Apple Launches 27" iMac 3TB Hard Drive Replacement Program

[pillbotgrr]

Sorry doesn't make sense to me. The hard drive is failing. Who cares who did the replacing?

A few others have responded to this with the same sentiment. The reason Apple requires that they or an authorized service provider replaces the hard drive is because they receive credit from the HDD manufacturer. It's the manufacturer's product that failed, not Apple. (yes I understand it's Apple's choice to use them)

So...Apple is basically being the mediator between us and the HDD manufacturer.

BTW, I'm included on the list of 27" iMacs needing HDD replacement.

 

[rkho]

I had the late 2012 27" iMac with a 3TB Fusion Drive. Two of the 3TB drives failed on me, with the first one not pairing with the SSD for fusion capabilities. Two fans/power supplies also failed on it. All of this happened within the span of about three months.

But that's okay, since I was CRU'ed to a maxed out 5K as a result.

 

[jmantn]

And the answer is NO. The repair has to have been done through the Apple Store or an authorized Apple provider to receive a refund for any repairs.

Makes sense.

FYI You may want to double check by talking to someone different. There's fine print that states they may reimburse you if you fixed an issue on your own. If it was me, I'd ask for reimbursement up to the value of the drive they were going to use. If for example the drive they were going to used cost $200 and the one you bought cost $400 then they should at least cover $200 of that.

My serial on my iMac states I qualify however I never felt the need to go full SSD as the fusion has worked well for me on my 2012 iMac. I do find this humorous as I have two External HDD's for time machine that are 4 GB each just in case the disk ever did die.

 

[Gasu E.]

"A new computer built by my company ships with a hard drive potentially prone to failure and file corruption. The drive fails and loses thousands of documents depended upon by the user. Now, should we initiate a hard drive replacement program? Take the number of computers in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the amount lost from a lawsuit, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a program, we don't do one."

You do realize that Apple would only be liable for the cost of the drives? It's on you if you fail to back up per generally accepted practice. They are doing this to stay ahead of a problem that could generate major customer dissatisfaction and damage their reputation. It's about goodwill, not fear of lawsuits.

 

[GnarlsBailey]

A few others have responded to this with the same sentiment. The reason Apple requires that they or an authorized service provider replaces the hard drive is because they receive credit from the HDD manufacturer. It's the manufacturer's product that failed, not Apple. (yes I understand it's Apple's choice to use them)

So...Apple is basically being the mediator between us and the HDD manufacturer.

BTW, I'm included on the list of 27" iMacs needing HDD replacement.

Thank you for clarifying.

However, I'm not upset in the slightest. This just would have been the cherry on top to have my $280 expense on the SSD covered unexpectedly. The truth is I had been looking for an excuse to upgrade the machine to SSD for a LONG time. This just gave me a good reason.

 

[GnarlsBailey]

FYI You may want to double check by talking to someone different. There's fine print that states they may reimburse you if you fixed an issue on your own. If it was me, I'd ask for reimbursement up to the value of the drive they were going to use. If for example the drive they were going to used cost $200 and the one you bought cost $400 then they should at least cover $200 of that.

My serial on my iMac states I qualify however I never felt the need to go full SSD as the fusion has worked well for me on my 2012 iMac. I do find this humorous as I have two External HDD's for time machine that are 4 GB each just in case the disk ever did die.

Thank you. I will double check!

 

[HenryDJP]

UGGH... I saw this and hoped it was an announcement for the updated 27" Cinema Display

I know right? It was a bit misleading.

 

[HenryDJP]

Make a real desktop computer.

They do, it's called a Mac Pro.

 

[cosmichobo]

How much time would it take Apple to write some code into an OS upgrade, that would notify people when their Mac/etc had an issue that was covered by a Repair Program??? Not that hard, I'd expect... Could be information they put on their website that the Mac/etc then checks during the upgrade process...

Of course, this will never happen, as whilst they happily announce these programs, and I see now even email those who registered and provided valid emails, they don't actually want every owner of every defective product to come forward...

 

[cosmichobo]

Is that just for America? My iMac had problems, I tried to fix myself and was successful. But another problem arose and not wanting to open it up again I took it to a (non-authorised) repair shop, it was fixed. But then the stock HDD went and was under a repair programme, worried that due to my work+unauthorised shop work I wouldn't be eligible I phoned up to ask. I was eligible regardless of any work done to it, so long that it was the same drive mentioned in the programme.

Like I say it may be an EU thing but if in doubt it's always worth checking out.

Consumer Rights are a lot better in various non-USA countries... I'd say your country's/economic union's laws helped you out.

 

[HenryDJP]

How much time would it take Apple to write some code into an OS upgrade, that would notify people when their Mac/etc had an issue that was covered by a Repair Program??? Not that hard, I'd expect... Could be information they put on their website that the Mac/etc then checks during the upgrade process...

