[From MDJ, available at macjournal.com. --DBM]
---
**Follow-Ups**
* Apple Computer garnered lots of press for its KnowledgeBase
article on copy-protected "CDs." That was the one that said, in
part, that if you put one of those platters in your optical drive
and couldn't get it out, any procedure necessary to remove it
would not be covered by your warranty. Apple got dinged for not
helping users affected by the plastic impostors in coverage from
Wired News [1], the Hollywood Reporter [2], and Macworld UK [3],
along with lots of Mac sites that didn't necessarily emphasize the
warranty issue.
[1] <http://wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,52513,00.html>
[2]
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/bpihw/20020513/en_bpihw/apple__some_cds_don_t_compute>
[3] <http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=4645>
Apple seems to have meant that if a non-standard disc gets stuck
in a drive, any repairs necessary to get it out - or any damage
you cause trying to get it out - are not covered by warranty.
That's bad enough, but the original article left the distinct
impression that simply _inserting_ such a disc voided your
warranty and could damage the drive in some way even after the
disc was removed. Other sources dispute this interpretation, but
it may be a moot point.
Apple first removed and then replaced the KnowledgeBase article
[4] on the topic. The new version, dated 2002.05.16, says only
this: "Audio discs that incorporate copyright protection
technologies do not adhere to published Compact Disc standards.
Apple designs its optical disc drives to support media that
conform to such standards." The company suggests you take your
computer in for service if a paranoid CD has crippled it. The word
"warranty" is nowhere to be found in the new article. It's not
clear if Apple has changed its policy or not, but at least the
company isn't publicly blaming you for not reading the fine print
on CDs. (MDJ_ 2002.05.12)
[4] <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106882>
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Received on May 20 2002