Failure Rate of Laptops

        "Here is an article listing the failure rates of laptops during the first three years of usage," Jim Hamm writes.  " I was surprised at how high the percentage failures were. I would have guessed a low, one-digit percent. Apple laptops are about in the middle which, again, surprised me. If one buys, for example, a HP laptop you're got a one in four chance of a failure during the first three years. Way too high, in my opinion — as all the percentages are."

        Jim concludes, "From a tech support rating, though, Apple is way ahead of all other computer manufacturers. When support is needed, it's so nice to talk to a person in this country. Fortunately, I haven't needed to do so for quite some time — but I still purchase Apple Care, just in case."  

An iPad Experience: From Frown to Smile!

        "Last week I had the misfortune to drop my beloved iPad and crack the screen." exclaimed Mary Ann Clark.  She explained, "I took it to our local Apple repair shop but they don't handle iPad repairs. The kind gentleman did give me information about a service that could repair it for $189.00. Before sending it off I checked Google and discovered that even though the screen isn't covered under the warranty, sometimes an Apple store will do a courtesy replacement. It seemed like a trip to the valley was in order."
        She described what happened next. "I made an appointment at one of the Phoenix-area stores and drove down the next morning. They weren't able to do a free swap (that program ended when the new iPad was announced) but they 'repaired' my iPad by giving me a new one for $199. (Because this was a repair rather than a purchase there was no sales tax. Yea!) And I walked out with my new iPad the same day.
        "I also discovered that Apple now offers AppleCare Plus for the iPad that includes damage from accidents like mine, spilling liquids on it and the like. With this new AppleCare, my repair would only have been $45. This wasn't available when I first got my iPad but the new one is now covered!"
        And her conclusion, "Not a bad experience, all considered."

Need a New Boot Disk?

"If your boot disk for your Mac ever gets damaged or lost and you need to replace it, Apple will send you an exact replacement for your Mac for a nominal cost," John Carter reports. "If you have an active Apple Care contract, the cost will be $16.00 plus tax. It may cost more if you don't have an active Apple Care contract. They will ship the new disk overnight, so if you order before 4 PM California time you'll get it the next morning. Call the Apple technical support for details if you need this service.

"Keep in mind that should you need to replace your original boot disk, only an exact replacement is guaranteed to work. The local Apple dealer may be able to create something that might work, but it is not something you want to depend on and only Apple can prepare an exact replacement disk."