Popular YouTuber Says Apple Won't Fix His iMac Pro Damaged While Disassembled

[cmaier]

Did you watch the video in the OP article? They don't allow certified third parties to make all repairs. Specifically, not to the iMac Pro.

So what if the unqualified shops charge less? That's free-market. Compete, either on price or on service. If third party shops offer a 30 day warranty on repairs, the first-party ones can offer a 90 day warranty. Or they can offer a faster turnaround time. If the unqualified shops do as good of a job as the qualified ones, doesn't that just prove that the qualification is just BS to begin with?

The video isn't true.

"At one point in the video, after Apple itself suggested that the venue talk to a third-party shop, the group was told that training for the repair for the iMac Pro wasn't available. This is false, and likely used by the shop to dodge the repair. Training materials have been available since before the iMac Pro launched, with some components able to be ordered in January, with the rest ready in early March."

 

[lec0rsaire]

It wasn’t unnecessary disassembly. He has every right to be able to open the machine and verify the components.

“Verify the components.” This is not some sketchy Chinese bargain product or build. They are not PC towers which are easy to work with. These are the highest-end products that Apple sells with many proprietary parts. They are workstations through and through with many server grade components. What reason is there to verify the internals? You can see all of the info on the parts through system information and 3rd party programs.

The reality is that people want to look cool disassembling Apple’s products which are difficult to take apart and then proceed to whine when things go wrong. Hasn’t iFixit done a tear down? Linus could’ve easily satisfied his curiosity by looking at their site but really he just wanted to profit from a video. He broke it and can afford to replace the machine.

 

[emvath]

-deleted-

 

[cmaier]

Nobody is saying it should be covered by warranty! He is trying to pay to have it repaired.

Which means apple gets to choose whether they want the dummies as customers, and aren't obligated to do anything. They sent him to a third party, and third parties can fix it.

"At one point in the video, after Apple itself suggested that the venue talk to a third-party shop, the group was told that training for the repair for the iMac Pro wasn't available. This is false, and likely used by the shop to dodge the repair. Training materials have been available since before the iMac Pro launched, with some components able to be ordered in January, with the rest ready in early March."

 

[JosephAW]

Reminds me when OS X came out. We provided customer support at that time and we had customers come to us asking us to repair their disks from corruption and there was no tools available from Apple. They told us to erase the disks and reinstall. That was unacceptable. Fortunately for target mode we could copy most data and then reinstall. Later on repair tools came on the scene.

 

[robbyx]

Regardless of my opinion, the fact is this damage was completely avoidable and they’re not refusing to repair it because it was dropped the display was destroyed. This iMac Pro needs a new display and logic board which basically means a new machine. This is the problem with all-in-ones and its not like they weren’t aware of this potential for damage before disassembling this to make money on YT.

The problem isn’t all-in-ones. It’s Apple’s design philosophy these days. They make it impossible to repair/upgrade anything so that you just have to throw it away and buy something new. People waiting for the “modular” Mac Pro who think it’ll be some upgradeable dream machine are going to be sorely disappointed.

The iMac used to be a very user serviceable machine. It’s very possible to build a user serviceable all-in-one. Apple simply does not want to.

 

[Regime2008]

This thread is like a Goldmine for all the salty fanboys. Each person excusing Apple should seriously think about how all of the open minded, WOKE people are perceiving them right now. So many calling Linus out of his name, or calling him stupid/foolish. Is it out of Jealousy? Envy? Or did they have too much Apple Milk to drink in the pastures?

 

[kazmac]

There is an implicit assumption that damage to a replaceable component can be remedied by replacing the component.

Imagine if you got a rock chip in your windshield and your car maker told you "can't fix won't fix, won't sell parts to third parties, won't sell you the part. Car undriveable = not our problem; buy another car if this is important to you."

This (bad) computer is priced higher than the cars that I drove for half my life. It's not an unreasonable comparison.

Okay. That's your opinion and that is fine. I'll stick with mine.

