple commands high prices because their products are higher quality, Apple should stand behind them. I once owned an Acura and the car was so good and Acura had so few repairs to fix under warranty that they upped the warranty from five years to six for free. I did have a problem and got stuck because of a recalled ignitor (I hadn't gotten the notice yet). It was late at night and I had my car towed from New Jersey to my home in New York and then from my home in New York to Acura the next day. Under the warranty, Acura didn't have to pay for all that towing, but they did, no questions asked. Now that was customer service.
The problem with all that is when you have massive volume, fixing it no question asked with barely an investigation can quickly become a major problems. Devices are denser and much harder to repair properly locally. Supply chains are also shorter and they keep local stocks (new and parts) as little as they can which has an impact on what you can correct locally. While some Apple stores may have the technical people to fix things, many others probably can't recruit the proper people.
Variance complicates making an universal policy that will be fair.
There is no retail operation really that is like Apple Stores, in volume of sales, the kind of repairs done, the expectation of high level of service. All of these things makes the whole thing harder than it seems.
I respectfully disagree with you and I think that for a MacBook Pro the standard manufacturer’s warranty should be along the order of 3 years. I had a similar experience as @zoetmb where my 2015 MBP had some dead pixels after 14 months. Thankfully my credit card extended the standard manufacturer’s warranty by a year and in the end, cost me nothing. Hell, my 27 inch Dell 4K monitor that I paid a fraction of the price I paid for the MBP, came with a standard 3 year warranty.
Why would you buy a MacBook Pro without AppleCare? Sounds to me like you're just cheap and expect Apple to give you things like its something deserved. You can pay $50,000 for a car and get the same warranty as a $20,000 car. Just go look around. You're display comparing isn't apples to oranges.
First off, I didn’t insult anyone and you calling me cheap is, a cheap shot. Buying a $3000 machine + tax is in no way cheap. Having to tag on AppleCare on top to make sure that the product in question will be guaranteed to function normally is IMO nickel and diming us. There are many examples out there of manufactures guaranteeing their products for more than 1 year. I provided as an example my Dell 4K monitor. Three years standard warranty. Heck, even my washer and dryer set came with a standard 10 year guarantee. However in all this, I never blamed Apple but instead our lax governments who barely provide any protection to the citizen.
I must admit as so many Apple products become more and more 'sealed' with no user ability to open up without serious time and trouble, then perhaps Apple should think about a longer warrantee period on such products (Mac Pros would be an exception I guess as they are designed to be upgradeable - and hopefully the next one will be too). I'd expect such a move would come with the 'you open it you void any warranty' sticker on them. I don't say this because Apple products need a longer warrantee per se as they are so well made usually but it would be a tremendous PR exercise on Apple's part IMHO. 24 months maybe or even 36 months. I wonder what it would actually cost Apple, perhaps it would actually be a net gain in the long run due to better sales?
I think in terms of repairs the cost to Apple would be minimal, since as you said, they are well made. Stuff like dead pixels on a screen is the odd exception. Now in terms of their services category, they may take a hit since fewer people may be inclined to buy Apple Care.
Apple is much better at this now partly because it's such a high-profile company that is viewed under a monstrous magnifying glass so it doesn't want bad PR.
And I think it's just the opposite. When Apple was smaller, it seems like they gave the local stores more discretion. Now that they're so large, the stores have to 'follow the rules and policies'.
Back in the day, my son-in-law had a G4 tower in which the power supply kept crapping out. Apple would fix it under warranty each time, but it still had problems. After the fourth time, my son-in-law told them that if it happened again, he wanted a new machine. It did happen again, but by the time it happened, the G5 had come out and they gave him a brand new G5.
Around 2004, my daughter had her baby on her lap and the kid grabbed her laptop and pushed the screen back, breaking the hinge. It still worked, but they had to put something (like a large book) behind the screen to keep the screen up. She brought it to Apple and they said it wasn't worth fixing - the repair would cost about $1500. But then the video crapped out. She brought it in just to have the video fixed and not the hinge. She got it back and it was completely fixed and she called me up in tears because she thought Apple was going to charge her $1500+, but they charged her zero.
