“The Consumerist says the complaint as been raised as far as Steve Jobs’ office, with no relief for the customers involved,” Coursey reports. “The story was reported on Friday, though the Consumerist said it had sought, but failed to receive, any explanation from Apple HQ over a period of months. (The site is part of the Consumers Union/Consumer Reports organization, so I deem the report credible).”
Coursey reports, “First, that Apple–presuming they are not merely trying to avoid warranty claims, which seems far-fetched–would not send the customers a refurbished Mac as a replacement for the smokehouse Macs… Second, my hazardous materials training has taught me that however dangerous smoke residue may be, there is a way to deal with it. With its billions, Apple could buy a containment chamber where work could be done in a completely different atmosphere from where the technician stood.”
“Imagine one of those chambers that lab workers use, inserting their hands through holes in the box into permanently attached gloves. Only the gloves and a set of tools from inside the box touch the computer,” Coursey suggests, apparently with a straight face. “If something along this line is good enough for smallpox and Ebola, it will probably protect someone from a smoky Mac.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lava_Head_UK” for the heads up.]
JEJ Said:
“There is absolutely no evidence that the stink from cigarette smoke residing on surfaces, let alone a Mac, causes any health risk, let alone a serious health risk”.
That is incorrect. There is extensive evidence that 3rd-hand smoke is a health hazard to non-smokers. Do a web search for “dangers of 3rd hand smoke” and read all about it.
Folks, STOP SMOKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No benefits whatsoever when u are one.
Why are people such wusses these days? Thirdhand smoke should be the least of your worries. Go outside and take a deep breath. Smell that? That’s not clean air, folks.
I’m not going to argue the merits of smoking or nonsmoking. What I will argue is the warranty terms. Does it state anything about smoking? I don’t believe it does. In which case, Apple should honor the warranty. Put on a mask and some gloves and just fix the damn thing.
@ Spark…Apple doesn’t want you to open their computers… uh, ahem….your computer.
If people could open their own computers, they’d install more ram, or larger and faster hard drives without Steve or Johnny Ives giving them permission. Don’t you realize what kind of anarchy that would cause? Horror! Anathema!
Cat hair is much worse than cigarette tar. I saw a Mac with what looked like a layer of grey felt over everything – eeeewww & aaaaarrrrggggghhh! it was stinkin’ cat hair.
Amen, Jim and add to that people with body piercings too!
Seriously though, I have had to work on some pretty nasty Mac desktops and portables that were filled with dirt, dust, bugs and a lot of smoke residue.
It is really, really nasty and I can’t blame anyone for shying away from working really grungy computers and I’d say that in many cases nastiness is the cause of the malfunction.
Apple can refuse flat out to repair a unit that has been soaked with pet urine or has some blood as they pose a bio hazard to technicians.
Now if any of you naysayers could see any of the nasty computers that I or other repair techs have seen, please keep quite.
FSCK ALL YOU PUSSIES!! You think your gonna live forever or something?
@ Rick Sterner
I’ve seen the ‘extensive evidence’ that 3rd-hand smoke is a health hazard.
Arrant nonsense. FUD. Junk science, but easy to get published.
Why? You should realize that the world and your environment contain a plethora of hazardous substances. The issue is, not whether you are exposed to them — you are — but whether there’s a significant and quantifiable adverse effect.
The foods you eat contain toxic substances of natural origin. That’s because many of them contain natural pesticides evolved to protect plants — apples, broccoli, beans, whatever — from predators of all kinds (other plants, microbes, insects, etc.). Studies have shown than many vegetable foods contain 10,000 times or more the levels of ‘natural’ toxins, compared to their levels of toxins of anthropogenic origin, such as pesticides. Simply put, you cannot ingest food without ingesting toxins, many of them known carcinogens of natural origin. That’s obviously true of ‘organic’ foods.
A simplistic application of the precautionary principle would be to stop eating, so as to avoid risk. But that’s an enormously greater risk than is eating.
As to most of the toxic exposures in our environment, the bottom line is significance. JEJ was correct. There are enough real problems without creating nonsensical ones like ‘third hand smoke’ toxicity. Unjustified paranoia is risky in itself.
