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Apple has determined that certain 1TB Seagate hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011. Apple will replace affected 1TB Seagate hard drives, free of charge, for three years from your iMac's original date of purchase or until April 12, 2013, whichever provides longer coverage for you.
Apple recommends replacing your affected hard drive as soon as possible. Before you go in for service, please back up your data. As an Apple Premium Service Provider, QuadStar can get your hard drive replaced under this program, free of charge to you, without affecting your iMac's warranty status.
Provided that your current hard drive is functioning normally, in addition to replacing the hard drive, QuadStar can copy all of your existing applications, documents and preferences to the new hard drive for a $50 fee. If you purchased your iMac from QuadStar, we will waive the $50 data transfer fee. Once the data is copied, your iMac will operate exactly as it did with the old hard drive. There will be no need to re-install any software or to re-enter any settings.
This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the iMac. Apple will continue to evaluate service data and provide extensions to this program as needed. For more information or to see if your iMac is affected by this issue, please check at http://www.apple.com/support/imac-harddrive/.
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The Dropbox 1.5 update offers iOS users the option of automatically uploading photos and videos taken with an iPhone, iPad and many cameras to iCloud. You can select whether to allow auto uploads over either Wi-Fi or cellular, as well as whether to download an iPhone's entire library or just new media. Connected to this new feature is the opportunity to add bonus storage to your account. DropBox will match every megabyte of data uploaded through the photo upload feature - to be awarded in 500MB blocks up to 3GB. In addition, Dropbox 1.5 comes with a Gallery section that collects uploaded image files in a central location so you can see thumbnails of all the images stored with the service. Users can also tag favorite pictures, download photos to the iOS Camera Roll and send out a public link to the file that can be viewed in any web browser.
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A recent version of malicious software called Flashback exploits a security flaw in Java in order to install itself on Macs. Apple has released software updates for systems running Mac OS X 10.7 and Mac OS X 10.6 that will update Java to fix the security flaw and remove the Flashback malware if it is present. A stand-alone update is also available for Mac OS X 10.7 that will remove the Flashback malware from systems that do not currently have Java installed. By default, your Mac automatically checks for software updates every week, but you can change that setting in Software Update Preferences. We recommend that you run Software Update manually to check for the latest updates. For Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 or earlier, you can better protect yourself from this malware by disabling Java in your web browser(s) preferences.
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Apple has released OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, which introduces many new features inspired by the iPad and re-imagined for the Mac. Features include tight synching and integration with iCloud and iOS devices through shared documents, notes, reminders and much more. AirPlay, Apple's wireless audio and video distribution system, is updated and offers modern Macs with compatible hardware the ability to wirelessly mirror the screen to an Apple TV-attached HDTV display. In the next several issues of the QuadStar Newsletter we will discuss new features of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. For more information and to check for software compatibility, call QuadStar at 440-546-9911 or email us.
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The electronics industry and its consumers can together protect and preserve the environment. In keeping with the spirit of Apple's plan, "A Greener Apple," QuadStar's electronic recycling program will accept your out-of-date technology, including computers, laptops, printers, monitors, keyboards, mice, speakers, cell phones, circuit boards and computer components (hard drives, floppy drives and CD-ROM drives) for recycling. Drop them off at our location during business hours. The recycling service is free. If you would like the data on your hard drive to be destroyed, there is a $5 service charge per drive. Apple has made significant progress in meeting its self-imposed goals for making more environmentally friendly products. To review Apple's progress towards these goals, click here. For more information about our electronic recycling program, call QuadStar at 440-546-9911
