So, 2 years ago we decided to buy an iMac 27". After years of Windows PC ownership, we thought we'd pay the extra for (what we thought was) a quality machine: one that would give us years of trouble-free use.
6 months in to ownership it failed to boot. Our nearest Apple store is 80 miles away, and we ended up having to make 2 trips. One to leave the iMac for repair, the second to collect it. And in the end, we ended up with a replacement anyway.
Now, 18 months later, when attempting to install Maverick, I'm told that the hard disk is faulty and installation can not go ahead. Of course, some Googling then occurred. This led me to run Disk Utility which reports that S.M.A.R.T status is 'Failing'. Further Googling results in numerous posts stating "Your hard disk is about to fail - back up and replace it immediately". And these are people, like myself, who've only had their iMac less than 2 years. "Hard disks fail" someone helpfully proclaimed. Really? After less than 2 years? On a machine that is only used for leisure purposes - mainly mail and web? My old Window's PC hard-disk never failed in its 6 years use.
What surprises me the most is that none of the people reporting the issue are not absolutey FURIOUS that this has occurred. Is this just something to be expected - from a £1700 machine? Is it unrealistic to expect more than one year's trouble-free computing with an iMac? My previous PC was a self-built Windows machine, and gave us over 6 years, trouble-free use. And it was built at a fraction of the cost of this iMac.
As a rule I never pay for additional warranty cover for electrical goods. From experience, if these goods are to fail, it normally happens outwith the extended warranty period. But it seems the iMac is an exception to this rule. It seems to me that AppleCare is definitely required when purchasing an iMac (if you don't want expensive repair bills) as it is certainly going to fail within its first 2 years.
So why is no-one else furious about this? Are iMac owners so well-off that the replacement of a faulty hard-disk in their almost-new iMac is considered to be no more than a minor inconvenience? I doubt it. Or do we just expect to be ripped off by Apple? Is it just part of the deal? Well, after paying a not inconsiderable amount of cash for the 'pleasure' of owning this machine, I do NOT think this is acceptable.
So now I'm left with a machine that is apparently going to self-destruct some time soon - who knows when? Is it to be another 160 mile round-trip to the Apple store to pay for the pleasure of the hard-disk being replaced? And how long will the replacement last? Another 18 months?
Am I the only one to experience this? Am I the only one that feels like Apple is taking me for a ride? After these experiences, I'd have to think long and hard before buying another Mac.
6 months in to ownership it failed to boot. Our nearest Apple store is 80 miles away, and we ended up having to make 2 trips. One to leave the iMac for repair, the second to collect it. And in the end, we ended up with a replacement anyway.
Now, 18 months later, when attempting to install Maverick, I'm told that the hard disk is faulty and installation can not go ahead. Of course, some Googling then occurred. This led me to run Disk Utility which reports that S.M.A.R.T status is 'Failing'. Further Googling results in numerous posts stating "Your hard disk is about to fail - back up and replace it immediately". And these are people, like myself, who've only had their iMac less than 2 years. "Hard disks fail" someone helpfully proclaimed. Really? After less than 2 years? On a machine that is only used for leisure purposes - mainly mail and web? My old Window's PC hard-disk never failed in its 6 years use.
What surprises me the most is that none of the people reporting the issue are not absolutey FURIOUS that this has occurred. Is this just something to be expected - from a £1700 machine? Is it unrealistic to expect more than one year's trouble-free computing with an iMac? My previous PC was a self-built Windows machine, and gave us over 6 years, trouble-free use. And it was built at a fraction of the cost of this iMac.
As a rule I never pay for additional warranty cover for electrical goods. From experience, if these goods are to fail, it normally happens outwith the extended warranty period. But it seems the iMac is an exception to this rule. It seems to me that AppleCare is definitely required when purchasing an iMac (if you don't want expensive repair bills) as it is certainly going to fail within its first 2 years.
So why is no-one else furious about this? Are iMac owners so well-off that the replacement of a faulty hard-disk in their almost-new iMac is considered to be no more than a minor inconvenience? I doubt it. Or do we just expect to be ripped off by Apple? Is it just part of the deal? Well, after paying a not inconsiderable amount of cash for the 'pleasure' of owning this machine, I do NOT think this is acceptable.
So now I'm left with a machine that is apparently going to self-destruct some time soon - who knows when? Is it to be another 160 mile round-trip to the Apple store to pay for the pleasure of the hard-disk being replaced? And how long will the replacement last? Another 18 months?
Am I the only one to experience this? Am I the only one that feels like Apple is taking me for a ride? After these experiences, I'd have to think long and hard before buying another Mac.