[JimmyE]

I purchased a 1.6 Ghz 17" iMac G5 back when they first came out, with the minimum 80GB hard drive. Recently, I decided that I would like to upgrade it, and I started price-checking 160GB and 250GB SATA hard drives; but then it occurred to me that swapping out the HD might void my warranty. I called AppleCare, and I was told that using a 3rd party hard drive would void my warranty - however, if I used a hard drive supplied to me by Apple, there wouldn't be a problem. I asked the agent to give me a price for a 250GB HD from Apple - and to my surprise (and his), the price was something like $560!!! That's three times what I would pay for a 3rd party HD from Maxtor, Seagate, etc., and it's also a whole lot more than the additional $200 I would've paid if I'd just bought a 250GB HD when I originally purchased the iMac G5!

According to the agent, that's the price I'd pay for an upgrade on a working drive - I didn't ask what it would cost me to upgrade a broken drive to a larger one (I have Applecare), but he indicated that it would cost a lot less. It seems that I have three options - I can pay Apple's exhorbitant price and get a 250GB drive covered by Applecare; I can forget it and stick with my existing 80GB drive (I don't want an external drive - they're more expensive, noisy and take up extra desk space); or I can buy a 3rd-party drive and replace the old 80GB drive if I have to send my iMac in for repairs (definitely leaning towards this option - I just found a 300GB Seagate for $183).

Has anyone else had this problem? Can anyone think of a better solution?

[galvs]

...and you will have the best of two worlds: keep the warranty and have more storege space. Go for an external FW case and a 3.5" drive, or a complete solution (LaCie or OWC).
Ed.

[JimmyE]

Originally Posted by galvs

...and you will have the best of two worlds: keep the warranty and have more storege space. Go for an external FW case and a 3.5" drive, or a complete solution (LaCie or OWC).
Ed.

As I stated in my original post, I do not want to get an external HD. Externals cost more money for the same amount of storage and I don't need to detach my HD and take it around with me, which means I won't be able to take advantage of its primary feature.

Besides, I'm more pissed off about the outrageous sum Apple wants for one of their own drives - I can understand why they wouldn't want to support every 3rd-part HD in existence, but that's no excuse for charging triple the going rate.

[Will C]

I cannot confirm this but, I believe opening the G5 iMac does not void your warranty or at least Apple cannot tell if you have taken the back off and it is relatively straightforward to swap the drive out without breaking any seals etc. So if you do need to retrun it for repair, you just put the original HD back in first - that is what I would do if I had one.

Someone please correct me if this is untrue

[galvs]

[QUOTE=JimmyE]As I stated in my original post, I do not want to get an external HD. Externals cost more money for the same amount of storage and I don't need to detach my HD and take it around with me, which means I won't be able to take advantage of its primary feature.

...after change the HD, the original will be a paperwheight? All I said is that external firewire enclousures are cheap and the ONLY WAY, if you have iMacs, to expand your storage space keeping your original HD.
Bye.

[Stecchino]

A quick search in Apple's support site, revealed a step-by-step PDF file on how to replace the hard drive in a 17" iMac G5. On page 2, it says

"All customer removable screws are brass colored . Do not remove screws unless they are brass colored, or you will void your warranty."

With that information in hand, simply replacing your hard drive will NOT void your warranty--that's the beauty of the iMac G5. So don't fret about the insulting price given to you over the phone and consider getting a Seagate from OWC. Seagate is a high-quality brand and OWC is a Mac-tailored after market hardware retailer.

[JimmyE]

Originally Posted by Stecchino

A quick search in Apple's support site, revealed a step-by-step PDF file on how to replace the hard drive in a 17" iMac G5. On page 2, it says

"All customer removable screws are brass colored . Do not remove screws unless they are brass colored, or you will void your warranty."

With that information in hand, simply replacing your hard drive will NOT void your warranty--that's the beauty of the iMac G5. So don't fret about the insulting price given to you over the phone and consider getting a Seagate from OWC. Seagate is a high-quality brand and OWC is a Mac-tailored after market hardware retailer.

