Apple to replace 'spotty' PowerBook screens

Apple Computer is offering free replacement screens to owners of 15-inch PowerBook models whose machines have a flaw that causes the screen to display white spots.

In a posting to its Web site on Friday, Apple said it will cover machines for two years from the date of purchase, up from the one year of coverage that is provided as part of Apple's standard warranty.

Users have been complaining about the issue since last fall, launching online petitions and other efforts designed to get the Mac maker to address the problem.

In October, Apple said people with the problem should contact its AppleCare service, but the company had been handling problems case by case under its standard warranty. In December the company posted more information to its support Web site, an Apple representative said.

"Last year we advised customers whose 15-inch PowerBook G4 displays exhibited faint white spots to contact AppleCare," Apple said in a statement. "To ensure that our customers are well taken care of, we are extending the repair period on these systems to two years from the original date of purchase."

The program covers a limited number of 15-inch Titanium and Aluminum PowerBooks manufactured between July and November of last year. Models that are included in the repair effort have serial numbers beginning with either V7334 or V7345 or in the range from QT331 to QT339.

Under the program, Apple pays for the cost of replacing the laptop's LCD screen as well as any shipping costs. Apple will also reimburse the cost to customers who have already paid for such a repair.

The company has also posted a method to help customers identify whether their machine is affected.

Apple has used repair programs to resolve issues in the past, including a problem with the logic board on some iBook laptops.

[s_mamdani]

they were fine with me

I had the screen splotches back in April, and Apple gave me no trouble with replacing the screen free of charge. I understand its possible that others have had problems getting apple to cover their screen issues, but that hasnt bee my experience. In fact, the company that i have heard the most about in regards screen problems/no solutions is Dell. More than 1/3rd of my law school class uses Inspiron notebooks; I know of at least 4 people (out of about 70) that have had catastrophic screen failures that Dell has refused to repair, claiming that the screens could not possible fail without being dropped or somehow mistreated. If you're going to bash companies that provide spotty and unhelpful service, take Dell on once in a while and be more balanced

[mikeg4936]

Here we go again...

Another scenario of Mac users bashing PCs. It was a perfectly informative and unbiased article, but people who think Apple can't do wrong intervene again... will it ever end?