Apple Launches Repair Program for Late 2013 Mac Pro Video Issues

[jblagden]

It seems quite clear IMO why Apple is trying to get rid of dGPUs as fast as possible. It seems like every other iteration of Mac has dGPU issues. Apple must be sick of them. The route they took with the 4K iMacs makes me thing the next major MBP redesign won't have dGPUs at all.

They wouldn't have as many issues if the avoided AMD like the plague and used MXM boards (cheaper replacement).

 

[gugy]

I was hoping after the redesigned MP, the updates would be more frequent but silly me.
Apple disregard for Mac professionals are a sad thing to look at.
MP and TB displays are so outdated.

I still have my MP 2011 and still rocks and I will only jump on the nMP once they update it, hopefully with TB3. Apple also should update their displays to 4K and 5k.

I see Apple making the mistake of spreading themselves too thin among many industries and losing the focus on Mac and iOS hardware and software. Honestly I don't care about watches, cars and the rumor of becoming a content creator company. Focus on what your do best.

 

[bizzle]

I'm curious, does this extend to all GPU models? D300s, 500s and 700s? I'm seeing a lot of D500s and 700s but not many 300 owners reporting problems.

I think its horse **** that the D300 isn't part of this program. I've replaced a whole bunch of D300's for the same issues. Also, IT'S NOT A RECALL.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Integrated GPU's eliminate a lot of options... Serviceability, upgradeability, etc...
[doublepost=1454770896][/doublepost]

The car companies do this all the time. How it's legal is a mystery, but such is our subservient governing class. The 'do nothing Congress' sure acts fast to protect their owners.

Auto OEM's are bound by law to send multiple postcards to affected vehicle owners until the car is fixed or the percentage of fixed cars reaches about 70-ish% (here a C-average is considered good LOL*).

The car companies were so rotten and cheap in protecting their customers that Congress passed the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act, and amended it over the years to toughen and expand it.

One aspect covers vehicle recalls and requires OEM's to contact all vehicle owners of a recall. The OEM's generally have no idea who owns a particular vehicle after a few years, so they buy lists from state DMV offices to make up each recall postcard mailing list.

Apple on the other hand has iCloud. And AppleID. Each time a device connects to the iCloud (and at minimum when it gets a s/w update), it communicates both AppleID and device info to Apple.

Apple could so easily give a popup box explaining there is a recall or warranty issue affecting the device and then lead the user thru the process to remediate the issue.

Because Apple can so easily do this, but won't, is the same as flipping the bird to customers and saying "I don't care about you or if you think we are hypocrites."

They don't even offer an apology for the inconvenience.

Apple's present recall like all its others is incompetent policy, but this one is incompetent as well in both preparation and deployment.

* Re car recall rates of 70-ish percent, this could be boosted to 100% by denying re/licensing of vehicles with open recalls (here is where Congress has serially failed to implement a simple fix - probably due to being in the pockets of car makers and dealers). I wonder if Apple even reach the 70-ish% auto success rates in their recall efforts.

 

[AndyUnderscoreR]

Totally unacceptable that D300s are excluded, they have exactly the same problems and fail just as often as the D500s and D700s.

 

[jblagden]

Totally unacceptable that D300s are excluded, they have exactly the same problems and fail just as often as the D500s and D700s.

Actually, I'd say it's totally unacceptable that:
1. Apple used AMD graphics cards (due to heat). The Thermal Core is neat, but it must not be dissipating enough heat. It seems like these graphics cards could benefit from liquid cooling.

2. Apple used a proprietary connector for the graphics card.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Not only is it the length of time, but also what the REPs cover and when they cover it. The 2011 and 2012 MBPs aren't fixed. They are still going to die on from the same GPU problem in the near future. However that repair program, which was only announced last year, is ending on Feb 27th of this year, or three years from the DOP. Still, for an issue that will probably never be able to be fixed, that's ridiculous. Owners will eventually have the machine die on them prematurely. I had 8 - count them eight - logic board replacements in my 2011 15" in the first year. AppleCare hadn't even kicked it yet.

