Back in 2013, Apple started a replacement program for select Apple TVs due to WiFi problems. It appears that a few more bad Apple(TV)s may have slipped off the assembly line…
Apple has started recalling a select number of third-generation Apple TV models recently, according to a MacRumors writer who recently purchased an Apple TV. He then got an email from Apple informing him that his device has a faulty part.
Our defective Apple TV was purchased just a few weeks ago, and other affected customers are likely to have purchased their devices in a similar timeframe.
Apple, of course, is offering affected customers the opportunity to exchange their faulty Apple TV unit for a functional one. The company is reaching out to each affected customer individually and has not updated its website to acknowledge the recall, suggesting that only a few users received Apple TVs with the faulty part.
Affected Apple TV units appear to have been purchased over the last several weeks, so if you have had your unit for an extended period of time, you are likely unaffected by the recall. In cases in which a recall is required, Apple is overnighting customers a new Apple TV immediately, without first requiring the defective unit to be sent back. When a customer does send the defective unit back, however, Apple is then providing a free iTunes gift card.
Earlier this summer, Apple issued a recall for the Beats Pill XL speaker, citing a fire safety risk. Apple was not offering the option to exchange the speaker, however, but rather a free Apple Store gift card.
From a 2013 Apple TV recall
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Yet another article I can point to for the haters that try to claim that Apple always covers up hardware defects and only issues recalls when pressured to.
Hmmm interesting. I got mine back in April, and the wifi drops semi-frequently. Since it’s right by my time machine I’ve since just done a wired connection and that’s taken care of the issue… I’ll have to look into this
I bought mine in January 2014 and this is the first I have heard of an Apple TV recall despite several times commenting in an Apple store that I have to put a Netgear wifi extender within 2 metres of the Apple TV before connectivity is reliable.