Apple has begun training its AppleCare support staff on its upcoming OS X Mavericks, according to several sources. These sources say that training has begun today, and support staff will be required to learn about the operating system’s new features, installation process, and troubleshooting options for at least six hours over the course of the next few weeks…
Over the past few days, several iOS 7 users have been reporting issues with sending and receiving iMessages. A quick (partially successful) fix has been to Reset Network Settings inside of the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch Settings app. However, this mostly has only been working for outgoing iMessages.
Instead of sending as an iMessage, texts have either been reverting to SMS or just hanging without ever sending. Now, Apple has told the WSJ that it is aware of the issue and it is working on a fix for an upcoming software update:
“We are aware of an issue that affects a fraction of a percent of our iMessage users, and we will have a fix available in an upcoming software update,” Apple said in a statement. “In the meantime, we encourage any users having problems to reference our troubleshooting documents or contact AppleCare to help resolve their issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes impacted users.”
In the meantime, Apple is recommending that users contact AppleCare. We’re not so sure that will solve anything as this is clearly a software issue that Apple has acknowledged (in the same statement!) will be solved with an actual update. As our own analytics have shown, Apple is widely testing iOS 7.0.3, so perhaps this will be the release with the answers to our iMessage troubles.
That’s a good number of users running an unreleased operating system in just a short amount of time. Of course it’s coming soon.
As noticed by BusinessInsider, Apple’s release of iOS 7 today is causing havoc for the networks of several college campuses and other schools where a large number of iOS device users are attempting to download the new OS. Some schools, including Ohio University, is even urging students to delay upgrading to iOS 7 as the network experiences network problems due to the high amount of traffic.
Others having WiFi issues today include New York University, Michigan University, and Western Connecticut State University. Those three schools haven’t confirmed iOS 7 is the cause of network outages today, but students on Twitter have noted that iOS 7 is likely the culprit…
Expand
Expanding
Close
Not only did the iPod (Rasputin) Classic not die as predicted (again) today, Apple is wrapping the ‘old man of the iPods’ up with its Apple Care Plus plans along with the more popular iPod touch. According to the updated iPod support page, Apple customers can now purchase an additional year of coverage for the iPods as well as phone support beyond 90 days and most importantly, two incidents of accidental damage coverage (+$29 service fee) for $59 here.
Previously, only regular AppleCare as available to iPods and was grouped in with Apple TVs.
Apple also raised AppleCare+ fees today on iPhones from $49 to $79 and also launched in Europe.
Update: We have also learned that out of warranty replacements for the iPhone 5 (and presumably 5s) will be priced at $269, an increase of $40 over the past year. This inflated cost may make it easier for iPhone owners to justify the up-front cost of AppleCare+.
As predicted by 9to5Mac, Apple launched its AppleCare+ program in Europe for the first time today. The extended warranty program is now available in the UK, France, and Italy.
Expand
Expanding
Close
In line with a rumor from earlier this week, we’ve heard from our sources that AppleCare+ is indeed set to soon launch in Europe. AppleCare+ is Apple’s premium support service, and it provides customers with technical support for both the iPhone and iPad for two years from the original purchase date. AppleCare+ also provides support for up to two instances of accidental damage.
We understand that the launch is “imminent,” but no formal launch date has been announced internally. Apple, this week, has begun training its AppleCare support and Apple Store Genius Bar employees on the upcoming launch of the support initiative. At first, the European launch will occur in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and Switzerland…
Apple has started training its AppleCare technical support staff on the changes and feature-set of iOS 7, according to multiple AppleCare employees. These people say that training began today, and AppleCare employees are required to complete the iOS 7 training by the second week of September.
A US exclusive warranty, AppleCare+ has been available for the iPhone and iPad to provide for accidental damage claims and general warranty protection. Now, the iGen blog is reporting [English] that AppleCare+ is making its way to Europe soon.
iGen’s source did not give any information about the pricing or availability, although the blog believes it will be just under €100 (plus the per-incident fee, which is $49 in the US).
Expand
Expanding
Close
Earlier this month, we reported that Apple would soon introduce significant changes to its online AppleCare support portals. In line with our report, Apple has begun rolling out a redesigned AppleCare website to provide support and has also begun rolling out 24/7 live chat support.
Apple has opened up one of its rare replacement programs for the graphics card in some mid-2011 iMac configurations, according to a notice issued to Apple Support employees. The iMac in question is the model released in May 2011 with Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt ports. This iMac was sold between that month and October 2012 when Apple launched thinner models with new internals. Apple says that AMD Radeon HD 6970M cards (both 1GB and 2GB configurations) in select versions of these 2011 iMacs could fail:
This is the third how-to in our new weekly series:
One of the most common issues I hear about is forgotten Apple IDs. But this is not as simple as it sounds. Figuring out Apple ID details can involve finding out what the Apple ID username is, which Apple ID they should be using (if they have multiple), resetting security questions and answers, and resetting passwords.
