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Apple Initiates Repair Program for 2011-2013 MacBook Pros With Video Issues

Hmmm…I haven't been following this closely, but on my 2012 rMBP, I could have swore I once saw a scrambled screen like that, and had my screen go black and not wake up from sleep a few times. I've also had it reboot on it's own before when I come back to it—but my 2013 iMac at work does that too. One time the thing even came awake with the lid closed inside my bag and nearly overheated itself.

I'm wondering if I should get it replaced? Do they actually replace it or repair it? I had them replace the horrible LG panel that had image retention issues and they put in the superior Samsung panel and I love the display now. I wouldn't want to risk losing that panel again, but I also don't want more potential problems to crop up later on. Could someone please advise?
 
venom600 said:
This is nice and all, but they unless something has changed, they are replacing the faulty part with another faulty part. All this is doing is saving you the cost of replacing it yourself.
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One would hope that, having publicly recognized the problem, Apple now knows the cause and the appropriate fix. At this point, what motive would they have to intentionally waste customer's time and Apple's time and money by performing useless repairs? Repairs are warranted for 90 days, so faulty repairs, although they do happen, are not in anyone's best interest.
 
When I got my 2012 15" MBP I waffled over whether to go with the retina version and in the end did not. I wanted more repairability and ports. Boy am I glad I did. Sure it's big and not as nice as the retina ones but my video has never missed a beat. Plus I've been able to bump the RAM to 16GB and swap the DVD for a second HDD, all myself. Couldn't do that with the retina one.
 
The laptop is too thin / too little volume to handle the cooling needed for the graphics chip. I have four of these with the video issues.
 
Small White Car said:
I've got two numbers for you.

2015 - 2011 = 4 years

Embarrassing.

Why you seem to be concerned with any other numbers is beyond me.
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I agree with you. He/She seems to be implying (in my opinion) that Apple was waiting to accumulate sufficient statistical evidence that there was a problem on a grand enough scale to warrant action.

In theory I agree, however, a company should make it right when their systems fail after only 2-3.5 years. Even if they have no statistics, they have a reputation to protect.

And assuming it was such a small occurrence that it took until now to have a sufficient number of incidences, why not just fix the problem as it occurs to keep it from reaching the media in such a swing? Bottom line is users that bought these systems had them break 6 months to year ago and either had to pay to have it replaced (for which they are getting reimbursed) or ditch it. This reaction was too late.

Apple did right by me, they gave me a rMBP for free, but had they not been willing to do that I would have had to be an entirely new system. I doubt I'd be reimbursed for that.
 
So when does the repair program for early Retina displays with image retention start?
 
freediverx said:
I bought my 15" rMBP in early 2013 at the height of the controversy over the image retention issue. Sure enough, I was able to confirm mine came with an LG display, rather than Samsung, and sure enough within a few months the image retention grew quite severe.

I have also encountered issues with occasional garbled screen graphics and the system restarting itself while asleep.

I purchased AppleCare, so I'm covered until around Feb 2016.

I've been meaning to take it in to an Apple store, but I'm wondering if I'm going to have to fight to get a Samsung replacement screen without the image retention defect, since all along Apple claimed the issue was considered normal.

If for no other reason, I think I can demonstrate that the IR issue is unacceptable, since potentially sensitive information can be viewed on the display for some time after the computer is locked.
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I just had my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro's screen replaced for image retention and I was worried about the same thing. There's a support document that says it's normal now, but I had zero issue getting a full repair with AppleCare.
 
kemal said:
The laptop is too thin / too little volume to handle the cooling needed for the graphics chip. I have four of these with the video issues.
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The rMBP are much better. My system stays (on average) between 10-15 degrees Celsius cooler than my 2011 system. Even on heavy load my rMBP has hit 80 degrees one time where as my old system went into the low 90s many times.

Technically that is still within the operating temperature of the chipset, but a design flaw couldn't withstand that.
 
McScooby said:
Universal translation means - once again :apple:are scared of impending lawsuit in the US, bet there's no love to the rest of the world, customer care my erse, as it stands I've got a £1k brick!
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Brandhouse said:
So will Apple cover my $1,200 repair bill to get my late 2011 Mac Book Pro 17" fixed? And why only in Canada and the US? There's more to the world than two countries!
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Reading comprehension, folks.

"As of February 20 in the United States and Canada (February 27 in other countries)..."
 
That's one seriously messed up display...

Mine's not on the list luckily :D

I would have guessed, as i always like to from time to time, a firmware update didn't fix this then.
 
Small White Car said:
I've got two numbers for you.

2015 - 2011 = 4 years

Embarrassing.

