Good. I work as a Mac tech and I can say that out of the many, MANY iMacs that I've seen, I've only spotted this defect less than half a dozen times. The few people in this suit are just whiny asshats who can't stand that their product died outside the warranty period. Crap happens, people.
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Judge Dismisses Class Action Lawsuit Over iMac Screen Issues
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My old out-of-warranty 17" iMac produced just ONE of these "vertical" lines, and all I had to do was call Apple and ask them if it was a known defect. They agreed to replace the screen on their dollar. I just had to take it to a local Mac-certified repair shop. Never had a problem with it since.
Of course, I'm selling said Mac, because I'm now using a 27" i7 iMac
Of course, I'm selling said Mac, because I'm now using a 27" i7 iMac
Non-Issue
Even to someone studying law, this is faintly ridiculous. Apple knows about the issue, as I experienced firsthand when my iMac began experiencing troubles. After this problem became progressively worse, I took into my local Apple store and the Genius Bar sent it out to get it fixed up, free of charge. Didn't even need AppleCare. Never hurts to ask, people
Even to someone studying law, this is faintly ridiculous. Apple knows about the issue, as I experienced firsthand when my iMac began experiencing troubles. After this problem became progressively worse, I took into my local Apple store and the Genius Bar sent it out to get it fixed up, free of charge. Didn't even need AppleCare. Never hurts to ask, people
Its too bad the guy got greedy. He should have just went after the affected machine owners only and it would have gone through.
I also repair mac's and I am typing on a affected 1.83 core duo right now. I have come across 2 others with the same issue. If this happened on your machine you would be the first in line to get it repaired on apples dime just like I was with this 1.83.
I never noticed a difference in pricing as a European who compares regularly between several stores in different countries. But even if the prices would be raised, then so be it. Warranty has an important reason: to protect the individual customer in case of a bad product. One year is not reasonable, especially for a notebook that could be used for many, many years. Ideally, warranty should not be enforced by law, but rather be a service a company offers to its customers by itself. If the company knows that the product is good, then what's the real harm offering a warranty?
I think Apple knows exactly that its hardware causes a lot of problems. I had to send my Unibody MacBook back three times before I got one that was absolutely all right. Now after a year, the glass display is letting loose at the edges. Of course this happens right after the warranty ends. Apple refused to repair the display, because the warranty was over and I should have bought AppleCare. I just find that very disgusting. At least you could expect Apple to have an excellent customer service to compensate for their premium pricing, and yet they are even worse then several other companies I had troubles with. In such cases I was happy to rely on the two year warranty by law.
If the company lacks sufficient customer care, then it should be enforced by law if necessary.
Never knew the exact part number. However, as a Mac Specialist, I overheard a Mac Genius say that there is a particular model of iMac that even the replacement logic boards are internally known Apple as being defective. (Believe it was a G5 iMac although that doesn't narrow it down TOO much).
Too bad I don't know the model number, because that would be fun class action lawsuit.
Too bad I don't know the model number, because that would be fun class action lawsuit.
We have several of these iMacs
I teach at a school in IL and we purchased several of these iMacs. In August when school started I fired them up after they had not been used all Summer, and we had three machines with vertical lines. More of these lines appeared each month.
I'm not the tech guy but I do teach the students how to use the macs for yearbook purposes.
As a school, we can't afford Apple Care. The machines are locked down so I always felt we were pretty safe because Apple quality is generally great. We still use the original "desktop lamp" iMac on a daily basis. The only thing wrong with it is the screen's mechanical arm is a little loose, but the kids love it the best as far as beauty....but she is a little slow.
This really screws us. If we lose 3 or 4 machines and it costs us a boatload to fix them or replace them, the school will probably say screw it. We can get a new Dell for $500. This really stinks if Apple sold them knowing there was a defect.
The one saving grace may be that if anyone wants something done like a DVD, video editing, pictures adjusted, or a strange document format opened...they always come to me and we head to the Mac Lab because if the problem needs to be solved the Macs can do it.
This ticks me off because Apple is putting my reputation at stake. I told the school this is the route you should go if you are serious about digital arts.
I teach at a school in IL and we purchased several of these iMacs. In August when school started I fired them up after they had not been used all Summer, and we had three machines with vertical lines. More of these lines appeared each month.
I'm not the tech guy but I do teach the students how to use the macs for yearbook purposes.
As a school, we can't afford Apple Care. The machines are locked down so I always felt we were pretty safe because Apple quality is generally great. We still use the original "desktop lamp" iMac on a daily basis. The only thing wrong with it is the screen's mechanical arm is a little loose, but the kids love it the best as far as beauty....but she is a little slow.