I see both sides of this coin,
but having worked on several machines with smoke residue I can say that it sticks to fans, and creates big problems in little areas.
its very difficult and nasty to clean that stuff off..
clogs heatsinks and fans
anyone that can afford a mac, and cigarettes should be able to afford an air purifier
smoking in your house is gross..
I ultimately side with Apple on this one, and they should not be responsible for damage caused by this, and definatly should not have to create a special work environment to work on these machines.
Extended smokers warranty anyone? – even that is not something they should do… my hands are itching just thinking about it.. happy I don’t have to touch those nasty machines anymore.
Nice straw man. Mud packed in a car’s radiator is NOT equal to smoke or road dirt particulates. Cars get dirty from traffic exhaust/environmental road debris.
Automotive dealerships do not cite health risks to mechanics from road dirt as cause for denial of warranty.
Further, does Dell, HP, etc. deny computer warranties to the MILLIONS of PCs in the world used in shops, warehouses, production lines, etc? NO. But Apple has to turn up the SMUG and demand clean rooms for all its little iTunes, movie maker boxes. Why am I surprised.
@FightingMongoose
“p.s. clean your computer before brining it to the bar”
I don’t know what kind of bars you frequent, but I’ve never wanted to bring a brined computer to one – clean or otherwise
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I don’t understand why people smoke in their homes in the first place. It’s not only bad for others but it ruins your personal belongings especially electronics.
That said if apple cites health concerns for techs what’s so hard about having them use protective gear?
If Apple isn’t going to honor its warranty for this, then it needs to say so in the warranty. Otherwise, they can’t just willy nilly decide what to cover, despite liberals thinking you can just change rules however you want to suit your own liberal opinions.
I am extremely tempted not to accept the new iMac that is currently in transit.
I do not smoke at my computer or in the main part of my house (only in an area with its own exhaust fan) but if Apple can declare cigarette smoking a reason to void the warranty what comes next.
Perhaps other environmental hazards;
This computers warranty is void because it obviously comes from a Catholic household where it is subjected to residue from fried fish every Friday.
Ain’t no way this computer is coming in our tech area because the owner ate kimchi within 100 yards of it.
I could waste a lot of electrons going on in this vein.
Apple, you better get your PR people to put a spin on this, as for me I have until the 30th to decide whether or not to accept the new computer I ordered.
To Rick Sterner,
“That is incorrect. There is extensive evidence that 3rd-hand smoke is a health hazard to non-smokers”
JEJ is correct. This is about smoke “residue”.
Residue is not going to leap off the computer parts and bite you in the ass.
Idiot.
I have been a Mac user since I had an SE 40.
That’s more than a couple of decades ago for you who are not old enough to remember
I have had all sorts of expensive electronic equipment over that time including B&O;Hifi equipment.
I am a smoker and not once, not ever, have I had any equipment fail due to smoke.
I have never heard anyone that I know say “They wouldn’t fix it because I broke it with cigarette smoke”.
And tt
“smoking in your house is gross..”
It’s my house,so it’s none of your business you Nazi.
@Mark S.
“It is really, really nasty and I can’t blame anyone for shying away from working really grungy computers and I’d say that in many cases nastiness is the cause of the malfunction”.
I hope you never need a plumber.
> I wish we had more smokers. We need the tax revenue and if they die at 50, then they paid into the system for 25 years while not getting anything back. We should be encouraging people to smoke, eat unhealthy, fall off cliffs at age 50.
And yet we are treated like ###s living in an anti-smoking Nazi ghetto. Or the lepers of old. So it’s become difficult to smoke in some outdoor cafés. Fine with me, I can afford to enjoy my private café and keep the change.
As for Macs… my household’s clean Mac portables and iMacs failed well before my smoky Mac Pro. A number of my household’s clean iPods have failed and been repaired/replaced, but my smoky first and third generation iPods still work.
I spend big on Apple aluminum, and the third party that gives me the best service gets the orders. I don’t blow smoke in their face, only cash.
are these people kidding me? Are you crazy? its ********, What about machines in places of work or dusty environments like factories? BULL.
