Thursday August 30, 2007

- New iMac: How Much Does It Cost to Replace the Front Glass Plate? - Lionel - 09:51:17

Following yesterday's news, many readers asked us the price for replacing the glass plate of the new iMac as we reported it was rather fragile ONCE removed from its location in front of the LCD panel. After contacting our internal sources, owners of the new iMac should not stress so much, as they will be charged USD 35 for the 20" model and USD 30 for the 24" model. One will have to add USD 10 for shipping cost. We were surprised by such low prices, and they were checked twice by our sources on our request.

In addition, if one does not need to disassemble the glass plate for adding/changing RAM modules, it will unfortunately be necessary for performing all other operation such as changing HD, CPU or any other components. It looks like this new iMac is designed for limiting user’s access to the hardware, only Repair Center will have the proper tools.

[translation by Linathael]

- Power Mac G5 and Liquid Cooling System: Part II - Lionel - 09:49:31

First, a report from one of our readers:

... as mentioned in your forum, while we were reporting the problem to Apple Support, and mentioning that the liquid from the cooling system was leaking out, Apple offered to repair the machine for free, even though the warranty was over for months.
To repair this unit, we had to change the CPU, motherboard, PSU and many small materials destroyed by the highly corrosive cooling liquid. Photos illustrate an exceptional case, the cooling liquid leaked slowly out during months, and the Power Mac G5 might have even be working without any liquid in its cooling system.

The main problem seems to be the way Apple Support takes care about such failures. Indeed, for some cases, Cupertino offered to repair for free the faulty computer independently of the warranty, while other readers reported endless discussions with Apple Care to get the cooling system fixed. It looks like Apple defines a number of cooling systems to be exchanged for free, and once reports exceed it, users will have to pay even though it is a clear failure from a component. In EU, Apple should perform the replacement for free, as it will be considered as a hidden vice by a court.

[translation by Linathael]

- AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n* Firmware 7.2.1 - Lionel - 09:46:43

Apple released a new firmware for the AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n. It brings bug fixes, security updates, but more importantly, support for 802.11n draft 2.0:

The AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n* and Firmware 7.2.1 is Wi-Fi certified for 802.11n* draft 2.0. This update also includes bug fixes and security updates.

This update requires AirPort Utility 5.1 or later. If you have AirPort Utility 5.0 installed, you can update to AirPort Utility 5.2.1 by installing AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002:
AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002 for Mac

AirPort Utility 5.x can be installed using the installation CD included with the AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n*.

Additional information here: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/airportextremebasestationwith80211nfirmware721.html

[translation by Linathael]

- Refurbished Mac: iLife 08 Inside - Lionel - 09:46:04

After receiving several reports from Mac users, the rumor is now information: Apple adds iLife '08 installation DVD in hardware models purchased from the le Refurb Store. So, no reason for not getting a refurbished Mac.

[translation by Linathael]