This really screws us. If we lose 3 or 4 machines and it costs us a boatload to fix them or replace them, the school will probably say screw it. We can get a new Dell for $500. This really stinks if Apple sold them knowing there was a defect.
The one saving grace may be that if anyone wants something done like a DVD, video editing, pictures adjusted, or a strange document format opened...they always come to me and we head to the Mac Lab because if the problem needs to be solved the Macs can do it.
This ticks me off because Apple is putting my reputation at stake. I told the school this is the route you should go if you are serious about digital arts.
They fixed my logic board, free
Yep, that's what happened to me... after AppleCare ran out, and after their "extended repair phase" ran out (Apple gave people without AppleCare 3 years to replace a failed logic board, even if they had the standard 1 yr warrantee). I brought it to an Apple Store about 2 months after this extended period. The Apple Genius looked it over, said the AppleCare and Program had both expired, but that he would look at it. He called me the next day, said it WAS the logic board (that I had pointed out in the store on the Extended Program print out), and that he would replace it... no charge!! (Maybe they had extra parts past the expiration date.) I was thrilled. Like an earlier poster said, "doesn't hurt to ask."
Yep, that's what happened to me... after AppleCare ran out, and after their "extended repair phase" ran out (Apple gave people without AppleCare 3 years to replace a failed logic board, even if they had the standard 1 yr warrantee). I brought it to an Apple Store about 2 months after this extended period. The Apple Genius looked it over, said the AppleCare and Program had both expired, but that he would look at it. He called me the next day, said it WAS the logic board (that I had pointed out in the store on the Extended Program print out), and that he would replace it... no charge!! (Maybe they had extra parts past the expiration date.) I was thrilled. Like an earlier poster said, "doesn't hurt to ask."
This class action suit was obviously too broad. Including all mac owners in the suit was irrational, as they obviously have no standing to sue or be part of the class action suit if they were not afflicted by the screen issues. The plaintiff in this suit would have had a better chance seeking punitive damages than expanding the suit to cover such a broad base. I wonder what strategy if any did the plaintiffs lawyer have? Either this was some dumbs*&t lawyer or one stubborn client or some combination of the above, or perhaps they had some other strategy up their sleeve?
Regardless, this suit helps revive the issue of Apple's less than spectacular warranty program. A 1 year warranty on a $1k plus computer is pretty weak. In the past 5 years or so I spent about $4,000 on my PowerMac G5 system, $1200 for my brothers imac, about $900 for mums MB, and $3500 on my last two MBPs. On top of that I have shelled out the extra money for Apple care on each of these purchases. For the money spent a 2 year standard warranty with Apple care extending coverage for 4-5 years would be a nice change considering the premium we pay for Apple's computers.
Apple care is definitely worth it but with only a 1 year standard warranty it is unfortunately a must that drives the cost of Mac ownership even higher. I really cant recommend that anyone buy a mac without Applecare. On the other hand forgoing the extended warranty on a Dell or HP can make sense as they are usually cheaper in comparison and forgoing the extended warranty can make financial sense. The least that Apple could do is extend their standard warranty on their desktops as they are less prone to abuse and generally more reliable.
Regardless, this suit helps revive the issue of Apple's less than spectacular warranty program. A 1 year warranty on a $1k plus computer is pretty weak. In the past 5 years or so I spent about $4,000 on my PowerMac G5 system, $1200 for my brothers imac, about $900 for mums MB, and $3500 on my last two MBPs. On top of that I have shelled out the extra money for Apple care on each of these purchases. For the money spent a 2 year standard warranty with Apple care extending coverage for 4-5 years would be a nice change considering the premium we pay for Apple's computers.
Apple care is definitely worth it but with only a 1 year standard warranty it is unfortunately a must that drives the cost of Mac ownership even higher. I really cant recommend that anyone buy a mac without Applecare. On the other hand forgoing the extended warranty on a Dell or HP can make sense as they are usually cheaper in comparison and forgoing the extended warranty can make financial sense. The least that Apple could do is extend their standard warranty on their desktops as they are less prone to abuse and generally more reliable.
Actually, if it had happened on mine, I'd probably buy the panel cheap from a third party supplier and fix it myself, but that's just me.
I'm a bit confused. You mention $500 will get you a new Dell. AppleCare for iMacs runs @ $119 per machine using educational institution pricing. Seems like there would be more gained by investing the $119 per machine in AppleCare rather than $500 a pop to replace with machines that may or may not address your needs. However, before getting into further purchasing, are any of your machines -- other than the beachball-lamp -- still under warranty? (Would have to be to still purchase AppleCare) Doesn't give peace of mind for the future, but if so the fix can be done for no money.
