Monday, April 13, 2009

Apple continues to tighten up the rules concerning battery replacement

Apple continues to tighten up the rules concerning battery replacement

Since the release of Mac Intel (but already during the time of the iBook), Apple had to face many problems with the batteries on its portables. Between those that started to inflate, those that did not hold the charge, and those which broke down and displayed an X. These vexations were very expensive and created precedents that made it was relatively easy to exchange a used battery under guarantee.

Since March, they have started to tighten up. This started with the arrival of test software only available for the CMAA. This is now used to test the battery and decides if it must be exchanged or not. The after sales service department is forced to follow this guidance, since the software delivers a code for the return. In the absence of this code, the CMAA have to cover cost of the battery.

Also Apple has since then defined especially strict rules and even a very long-winded speech that the technicians must give you.

  • To start, in the event of loss of battery life, if your battery has done its time, (more than 300 cycles of charge/discharge), the software will not deliver a code of guarantee. Apple considers indeed; beyond this number of cycles the wear is normal and advises  to use the analogy of batteries of remote control that need replacing too. 
  • Previously any battery which inflated being exchanged immediately. Now, it will be the case only under guarantee or extended guarantee in certain cases. 

We will finish by an important reminder. If you have several batteries, take care well to store them charged and especially not to let them discharge completely by using them regularly. If they go below a minimum threshold of charge, it will definitively be impossible for you to recharge them again.



Steve Jobs Still Involved in Apple, Still Expected to Return in June
The Wall Street Journal reports that despite his medical leave, Steve Jobs has remained very involved in Apple's strategies and planning:

Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook runs the day-to-day operations at Apple, these people say. But...



Steve Jobs maintains grip at Apple
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than three months into a medical leave from Apple Inc, Chief Executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the...

Steve Jobs Also Overseeing Apple Tablet or Netbook Device?
One aspect of the Wall Street Journal article published today that we failed to mention in our previous coverage was that Apple is indeed working on a new type of device.

According to The Wall Street Journal's sources, Apple is workin...

Apple Begins Countdown to 1 Billion IPhone Apps Downloaded
The countdown has begun. Apple posted a Web page on Friday counting down (or actually counting up) to the one billion app downloaded milestone on the App Store.

Road Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use

Filed under: , , ,

USB flash drives are a dime a dozen. They've gone from being a "wow" item a few years ago to a throwaway handout item. Many are cheap plastic devices that either come with a neck lanyard attached or with a small loop for attaching to a key ring. More often than not, they end up falling to pieces or getting lost.

The new LaCie iamaKey (highlighted above) is a USB 2.0 flash drive you'll actually use. Rather than being made out of plastic, it's made of solid metal. Rather than having a useless lanyard attached, there's a hole in the metal so you can put it on a key ring. It's about the size and shape of a key, so it's not out of place on a key ring.

iamaKey came with a tiny plastic cap that covered the connector. Of course, after about 15 minutes the cap disappeared. I was concerned about that until finding out that iamaKey uses a gold SIP connector that resists scratches and water. You don't need the cap at all.

So, does it still work after almost two months of riding around in a pocket with a bunch of other keys and change? Absolutely! It's been dropped multiple times, it's gotten soaked in the pocket of a pair of jeans I was wearing during a sudden downpour, and it's put up with winter cold while I've been out walking. iamaKey is rugged and fast, with up to 30 MB/s read rates and 10 MB/s write speeds.

iamaKey comes in 4 GB (US$19.99) and 8 GB (US$29.99) flavors. LaCie also sells the less rugged and larger itsaKey, which retails for US$3 less than iamaKey.

TUAWRoad Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Microsoft fined in Germany for illegal price fixing

The German authorities have fined Microsoft 9 million euros since they have forced the retailers to sell the office Office suite 2007 at a fixed price, thus preventing any competition. Microsoft did not deny these charges and indicated they would henceforth follow the German laws.

In the past, Apple had to undergo the same judgments, by preventing the retailers from making rebates on its products. In order to circumvent the law, they now use a system of very weak front-end margins, around 3%, that blocks any promotion, and give higher margins at the end of the year to ensure the retailers receive an acceptable benefit. Thus they cannot make promotions beyond these small percent without being illegal by selling at a loss.



