PC Hardware
Apple Hit With Class Action Suit!
A new lawsuit seeking class action status has accused Apple of neglecting a flaw in the MagSafe power connector for MacBooks that might not only cause a break but could trigger sparks, forcing customers to buy replacements and even creating a potential fire hazard. – Aidan Malley
Submitted late last week to a Northern District of California court in San Jose, the joint complaint from Tim Broad, Naotaka Kitagawa and Jesse Reisman claims that the MagSafe cable used for the MacBook and MacBook Pro will inevitably fray near one of its connecting ends, contradicting Apple’s claims that the adapter is “durable.” The plaintiffs believe that day-to-day use, including winding the cable around the power adapter’s pop-out guides, ends up destroying the cable over time — and that Apple is aware of the problem but hasn’t fully addressed it with a safer design.
What all that means is that the power cables for the MacBook and MacBook Pro are crap. So much for Mac’s “high quality” products. I might as well buy a “lesser quality” Windows laptop and save my house. With just every day use of the cord, it will eventually fray near one of the connecting ends. That means possible electrocution and fire. The plastic sheath on the cables were usually melted away and the bare wiring exposed. Apple is aware of the problem but hasn’t addressed it with a safer design.
Apple recommends customers whose cables have frayed to go to the nearest Apple service location if sparks occur other than at the prongs. However, most of these visits result in the customer buying an $80 adapter rather than receiving a free replacement. That’s the Apple customer service we’ve come to love.
As the problem is already known to affect “at least thousands” of users and may well include hundreds of thousands with the exact same issue, the plaintiffs want class action status to represent anyone who may have bought an affected MacBook and have charged Apple with violating California’s business codes as well as breaching the implied and explicit warranties attached to the computers.
Broad, Kitagawa and Reisman want Apple to not only refund any of the associated costs with the known defective products but to warn the public and, if successful, pay punitive damages alongside the expected compensation.
As expected, Apple has not commented on the lawsuit. Apple was supposed to be redesigning its adapters in October of 2007 to fix the cable issues, but the problems are still occurring as late as March of 2009.
Acer Gaming PCs Burn… Literally
When the Acer Gaming PCs first release, and I read about them in PC Gamer, and actually purchased one myself, I was quite happy with their product.
Luckily, mine hasn’t burst into flames, it’s done quite well. So maybe its just a little bit of a radical claim that Acer Gaming PCs are shit?
Yes, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “The insulation on the computer’s internal wiring can become bent or stripped, causing the wires to overheat while the product is in use”. And what happens when the wires overheat while the product is in use? Well, according to two cases reported to the CSPC, the computers short-circuit, “resulting in melted internal components and external casing”.