Apple will repair MacBook Pros with faulty Nvidia GPUs
CNET reports that Apple will repair at no charge MacBook Pros where the Nvidia GPU has failed or fails within two years of the purchase date. Models that might be affected are 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros with the Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors. The machines were manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008. Apple is also offering to reimburse customers who have already paid for a fix.
This is good news for me, personally, because I am writing this blog entry on a machine that has this chipset and was manufactured during the time period cited. No, I have not had any problems so far (typing with fingers crossed). 
I wrote about the Nvidia GPU problem a month ago.
The symptoms are distorted or scrambled video, or no video on the screen, even though the machine is turned on. Originally, Nvidia assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processing units (GPUs) were not affected by the chip defects that affected some notebooks made by Hewlett-Packard and Dell, but an investigation by Apple showed that some MacBook Pros might be affected after all. Nvidia’s director of PR and events, Derek Perez, told Macworld on Friday that, “our analysis shows that a failure in an Apple MacBook Pro notebook is remote. However, Apple, like other OEMs, decides on their own how to handle their warranty and repair programs, based upon their own quality standards.”
Apple’s support article on the repair is here along with details about what to do if you experience the problem.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®. Both Shutterfly™ and CafePress® ship to most international locations worldwide! If you don’t see what you want or would like to receive an email when new photos are up on the site, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.
