Apple Launches 27" iMac 3TB Hard Drive Replacement Program

Apple has determined that a small number of 3TB hard drives used in late 2012 27-inch iMacs sold between December 2012 and September 2013 may fail under certain conditions. The company has initiated a replacement program to replace affected hard drives free of charge through Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP).

imac_roundup
Apple is contacting affected iMac owners that provided a valid email address during product registration to inform them about the new replacement program. iMac owners can check if they are affected by entering the computer's serial number on Apple's support website, and visit the Genius Bar, locate an AASP or contact Apple Technical Support to initiate the replacement process.

Apple advises that customers who paid to have their hard drive repaired contact the company for a refund. The replacement program covers affected iMac models until December 19, 2015, or three years from the affected iMac's original date of sale, depending on whichever is longer. Read about the iMac replacement program on Apple's support website for further details.

Apple announced a similar replacement program in mid-2011 for select 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs sold between May and July of that year with Seagate 1TB hard drives that could also fail under certain conditions, later expanding the program to include a much broader timeframe. That replacement program expired on July 23, 2013 after being extended for a year. Apple also launched a repair program for early MacBook models in 2010.

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

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
115 months ago

"A new computer built by my company ships with a hard drive potentially prone to failure and file corruption. The drive fails and loses thousands of documents depended upon by the user. Now, should we initiate a hard drive replacement program? Take the number of computers in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the amount lost from a lawsuit, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a program, we don't do one."
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
115 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JustThinkin' Avatar
115 months ago
My parents literally just died last night and has a 3TB Fusion Drive from 2012...probably this...going to Apple on Sunday with it.
Punctuation is awfully important. You sent a shock of horror through me when I first read your comment. If you'd just put the apostrophe in I would have known your parents are fine.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scaredpoet Avatar
115 months ago
Apple needs to stop using Seagate drives ('https://www.backblaze.com/blog/3tb-hard-drive-failure/').
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topmounter Avatar
115 months ago




UGGH... I saw this and hoped it was an announcement for the updated 27" Cinema Display :confused:
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SHNXX Avatar
115 months ago
Thanks MacRumors!
It looks like mine falls within this date range.
Score: 8 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...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
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 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...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...