Apple issuing free repairs or replacements of wonky 2008 Time Capsules

It takes quite a lot to get Apple (or any of the other big timers) to swallow its pride and admit a faulty product, but the random deaths of its Time Capsules seem to have fit that bill. Of course, in classic corporate fashion, we're not told that there's a problem at all, but if you bought one of the earliest batches of Time Capsules -- between February and June 2008 -- and it has since suffered a fatal malfunction, you may now be entitled to a free repair or replacement. This new coverage is also being extended to people who've already had to pay to deal with a less than reliable Capsule; they'll get full refunds of their money, but we doubt their hearts will heal that quickly, and let's not even talk about the lost data that was supposed to be getting backed up on the thing.

[noodles2k Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:03AM]

@abedinthehouse Illmatic!

[abedinthehouse Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:07AM]

@noodles2k

N.A.S as in Network Access Storage

......not the rapper.

[noodles2k Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:24AM]

@abedinthehouse
Engadget says no http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/24/seagate-unveils-6tb-blackarmor-nas/

oh and it's Network Attached Storage

[abedinthehouse Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:12AM]

@noodles2k
No to what? They only Photoshopped Nas because they just couldnt help it.

and yes, it is attached, idk what I was thinking...mind must have been wandering..

[pinktacoyummm Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:15AM]

I thought Apple products don't fail?! LOL

[fuisti Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:28AM]

@pinktacoyummm
Even magical stuff sometimes has faults.

[rgarjr Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:41AM]

@pinktacoyummm U thought wrong, you cloWn.

[Awall Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:42AM]

@pinktacoyummm You are really smart

[bufbarnaby Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:28AM]

And the iPhone 4 is next !

[aopolis Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:29AM]

I just bought the Airport Extreme last night.. it works great! I had a Linksys (still do), but my Macbook Pro 13 unibody needed to have it's wifi turned off and on randomly during the day because it would time out or something. The Windows pcs never had the problem. Then I tried a D-Link a few days ago, but it was actually dropping it's own signal.. then I tried a Belkin Play, what a POS that was, totally slowed the internet on all computers.. Belkin had me set the MTU to 1400, it fixed the speed on the Windows pcs, but didn't help the Mac at all. So last night, I get the Airport Extreme, & of course it loves my Mac AND the Windows pcs still work perfectly. Apple is good. I never wanted ANYTHING Apple since everybody had everything Apple. I've had about 5 Windows phones, all crappy except the first gen Touch Pro (the screen leaked and killed itself though, no money back, no fix), the G1 and Hero (both wonderful), but then I finally used a friends iPhone (the store models were lame of course), and fell in love with the display and the responsiveness of everything & since then I've fallen in love with Apple. Sure it's simple and it makes you feel like it's too easy and you feel like an idiot because it does everything for you, but hey, it all works, and that's all that matters to me. The end. Yes, this relates to the subject since the Airport Extreme looks like the Time Capsule.

[Special Agent Steve Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:36AM]

@aopolis
Wait, so totally sucking up to Apple is now relevant in EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE?
Mother of God.

[Psyclotr0n Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:41AM]

@aopolis
less Ritalin

[sonicyoof Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:42AM]

@aopolis

So you had a Linksys, and your PCs worked with it but your Macbook didn't. So you buy the Apple Airport. That works with your Apple Macbook (amazing!), and your PCs still work... So it sounds like the Macbook was the one malfunctioning until you got the "Steve Jobs' Magic Synergy" solution of changing everything over to Apple official products because that's all Apple cares to make their stuff work with.

Love your use of logic here, very creative.

[benappelhof Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:32AM]

This happend to mine but it was under warenty so i got it replaced!! I was luck that i didnt hace any crashed computers.

[Psyclotr0n Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:44AM]

@benappelhof
looks like you could use a keyboard replacement though

[benappelhof Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:24AM]

@Psyclotr0n Looks like you could use an attitude adjustement.

[jackjumper85 Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:52AM]

So now its the Red Dot of Death, or the Red Light of Death.

[sonicyoof Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:36AM]

LOL @ people who back their files up with something called "Time Capsule."

[iSmug Posted Jul 12th 2010 7:50AM]

@sonicyoof
Imagine the smug grin on their face when a mac user tells you that they use Time Capsule™ to backup their files. They will get all riled up when you tell them that they bought a hard drive for $500.

[aschettler Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:47AM]

Instead of using this p.o.s., you could use a really cheap (or repurpose a really old computer) as a NAS using the FreeNAS OS. It's free, it's open source, it uses many different protocols, and it's highly expandable. Or, you could use an external hard drive with the Time Machine (or better) software. I tried a Time Capsule, but it died, so I got a replacement. That one died, so I got my money back. Then I tried using an external hard drive and an Airport Extreme, but the Airport Extreme didn't work right, so I took it back and got a Linksys WRT54G and a couple of WAP54Gs. Now, I'm just using a Linksys WRT610N and the same WAP54Gs. It's not great, but it works a hell of a lot better than the Airport Extreme did.

[Awall Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:41AM]

@aschettler Hold on while I go look up all those model numbers.

TMI

[aeonjoey Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:54AM]

wonky? you mean defective. Ohhh what was I thinking, it's an Apple product on Engadget, it must've been a stretch to even say wonky.