Show me one shred of evidence that says Apple sold these with a known defect. They know NOW that there may be an issue, but how could they have possibly known when they were sold?
If you have a tech down there who's savvy enough, have him crack those open and check the model number on the panels, then order replacement panels of the same model from a third party parts supplier. You can fix them for a fraction of what Apple would charge.
thanks for the response
Yes, AppleCare would have been a better deal. But it is hard to sell the extra premium of an Apple machine and then say cough up more for the extended warranty. I don't think any of the machines are still under warranty.
Schools in general are short sighted. They look at immediate costs and immediate results from an administration point of view. They tend to get money that they MUST spend. So, it's buy 10 macs or by 20 PCs. I teach 7 classes a day, and still maintain the mac lab. The tech guys don't go near it. So, I feel I'm responsible because I've always been please with Apple's quality....both software and hardware. Now, it just gets harder to justify the premium we pay.
The thing that sucks is that when a kid learns to use a mac they are hooked because they can just be creative and not have to worry about anything but their imagination. When they use a PC they always fall back into what the computer will and will not do because it is so restrictive in terms of creativity (IMHP). Those who make the choices about what to buy don't understand this because they are not creative.
I think I'll give Apple a call and see what they say. They may be sympathetic to a school.
Yes, AppleCare would have been a better deal. But it is hard to sell the extra premium of an Apple machine and then say cough up more for the extended warranty. I don't think any of the machines are still under warranty.
Schools in general are short sighted. They look at immediate costs and immediate results from an administration point of view. They tend to get money that they MUST spend. So, it's buy 10 macs or by 20 PCs. I teach 7 classes a day, and still maintain the mac lab. The tech guys don't go near it. So, I feel I'm responsible because I've always been please with Apple's quality....both software and hardware. Now, it just gets harder to justify the premium we pay.
The thing that sucks is that when a kid learns to use a mac they are hooked because they can just be creative and not have to worry about anything but their imagination. When they use a PC they always fall back into what the computer will and will not do because it is so restrictive in terms of creativity (IMHP). Those who make the choices about what to buy don't understand this because they are not creative.
I think I'll give Apple a call and see what they say. They may be sympathetic to a school.
We just had the last of our 7 G5 based machines fail in our office. They all failed in exactly the same way. First video won't output anymore, then it fails finish booting and the fans go into overdrive/vacuum cleaner mode, then it fails to power on at all. The G5s were crap. We have numerous G4 machines still working! Those G4s were work horses.
My coworker's home mac, a quad G5, had the power supply fail. This was a known defect, but it only turned up as a problem for her after the "free repair program" from Apple ended.
When there was a known defect in my car, Honda contacted me said they would fix it for free if I brought it in. Often with Apple, they rely on you finding out on your own. If the problem shows up in their time frame for the repair program, and you can point it out as a problem, then lucky you. If not, then too bad, so sad.
For a premium priced machine, I expect a bit more than that.
Will Apple even sell you Apple care on a machine that is still under warranty, but showing hardware problems?
My coworker's home mac, a quad G5, had the power supply fail. This was a known defect, but it only turned up as a problem for her after the "free repair program" from Apple ended.
When there was a known defect in my car, Honda contacted me said they would fix it for free if I brought it in. Often with Apple, they rely on you finding out on your own. If the problem shows up in their time frame for the repair program, and you can point it out as a problem, then lucky you. If not, then too bad, so sad.
For a premium priced machine, I expect a bit more than that.
Will Apple even sell you Apple care on a machine that is still under warranty, but showing hardware problems?
Check those credit card agreements folks: most credit cards double a 1-year or less warranty.
So AppleCare isn't giving you as much as you think.
So AppleCare isn't giving you as much as you think.
June 2007 IMac vertical lines repaired by Apple Free
I had the vertical lines problem. I purchased my IMac in June 2007. Apple knows about this problem. The affected IMacs were made in the W8 Shanghi China factory. Call Apple Express 877-388-0879. Tell the tech to look at Apple support thread ID 1146388. You will be instructed how to send the tech a picture of your desktop. You will be given a case number. I took my mac to a Mac store and the LED display screen was replaced for free.
I had the vertical lines problem. I purchased my IMac in June 2007. Apple knows about this problem. The affected IMacs were made in the W8 Shanghi China factory. Call Apple Express 877-388-0879. Tell the tech to look at Apple support thread ID 1146388. You will be instructed how to send the tech a picture of your desktop. You will be given a case number. I took my mac to a Mac store and the LED display screen was replaced for free.