Repair Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

What to do when your Mac dies

by Chris Rawson (Apr 30th, 2010)

In general, Mac hardware is very reliable. Like any complex gizmo, a Mac will have its quirks, but only rarely do those quirks turn into a full-on, machine-killing meltdown. When that does happen, as it recently happened to my wife's MacBook, there's a few things you can do to keep the death of your ...

AppleCare without Apple stores... still worth it

by Chris Rawson (Apr 18th, 2010)

Once upon a time, I worked for a major American retailer in its electronics department. The manager of that department, above and beyond all other considerations, wanted us to push extended warranties to customers. These warranties represented almost pure profit for the company, because they cost ...

Fixing a broken iPhone screen doesn't have to be a pain in the glass

by Sang Tang (Apr 15th, 2010)

That old saying about absence making the heart grow fonder: it couldn't be more true of the relationship that I have with my iPhone. It's become such an integral part of my life that I don't know how I ever managed to get by without it. Not since Fox cancelled "Arrested Development" have I missed ...

Macworld 2010: iFixit.com

by Dave Caolo (Feb 22nd, 2010)

One website that must reside in nearly every Machead's bookmarks collection is iFixit. They provide detailed, step-by-step repair guides (and parts) for nearly every Mac, iPod or iPhone fix you can think of. Their instructions are always clear and thorough enough to make even the most daunting ...

Apple offering free hard drive replacements for certain MacBooks

by Dave Caolo (Feb 17th, 2010)

Apple has begun replacing failed hard drives in MacBooks purchased between 2006 and 2007. The program will run until August 15th, 2010. Here are the details: The following models are covered: The 13-inch MacBook, 13-inch, Late 2006 model and the 13-inch, Mid 2007 MacBook (black and white). You ...

Purported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface

by Chris Rawson (Feb 8th, 2010)

iResQ, the iPhone/iPod repair site, has posted pics of what they claim is the front faceplate of the next-gen iPhone. Two things about this piece of hardware are particularly interesting. First, the part is approximately 1/4 of an inch taller than the iPhone 3GS, indicative of a slightly taller form ...

Why is there a progress bar when my Mac is starting up?

by Josh Carr (Dec 16th, 2009)

Update: As several of our commenters pointed out, the OS is probably running the fsck utility in the background to repair directory problems, while showing the progress bar to the end user so they know there's something going on (fsck can take quite a while). Here's an older Apple support article ...

Mac 101: Building a bootable diagnostic and repair flash drive

by David Winograd (Dec 2nd, 2009)

More Mac 101, our tips and tricks for novice Mac users. Update: You cannot install Snow Leopard on an 8 GB flash drive. I was incorrect in writing that an install of Essential System Software would take 3.81 GB. As a few of our commenters pointed out, and as is the case, in testing I erroneously ...

Think those warranty parts are new? Think again

by Josh Carr (Nov 1st, 2009)

We received a question from one of our readers earlier this week that made me cringe, cower in fear, and heavily debate posting the answer. He had just been to the Genius Bar and they had replaced his under-warranty iPhone for a hardware issue. He then asked us what the quality of said iPhone would ...

Connecticut man consults Apple Genius and gets arrested

by Mel Martin (Aug 25th, 2009)

Editor's Note: Some comments to this post suggest that TUAW is "giving advice to pedophiles" by reminding readers that sensitive information could be read or copied by service technicians when you bring your Mac in for repair. While one assumes (present example to the contrary) that people who keep ...

Ice-T repairs a Mac, his way

by Mike Schramm (Aug 7th, 2009)

I don't think this is anything I would have ever asked to see, personally, but now that it's here, I can't look away. Above, you can click through to see a NSFW (language) video of the star of stage and screen, Ice-T, doing some "repairs" on a broken PowerBook -- the kinds of "repairs" you can ...

Apple Stores will replace broken iPhone displays

by Dave Caolo (Jul 6th, 2009)

Apple's service options for iPhones have improved since 2007. Back then, long-term repairs meant traveling to an Apple Store and paying the $29US fee for a loaner. Later that month, Apple released the Apple Care Protection Plan for iPhone. Among other things, this plan extends technical support to ...

Don't panic: Liquid damage, and what to do about it

by Robert Palmer (May 12th, 2009)

We've all had an "oh poopie" moment involving liquids: Time slows down, you watch as the glass tips over, its contents cascading (beautifully, in another context perhaps) over the rim and onto the table. The rivulets of beverage roll in a miniscule tidal wave across the surface, over the edge, and ...

The case for AppleCare

by Robert Palmer (Dec 22nd, 2008)

With the holidays approaching, I know more than one family will be getting a new Mac. Many first time buyers whom I've guided through the purchase of their first Mac ask me, "is AppleCare worth it?" For your new Mac, absolutely; I speak from first-hand experience. Now, I'm a pretty capable guy. I ...

Tracking the mysterious 'black stick'

by Robert Palmer (Jun 20th, 2008)

In its hardware repair instructions and videos, Apple frequently mentions the "black stick," a plastic tool that can be used to pry things apart without damaging our precious glossy exterior finishes (or the sensitive electronics inside). The problem I've found is that nobody seems to have these, ...