[Awall Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:50AM]

@aeonjoey lol no Engadget doesn't love Apple more than Motorola or anyone else, they just don't have enough news to feed your irrational hatred of Apple.

The editor of engadget is always joking about getting giant checks from Apple because tool conspiracy theorist types freak out whenever there is an Apple story.

Apple news on Engadget not full of shitty iPhone 4 antenna jokes? Go read elsewhere.

[Massive Poop Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:03AM]

More like Time Crysis.

[Awall Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:53AM]

@Massive Poop I like what you did there.

[canarsieville Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:03AM]

Hate to use the term, but I think this qualifies - EPIC FAIL.

A device which is meant to protect data actually goes and kills itself and wipes your shit with it. How about you do a recall and let me know directly? What was the point of me registering and giving you my information?

Yea, Apple, how about you stop charging a premium for your crap considering it can't even do the basics right (iPhone 4 and making freaking phone calls comes to mind)...

- A very unhappy Time Capsule owner.

P.S. Not sure if I lost my data, but if I did that would really suck. I had lots of important files "backed up" on it. Still waiting to get it back.

[hopelessness Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:16AM]

@canarsieville
It doesn't wipe your data. The power supply overheats and fails. There is actually a do it yourself online to replace the capacitor. When mine failed, I read where someone suggested to unplug it for several hours, then plug it back in. I did so, and it went back to work. I was able to get all my stuff off of it. Then Apple just sent me a new one.

[guruck Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:57AM]

So much for the "server grade hardware" that Steve claimed in the keynote.

[Speedracer98 Posted Jul 12th 2010 6:10AM]

now if only bethesda would fix fallout 3 ps3 goty edition

IT'S BROKEN!

[jayroc80 Posted Jul 12th 2010 7:16AM]

Engadget, you should also report on the number 2010 Macbook Pro Core i5&i7s that Apple is also replacing the hard drives on or replacing all together because of constant freezing and volley balling in every application from the initial boot of the machine. There's no real answer coming from Apple, and replacing the hard drive whether HDD or SSD seems to work most of the time, but not 100% effective. Some people that have received replacement notebooks and have not had issues but some have. Also the problem is in both Segate and Hitatchi hard drives. I had my 15" MBP all of 10 days before I couldn't take the constant freezing. Will see if my replacement notebook has the same issues. My first Mac...yay!

[glamajamma Posted Jul 12th 2010 10:10AM]

@jayroc80
My girlfriends macbook died on her. I milked some more life out of it using Ubuntu and replacing the hard drive but that didnt last long. The disk controller was shite. Which was a first for me. I have actually never run into a disk controller going bad.

[Awall Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:56AM]

@jayroc80 It a conspiraky!!!

[iSmug Posted Jul 12th 2010 7:51AM]

Only apple can take a hard drive, enclose it in a shiny aluminium case, name it "Time Capsule" and sell it for $300/500. Makes me laugh

[pintonion Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:14AM]

@iSmug

My friend bought on of those. I bought a Wester Digital MyBook for $89 for 1 TB at CompUSA on special. His face when I told him was priceless.

BUT IT'S APPLE AND IT'S QUALITY?! RITE?! AMIRITE?! Of course.

[hopelessness Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:11AM]

They replaced mine at no charge seven months ago.

[injustifiiable Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:21AM]

I bought one of these in September 2009...are there any reports of those recent ones failing?

[A25i Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:26AM]

"but we doubt their hearts will heal that quickly"
Oh please... you fanbois will be licking at his heels asking for more.

[Gravy Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:28AM]

This problem happened to me last month, and Apple replaced the Time Capsule for free. Based on previous reports of this problem, I had been dutifully archiving my Time Capsule monthly. My replacement is still within the above-mentioned range. What should I do?

[A25i Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:30AM]

@Gravy
"What should I do?"
Smarten up? Just saying.

[Gravy Posted Jul 12th 2010 10:16AM]

@A25i

What do you use for backups?

[glamajamma Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:45AM]

In related news Jeff Goldblum just apologized to a baboon for turning it inside out.

[CTTHosting Posted Jul 12th 2010 9:41AM]

I have AppleCare on my Mac, covered for 3 years!

[Rarebooks Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:45AM]

they should send whoever cooked up my iphone 4's antenna into a time machine to hang out with Heinrich Hertz in the 1880's

[Awall Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:06PM]

@Rarebooks Take it back

I'm confused people keep saying how terrible it is but they never do anything about it.

Do you even own one or did you just want to drop the Hertz reference and sound all clever and witty?

[Rarebooks Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:21PM]

@Awall should i have attached "sent from my iphone" and a 10 page research paper?

I'm awaiting my grove case which I would have popped it in anyway, and if it still fails somehow, then I'll just 3gs it. This is my first iphone and it's annoying to see that coverage in my area is no better than when it was Cingular.

....but you probably don't believe any of this do you?

[HektikLyfe Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:43PM]

Arghh...does this mean we will have to wait 2 years to get confirmation of our iPhone 4 problems and some functional repairs?

[crow610 Posted Jul 12th 2010 1:16PM]

some sort of hot tub time machine

[Hildy Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:54PM]

Mine kicked the bucket, I was thrilled that they replaced it but disappointed they wouldn't transfer the data. The problem isn't with the drive luckily so all you have to do is get an external enclosure and remove the hard drive then transfer the data yourself, which for me wasn't a big deal because I have plenty of extra space at home.