Apple Expands Seagate Hard Drive Replacement Program for 2009-2011 iMacs

Apple yesterday expanded its iMac 1TB Seagate Hard Drive Replacement Program, significantly increasing the number of machines eligible under the program to include iMacs sold between October 2009 and July 2011 with 1 TB Seagate hard drives.

Apple has determined that certain Seagate 1TB 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 or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge.

Apple launched the program in July 2011, but at that time it covered only those machines sold between May 2011 and July 2011. Apple has apparently now determined that the issue extends further back in time than previously thought, and has now included machines sold as far back as October 2009.

imacs 2011
The original program was originally valid for one year, scheduled to expire July 23, 2012, but as that deadline passed the company extended the program for an additional year. With the program now covering a number of other machines, some of which were sold as much as three years ago, Apple has again updated the coverage terms.

The program covers affected iMacs for three years after the first retail sale of the unit or until April 12, 2013, whichever provides longer coverage for you. Apple will continue to evaluate service data and will provide further updates to this program as needed.

This is not the first time Apple has had issues with Seagate hard drives in its products, as the first several generations of the MacBook had the potential to experience data loss when the read/write heads on the Seagate drives failed prematurely, gouging the hard drive platter. Apple acknowledged the issue soon after it was first reported in late 2007, but waited over two years to launch a repair program to address the problem.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iMac

Top Rated Comments

adcx64 Avatar
150 months ago
At first glance I thought this was about new iMacs.

Yawn.:p
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
12dylan34 Avatar
150 months ago
*Sees picture of iMacs

"Oh yes! finally some news about new iMacs!"

*reads article title

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yearofthe Avatar
150 months ago
*Logs onto Macrumors*
*See's picture of iMac's assuming it's about the new upcoming iMac*
"Ah, redemption with Macrumors restored!" I said
*Reads article*
%#($@* #*@&#%!!!!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Thunderbird Avatar
150 months ago
I too, had a Pavlovian response to the iMac picture.

I guess a lot of us are getting a little twitchy.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akbarali.ch Avatar
150 months ago
This makes me a bit (i dont know why) comforatble to hear that iMac word is still randomly uttered in Apple Toys Inc.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TMRaven Avatar
150 months ago
Way to go Apple! I have a late 09 iMac I purchased in early 2010, and its hard drive has been slowly dying for the past year or so, but I've been waiting for SSDs to drop in price so I could do my own replacement, because Apple was wanting to charge me 200 bucks for an out of warranty hard drive swap.

Now I can get it fixed for free! Props to Apple!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...