Monday, October 13, 2008

Apple admits Nvidia flaw in MacBook Pro

It would appear that Dell isn't the only company looking to help out customers on the wrong end of the faulty Nvidia GPU debaclé, with Apple announcing that it will replace or repair MacBook Pros containing the affected chips.

Despite claims by Nvidia that Mac systems weren't affected by the reports of faulty graphics chips the company made, Apple has decided to play things safe. According to BetaNews, the Cupertino-based company is following Dell's lead and offering an extension to existing warranties and free repairs for systems affected by the manufacturing flaw.

The support document on Apple's website warns that owners of MacBook Pro 15 and 17-inch units featuring Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics chips manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008 may be affected by the issue, which manifests itself as "distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen [or] no video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on."

Affected customers are advised to take their laptops to their nearest Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider for evaluation. If you've already shelled out on a repair that you're fairly certain is due to the graphics issue, then the good news is that Apple is willing to refund you the cost of the repair if you get in touch.

Have any of our readers encountered issues with their Nvidia-equipped MacBooks that they're currently in the process of getting sorted, or is the problem rarer than these reports would have us believe? Share your thoughts over in the forums.

  • Soft hardhat
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