Yes, after spending about an hour on the phone with Apple today, I have determined two things: One, that using a 3rd party HD will not void my warranty, but Applecare will not support any problems I have with said 3rd-party HD (which I normally wouldn't have a problem with, except that their "solution" is so riduculously expensive); two, that anyone who works in customer relations is an idiot only capable of spouting vague marketing-ese like "service fee". I guess "service fee" means tossing an extra $5 for a guy in a factory in Taiwan to put an Apple HD in a box filled with styrofoam peanuts and address it to me, with the remaining $300 going to pay executive salaries...

[Stecchino]

It seems to me that Apple might price their "solution" so high because they don't even WANT you to buy (and they support) the Apple-provided hardware. Maybe they're trying to get away from that side of the business a bit.

At any rate, at least you've got more information than when you started. Post again when you've got your situation figured out to let us know what you decided to do.

[discotronic]

Originally Posted by JimmyE

Yes, after spending about an hour on the phone with Apple today, I have determined two things: One, that using a 3rd party HD will not void my warranty, but Applecare will not support any problems I have with said 3rd-party HD (which I normally wouldn't have a problem with, except that their "solution" is so riduculously expensive); two, that anyone who works in customer relations is an idiot only capable of spouting vague marketing-ese like "service fee". I guess "service fee" means tossing an extra $5 for a guy in a factory in Taiwan to put an Apple HD in a box filled with styrofoam peanuts and address it to me, with the remaining $300 going to pay executive salaries...

Buying things like a hard drive or RAM from Apple isn't smart to begin with. They charge more than what the product is worth. That being said, Apple is a for-profit business and they are out to make money. There are numerous people willing to pay the high cost.

If there is a problem with the hard drive you have the option to call the third party vendor for a resolution. Apple isn't going to tell you that you are not allowed to use RAM or hard drives from other vendors but they don't have to provide support for those items. Why should they? If you bought a new car and had an aftermarket sunroof put in by another company does the car company warranty the sunroof? If you changed the tail-lights to aftermarket tail-lights should the car company do warranty service on them also? Have you ever bought a car that didn't come with factory alloy wheels? After the purchase you changed your mind and went back to the dealership and asked how much the wheels would cost. At that point you found out that the price is hundreds more than it would have cost if you would have just purchased them with the car. The high cost is a fact of life no matter where you go.

I can see where you are coming from but I think your expectations are unrealistic.

[JimmyE]

Originally Posted by discotronic

Buying things like a hard drive or RAM from Apple isn't smart to begin with. They charge more than what the product is worth. That being said, Apple is a for-profit business and they are out to make money. There are numerous people willing to pay the high cost.

If there is a problem with the hard drive you have the option to call the third party vendor for a resolution. Apple isn't going to tell you that you are not allowed to use RAM or hard drives from other vendors but they don't have to provide support for those items. Why should they? If you bought a new car and had an aftermarket sunroof put in by another company does the car company warranty the sunroof? If you changed the tail-lights to aftermarket tail-lights should the car company do warranty service on them also? Have you ever bought a car that didn't come with factory alloy wheels? After the purchase you changed your mind and went back to the dealership and asked how much the wheels would cost. At that point you found out that the price is hundreds more than it would have cost if you would have just purchased them with the car. The high cost is a fact of life no matter where you go.

I can see where you are coming from but I think your expectations are unrealistic.

If you'd bothered to read my posts, you'd see that I don't have a problem with Apple not wanting to support a 3rd party HD. What I have a problem with is being charged triple the price of what they would charge to put a larger HD into a new iMac, for some theoretical "service fee".

But I get the feeling you were just looking for a place to dump your sunroof wisdom, so maybe you did read what I wrote...

[discotronic]

Originally Posted by JimmyE

If you'd bothered to read my posts, you'd see that I don't have a problem with Apple not wanting to support a 3rd party HD. What I have a problem with is being charged triple the price of what they would charge to put a larger HD into a new iMac, for some theoretical "service fee".

But I get the feeling you were just looking for a place to dump your sunroof wisdom, so maybe you did read what I wrote...

Originally Posted by JimmyE

Applecare will not support any problems I have with said 3rd-party HD (which I normally wouldn't have a problem with, except that their "solution" is so riduculously expensive)

Sorry but, as much as you want it to be true, the sunroof and tail-light story didn't happen to me.

Unfortunately your reasoning is off base. It is cheaper for Apple and the consumer to have the larger hard drive installed while the computer is still at the factory. I didn't say the price was reasonable but that is how it is no matter where you go. The price you where quoted was for the hard drive plus your so-called "theoretical service fee." It does cost money to have things like this done. I would charge you a good $80-$100 to install the hard drive.

