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Apple Launches Program To Repair Old Devices Like the iPhone 4S (9to5mac.com)
Apple is introducing a new "Repair Vintage Apple Products Pilot" program that will extend the period of time customers can receive repairs for older devices. "The new program at first will include the iPhone 5 and other Apple products that are about to become obsolete, and in the coming weeks will add more products to the list for devices that previously lost repair support," reports 9to5Mac. Some of the devices that will be included on the list include the iPhone 4s and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012). From the report: Apple has long had a 5-7 year lifespan for repairing its products, meaning that owners of an iPhone, iPad or Mac can have repairs performed through Apple or an authorized service provider even when not under warranty. Usually after 5-7 years, products are then classified as "vintage" or "obsolete" (depending on the country and local laws) and Apple staff no longer offers parts or repairs. The company maintains a list of products that are classified as vintage and obsolete on its website.
For the new Pilot program, Apple will only be offering repairs for vintage devices based on part availability. Otherwise customers will be told that inventory isn't available because the product is considered vintage. So the new program doesn't guarantee you a repair, but it's a nice change from Apple's previous policy where it stopped offering repairs entirely after classifying devices as vintage.
For the new Pilot program, Apple will only be offering repairs for vintage devices based on part availability. Otherwise customers will be told that inventory isn't available because the product is considered vintage. So the new program doesn't guarantee you a repair, but it's a nice change from Apple's previous policy where it stopped offering repairs entirely after classifying devices as vintage.
Huh, I still have a 4S with a non-working radio (wifi/gps/gyro)... Maybe it can be fixed now?
Interesting story, it was the 3rd in a row, the first was replaced in warranty because it lost its wifi (greyed out), the replacement had the same occur right outside the warranty, so I had to pay for a third one. I am not a masochist mind you, it was for development purposes, so it had to be a 4S. The third one had the same thing happen in about a year and a month (on a 1-year refurb warranty). Apparently, Apple had a thermal sensor in the wireless module that would malfunction easily and think it is overheating and disable the entire module. Ebay at the time was full of iPhone 4 & 4S with non-working wifi, and people could get them to work for a bit with a "thermal shock", i.e. heating the phone with a blowdrier or an oven then putting it in the freezer, but it would fail again. For me the craziest thing was that if you had the original iOS that the iPhone 4 came out with (4 and 4S both had that same sensor) and did not upgrade your OS, the sensor was not read by the system, it was a feature added afterwards, so your iPhone would not fail! Apple could fix it in software if they wanted to, but despite forums full of people with the problem, in typical Apple customer behavior the focus was on how to make them work again with crazy "thermal shock" stunts rather than something productive like demanding that Apple fixes it. Another company would have gotten sued hard...
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
Hi Apple, nice stunt.
How about letting people repair their own devices with your parts as well. They should have this right, and it should be written into law if you're not going to offer it freely. Same for other manufacturers.
Well, I was going to say that I would be waiting for /.'ere to explain to me why this is yet more evidence that Apple sucks but I see that AC has already started it.
If Tim Cook personally promised each and every Apple user sexual favors from their favorite movie star (upon request, of course) somebody here on /. would figure out how that was bad, that Apple sucks, that Steve Jobs would've done it better, and Samsung did it first.
Why not, but for a price of new XS (or almost). I guess they brought this program to counter Louis Rossmann https://apple.slashdot.org/sto...
Uh... The last time I checked, the Apple II was not a "Mac desktop"...
"The environment and our consumers are very important to us, At Apple we're pleased to offer repairs on all our products from the Apple III on up. Once consumers see the great trade in value we give them as a reward for their continued loyalty, most opt for one of our new cutting-edge products..."
(I'm not that good at corporate speak.)
Same here, but it is very slow, limited, and many non-Apple apps don't run these days especially when developers removed their older versions from App Store. Local iTunes doesn't even back them up since iOS v9! :(
That's very annoying. I develop some weather & astronomy apps and I go out of my way to support devices as far back as possible, even keeping them updated with new features. I had managed to keep iOS 6 compatibility until this June, and now I am still releasing iOS 7 compatible updates, until Apple makes that impossible as well.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
They are kind of niche apps. Xasteria is a weather app with features for amateur astronomers and Polar Scope Align is mainly for polar aligning equatorial telescopes, along with some tools for observers and astrophotographers.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS