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Apple Issues Power Supply Exchange

Posted by pudge on from the back-in-my-day-computers-made-us-go-deaf dept.

mpath_lamp writes "Today Apple issued an exchange program for all owners of the Mirrored Drive Doors Power Mac G4. It's meant to resolve the incredibly loud fan noise in the current power supplies of Power Mac models that began to ship in August 2002. The program requires a $20 shipping charge and the return of the old power supply. Apple will begin shipping the kits on March 10 in limited quantities and the kit consists of a 360-watt power supply, system fan, allen key, and installation instructions. A big thank you can be directed to the guys over at G4noise.com for the continuous support in trying to get an official response from Apple."

10 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. news.com.com.com.com article on this... by lwbecker2 · · Score: 4, Informative

    here is a link to the news.com.com.com.com coverage

  2. Re:Great but... by lwbecker2 · · Score: 5, Informative

    There is a DIY "kit" or you can send it back to apple. from the actual article: Install the kit yourself or have it installed for you ...Or have a service provider install the kit for you

    additionally, it says "After you have ordered and received the kit, take your computer and kit to a retail Apple Store (U.S. only) or Authorized Apple Service Provider if you do not feel comfortable performing the exchange yourself or are concerned that you may damage the computer while doing so. Please note, however, that you may be charged an installation fee to cover the cost of labor. Prices may vary.

  3. shocking by rat_herder · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'd been using my x2g4@1ghz exclusively in OSX for at least two months before I had the need to boot OS9. It was a particularly hot day on the Austalian coast, and I got a real shock when I finally heard the fan kick in...

    I was in another room, but it sounded like something taking off in my lounge. Wondering out, i discover that my g4 is an industrial exhaust fan wrapped in pretty plastic!!! It's really loud. Strangely enough I ONLY hear it when in OS9, which is just about not at all.

    Still the fan replacement thing is a nice suprise.

    1. Re:shocking by pi+radians · · Score: 4, Informative

      Your problem is solved via a firmware update.

      If you only get the really bad noise in Mac OS 9 it is firmware, but if you get it no matter what OS it is hardware.

      (I think I just saved you $20).

      --

      sin(6cos(r)+5A)
  4. is it just me... by Drunken_Jackass · · Score: 4, Funny

    or is anyone else sick of having to describe a Mac like this:

    "It's a G3. Not a beige G3, but the Blue one. The first of the cool looking ones."

    Or, "It's a G4. No, not the grey one, the silver one. Yeah, well silver and the one with the mirrored drive doors."

    --
    There are 01 types of people in this world. Those that understand binary, and me.
    1. Re:is it just me... by Nick+of+NSTime · · Score: 5, Funny
      A lot long-time Mac users refer to the computers by their codenames, e.g., Sawtooth, Yikes, Wall Street, Pismo, and so on.

      Other Mac users devise clever nicknames, such as TiBook and "speed hole Mac." The blue and white G3 is called a smurf tower.

  5. A testament to their fan base by elliotj · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think it's a testament to Apple that their fan base follows their product line with such vigor that I can describe my laptop at the TiBook 800 as "the first Ti with the higher-def screen" and a whole lot of people will know exactly which model I mean.

    Can you think of another computer maker who could say the same?

  6. What did you say? by TPIRman · · Score: 4, Funny

    What? The dollar's up high in Spain? Huh? Hold on, let me turn this damn thing off for a second.

  7. Re:Great but... by batobin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That really doesn't sound like Apple. I worked in an Apple-Authorized Service Center for two years, and whenever the company messed up, they were better to their customers than this. Maybe it's the harder economic times, but it seems to me that Apple is getting cheap.

    For example, Apple's 15 inch MultiSync monitor often was effected by something which everyone referred to as "the tint issue". If a customer brought one in, and we verified tint was indeed wrong, we'd simply call up Apple. They'd say, 'What's up?" We'd say, "Tint issue." They'd say, "Give us two days."

    The two days referred to how long we had to wait for an empty box. Usually we got it the next day. We packaged the monitor up, and Apple paid for the shipping back to their shop. They'd fix it free of charge, send it back to us, and we'd give it back to the customer. Good as new. $0 paid by the customer.

    When Apple didn't perform the fix themselves, they'd always pay our shop to do it. Even if the machine was out of warranty. An example of this is the 7200/90 which had ethernet-port problems on the motherboard. Apple paid for new motherboards, and for the Apple shop to install them for any customer. There also wasn't a time limit set for people to get it fixed. I noticed there is one for the new power supply fix.

    So all in all, it seems like Apple is getting cheap. Darn shame, too.

  8. Re:Great but... by redwood2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Apple is getting cheap?

    Looks like, for $20, they're going to send me a new power supply to fix a problem that really didn't affect the performance of the box in the first place and that 20 includes the shipping of the new one to oyu and the old one back to them?

    I got no complaints.