Plus to fall under any of these REPs you have to be having the problem. That's fine, I can understand that. But when the problem can affect most/all of the machines manufactured (like the 2011s) they should all be repaired at least once regardless of the working state. After that, if the issue resurfaces the repair should also be covered.

Also, Apple has a tenancy to hide what it can under the rug. The 2011 and 2012 MBPs and the AC adapter program were only made public because they were well known issues. It was never known that Apple had a REP for certain Apple TV 3rd Gens for Wi-Fi problems. When I had two ATV3s in similar serial ranges die, it was cause for suspicion. It was only after doing some research that I found someone had leaked the program from an AASP. Not only did the local store (including managers) not know about the program, but by the time I found out I had already paid to replace one of them, and both would have been covered under that program. I did take it to Apple before I replaced it though, and they didn't do anything because it was out of warranty.

I was compensated with a free iPod nano, although only after twisting arms and talking to Customer Relations. Mind you, I basically paid twice for an Apple TV - 1 originally (the one that failed, and 2 when I had to buy a new one to replace it.

I also failed to catch the secret warranty program on the ATV3. (Not counting the diagnostic info they gather in the background) Given the number of times I used the check streaming diagnostic feature, Apple must know I was having trouble. Not only did they not notify me to offer a replacement, by the time I became aware of the secret warranty program, it had expired and Apple flipped the bird to me when I asked to be covered.

The customer satisfaction, protection and lack of a directive of "just stand behind the product & customer" aspect of recall programs is more akin to what one could expect from a poor mom and pop shop, not the world's richest premier consumer products firm, and is what endangers the stickiness of the ecosystem in both a fundimental and big way.
[doublepost=1454780986][/doublepost]

What's disappointing, is how long it takes Apple to own-up to the problem and even more disappointing, for the geniuses at the genius bar to acknowledge that in fact your unit falls under the recall.

Are the geniuses ignorant, or just playing dumb? That's the question!

 

[Zirel]

Agreed. There was a time for Apple when 'elegant design' meant making computers that were maybe a bit bigger, but still beautiful. They used to pride themselves in software that was incredibly powerful, yet still intuative to use. Now 'innovation' for Apple just means just making hardware thinner (and impossible to fix) and software devoid of features it used to have, in the name of supposed 'simplicity'. Just listen to Marco Arment, John Siracusa and Casey Liss from the latest ATP Podcast. They go in exhaustive detail how they feel Apple has gone way overboard with 'appearances' at the expense of usability ... with some of their harshest criticism for the new Apple TV interface, which they argue was made to look good in screen shots, but is absolutely horrible to actually use:

http://atp.fm

I don't think you understand them…

 

[skellener]

I had issues with my nMP when I first got it (May 2014). When booting or restarting the machine would display garbled artifacts instead of the regular screen. A few reboots or a zap of PRAM would take care of it. I haven't had the problem in a long time. My nMP is not one listed in the time frame of the OP. I'm not sure if I should bring it in or not. I have the dual D700 cards. Interesting, at work we have a nMP (Sept. 2014) with the base video card and it does the same thing intermittently still to this day - also not in the time frame listed in the OP. Maybe Apple could extend those dates a bit.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

How embarrassing for Apple that a company with over $200 billion in the bank cannot update the Mac Pro in 3 years and doesn't sell a competitive 4k or 5k stand-alone display. Does Apple seriously expect people to buy 3-4 year old technology, WTF Apple?

 

[Unami]

doesn't this prove that these new 'trash can' Mac "Pro"s are just as fallible as a system for intense use as the MBP's etc were? the towers clearly could take the stress.

not really, the towers also had their share of (ati) gpu-failures

 

[RedOrchestra]

Are the geniuses ignorant, or just playing dumb? That's the question!

