Apple has determined that a small number of 3 TB hard drives used in late 2012 27-inch iMacs sold between December 2012 and September 2013 may fail under certain conditions. The company has initiated a program to replace affected hard drives free of charge through Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider in certain countries.
Apple is contacting affected iMac owners that provided a valid email address during product registration to inform them about the new replacement program. iMac owners can check if they are affected by entering the computer’s serial number on Apple’s support website, and visit the Genius Bar, locate an AASP or contact Apple Technical Support to initiate the replacement process, according to MacLeaks.
Apple advises that customers who paid to have their hard drive repaired contact the company for a refund. The replacement program covers affected iMac models until December 19, 2015, or three years from the affected iMac’s original date of sale, depending on whichever is longer.
Apple announced a similar replacement program in mid-2011 for select 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs sold between May and July of that year with Seagate 1 TB hard drives that could also fail under certain conditions, later expanding the program to include a much broader timeframe. That replacement program expired on July 23, 2013, after being extended for a year. Apple also launched a repair program for early MacBook models in 2010.
Users who bought the Apple desktop computer in Iran are ineligible for the recall scheme due to the country not being covered by the Apple warranty. Users in Iran who experience the problem must either contact a local non-affiliated Apple repair center or pack their computer and ship it to the nearest Apple repair center in either the United Arab Emirates or Turkey.