And I forget the details, but we had an issue with an iPod that was out of warranty, but Apple fixed anyway.
I don't think Apple would do any of those things today. The video on my late-2016 MBP had an issue and Apple fixed it for free, but it was still under warranty. I forgot to buy Apple Care on time and if it happens again, I'm totally screwed because it's a $700 repair.
I know Apple makes a lot of money on Apple Care, but I sincerely believe that when someone buys a machine like the current MBP's, that can easily cost $3000+, they should come with at least a two-year warranty if not three years. If Apple commands high prices because their products are higher quality, Apple should stand behind them. I once owned an Acura and the car was so good and Acura had so few repairs to fix under warranty that they upped the warranty from five years to six for free. I did have a problem and got stuck because of a recalled ignitor (I hadn't gotten the notice yet). It was late at night and I had my car towed from New Jersey to my home in New York and then from my home in New York to Acura the next day. Under the warranty, Acura didn't have to pay for all that towing, but they did, no questions asked. Now that was customer service.
The problem with all that is when you have massive volume, fixing it no question asked with barely an investigation can quickly become a major problems. Devices are denser and much harder to repair properly locally. Supply chains are also shorter and they keep local stocks (new and parts) as little as they can which has an impact on what you can correct locally. While some Apple stores may have the technical people to fix things, many others probably can't recruit the proper people.
Variance complicates making an universal policy that will be fair.
There is no retail operation really that is like Apple Stores, in volume of sales, the kind of repairs done, the expectation of high level of service. All of these things makes the whole thing harder than it seems.
I respectfully disagree with you and I think that for a MacBook Pro the standard manufacturer’s warranty should be along the order of 3 years. I had a similar experience as @zoetmb where my 2015 MBP had some dead pixels after 14 months. Thankfully my credit card extended the standard manufacturer’s warranty by a year and in the end, cost me nothing. Hell, my 27 inch Dell 4K monitor that I paid a fraction of the price I paid for the MBP, came with a standard 3 year warranty.
I kind of like Apple's approach with AppleCare+ -- pay the extra money if you want it, "save" the money if you don't.
But, admittedly, I have mixed feelings about it: while I always buy it, I have friends who take the attitude: "What could possibly go wrong?" -- and then, when it does, they blame and trash talk Apple.
I understand what Apple did with the AppleCare package. They bundled an extended warranty along with accident protection and some extended support. I also know people who buy it but in their case it’s because most of them are clutzes, they oftenly drop their phones, eat around their Macs etc.
Apple is much better at this now partly because it's such a high-profile company that is viewed under a monstrous magnifying glass so it doesn't want bad PR.
And I think it's just the opposite. When Apple was smaller, it seems like they gave the local stores more discretion. Now that they're so large, the stores have to 'follow the rules and policies'.
Back in the day, my son-in-law had a G4 tower in which the power supply kept crapping out. Apple would fix it under warranty each time, but it still had problems. After the fourth time, my son-in-law told them that if it happened again, he wanted a new machine. It did happen again, but by the time it happened, the G5 had come out and they gave him a brand new G5.
Around 2004, my daughter had her baby on her lap and the kid grabbed her laptop and pushed the screen back, breaking the hinge. It still worked, but they had to put something (like a large book) behind the screen to keep the screen up. She brought it to Apple and they said it wasn't worth fixing - the repair would cost about $1500. But then the video crapped out. She brought it in just to have the video fixed and not the hinge. She got it back and it was completely fixed and she called me up in tears because she thought Apple was going to charge her $1500+, but they charged her zero.
And I forget the details, but we had an issue with an iPod that was out of warranty, but Apple fixed anyway.
I don't think Apple would do any of those things today. The video on my late-2016 MBP had an issue and Apple fixed it for free, but it was still under warranty. I forgot to buy Apple Care on time and if it happens again, I'm totally screwed because it's a $700 repair.