YOU decide? Latest "run-in" was with my wife's 5s and the on-going battery bloat problem Apple has. The genius plugged the iPhone into his iPad and ran diagnostics several times trying to decide if the iPhone "qualified." When I indicated that the problem seemed fairly apparent, he quickly shot back that "he'll decide" - 45 minutes later she was given a refurb replacement.
[doublepost=1454783746][/doublepost]

How embarrassing for Apple that a company with over $200 billion in the bank cannot update the Mac Pro in 3 years and doesn't sell a competitive 4k or 5k stand-alone display. Does Apple seriously expect people to buy 3-4 year old technology, WTF Apple?

Hey, they're releasing new Watch bands every couple of months ... isn't that good enough?

 

[pat500000]

What's so good about this, Jimmy?

What I'm reading above is - MacPros that shipped from Feb15 have known faults. Discussion forums since Feb15 have noted this fault. Now, in FEB 2016 - a year later - Apple pulls its finger out and creates a Repair Program???

That is NOT good. That is poor!

Yay for anyone who may have an affected MacPro and NOT suffered symptoms to date, who can get a free repair... Boo for all the poor people out there with this machine, who have had an incredibly expensive paperweight sitting on their desk for 12 months!

It's good because it's getting some attention by allowing repair. They could have ignored the problem.

 

[shareef777]

I am sure that ANYONE dropping that money for that machine knows what is buying

Knowing doesn't make that fact any less ridiculous. At work we need MPs with lots of memory to virtualize OSX for our developers. Apple is the only company (and we buy equipment from multiple companies) that's selling us 3 year old hardware for the same exact price they charged 3 years ago.

 

[pat500000]

I was hoping after the redesigned MP, the updates would be more frequent but silly me.
Apple disregard for Mac professionals are a sad thing to look at.
MP and TB displays are so outdated.

I still have my MP 2011 and still rocks and I will only jump on the nMP once they update it, hopefully with TB3. Apple also should update their displays to 4K and 5k.

I see Apple making the mistake of spreading themselves too thin among many industries and losing the focus on Mac and iOS hardware and software. Honestly I don't care about watches, cars and the rumor of becoming a content creator company. Focus on what your do best.

Well.. I guess they did update it. They have 3.0, tb2, and portability.....

 

[GoodWheaties]

I'm starting to think that it is wise for them to push integrated graphics on consumer devices with the number of problems they have had with graphics cards in the last 5 years. I just had to have my 2011 iMac card repaired because it nicely waited to fail till the 4 year repair program was past.

 

[manu chao]

hahah damn that's cold. Now where's those Skylake MacBooks at? Holler at me Jony

You mean: "Intel, where are your 28 W TDP U-series Skylake chips?".
[doublepost=1454785305][/doublepost]

How embarrassing for Apple that a company with over $200 billion in the bank cannot update the Mac Pro in 3 years and doesn't sell a competitive 4k or 5k stand-alone display. Does Apple seriously expect people to buy 3-4 year old technology, WTF Apple?

For all practical purposes, the current Mac Pro really started shipping in January 2014. That's two years, not three. Moreover, it isn't Apple's fault that Xeons for a particular processor generation are released one to two years after the standard desktop chips.

Apple could have released a Haswell update to the Mac Pro. They could have released a model updated graphic cards and storage. But I think to some degree they keep postponing the update because there is always something new they could include if they wait another six months, so they wait for that.
[doublepost=1454785449][/doublepost]

How about supporting external graphic cards through USB 3.1 or Thunderbolt?

Design a thermal core to cool two big graphic cards and then best release an external graphic housing that is noisy.

 

[Deuce on the Clock]

Theyve known about this issue quite a long time. Slow to react. I feel bad for small businesses getting the runaround for such a long time.

 

[MH01]

I was hoping after the redesigned MP, the updates would be more frequent but silly me.
Apple disregard for Mac professionals are a sad thing to look at.
MP and TB displays are so outdated.

