MacBook Pro with Dead NVidia GPU: Apple's Official Statement
HardMac.com — As we reported earlier, many MacBook Pro owners suffering from dead NVidia GPU were desperately waiting for an official program to cover such issues known to be linked to defective NVidia GPU. One of our readers, Flavio, let us know that Apple released an official statement as a TechNotes: note ...

MacBook Pro with Dead NVidia GPU: Apple's Official Statement
MacBytes.com — ... - 14:27:18 As we reported earlier, many MacBook Pro owners suffering from dead NVidia GPU were desperately waiting for an official program to cover such issues known to be linked to defective NVidia GPU. One of our readers, Flavio, let us know that Apple released an official statement as a TechNotes: note MacBook Pro: Distorted video or no video issues Dernière modification: 09 October, 2008 Article: TS2377 Symptoms In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same ...

Apple says some MacBook Pros affected by faulty Nvidia chips
AppleInsider — ... are failing in the field at higher than normal rates." When contacted by AppleInsider shortly after the filing, officials for Nvidia refused to confirm or deny whether Apple was among the notebook manufacturers affected by the issue, citing "confidentiality obligations" to its customers that prevent it from discussing the matter. For its part, Apple also contacted Nvidia in July and was assured "that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected," it revealed in a support document for the first time this week. "However, after an Apple-led investigation, ...

Apple Confirms Failing Nvidia Graphics Cards in MacBook Pros, Offers Free Repairs and Refunds [Apple]
Gizmodo — ... . Nvidia assured Apple that MacBook Pros were totally cool. Turns out, they were lying! After doing their own investigation, Apple "has determined that some MacBook Pro computers... may be affected." ...

Apple says some MacBook Pro Nvidia chips are flaky
MacUser — Ruh roh. If you’ve been noticing issues with your MacBook Pro when it comes to graphics performance, don’t worry—it’s not your eyes. Something else—something far more sinister—is at work here. It seems that some of the Nvidia graphics chips in certain MacBook Pros are defective. Straight from the horse’s mouth (if that horse is Mr. Ed, anyway): Apple has determined that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor may be affected. If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the ...

Apple: NVIDIA chips to blame for MacBook Pro video problems
Ars Technica - Infinite Loop — Some MacBook Pro users have been experiencing odd video problems , usually characterized by distorted or "striped" video and sometimes no video at all. An internal investigation has narrowed the problem to faulty NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT GPUs, which Apple is now replacing for free . NVIDIA had been under fire recently for denying allegations that many of its recent GPUs were faulty. In July, however, the company admitted that some GPUs were experiencing a higher-than-normal failure rates due to a defect in the chip packaging materials. At the time, Apple says that "NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics ...

NVIDIA GPU Failures, Some Macbook Pros Affected
MacBlogz - One Stop Apple News — This past July, Nvidia’s notebook graphics cards- the ones with the G84 or G86 chip set- failed at “higher than-normal” rates. Apple is owning up to the malfunction and is offering to fix any Nvidia graphics card problem for free within two years of the original purchase date. Current MacBook Pros have the GeForce 8600M GT, utilizing the Nvidia G84. Earlier this summer, Nvidia assured Apple that the MacBook Pros were completely safe. Boy did Nvidia pull the wool over Apple’s eyes…Or so they thought! After undergoing their own investigation, Apple has now “determined that some MacBook Pro computers….may be ...

Newer MBPs may contain faulty NVIDIA chips
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) — Filed under: Troubleshooting, Macbook Pro Not a surprise for those who have suffered from the issue, but a welcome admission nonetheless: Apple has now acknowledged that some recent MacBook Pro models contain faulty GeForce 8600M GT chips that cause video display problems. Dell and HP have already told customers similar stories. In a support document posted yesterday, Apple testily admitted that while NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers were not affected, an internal investigation revealed three models of MacBook Pro indeed had problems. Our own Cory Bohon wrote about his experience with (what he ...

Apple Points Fingers at NVIDIA for Notebook Defect
Wired: Gadget Lab — Apple has acknowledged a video-card defect in some of its latest generation MacBook Pro notebooks. In a bulletin posted Thursday, Apple said MacBooK Pros affected include those manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008. To spell it out more clearly -- that would be the current generation of MacBook Pros and the generation preceding it.  Apple said the issue is related to defective NVIDIA chips, which have caused some MacBook Pros to display distorted or scrambled video -- or, at worst, show nothing on the screen at all. The company is asking those affected to bring their notebooks to ...

Apple says some MacBook Pros hit by faulty NVIDIA chips
Engadget — Filed under: Laptops It's pretty far behind the likes of Dell and HP in getting to the bottom of the whole defective NVIDIA GPU situation, but Apple has now finally come out and confirmed that some of its MacBook Pros are indeed affected by the problem. According to a just posted Apple support document, the ...