Smokers aint covered but that imac in the dusty wood cutting factory covered with saw dust is? BULLCRAP. What about countries that allow smoke in public building that sell macs?
I have smoked for years and owned many many apples. Never have they been mucked up with tar. These people must smoke 24/7 and sit the burning cig in front of the air vents. I think these denials for smoke is VERY VERY rare cases. Only 2 have been reported out of 25 million users. I don’t think the average smoker needs to worry about it. I have smoked around mine for years and it looks clean as ever. These stories is what propagates this stuff. Now more and more employees will read it and more and more will exercise there right to deny. These stories are bad for us all.
SMOKE is NOT a biohazard. It is TOXIC in large amounts but NOT a biohazard. BIOHAZARD is different than toxic. I don’t care if apple has the right or not. to deny a warranty due to smoke is dumb. What if the machine was used professionally in a smoke environment? What if its in a car repair shop in the same garage as the brake cleaning station? If anything is within a 300 feet it will get dirty. What about my 4×4 truck? If i get it all mucky with road tar/Gas/chenicals WHILE WORKING for a government road construction bid or job will ford refuse to honor its warranty. NO. I don’t care how NASTY it is. Its your job to fix it. As a mechanic i wish i could deny every car i had to work on that was nasty or likely toxic. I use biohazrd materials everyday, no one cares about me. We supposed to care about the lowly apple tech? “its nasty, whaaaa, i refuse to work on it, i never heard of gloves and the smell is awful” WHAAA. Some of teh cars i see have dog crap all over them on the inside others have smoke worse than you can believe, chenicals spilled on the insides of work trucks. NEW work trucks, but ford don’t say “we don’t make our mechanics get in a smokers car and fix it if they don’t want to.” “We dont make mechanics repair a car that has had toxic chemicals spilled in it” Smoke or hazard or not WE HAVE TO FIX THE CAR. Get over it you dang cry babies. ITS YOUR JOB. If I smoke like a freight train inside my car and then something breaks inside the car can ford say “im not making my employees get inside a car or truck cab were someone smoked that much, its a biohazard.” LOL. I work with GAS, flammable liquids and dangerous tools and i don’t see anyone worried about ME when the gas is TOXIC or the chemicals used are a BIOHAZARD. If gas spilled all over the inside of a car, we don’t refuse to fix it. WE use safety standards and TOOLS with a good set of gloves, mask and eye covering. there is NO reason an employee couldnt fix a smokey computer. Unless he is just a puss.
Its about them being lazy or apple saving a buck.
Warranty don’t matter in this story, it seems these employees wasn’t gonna even touch the machine…warranty or not. I see a huge double standard and a bunch of picky little snobby repair tech thinking they are above messing with mucked computers. Get over it, its how it works. Tons of us work around bad things all day and your crying about a little smoke muck? This is nothing more than apple trying to save money because if these same people walked in WITHOUT a warranty with good ol cash to pay with i guarantee it wouldn’t of been denied. It was denied to save money or because the tech was an idiot that didnt know how to fix it or to lazy to.. Are you kidding me? “oh, its got cigarette tar on it, i refuse to touch it, its nasty” BLAH BLAH, wear rubber gloves ya puss. Im a mechanic and when i hear people refusing to touch dirty computers I WANT TO LAUGH. All i can say is, when i take my machine in for repair im gonna ask the tech if he smokes and if not, wait till i find one who does. If apple EVER denied my claim due to smoke after letting me buy a 300 dollar warranty without asking the simple question “do you smoke” I would raise 3 kinds of hell. This is being done on a case by case bases left up to the tech. Its not right. The tech may just feel lazy that day. Apple needs to implement a policy that just refuses warranty to ANY smoker. ANY AT ALL. tell them up front, this way there is no confusion about anything. And make out some kind of prevision for machines in hazardous environments. There are thousands of machines that work in hazardous environments besides smoke. This policy is not clear. I don’t agree with apple but if they are gonna deny smokers in a world were millions of people smoke they need to be a little forthright about it.
@ clyde2801
The Mac Pros are perhaps the most accessible computers available. You may have the iMac in mind when you comment that Apple doesn’t want you inside, but the Mac Pros are made to easily get to all the guts.