Apple has found that some of the 3TB hard drives used in the 27-inch iMac sold between December 2012 and September 2013 may be faulty and fail in some conditions.
Thankfully, the company has initiated a program to have these hard drives replaced, with users simply having to submit their serial number to check if their machine is part of the program.
"Apple is contacting affected iMac owners who provided a valid email address during the product registration process to let them know about this program," says the company on its website. "If you have not been contacted, but think you have a 3TB hard drive, you can enter your serial number below to see if it's part of this program."
Apple will replace the hard drives for free, whether the computer is still under warranty or not. Users who are eligible for the program can take their computer to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store to have them swap out the drive. An appointment is required, and users should remember to back up their drives using Apple's Time Machine feature, which will back up all apps and files on a computer.
Apple has had a bit of a rough time of late when it comes to customer relations. Only a few weeks ago the company had to recall the Beats Pill CL speakers over concerns that the wiring in the speaker could cause a fire hazard. In that instance, Apple offered customers a complete refund, as well as an extra $25 to try and smooth things over. Much like this new case with hard drives, users simply had to head to the Beats Pill XL refund site and submit a web form.
This is also not the first time that Apple has had trouble with the iMac computer specifically. In 2011, it issued a replacement program for 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac computers sold between May and July of that year due to the fact that it found that in some circumstances the Seagate 1TB hard drive included in the computer could fail. Soon afterwards, it expanded the program to include a much larger time frame, with the program finally expiring in July 2013, after being extended over a year.
Last but not least, the company launched a repair program in 2010 for early MacBooks, covering computers sold between May 2006 and December 2007, also being recalled for possible hard drive failure.
