Apple Offers Repair Extension Program For Defective MacBook Pros
Today, in an apparent response to a class action lawsuit, Apple rolled out a new free repair extension program for select MacBook Pro users suffering from serious graphical issues.
The lawsuit alleges that the new models Apple introduced in 2011 were supposed to have improved graphical performance that was three times faster than previous generations. However, according to the lawsuit, "What Apple did not disclose was that achieving these graphical feats caused the laptops to run so hot that the solder attached to the laptops' high-powered graphics processor would deform and crack, causing graphical anomalies and, eventually, total system failure."
The affected models include 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro laptops manufactured in 2011, and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina models manufactured from mid-2012 to early 2013. Symptoms include distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen, no video on the computer screen or external display, or unexpected shut downs and restarts.
Apple's new service offers to repair affected MacBook Pro systems free of charge, and it even offers to reimburse users who may have already paid for such a repair. Apple offers a mail-in service as well as an option to carry in your defective product to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for service.
Such a move may help cool down anyone who's been burned by this hot button issue.
Users with affected models of MacBook Pro laptops can find more information here.
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Seth Colaner previously served as News Director at Tom's Hardware. He covered technology news, focusing on keyboards, virtual reality, and wearables.
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iam2thecrowe If they repair them do they modify the cooling system so it doesn't happen again? or just repair it, and then later down the track it will still fail again because they havn't modified it?Reply -
MasterDell ReplyIf they repair them do they modify the cooling system so it doesn't happen again? or just repair it, and then later down the track it will still fail again because they havn't modified it?
Good point -
tomfreak this is why for reliability, always get a business class laptop or mobile workstations.Reply -
nikolajj ReplyLol but its an Apple product. They dont have issue due to there high quailty standards.
The irony is strong in this one... I hope ;) -
zodiacfml No one couldn't get away from it as AMD and Nvidia designed these mobile GPUs with inferior cooling requirements. I saw many laptops rendered unusable just because of this.Reply -
Gary Brandon I remember HP had a similar issue with some of its laptops a few years back. The ideal fix worked out among the tech community was--no lie--to thermal paste a *penny* between the video chip and the (poorly designed) video heatsink.Reply -
iam2thecrowe Reply
i dont understand what you mean, are you saying amd and nvidia's claimed the thermal output is different from actual output? Because its the manufacturer that designs the cooling, not amd or nvidia. And its overheating the solder that mounts the chips that causes the issues, not the chips themselves.15341484 said:No one couldn't get away from it as AMD and Nvidia designed these mobile GPUs with inferior cooling requirements. I saw many laptops rendered unusable just because of this. -
TEAMSWITCHER Do PC makers EVER offer to fix three year old laptop designs they f'ed up? I remember a coworker telling me his HP laptop was vulnerable to a similar problem. HP issued a BIOS update that ran the system fans full-speed...ALL THE TIME...to keep things cool. His laptop was so loud that no one in his family wanted to use it, and the battery life was miserable. Technically they fixed the problem, but I think Apple's approach is more customer friendly.Reply