The Tech Bench

Earlier this week Apple announced a repair extension program to cover some hard drive issues on certain models of MacBooks.

Which MacBooks are covered?

White or Black MacBooks with processor speeds of 1.83GHz, 2GHz, or 2.16GHz.

These MacBooks were sold roughly  between May 2006 and December 2007.

The hard drives covered are 60GB, 80GB, 100GB, 120GB, or 160GB drives that originally shipped with these Macs. The drives are serial matched to the MacBooks so they must be the original drive.

What is covered and for how long?

MacBooks whose hard drive has failed and exhibit the flashing question mark icon on startup (see picture.)

The coverage for this repair extension is three years from the original purchase date or until August 15, 2010 whichever is longer. AppleCare or ARP have no bering on coverage eligibility or length for this program.

What happens if my MacBook has the symptom and qualifies for the REP?

The hard drive on your MacBook can be replaced by MyService, Apple or any other Authorized Apple Service Provider at no charge. If at all possible, try to backup or recover any vital data before sending your Mac in for service as the old drive must be returned to Apple.

Why are hard drive failures on these specific MacBooks covered by an REP and not other Macs?

Very good question. We do not yet know why. All hard drives have the ability to fail over time and while covered by AppleCare, ARP and standard Apple warranties this is the first time we’ve seen hard drives covered by an REP. It’s possible that the drive manufactures have found manufacturing defects on certain batches of drives that were installed in these MacBooks, but that’s just speculation. We haven’t noticed any higher rate of drive defects on these models although there may be other unknown factors.

What if I’ve upgraded the hard drive on my MacBook in the past and it falls under the REP?

Apple may offer re-imbursement for paid out of warranty hard drive repairs on these Macs. You can contact Apple Support for more info on refunds.

If you have further questions on the MacBook Hard Drive Repair Extension Program you can can visit Apple’s support page or feel free to contact MyService.

We’ve been big fans of the accessory maker LaCie since we started using their external hard drives in the early 2000′s.

LaCie, a french company with offices in the U.S., is probably best known for their well designed storage products but also make displays and other accessories.

Like Apple, LaCie makes both visually interesting products (like their lego inspired brick drives) and functionally relevant products (like their rugged line of mobile drives.) The look of most LaCie products match well with the Mac aesthetic while adding their own design twist.

The quality of case materials and choice of higher end internal components helps LaCie stand out in a crowded market of storage manufacturers. They are quick to deliver the latest (biggest and thinnest) drive technology and offer unique case applications like a safe hard drive with fingerprint access built in.

If you appreciate design’s role in technology (and by using a Mac you most likely do) we highly recommend checking out LaCie for your next external hard drive.
[ LaCie ]

The Sonnet FireWire 400-t0-800 Adapter is a clean and simple way to connect your FireWire 400 devices into your Mac or PC’s FireWire 800 port.

This little guy can really come in handy, especially when working with newer MacBook Pros that don’t have a FireWire 400 port.

We use them to boot our external FireWire 400 drives for testing.

No drivers are needed and we’ve never had an issue the adapter. A handy tool to have.

[ Sonnet ] $14.95