 

[kuwxman]

No it's not. There are people lined up to get repairs. They are supposed to make these people wait longer so that someone who INTENTIONALLY disassembled and broke their computer can get it fixed?

You realize how dumb that sounds, right? If this were any other industry, it wouldn't fly.

"Oh, your engine failed because you didn't change the oil at the appropriate intervals. We ain't fixin' it nor are any other dealerships. Go buy a new car."

 

[robbyx]

It is an economic argument. Apple is swamped. The genius bar is swamped. Their repair depots are swamped. Prioritizing legitimate repairs over bailing out dummies over self-inflicted nonsense makes total sense,

Gee. And what does that tell you about Apple hardware quality these days? Apple has designed their machines to be nearly impossible to repair. Now you’re telling us that they are so swamped that it’s fine to pick and choose who gets his or her machine repaired and who doesn’t. Maybe they shouldn’t build machines that are impossible to service and repair in the first place? It’s not like there’s any benefit to the consumer.

 

[contractcooker]

Why? Are they your slave? Did they promise you they would and you based your purchase decision on that?

As a consumer I should be able to repair expensive items I purchase regardless if I cause the damage. I believe apple should be able to repair their own equipment (for a fee) if I break it. Or at the very least they should furnish replacement parts to me (or a third party repair shop) so that I can repair the machine myself. Accidents happen, I'm not arguing that they should perform the service under warranty as it's absolutely Linus' fault but it's absurd that Apple will not furnish him or a 3rd party repair shop the parts (again, for a fee). IMHO if they can't furnish the parts to him they should be required to swap out the machine for a new one. It's inexcusable for a company to not have support set up for out of warranty repairs. It's an extremely bad look for Apple.

I think the analogy to a car is a great one - If I run my car without oil in the engine and destroy the engine I should expect the car manufacturer either to repair the car for me (for a fee) or provide the part to a 3rd party mechanic to install (again charging whatever they charge for replacement parts). It's not as if Apple can't mark up their parts to make sure they're not losing money.

 

[kuwxman]

huh?

The point is that every idiot who disregards apple's instructions and takes apart their computer for kicks and breaks multiple parts, necessitates a time consuming repair. Time spent by apple's repair depot working on those self-inflicted wounds is time those technicians cannot spend on my warranty repair or your apple care repair.

Hire more repair people or allow more 3rd party authorization centers. It isn't rocket science.

 

[s15119]

This thread is like a Goldmine for all the salty fanboys. Each person excusing Apple should seriously think about how all of the open minded, WOKE people are perceiving them right now. So many calling Linus out of his name, or calling him stupid/foolish. Is it out of Jealousy? Envy? Or did they have too much Apple Milk to drink in the pastures?

Naw, it's because he destroyed a 5,000 computer due to pure stupidity and now is crying due to his own mistake.

 

[nt5672]

Because 99.99% of people are not able to fix anything. They simply think they can, probably like this idiot Sebastian. "Hey look people, look at me.look what I can do...oops I dropped it, Now I've broken it..DOH!"

I have lost count, literally, of the amount of people who all though they were computer geniuses and yet they failed miserably to even come to 10% of that ability.

People should all know their place and stop with the dam ego's. You all know diddly bumpkin squat and at best you quote something from Wikipedia and then pretend you know what you are on about. He messed the iMac pro up and was his fault. He therefore should not expect Apple to pay for his stupid arrogant mistakes. He should either pay up or shut up.

I rarely say this so I won't and instead just say, it is their own damn computer and they should be able to do with it what they please. We don't need no nanny state promoter getting all excited about what someone else decides to do to their computer. Back when America was founded, it was called tolerance. Today tolerance seems to be completely lost.

Second if I read correctly, he does not want Apple to pay, he wants to get his computer fixed so its not a $5000 brick, regardless of how it got in that state. That seems reasonable to me, regardless of how it happened.

 

[UnusedLoginID]

I get why they wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. Makes sense. What doesn't make sense is them still denying the repair even if the customer is OK paying the out of warranty cost. That is just being petty.