Why you seem to be concerned with any other numbers is beyond me.
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Yes, clearly it is beyond you. You think that a company should give you free stuff based on perception and not raw data.
 
sualpine said:
Yes, clearly it is beyond you.
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Now you ARE being insulting.

What point are you trying to make exactly? That Apple shouldn't make any remedy move until they have enough data to confirm it's a wide spread problem?

I think they should deal with the individual users when it happens, not to wait and only fix "wide spread issues". Someone who's system failed a month after the warranty expired due to a logic board failure shouldn't have to wait 8 months for help. By then it's likely too late.
 
Traverse said:
Now you ARE being insulting.

What point are you trying to make exactly? That Apple shouldn't make any remedy move until they have enough data to confirm it's a wide spread problem?

I think they should deal with the individual users when it happens, not to wait and only fix "wide spread issues". Someone who's system failed a month after the warranty expired due to a logic board failure shouldn't have to wait 8 months for help. By then it's likely too late.
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This is what the warranty is for.
 
I have video issues w/ my Mid 2012 rMBP but ONLY in Safari and ONLY with the Intel 4000 integrated video. No issues when I force enable discrete video. The issue is that part of a web site's background image will fill in a graphic or picture. So the picture will half show and half be either gray or black.

Does this sound like the type of issue being covered? I'm not sure if my problem is s/w or h/w based. (Yes, turned off all my Safari extensions -- but the problem persists.
 
sualpine said:
This is what the warranty is for.
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Yes, for spontaneous hardware failure or (depending on the warranty) user error.

A design flaw isn't a spontaneous occurrence or a random failure that is inevitable. It is a problem that the user had no control over and that the manufacturer needs to be held responsible for.


Now I do grant you that there some subjectivity involved here. If these were $400 computers from 2011 or MacBooks from 2009 then I'd say people are just trying to get something for nothing, but these are users that paid over $1800 on computers that failed in 2-3.5 years.

Also, there are users that had Apple replace their parts, and had the replacements dies. My replacement died a few weeks before that warranted part was out. Had it waited a little longer I would have had a dead system AGAIN, that isn't acceptable when you operate in the high end of the market.
 
Traverse said:
No is asking for free stuff, they're asking for Apple to stand by the quality of the stuff they paid a premium for.
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Ah, yes. The black or white logical fallacy. Either Apple gives you exactly what you want and then they did the right thing, or they didn't give you what you wanted, and they did a bad thing. Sorry, that's not how it works. Sir, you have the burden of proof. You made a claim and now you have to have facts behind it. How exactly, with facts, is Apple not standing behind their products? Clearly, if you weren't so slanted, you would see that this program is exactly that. Keep in mind, that this program is entirely voluntary, on Apple's part.
 
jrlcopy said:
So has anyone else realized that every year that Apple has made the Macbook Pro since 2006, they have had to issue a recall or repair program?

2006- Battery
2007/2008-Nvidia Graphics
2009-Video Issues
2010-Video issues
2011-2013- Video Issues
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The '08 8600M GT failures were a joke.. so many machines failed. I don't know if it was Nvidia's fault or what, but there is definitely a recurring problem of graphics cards failing in MBP's. I seriously wonder if it is heat related...
 
I wonder if I could get reimbursed even though I just sold the computer (after paying for repairs about a year ago). I have the serial number and can provide evidence of me paying for repair so hopefully it'll work.
 
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sualpine said:
Ah, yes. The black or white logical fallacy. Either Apple gives you exactly what you want and then they did the right thing, or they didn't give you what you wanted, and they did a bad thing. Sorry, that's not how it works. Sir, you have the burden of proof. You made a claim and now you have to have facts behind it. How exactly, with facts, is Apple not standing behind their products? Clearly, if you weren't so slanted, you would see that this program is exactly that. Keep in mind, that this program is entirely voluntary, on Apple's part.
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a5b.png
 
Very nice... but Apple should have been more proactive sooner

My Macbook Pro 2011 hasn't had this issue yet but if it does at least its not going to cost me $$$.

What about those people who have already had to pay to get their machines repaired - in some cases, more than once. They are out of pocket :-( too late for those. RE-READ article - great - Apple are contacting those customers who have already had theirs repaired for reimbursement :)
 
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hfletcher said:
The '08 8600M GT failures were a joke.. so many machines failed. I don't know if it was Nvidia's fault or what, but there is definitely a recurring problem of graphics cards failing in MBP's. I seriously wonder if it is heat related...
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That was nvidia, almost every laptop manufacturer had some kind of recall/repair programmefor 8600m, funded by nvidia as I recall.
 
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