Of course, this will never happen, as whilst they happily announce these programs, and I see now even email those who registered and provided valid emails, they don't actually want every owner of every defective product to come forward...

Not that I'm speaking up for Apple but you've gotta be kidding right? Right now (and I'm not mentioning any names) I've read a few on here that are going to the Apple store to get a replacement drive even though their hard drive hasn't failed.

Quote from the article headline: "Apple has determined that a small number of 3TB hard drives...". That means not every drive was affected. For Apple to write code in their OS to automatically tell people their product qualifies for a hard drive replacement every customer will bombard the Apple store (when it's already insanely crowded) requesting a replacement even though nothing is wrong with their drive.

Of course they want every defective drive to come forward, otherwise they wouldn't announce a replacement program, but people should only get it replaced if it's defective.

 

[Nightarchaon]

Nice to see apple finally owning up to crappy quality control... but if they put in proper cooling, vented chassis and didn't run right at all the thermal limits in those "Ive" designed cases they wouldn't have these problems as much , had 3 iMac HDDs fail, and 2 screens , due to heat failure, and i wont touch the new mac laptops , especially the fan less ones.

If only i could the get the OS to install on a PC i build myself without having to hackintosh..

But then apple is a mobile phone and fashion accessory company now, that occasionally dabbles in low end computers that are also fashion accessories..

 

[TMRJIJ]

Nice to see apple finally owning up to crappy quality control... but if they put in proper cooling, vented chassis and didn't run right at all the thermal limits in those "Ive" designed cases they wouldn't have these problems as much , had 3 iMac HDDs fail, and 2 screens , due to heat failure, and i wont touch the new mac laptops , especially the fan less ones.

If only i could the get the OS to install on a PC i build myself without having to hackintosh..

But then apple is a mobile phone and fashion accessory company now, that occasionally dabbles in low end computers that are also fashion accessories..

1. Apple didn't make the hard drives. This issue is happening to several Seagate 3 TB hard drives regardless of Apple's design.
2. There is only one fanless Mac laptop in the line right now. The Pro and Air have fans.
3. The iPhone is making the big bucks now.

 

[lk400]

For a second I thought this was to let those poor people with HDDs to upgrade to SSDs like the iMac should come with.

It's not necessarily because they are poor. The SSD was only available in smaller sizes. The 3TB fusion provided a good balance between storage and speed. Plenty of people chose it based on that not because they are poor.

 

[Guy Clark]

Apple has determined that a small number of 3TB hard drives used in late 2012 27-inch iMacs sold between December 2012 and September 2013 may fail under certain conditions. The company has initiated a replacement program to replace affected hard drives free of charge through Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP).

Apple is contacting affected iMac owners that provided a valid email address during product registration to inform them about the new replacement program. iMac owners can check if they are affected by entering the computer's serial number on Apple's support website, and visit the Genius Bar, locate an AASP or contact Apple Technical Support to initiate the replacement process.

Apple advises that customers who paid to have their hard drive repaired contact the company for a refund. The replacement program covers affected iMac models until December 19, 2015, or three years from the affected iMac's original date of sale, depending on whichever is longer. Read about the iMac replacement program on Apple's support website for further details.

Apple announced a similar replacement program in late 2012 for select 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs sold between October 2009 and July 2011 with Seagate 1TB hard drives that could also fail under certain conditions. That replacement program expired on July 23, 2013 after being extended for a year. Apple also launched a repair program for early MacBook models in 2010.

Article Link: Apple Launches 27" iMac 3TB Hard Drive Replacement Program

Encouraging that Apple are keeping vigilant with such issues but it is high time 7200rpm Hard Drives were adopted as standard given the premium price paid. Furthermore Apple should consider sourcing their Hard Drives from elsewhere given the track record of High capacity Seagate Drives.

 

[cosmichobo]

Not that I'm speaking up for Apple but you've gotta be kidding right? Right now (and I'm not mentioning any names) I've read a few on here that are going to the Apple store to get a replacement drive even though their hard drive hasn't failed.

Quote from the article headline: "Apple has determined that a small number of 3TB hard drives...". That means not every drive was affected. For Apple to write code in their OS to automatically tell people their product qualifies for a hard drive replacement every customer will bombard the Apple store (when it's already insanely crowded) requesting a replacement even though nothing is wrong with their drive.

Of course they want every defective drive to come forward, otherwise they wouldn't announce a replacement program, but people should only get it replaced if it's defective.

"a small number"? A small number of every electronic device fails. Apple doesn't implement a Repair Program for "a small number" of failing devices. They wait until an avalanche of consumers deluge them, forcing them to admit there is an issue, and playing PR to show how caring and sharing they are for such customers.