I still have my MP 2011 and still rocks and I will only jump on the nMP once they update it, hopefully with TB3. Apple also should update their displays to 4K and 5k.

I see Apple making the mistake of spreading themselves too thin among many industries and losing the focus on Mac and iOS hardware and software. Honestly I don't care about watches, cars and the rumor of becoming a content creator company. Focus on what your do best.

Apple are very focused on the products that make them money . They left the professional area a long ago, but people still hold on to hope and believe that Apple invest in that area. One just has to look at the mini and iMac to see where Apple is heading

 

[8692574]

Knowing doesn't make that fact any less ridiculous. At work we need MPs with lots of memory to virtualize OSX for our developers. Apple is the only company (and we buy equipment from multiple companies) that's selling us 3 year old hardware for the same exact price they charged 3 years ago.

The fact that your company still buys it means they still see the value (and why it si not ridiculous) in it and that is why Apple can get away with it, their machine are worth the price even few years down the road, you can't say the same thing about "equipment from multiple companies".

 

[sofila]

How embarrassing for Apple that a company with over $200 billion in the bank cannot update the Mac Pro in 3 years and doesn't sell a competitive 4k or 5k stand-alone display. Does Apple seriously expect people to buy 3-4 year old technology, WTF Apple?

The problem stands in the circular form factor.
They struggle to figure out which side make thinner

 

[cable]

What I don't understand is why they are still lying about the fact that **** issue isn't just late 2013s that were made in 2015. theres problems in ALL of them. I had the first run and apple just replaced my AMD firepro 700s

 

[citysnaps]

You mean: "Intel, where are your 28 W TDP U-series Skylake chips?".
[doublepost=1454785305][/doublepost]
For all practical purposes, the current Mac Pro really started shipping in January 2014. That's two years, not three. Moreover, it isn't Apple's fault that Xeons for a particular processor generation are released one to two years after the standard desktop chips.

Apple could have released a Haswell update to the Mac Pro. They could have released a model updated graphic cards and storage. But I think to some degree they keep postponing the update because there is always something new they could include if they wait another six months, so they wait for that.
[doublepost=1454785449][/doublepost]
Design a thermal core to cool two big graphic cards and then best release an external graphic housing that is noisy.

Nice seeing a well-reasoned post about how Apple moving forward is very dependent on Intel's ability to deliver chips timely and in volume.

As opposed to the typical nonsense most others spout on how Apple is losing it, can't innovate, is greedy, buh-blah buh-blah buh-blah.

Guessing you're an engineer?

 

[ipooed]

Loving every minute of it! I don't know of another computer company that constantly has video issues year after year... Maybe heat is the problem?

 

[jblagden]

Nice seeing a well-reasoned post about how Apple moving forward is very dependent on Intel's ability to deliver chips timely and in volume.

As opposed to the typical nonsense most others spout on how Apple is losing it, can't innovate, is greedy, buh-blah buh-blah buh-blah.

Guessing you're an engineer?

In other words, you're glad he's not blaming your buddy Tim for Apple's mistakes.
[doublepost=1454789988][/doublepost]

Agreed. There was a time for Apple when 'elegant design' meant making computers that were maybe a bit bigger, but still beautiful. They used to pride themselves in software that was incredibly powerful, yet still intuative to use. Now 'innovation' for Apple just means just making hardware thinner (and impossible to fix) and software devoid of features it used to have, in the name of supposed 'simplicity'. Just listen to Marco Arment, John Siracusa and Casey Liss from the latest ATP Podcast. They go in exhaustive detail how they feel Apple has gone way overboard with 'appearances' at the expense of usability ... with some of their harshest criticism for the new Apple TV interface, which they argue was made to look good in screen shots, but is absolutely horrible to actually use:

http://atp.fm

I’m listening to the podcast right now. The part about the software is degradation is at the 14:41 mark and that part is largely a repetition of this: http://recode.net/2016/02/03/mossberg-apples-own-apps-need-work/