Apple continues to tighten up the rules concerning battery replacement

Since the release of Mac Intel (but already during the time of the iBook), Apple had to face many problems with the batteries on its portables. Between those that started to inflate, those that did not hold the charge, and those which broke down and displayed an X. These vexations were very expensive and created precedents that made it was relatively easy to exchange a used battery under guarantee.

Since March, they have started to tighten up. This started with the arrival of test software only available for the CMAA. This is now used to test the battery and decides if it must be exchanged or not. The after sales service department is forced to follow this guidance, since the software delivers a code for the return. In the absence of this code, the CMAA have to cover cost of the battery.

Also Apple has since then defined especially strict rules and even a very long-winded speech that the technicians must give you.

  • To start, in the event of loss of battery life, if your battery has done its time, (more than 300 cycles of charge/discharge), the software will not deliver a code of guarantee. Apple considers indeed; beyond this number of cycles the wear is normal and advises  to use the analogy of batteries of remote control that need replacing too. 
  • Previously any battery which inflated being exchanged immediately. Now, it will be the case only under guarantee or extended guarantee in certain cases. 

We will finish by an important reminder. If you have several batteries, take care well to store them charged and especially not to let them discharge completely by using them regularly. If they go below a minimum threshold of charge, it will definitively be impossible for you to recharge them again.



Steve Jobs Still Involved in Apple, Still Expected to Return in June
The Wall Street Journal reports that despite his medical leave, Steve Jobs has remained very involved in Apple's strategies and planning:

Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook runs the day-to-day operations at Apple, these people say. But...



Steve Jobs maintains grip at Apple
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than three months into a medical leave from Apple Inc, Chief Executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the...

Steve Jobs Also Overseeing Apple Tablet or Netbook Device?
One aspect of the Wall Street Journal article published today that we failed to mention in our previous coverage was that Apple is indeed working on a new type of device.

According to The Wall Street Journal's sources, Apple is workin...

Apple Begins Countdown to 1 Billion IPhone Apps Downloaded
The countdown has begun. Apple posted a Web page on Friday counting down (or actually counting up) to the one billion app downloaded milestone on the App Store.

Road Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use

Filed under: , , ,

USB flash drives are a dime a dozen. They've gone from being a "wow" item a few years ago to a throwaway handout item. Many are cheap plastic devices that either come with a neck lanyard attached or with a small loop for attaching to a key ring. More often than not, they end up falling to pieces or getting lost.

The new LaCie iamaKey (highlighted above) is a USB 2.0 flash drive you'll actually use. Rather than being made out of plastic, it's made of solid metal. Rather than having a useless lanyard attached, there's a hole in the metal so you can put it on a key ring. It's about the size and shape of a key, so it's not out of place on a key ring.

iamaKey came with a tiny plastic cap that covered the connector. Of course, after about 15 minutes the cap disappeared. I was concerned about that until finding out that iamaKey uses a gold SIP connector that resists scratches and water. You don't need the cap at all.

So, does it still work after almost two months of riding around in a pocket with a bunch of other keys and change? Absolutely! It's been dropped multiple times, it's gotten soaked in the pocket of a pair of jeans I was wearing during a sudden downpour, and it's put up with winter cold while I've been out walking. iamaKey is rugged and fast, with up to 30 MB/s read rates and 10 MB/s write speeds.

iamaKey comes in 4 GB (US$19.99) and 8 GB (US$29.99) flavors. LaCie also sells the less rugged and larger itsaKey, which retails for US$3 less than iamaKey.

TUAWRoad Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Microsoft fined in Germany for illegal price fixing

The German authorities have fined Microsoft 9 million euros since they have forced the retailers to sell the office Office suite 2007 at a fixed price, thus preventing any competition. Microsoft did not deny these charges and indicated they would henceforth follow the German laws.

In the past, Apple had to undergo the same judgments, by preventing the retailers from making rebates on its products. In order to circumvent the law, they now use a system of very weak front-end margins, around 3%, that blocks any promotion, and give higher margins at the end of the year to ensure the retailers receive an acceptable benefit. Thus they cannot make promotions beyond these small percent without being illegal by selling at a loss.


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