Dell replaced my entire display assembly out of warranty because the hinge was a little wobbly. For free.
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Apple Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit Over Failing 27" iMac Displays
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Dell replaced my entire display assembly out of warranty because the hinge was a little wobbly. For free.
More evidence that a $2K AIO computer is an intrinsically stupid idea. Packing all those hot components behind the LCD is not a good engineering solution. It's entirely a stylistic decision, and now Apple users are paying for Apple's close-minded thinking.
Note these problems simply do not happen with normal LCD displays. It is an iMac design flaw which is basically caused by it being "too thin". The heat causes premature failure of the LCD.
What's really disgusting about this is that the repair cost ~$600 is about what a stand alone 27" IPS display would cost. If Apple just sold a simple quad-core i7 desktop then Mac users could buy a separate display and this wouldn't be an issue at all.
Note these problems simply do not happen with normal LCD displays. It is an iMac design flaw which is basically caused by it being "too thin". The heat causes premature failure of the LCD.
What's really disgusting about this is that the repair cost ~$600 is about what a stand alone 27" IPS display would cost. If Apple just sold a simple quad-core i7 desktop then Mac users could buy a separate display and this wouldn't be an issue at all.
I agree, and the more stuff Apple crams into that case, the more there is to go wrong. Discrete components in PCs you can replace relatively easily and cheaply, but in the iMac, one component fails and you may as well junk the machine as the repair isn't worth it. Screen fails with a PC? Buy another screen for $200. Screen fails in an iMac? Pay Apple $650 to replace it.
rGiskard beat me to the punch
Well you know us US 'muricans like being number 1 when it comes to everything, especially customer dissatisfaction. That way, we always have something to complain about. No need to reform our consumer laws to actually benefit the consumer because that would only add a regulation that restricts the free market and prevent the mighty corporations from screwing us out of our own self interests.
[/sarcasm]
so, that will mean Apple is not only a computer company, but a watch repair company too.
You're talking thousands of complaints compared to the millions of iMacs sold, so you're not really talking about as large of a percentage as you would originally perceive. With estimates over the year of 2011 topping 16 million units sold, you would have to be looking at 70,000+ units to have a 5% fail rate which would be considered excessive by market standards.
The crazy part about all of this is that the iMac has one of the cheapest AppleCare Protection Plan coverage options of any Mac computer. It is a mere $169 for an additional 2 years of coverage. If you can afford to spend that much monthly to insure your car, you can certainly spend that much for peace of mind for 2 years.
If it died due to a manufacturing defect that has affected a large number of customers you should.
Anyone want to buy my 12 year old Bondi Blue iMac that still works great and runs OS 10.4? Seriously people...components fail. If anyone seriously expects 100% of all products, Apple or not, to never fail...they are living with highly unrealistic expectations. Now I am not saying this guys situation is less than ideal, it sucks. How much is he spending on lawyer fees though??
Just my .02 cents.
Just my .02 cents.
The $5,000,000 goes into a fund that is used to pay for repairs of people affected. Nobody pockets the money except the lawyers who get their fee.
It does have merit. There is a design fault in the LG screens, and I am sure that Apple will be asking LG to compensate.
I remember when Hard drives came with 3-5 year warranties. When the drive failed outside of the 12 months warranty for the computer Apple claimed against the manufacturer and got a drive for FREE and then charged the customer for a new drive at typical Apple mark-ups.
The fact that you think its acceptable to have a computer just for one year without paying for warranty. That is why in europe there is a consumer law that protects it from this nonsense as a company can pretty much do any warranty they want (i think 6 months is minimum - not sure though) but it doesn't matter because the consumer law protects you so for example in UK you have around 5 years for a device like that so you are covered no matter what you purchase.
Apple care is a rip off especially in Europe. Hence the lost lawsuits for Apple in last few years.
But its good to know that your life expectancy for a computer is one year (without paying extra for warranty). You must be rich to think this way as us "normal" people can't afford to buy a computer every year.
That is what is wrong with YOUR picture.
Or maybe I have a basic understanding of electronics typical failure rate and overall life expectancy for oh, I dunno... the past 50 years?
When there is a defect, the electronic will typically fail within the first year. On average, they continue to function for an extended period of time without need for maintenance until a certain period beyond that. For those that are not self sufficient, a service plan can be of value as it would save them a substantial amount of money... for the adverse, cost of repair is minimal.
With that being said, if a company knowingly utilized less than ideal or defective parts and a common theme with a higher than average failure rate is identified, than a company should stand behind the product.
The issue with these types of class action lawsuits, is that it breeds an already high sense of self entitlement. People demand the highest quality of product and service with an expense equivalent to bargain bobs basement.
For those who are familiar with my posting style, know that I am hardly an apple apologist.
Not even close.
This is like car makers recalling products years later after a common fault is found in things like the brakes, fuel pumps, etc.
I'd expect any computer to last more than 6 years simply because I've never had one that didn't (ignoring the odd hard disk) and like you said, electronic devices tend to last.
I've bought a couple of special-offer Dell machines (<£200) over the years because they were much cheaper than I could build myself, and if any of them had failed before ~5 years, you could bet that I'd be complaining till it's fixed.
What I've never understood is how these sorts of things are defined (I suspect they're not). I expect the majority of a computer (all the parts that aren't moving) to last a long time because of what it is, not because of the price tag, brand name or marketing blurb.
There seems to be two clear schools of thought on warranty - people that think it's hilarious that people pay for it and people that think it's hilarious that people don't.
Am I savvy, spoilt or just an arsehole? I expect (and get...) a lot for my money, irrelevant of the purchase price - It's nice not to have to fight when there's an issue, but my future purchases are vastly based on price, not previous experience.
What shock horror, do you think that Apple and others include in the price the potential cost of being sued, forcing everyone to pay?
There's probably another class action suit for that.
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Best guess, the lawyer costs nothing. They simply claim a huge percentage at the end if they win.
Whoa, calm your tots bro. AppleCare is $120 for iMacs for teachers. That's only 6% of the purchase price. Security + phone support. Sounds like it would have been the obvious solution for this guy
"...He complained to Apple, which told him a repair would cost more than $500 since the defect arose after the products one year warranty expired."
This sounds fair.
It is Apple's limited-warrenty after all. What do you expect??
But, if i remember there wad a lawsuit sueing of damages of a large number if purchases on tbe App Store by kids without parents knowledge..
I bet thus will go the samw way, that Appe will have to feel sirey for the custoner who bought the iMac..
One thing about Apple, they'll bend over backwards for anything, invluding agai st their policies tney enfirced the selves for customers to abide by.
Nkw, kf ever ither company woukd di the same, they'd all be as equal as Appp, but other companoes have mire sense. They stick to their guns. Apple can't.
And we call that good service??
This sounds fair.
It is Apple's limited-warrenty after all. What do you expect??
But, if i remember there wad a lawsuit sueing of damages of a large number if purchases on tbe App Store by kids without parents knowledge..
I bet thus will go the samw way, that Appe will have to feel sirey for the custoner who bought the iMac..
One thing about Apple, they'll bend over backwards for anything, invluding agai st their policies tney enfirced the selves for customers to abide by.
Nkw, kf ever ither company woukd di the same, they'd all be as equal as Appp, but other companoes have mire sense. They stick to their guns. Apple can't.
And we call that good service??