I know Apple makes a lot of money on Apple Care, but I sincerely believe that when someone buys a machine like the current MBP's, that can easily cost $3000+, they should come with at least a two-year warranty if not three years. If Apple commands high prices because their products are higher quality, Apple should stand behind them. I once owned an Acura and the car was so good and Acura had so few repairs to fix under warranty that they upped the warranty from five years to six for free. I did have a problem and got stuck because of a recalled ignitor (I hadn't gotten the notice yet). It was late at night and I had my car towed from New Jersey to my home in New York and then from my home in New York to Acura the next day. Under the warranty, Acura didn't have to pay for all that towing, but they did, no questions asked. Now that was customer service.
Excellent post and credit where credit is due. I've heard of lot of cases where Apple has fixed stuff not under warranty while doing other repairs that were under warranty.
My luck has been the complete opposite but if you get lucky, great. Not sure if policy has changed now.
I agree that warranties should be longer and would add that Apple should proactively contact registered users when ANY repair extension plan is put in place.
My MBP (2006?) was eligible for a battery swap (or was it a video card issue? can't remember now) but no one informed me. When I eventually had problems, the extension period had closed and Apple shrugged it shoulders.
If a user is registered with Apple, they should put these plans in their knowledge as they often get announced years after release.
That, doesn't take anything away from the decision to carry out repairs free of charge while doing other warranty repairs, though, even if nowadays, YMMV.
Windows 10 is atrocious. It fixed none of the things I hated about all versions that came before, and Windows 10 Update Assistant is incredibly annoying and in-your-face about the need to reboot my PC. If i’m in a game, it’ll break me out of the game to display that message and a 30-minute countdown to reboot. And then of course the Fall Creators Update wouldn’t install without hanging my PC on reboot, causing the patch to be rolled back. Ugh. And every few days it would try again, hang, rollback, repeat. Of course, Microsoft is like: it’s our operating system, but it’s YOUR problem; good luck user. Seriously hate Windows any version.
Ok, who thinks of freezing their PC as a solution to crashes?!?!
Takes me back to my Apple ][ dealership's repair department in the 1970's and early 80's. Freezing was a tried and tested way to show up a fractured joint on a circuit board that was intermittent under normal use. Freeze the critter and the contraction opened up and revealed the location of the circuit board crack with a simple resistance tester. Most times a dab with a micro soldering iron and Bob's your uncle. I somehow suspect this though is a totally dissimilar issue! lol
I was responsible for software development for an educational software publisher back in the early 80's and we had a ton of Apple ][ machines, along with the Tandy TRS-80, the early Commodore Pet series (8032/4032/8064/4064) and the IBM-PC when it came out. I don't remember ever having an Apple ][ or even an Apple drive fail. I do remember Commodore 64s failing like crazy. We used to stack all the bad ones up against the computer room wall.
I do not know what to say, but some electronic devices need to put in the freezer so as to work, i tried it myself a few time, it worked. It depend on certain devices also, but i tried with a modem. My modem is so hot when i touch it, then suddenly it cannot connect to the internet, so i put in the freezer for a half and hour, then connect it back, bam! it work!
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Now in terms of their services category, they may take a hit since fewer people may be inclined to buy Apple Care.
I understand what Apple did with the AppleCare package. They bundled an extended warranty along with accident protection and some extended support. I also know people who buy it but in their case it’s because most of them are clutzes, they oftenly drop their phones, eat around their Macs etc.
My luck has been the complete opposite but if you get lucky, great. Not sure if policy has changed now.
I agree that warranties should be longer and would add that Apple should proactively contact registered users when ANY repair extension plan is put in place.
My MBP (2006?) was eligible for a battery swap (or was it a video card issue? can't remember now) but no one informed me. When I eventually had problems, the extension period had closed and Apple shrugged it shoulders.
If a user is registered with Apple, they should put these plans in their knowledge as they often get announced years after release.
That, doesn't take anything away from the decision to carry out repairs free of charge while doing other warranty repairs, though, even if nowadays, YMMV.