Apple Officially Admits to Faulty NVIDIA GPUs
TheAppleBlog — Following NVIDIA’s July 2008 announcement that a number of their GPUs were experiencing higher failure rates than should be normally expected, Apple today finally released an official support article acknowledging the problem. The article claims that NVIDIA told Apple graphics cards in Macintosh computers were not affected by the problem, which is supposedly related to improper packaging. The reason for the lag time between NVIDIA’s and Apple’s announcements concerning the faulty GPUs is an internal investigation by Cupertino itself which eventually found that MacBook Pro NVIDIA cards were indeed affected. The ...

MacBook Pro Repair Program Addresses Nvidia Flaws
TidBITS: Mac News for the Rest of Us — Is the video on your recent-model MacBook Pro causing you grief? It's not your eyes playing tricks on you. Apple has announced a repair program to fix Mac laptops that contain Nvidia's troubled GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor. Symptoms include distorted or scrambled video on the laptop's screen, or no video on the laptop or on an external display when the computer is on. The GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor was included on the 15-inch and 17-inch models of the MacBook Pro (Late 2007, 2.4/2.2 GHx) and MacBook Pro (Early 2008), manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008. To determine the processor your MacBook ...

Apple will repair MacBooks that have faulty Nvidia GPUs
CNET News - Apple — An investigation by Apple shows some MacBook Pros may have faulty Nvidia graphics processors after all, despite Nvidia's earlier assurances to the contrary, the computer maker has announced. Apple said it will repair at no charge MacBook Pros where the Nvidia GPU has failed, or fails within two years ...

Apple admits MacBook Pro graphics glitch, offers fix
APC — Remember when we told you about graphics glitches that plauged the recent line of MacBook Pros -- you know, the ones that cause scrambled display on many MacBook Pros? Well, despite Apple's denials, including one to a reader by Steve Jobs himself, Apple has finally fessed up -- almost 16 months since the first 15 and 17" MacBook Pros started shipping with NVIDIA graphics cards. Apple now admits issues may exist on all models that shipped with the standard GeForce 8600M GT cards. The good news: If your machine 'fails within two years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge.' If you bit the bullet and got your ...

Apple's Nvidia union takes strange turn
9 to 5 Mac - Apple Intelligence — In advance of its Tuesday keynote Apple security bundled out a protestor urging a boycott of Nvidia products as part of a campaign against a third firm which provides the graphics processor company with cafeteria services. Protestor Feng Kung was handing out leaflets urging Apple employees to spill the beans on Nvidia for "allegedly covering up video-card defects," Wired informs. Nvidia acknowledged a common defect in some of its video cards on July 2. These problems even extended to relatively recent models of MacBook Pro, Apple confirmed last week, saying: "In July 2008, Nvidia ...

Why Apple’s NVIDIA GPU Extended Service Program is Inadequate
TheAppleBlog — A tip of the hat to fellow TheAppleBlog contributor Clayton Lai in his recent column NVIDIA Killed My 2007 MacBook Pro, and the people who commented with similar tales of premature hardware failure woe, for finally convincing me to cross the late 2008 MacBook Pro off my short list of candidates for my next system upgrade. ...

Apple MacBook Pro replacement policy for video malfunctions
MacFixIt — Today's Featured Article Late-Breakers Late-Breakers Tuesday, January 27 2009 @ 06:00 AM PST Apple MacBook Pro replacement policy for video malfunctions Apple is offering replacements for MacBook Pro computers which may experience a known graphics flaw with certain batches of nVidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors. Although nVidia is claiming no batches of the flawed GPUs made it into MacBook Pro computers, in the past year many users have claimed their screens have either gone black or shown garbled video. In addition, an investigation by Apple representatives found that some of their products have been affected by the faulty GPUs. The ...

MacBook Pros with ATI Radeon X1600 graphics cards still experiencing issues
MacFixIt — Today's Featured Article Late-Breakers Late-Breakers Friday, March 20 2009 @ 11:19 AM PDT MacBook Pros with ATI Radeon X1600 graphics cards still experiencing issues MacBook Pro users with models that have the ATI Radeon X1600 graphics cards have been reporting issues such as horizontal lines of noise and other display artifacts. These issues seem primarily affect early MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo machines as described by MacFixIt user Andres Araneo: "There are several threads in apple discussions related to display problems (horizontal lines of noise and other artifacts) that have arisen in early Macbook Pro Core Duo 2.0Ghz models which have the ATI x1600 ...

Apple extends warranty on MacBook Pro with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT models to three years
MacDailyNews — Apple extends warranty on MacBook Pro with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT models to three years Monday, June 01, 2009 - 12:17 PM EDT Apple has published a KnowledgeBase article (TS2377) regarding certain MacBook Pro models with NVIDIA graphics processors: In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same time, NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected. However, after an Apple-led investigation, Apple has determined that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor may be affected. ...