This is not the issue at hand. Apple covers repairs out-of-warranty all the time.
The issue is that he voided the warranty by opening the computer. Every computer company - or electronic device company - I know has the right to do that and they do it for obvious (liability) and not-so-obvious (cost?) reasons. End of the story.

 

[contractcooker]

The video isn't true.

"At one point in the video, after Apple itself suggested that the venue talk to a third-party shop, the group was told that training for the repair for the iMac Pro wasn't available. This is false, and likely used by the shop to dodge the repair. Training materials have been available since before the iMac Pro launched, with some components able to be ordered in January, with the rest ready in early March."

Maybe the materials/certs are not available in Canada? It's possible that the cert is available in the US but not in Canada. If that's the case they should replace the iMac with a new one. It's not the customer's fault that Apple didn't properly set up a repair process. If it's sold in a country there should be recourse to get it repaired.

 

[bladerunner2000]

It seems that nobody actually watched the video and understands what the story is...

Of course they didn't. This is Macrumors.. you think people here have enough sense to watch one of the most, if not THE MOST credible Youtuber that works on PCs? That alone makes people here think 'Oh! He's a Windows guy! He's not credible, RAAAAH!'

It's ridiculous. I've been watching LTT for years. The amount of knowledge in all things computer is insane. I have yet to see a single forum member on MR come CLOSE to making as much sense as he does.

 

[nt5672]

Linus lives in canada that Link is for USA....

The link had nothing to do with Linus, it was for MR readers, but I should have indicated it applied to the US. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[cmaier]

Gee. And what does that tell you about Apple hardware quality these days? Apple has designed their machines to be nearly impossible to repair. Now you’re telling us that they are so swamped that it’s fine to pick and choose who gets his or her machine repaired and who doesn’t. Maybe they shouldn’t build machines that are impossible to service and repair in the first place? It’s not like there’s any benefit to the consumer.

There are plenty of benefits. They last longer, and they require fewer repairs. One good way to make sure your mac lasts a long time is don't ****ing take it apart yourself! They have hundreds of millions more customers than they used to. This tends to strain any repair system.

So if you don't like it:

1) don't take your computer apart
2) if you disobey (1), don't break your computer
3) if apple won't repair it, and if you've ignored (1) and (2), take it to a third party, and don't make up stories about third parties not doing repairs.

"At one point in the video, after Apple itself suggested that the venue talk to a third-party shop, the group was told that training for the repair for the iMac Pro wasn't available. This is false, and likely used by the shop to dodge the repair. Training materials have been available since before the iMac Pro launched, with some components able to be ordered in January, with the rest ready in early March."
[doublepost=1524088071][/doublepost]

Maybe the materials/certs are not available in Canada? It's possible that the cert is available in the US but not in Canada. If that's the case they should replace the iMac with a new one. It's not the customer's fault that Apple didn't properly set up a repair process. If it's sold in a country there should be recourse to get it repaired.

IT IS THE CUSTOMER'S FAULT BECAUSE HE TOOK THE COMPUTER APART WHEN APPLE SAYS "THIS THING IS NOT REPAIRABLE BY CUSTOMERS. DON'T TAKE IT APART!"

 

[c4mmy]

Maybe the materials/certs are not available in Canada? It's possible that the cert is available in the US but not in Canada. If that's the case they should replace the iMac with a new one. It's not the customer's fault that Apple didn't properly set up a repair process. If it's sold in a country there should be recourse to get it repaired.

Certs were available worldwide from Dec 2017

 

[Regime2008]

Naw, it's because he destroyed a 5,000 computer due to pure stupidity and now is crying due to his WON mistake.

Nah, he has every reason to be able to pay for a repair. To be honest, I hope that everyone who is full of salt in here, breaks their iphone or mac, and gets to experience what Linus is going through. Maybe it will remove the salt from their eyes and see how corrupt this company is.