Most people, if they have an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, are using their Apple ID on their mobile device. From there, if you go into the Settings App, you will be able to see your Apple ID.
Always double-check to see if you have two different Apple IDs: one for iCloud and one for iTunes and App Stores. Under Settings, press iCloud. Make note of the email address listed in the account. To go back to the main Settings page, press the Settings arrow in the upper left hand corner. Then scroll down until you see iTunes and App Stores and press it. You now have three different possible scenarios:
Expand
Expanding
Close
From 9to5toys.com:
Best Buy is having a significant College Student sale this week on MacBook Airs, Retina/Pros and iMacs and Students or anyone with a .edu email address get another $100 off the sale prices signing up here. For instance, the entry level Haswell MacBook Air is now $949 and another $100 drops it down to $849, the lowest price we’ve seen by $100.
iMac Prices save $100 across the board and another $100 for students = $200 savings starting at $1100
The MacBook Student $100 off promotion starts today, and will end July 27.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Customers on the Apple Support Communities forum are reporting fluctuating audio volumes when playing videos on the new mid-2013 13-inch MacBook Air in a thread which has attracted 83 replies.
The problem seems to be a system issue rather than app-related, being reported in iTunes, QuickTime, VLC, Hulu, Vevo and when watching web videos in both Safari and Chrome – but doesn’t seem to affect all videos. It has also been reported that the issue persists when running Mavericks …
Several customers report that Apple is keen to get hold of affected machines so that it can identify the cause.
tbrumleve wrote: After being contacted by an AppleCare rep today, they do not yet have a fix. They are very interested in getting a hold of the affected hardware, and are willing to send a replacement immediately. However, they cannot guarantee it won’t have the same problem.
This is the second issue to reportedly affect the new MacBook Air, after widespread reports of wifi problems. In that case, Apple issued an update to the wifi software. However, 83 posts in a thread live for several weeks suggests that while the audio issue is affecting a significant minority of machines, it is likely less prevalent that the wifi issue.
Thanks, Aikiharvey.
Update 2: The changes appear to be EU wide as pictured above.
Update: Apple updated its warranty policy in France and Germany too. (Thanks @settebit)
Belgian consumer groups have been following the move of Italian regulators in recent months to push Apple for changes to its warranty programs in order to clarify rules regarding a statutory warranty enforced by EU law that requires companies to make sure products are free from defects for two years. It isn’t the only other nation pushing for changes to warranties, consumers groups in at least Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and Portugal had also filed lawsuits against Apple over its AppleCare and warranty practices. Now, Dutch-language a-n-v.be reports Apple has tweaked its online warranty program in Belgium to meet EU law.
The change in the online warranties tweaks the wording of Apple’s 1-year warranty for free repair and replacements to clarify the 2 year statutory warranty, much the same as what happened in Italy.
Apple published a document on its website highlighting the changes.
According to internal Apple documentation, the original iPhone, which first debuted in 2007, will soon enter “obsolete” status, with a few exceptions. The official switch will happen on June 11, 2013, when the iPhone, along with several other Macs and Xserve models will officially be classified as vintage and obsolete products by Apple. Thanks, G!
.
From 9to5Toys.com:
Following price drops and minor processor upgrades for Apple Retina MacBook Pros this morning, Apple also further discounted its refurbished MacBook Pros. Apple took 15 percent off the MacBook Pros in January, and it dropped the 256GB 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro even more to $1,359 today. Other refurbished Retina MacBooks have been discounted as well. The 512GB 2.9GHz Retina MacBook Pro now sells for $1,779 refurbished. Apple also discounted its 256GB 13-inch MacBook Air to $1,099, and it received a price drop this morning to $1,399 new.
We’ve been hearing for quite some time that Sprint planned to offer its TEP insurance plans to iPhone users, and now Engadget confirmed the $11 monthly plan will officially become available on Jan. 25. Much like the $99 AppleCare+, you’ll have 30 days from the time you purchase your device to add the TEP coverage. You will also be subject to a non-refundable deductible per claim ranging from $150 to $200. The plan will give you access to all of Sprint’s regular TEP coverage, which is a combination of its Equipment Replacement Program and Equipment Service & Repair Program.