Apple extends MacBook Pro GeForce 8600M graphics card warranty
MacFixIt — Late-Breakers Late-Breakers Thursday, June 04 2009 @ 09:35 AM PDT Apple extends MacBook Pro GeForce 8600M graphics card warranty According to documentation on Apple's support page, the Cupertino-based Mac producers will be extending their warranty coverage of NVIDIA's GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors found in some models of MacBook Pros due to the chip's higher than normal failure rate - an issue related to a NVIDIA packaging defect. An Apple Knowledge Base Article describes the issue: "In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same time, ...

ExtraBITS for 08-Jun-09
TidBITS: Mac News for the Rest of Us — Tonya Discusses Reading Ebooks on the iPhone and Kindle -- Take Control editor in chief Tonya Engst chats with MacNotables host Chuck Joiner about file formats and hardware devices for ebooks, with a focus on the iPhone, iPod touch, and the Kindle. If you're curious about where we think the world of ebooks is going, or wondering about what's happening in the minds of ebook publishers, give this podcast a listen! (Posted 2009-06-04) Coverage Extended for MacBook Pros with Nvidia Processors -- Apple has announced that it will extend service coverage on MacBook Pros housing Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT ...

Intuit and Apple Announcements Include Money and a Lesson
TheAppleBlog — Intuit, the company that helps manage your money, may owe you some. Heck, even Apple might. In the winter of 2007, Intuit’s Quickbooks for Mac 2006 contained a fatal bug — an automatic update erased the desktop folders of users’ accounts (yikes). Intuit’s silence on the issue was deafening. Finally, after ...

Is Apple bailing on NVIDIA?
Computerworld Blogs - Macintosh & Apple — Former Inquirer writer Charlie Demerjian is reporting that Apple may stop using NVIDIA chips in upcoming Macs. He reports for SemiAccurate (a name that inspires confidence!), that Apple-NVIDIA negotiations on upcoming motherboard chips have come to a bitter halt. Apple and NVIDIA are going through rocky times. The NVIDIA chip deformations, or bumps, the story of which Demerjian also initially broke and had been following closely don't seem to be abating. The packaging defects have hit MacBook Pro owners with 8600M GT GPUs pretty hard. Apple, for their part, have issued an unprecedented three year free replacement if the ...

Appled rumored not to renew contract with NVIDIA for graphics chips
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) — Filed under: Hardware, Apple The relationship between Apple and NVIDIA, the manufacturer of the graphics chips in most Macs for quite some time now, appears to be souring at an exponential rate. Electronista reports that negotiations between the two companies to continue their business relationship are not going well, with Apple accusing NVIDIA of being arrogant. According to a source with access to NVIDIA, Apple is on track to cut NVIDIA off as a graphics chip provider for the next 3-4 years. If the two companies cannot reach an agreement, NVIDIA would continue to provide chips for models that currently use ...

Bad NVIDIA chips continue to plague Apple and other PC manufacturers
9 to 5 Mac - Apple Intelligence — The Inquirer reports that NVIDIA is taking a $120 million hit again this quarter on charges related to a faulty die and weak packaging material which was used in its graphics chips.  NVIDIA had previously taken a write-down of almost $200 million to cover warranty and product replacement costs on bad GPUs it supplied to Apple and other PC manufacturers. NVIDIA is the GPU maker on all but a handful of Macintosh systems. The trouble kicked off last July when it was reported that some Nvidia graphics chips were overheating. Nvidia said it was all down to weak packaging materials then. Later the INQ discovered that ...

Apple, Nvidia, Intel: Happy families?
9 to 5 Mac - Apple Intelligence — Apple seems set to use a new Nvidia chip inside future Macs, but there’s a sticking point - Intel has launched a lawsuit against the graphics chip maker to prevent manufacture of the very GPU’s Apple’s seemingly intending to use. Meanwhile, in the background, Apple’s PA Semi team are quietly developing new processor platforms for Apple devices... Sounds like a soap opera? It’s not. Here’s the deal: - Digitimes informs us Nvidia plans to launch new chipsets for Intel-based notebooks in the first quarter next year, the MCP89 and MCP99 chipsets. These chipsets are expected to sell to at ...

Apple Still Cares Without Apple Care… For Now.
Apple Gazette — I’ve been a Mac user for around 2 years now. Still pretty much a newbie though, compared to the veterans who have been Mac users for over 3 decades or so. Only recently have I been able to fully appreciate being a Mac user because of its Apple Care Protection Plan (APP). Some might disagree with me on the topic of investing in the Apple Care Protection Plan but I still firmly believe that it’s still a good investment. But that’s not what this article is all about. What I want to talk about is how Apple still cares without Apple Care. In my opinion, anyway. This month of October hasn’t been a ...