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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.
Twitter For Apple
A couple of tech blogs are reporting Tuesday that Apple may have some interest in acquiring Twitter in an all-cash deal, though neither publication is able to substantiate the rumors or outline a clear-cut strategy that would serve to motivate the iPhone maker into such a deal.
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that lets users broadcast short messages of up to 140 characters – known as tweets – to other users who subscribe to their feeds, known as followers.
Twitter has skyrocketed since its creation. Many celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears have adopted the service. Oprah also announced that she is going to use the service, says TechChrunch.
There are about 25 million Twitter users worldwide, which has been swelling by 40% each week since last month.
A technology blog reported Tuesday that Apple may be talking about buying Twitter for $700 million.
Find out more at Apple Insider
Apple “Media Pad”
This Apple “Media Pad” will likely use the 9.5-10 inch display and be able to watch high definition videos and browse the internet using Skype over wifi. It is rumored to be cheaper than the iPhone. This “Media Pad” could potentially out do the Amazon Kindle.
The Amazon Kindle 2 is an e-book reader. Basically, it displays electronic books, magazines, and newspapers. That is mostly all it does. You can download (buy) books from Amazon.com and it will be immediately transferred to your Kindle. It has no backlit screen, yet you can see perfectly in any lighting. However, the Apple “Media Pad” is said to be the killer of the Kindle.
Kindle 2
The Kindle 2 has a confusing button layout. The scroller is said to be difficult to use. The Apple “Media Pad” will have a larger touch screen so it will be far easier to read and flip through pages. The prices for the media pad are rumored to be cheaper than that of the Kindle’s.
Many major newspaper companies such as the “New York Times” are struggling. Many are looking to these devices to save their companies. These Media Pads sound great, but they come with some negatives.
First is that these media pads and e-book readers are expensive. Some people just like the feel of paper. There are consumers that are afraid of technology. They know the newspaper, they know how it works. Why would they switch to something they have no idea how to work? Then there’s the cost. These e-book readers are fairly expensive. On top of the initial expense you have to pay for the books. It is, most of the time, cheaper to just go to the jiffy store and buy a newspaper. Or, after work, swing by your local Books-A-Million and get your book.
Also this “Media Pad” is able to play high definition movies. Well, doesn’t the iPhone and iPod Touch already play movies? How this product sells will be up to its “cool” factor.