Apple agreed to comply with Italian regulators’ requests last year to alter AppleCare warranties in the country after being fined $1.2 million (and an additional $264,000) for “misleading consumers” regarding two-year warranties mandatory by European Union law. We expected to hear much more about AppleCare in other EU countries that also employ the mandatory, free, two-year warranty, and now Belgian consumer watchdog Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats has filed a complaint to escalate its case (via TechCrunch):
For many years warranty issues are at the top of the charts of complaints dealt with Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats. One of the recurring problems are the complaints about Apple. Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats found major problems fixed on the information provided by Apple and its authorized distributors regarding the legal guarantee, the commercial one year warranty, and the warranty extension through the “AppleCare Protection Plan” of 2 or 3 years.
In March 2012, consumer groups from 10 countries requested Apple make changes to its warranty policies after the case in Italy. The Belgian consumer group was one of them but filed a complaint today with local courts because “Apple remained deaf to the demands.”
During negotiations with Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, Apple ultimately changed its warranty policies on its website, terms and conditions, and even removed AppleCare from brick-and-mortar store shelves.
From 9to5Toys.com:
.
This evening, Apple began offering refurbished Retina MacBook Pros at the online Apple Store at significant 15% discounts, yielding savings of over $500 on high end models (below). 15-inch Retina MacBooks normally retail at $2200 but we’ve seen them as low as $2,000 (which is also the EDU discount price).
Apple refurbished products are packaged and look like new and come with the same one year of AppleCare. See all of the best prices on Apple Products on our Apple product pages.
Thanks Jason!
Expand
Expanding
Close
Following Italian authorities forcing Apple to make changes to its AppleCare Protection Plan warranty policies, and Apple taking the product off retail store shelves, Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato has once again fined Apple. The antirust authority originally fined Apple $1.2 million for misleading consumers regarding a two-year warranty mandatory by EU law, and today the AGCM said it will fine Apple another $264,000 (€200,000) for failing to make changes to its warranties between March 28 to the Nov. 10 (via TNW):
In light of the above considerations, it was determined that Apple’s behavior during the period of 28th March 2012 – 10th November 2012 constitutes non-compliance with resolution no. 23155 of 21st December 2011, as modified by resolution no. 23193 of 11th January 2012.
The fines will be split between Apple Sales International, Apple Italia S.r.l, and Apple Retail Italia S.r.l.
Last we heard, Apple was being threatened with closure of its Italian operations if it did not make necessary changes to its warranty policies following an investigation by the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato. The authorities had previously fined Apple $1.2 million, claiming the company failed to inform consumers about a two-year warranty mandatory by EU law. Now it appears Apple has officially taken its AppleCare Protection Plan products off the shelves in Italy with only online versions of the product still available to Italian customers.
setteB.IT shared the image above showing what is apparently an email from Apple Distribution International in Ireland to Apple resellers in Italy. Apple informed resellers that it would stop selling all AppleCare Protection Plans in Italian Apple Stores as well as through authorized resellers. From the email, it also appeared Apple will no longer offer AppleCare-related services over the phone in the country.
setteB.IT also noted Apple has updated the terms for AppleCare on its Italian website. Rather than a “1 year warranty”, the website now reads “AppleCare plans benefits are added to the 2 year warranty of the seller, required by Italian regulators to protect the consumers.”
A full translation of the email is below:
From 9to5Toys.com:
.
Apple quietly dropped the prices on refurbished MacBook Airs last night by up to $120. Notables above are 2010 releases of the 11.6″ MacBook Air model with options of 128GB SSD or 4GB of RAM. Apple refurbished items are virtually indistinguishable from new items and come with the same 1 year AppleCare warranty. All refurbished Macs purchased at Apple are also eligible for the OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program.
These typically run out of stock very quickly.
Update: All gone. You snooze, you lose.
Expand
Expanding
Close
As was the case in Italy, where Apple was recently fined $1.2 million and threatened with closure of its Italian operations related to its AppleCare policies, translated reports today from Lusa News (via Exame Informatica) claimed Portuguese consumer groups plan to take similar action against Apple. According to the reports, DECO, the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection, asserts Apple is misleading consumers by not informing them of two-year warranties mandatory by Portuguese law:
According to Lusa, the DECO decided to proceed with an action in court against Apple. The decision relates to the fact that the company “deceptively” consumers, luring them to extend the warranty to three years through its AppleCare Protection Plan that “nothing” adds to the legal guarantee of two years in Portugal.
“The Portuguese Community law and gives a two-year guarantee for the movable, but Apple does not recognize this reality. After several attempts to enforce these rights, without success, decided to proceed with a lawsuit popular, “said Joao Morgado, secretary general of the DECO