 

[contractcooker]

This is not the issue at hand. Apple covers repairs out-of-warranty all the time.
The issue is that he voided the warranty by opening the computer. Every computer company - or electronic device company - I know has the right to do that and they do it for obvious (liability) and not-so-obvious (cost?) reasons. End of the story.

No. Not end of story. Voiding the warranty just means that it's not Apple's responsibility to repair it for free. It does not absolve Apple from having to support their devices by providing replacement parts. He WANTS TO PAY apple for the parts/service to repair his machine. This is not an unreasonable stance. Apple is very clearly in the wrong here. It's not like this is a legacy product that they no longer support, it's a brand new, very expensive machine. How is it ok for Apple not to at least provide the parts to him?

 

[bladerunner2000]

This is not the issue at hand. Apple covers repairs out-of-warranty all the time.
The issue is that he voided the warranty by opening the computer. Every computer company - or electronic device company - I know has the right to do that and they do it for obvious (liability) and not-so-obvious (cost?) reasons. End of the story.

The voided warranty is IRRELEVANT. You make it sound like you shouldn't have a product repaired once the warranty period has expired.

This is ALL on Apple. It's embarrassing.

 

[cmaier]

I rarely say this so I won't and instead just say, it is their own damn computer and they should be able to do with it what they please. We don't need no nanny state promoter getting all excited about what someone else decides to do to their computer. Back when America was founded, it was called tolerance. Today tolerance seems to be completely lost.

Second if I read correctly, he does not want Apple to pay, he wants to get his computer fixed so its not a $5000 brick, regardless of how it got in that state. That seems reasonable to me, regardless of how it happened.

This right here.

This exemplifies the self-entitled nonsense logic people use to justify getting their own way.

In the first paragraph: "it's their own damn computer and they should be able to do with it what they please." You bemoan nanny state.

In second paragraph: "When you do what you please and **** it up, someone else should have to step in and bail you out, even if they don't want to."

You want all the freedom with none of the responsibility.
[doublepost=1524088221][/doublepost]

No. Not end of story. Voiding the warranty just means that it's not Apple's responsibility to repair it for free. It does not absolve Apple from having to support their devices by providing replacement parts. He WANTS TO PAY apple for the parts/service to repair his machine. This is not an unreasonable stance. Apple is very clearly in the wrong here. It's not like this is a legacy product that they no longer support, it's a brand new, very expensive machine. How is it ok for Apple not to at least provide the parts to him?

They can pay a third party! Why does apple need to do it?

"At one point in the video, after Apple itself suggested that the venue talk to a third-party shop, the group was told that training for the repair for the iMac Pro wasn't available. This is false, and likely used by the shop to dodge the repair. Training materials have been available since before the iMac Pro launched, with some components able to be ordered in January, with the rest ready in early March."

 

[lec0rsaire]

I see the post now (though it was not in our convo reply-chain, you were responding to someone else).

I don't have a personal relationship with BMW, but somehow I doubt a BMW dealership would refuse to take my money to fix something, no matter how proprietary or secure. At the end of the day, the question is: would BMW be able to fix it if BMW owned the car?

Cars are different. There is an independent mechanic culture and there is really nothing carmakers can do to stop this. At the same time wealthy owners only service their cars at the dealer which they make a lot of profit on through the cost of original parts and expensive labor. It’s really only people who can’t really afford these cars that have them serviced at independents in most cases with non-original parts. You know, the people buying the base models and pre-owned 5-10 yr old M3s and decade old AMG models that have way over 100k on the odometer.

Luxury watch companies also have strict conditions regarding service. They will service any genuine product but they will remove any non-genuine parts or customization added by an indie watchmaker. Different color dials, bezels, cogs, jewels, non-original bracelets, etc. Then they will bill you extra for all of the genuine parts needed to restore the watch to as close to factory condition as possible. They are also starting to limit the sale of original parts to indies. While great watchmakers can manufacture parts to spec, this obviously increases service costs threatening their business since they are only relevant as long as they charge less than the official service centers.