A bigger company such as Apple, HP, or Dell will charge you more. Labor isn't free and the skills to do the job isn't free. You need to add in the cost of shipping two ways which could be $50 or more especially if the shipping is expedited. The cost of the actual drive can run over $200 retail which is what you would be charged. Also, the company has to pay people to handle your package once the package is received and have the package made ready to ship back. The person that handles your call to have the shipment set up has to be paid. Then you need to factor everything else that happens in between. After all is said and done there is your price.

There is nothing theoretical about their service fee and you did mention that you had a problem with Apple not wanting to support a 3rd party upgrade.

[JimmyE]

Originally Posted by discotronic

Sorry but, as much as you want it to be true, the sunroof and tail-light story didn't happen to me.

So the entire thing was just a metaphor? You posted a response to an argument that I never made, drawing not on real-world experience but on something that came off the top of your head?

Unfortunately your reasoning is off base. It is cheaper for Apple and the consumer to have the larger hard drive installed while the computer is still at the factory. I didn't say the price was reasonable but that is how it is no matter where you go. The price you where quoted was for the hard drive plus your so-called "theoretical service fee." It does cost money to have things like this done. I would charge you a good $80-$100 to install the hard drive.

A bigger company such as Apple, HP, or Dell will charge you more. Labor isn't free and the skills to do the job isn't free. You need to add in the cost of shipping two ways which could be $50 or more especially if the shipping is expedited. The cost of the actual drive can run over $200 retail which is what you would be charged. Also, the company has to pay people to handle your package once the package is received and have the package made ready to ship back. The person that handles your call to have the shipment set up has to be paid. Then you need to factor everything else that happens in between. After all is said and done there is your price.

I didn't ask them to install the drive for me. I asked them to mail me a drive that I would install myself - the fact that virtually every part of the iMac G5 can be easily replaced by the consumer is one of its main selling points. Also, they aren't charging an extra $80-$100; they're charging triple the price of a good quality 250GB HD. Why on Earth are you trying to justify this behavior?

There is nothing theoretical about their service fee and you did mention that you had a problem with Apple not wanting to support a 3rd party upgrade.

When I'm asking for them to mail me a part, the only additional fee I should be charged for is shipping & handling. Thus in my case the service fee was theoretical and entirely fabricated, because Apple sales and Applecare weren't doing me any services.

Now, did I mention that I had a problem with Apple not wanting to support a 3rd party HD? I've only made a handful of posts since joining this board, so it should be pretty easy to find that comment...

Originally Posted by JimmyE

Besides, I'm more pissed off about the outrageous sum Apple wants for one of their own drives - I can understand why they wouldn't want to support every 3rd-part HD in existence, but that's no excuse for charging triple the going rate.

Originally Posted by JimmyE

Yes, after spending about an hour on the phone with Apple today, I have determined two things: One, that using a 3rd party HD will not void my warranty, but Applecare will not support any problems I have with said 3rd-party HD (which I normally wouldn't have a problem with, except that their "solution" is so riduculously expensive)

Even taking my words out of context in short clips, it's pretty difficult for me to see how you'd interpret those sentences as meaning that I have a moral or philosophical objection to Apple's policy on 3rd party HDs.

This is what I hate about asking for advice on the internet - for every good suggestion you get, there's at least one more from a know-it-all who can't be bothered to pay attention...

[discotronic]

Originally Posted by JimmyE

This is what I hate about asking for advice on the internet - for every good suggestion you get, there's at least one more from a know-it-all who can't be bothered to pay attention...

You sure are being very defensive about everything. If I have offended you I apologize even though I really don't see where I need to. If you can't handle someone stating their opinion then I think you have come to the wrong place. You came here asking for advice and have been on the defensive since the first person posted a response to this thread.

I really don't see where calling me names is appropriate. At no time have I tried to belittle you or call you a name of any kind. In other words, that's not cool.

[galvs]

Discotronic is right.

[macnn2]

Originally Posted by galvs

Discotronic is right.

Don't think so

[discotronic]

Originally Posted by macnn2

Don't think so

I sure do.

Why dig up a dead thread when you have nothing to do with it?