And yes, they are playing the odds, hoping that not every customer will find out about this problem, or the Repair Program, because that would be bad for their profit margin.

(Granted, I think the email to registered customers is a great step forward - and, surely they wont expect every email to result in a repair, just as a note via Software Update wouldn't result in a repair for every customer.)

 

[Baklava]

"A new computer built by my company ships with a hard drive potentially prone to failure and file corruption. The drive fails and loses thousands of documents depended upon by the user. Now, should we initiate a hard drive replacement program? Take the number of computers in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the amount lost from a lawsuit, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a program, we don't do one."

"Which computer company do you work for?" - "A major one."

 

[qhere]

Hurray, mine failed in April and I was charged $464.25 for the privilege of having it repaired at the Apple store. I did comment to the "Genius" (about 18 years old) at the time that 2 years wasn't a very good life. "Nah, about normal" was the reply! I would hope that 5 years would be correct seeing Seagate warranty their own "non-Apple supplied units" with a 3 year factory warranty.

So I have spent 30 minutes on the phone to somewhere in Asia Pacific, talking to a lady who said "Take it back to your local Apple store" - for a refund? "Oh, no, I see your point". After much detail taking it was "we'll refund your bank account - in 4 weeks". I wish I could pay 4 weeks after it was repaired (which took 10 days!!

Then I rang back again (I think to an Australian call centre) who when asked "So, did Apple put a faulty one back in from their then NOT called back stock from Seagate?".

Rep said, "Oh, yeah, I see what you mean, it's only in the last 24 hours it's been reported as a fault - maybe the stocks they had back in April MIGHT have been from the same batch - I'll make you an Apple Genius appointment to get that replaced" (again).

So if you had one replaced BEFORE this programme, have it replaced again as the stock may have been from the same batches supplied faulty from Seagate to Apple.

Another 10 days wait? What happened to "24-48 hours" repairs? This is normally now "at least 5 days" in the Australian stores. No one rings or emails when it's ready either - it's ME following it up to find out. What's the USA and other countries experiences with the Apple Stores (company owned)? Has the service times gone to weeks for you? Do you find the Genius' less trained than they should be (other than how to sell an Apple Watch) for the repairs and help?

 

[xmichaelp]

why would they fail? Is it because the thermal space in an imac would make the hard drive fail?

No. It's a defective batch of drives.

If the thermal space didn't cause all drives to fail in the old iMac design then it won't in the newer cooler design. It's only the 3 TB drives, not the other sizes.

 

[WardC]

I have a 2011 27" 3.4GHz iMac, but luckily mine has a 1TB Western Digital Drive.

The drive has been nothing but superb...

My video card fizzled out last year and I had to get it replaced. Apple replaced it with a 2GB card, my luck....because I had a 1GB card stock. The bad news: Apple couldn't do the repair for free because I had a non-Apple OWC aftermarket SSD installed. The repair cost me $439 -- but it has been running like a charm since! Best Mac I ever owned, this iMac is a great computer.

 

[christophermdia]

My iMac drive failed about 3-4 weeks ago ... luckily I have a few other Macs to hold me over, but have been dreading taking it to the Apple store and get a horrendous bill for a drive I could buy for probably $100 off the shelf. This article saved my life!

 

[Klae17]

Make a real desktop computer.

They do. Buy the Mac Pro.

 

[JustThinkin']

They do. Buy the Mac Pro.

And it's a great computer, to be sure.

But that's a legitimate complaint.


For less than $2000 I get about the same performance as a $7000, 12-core Mac Pro. I suppose if I needed the full GPU power and equivalent everything it would cost me nearly $3000, but that's still a $4000 savings!

And if you need something less powerful, a Mac Pro's still about twice the price of what you can build on your own. So it becomes a matter of whether you really need OS X and the Mac Pro's ultra-portable form factor.

 

[qhere]

Quite the epiphany, isn't it!

Alas they have a special TRIM support built into theirs - which not everyone supports (i.e. next to no one) - so limited production runs helps boost the price and make it nearly impossible to get a working 3rd party one! Software hacks work until the next update of the MacOS X - not good if you expected to see your data in a hurry as you try to make it work again.

Then there are the MacBook models with ones that LOOK like mSATA but have different plugs/sockets - another "gotcha".

It would be marvelous to see Apple release one that "if it equals or surpasses this standard - then success is yours". Then they seal up the iMac or MacBook to make it nearly impossible to get inside just to change it.

 

[Tech198]

i wonder how many more repair programs they'll be *thinks to self*

Apple's got quite a collection under their belt haven't they. Reckon their the only company with the longest repair list of repair programs?

Maybe we should start a list.... "Coming in at number #1 is Apple, close second is Segate, WD etc.." type of thing. We have lists for everything else, stats.... included, so why not. Would also help inform customers who to stay away from...