[mattyb]

Apple relents, doubles EU warranty (sort of) • Channel Register

So, will Apple care (yes I did pay for it for a Macbook and my iMac) be less interesting?

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Apple relents, doubles EU warranty (sort of) • Channel Register

So, will Apple care (yes I did pay for it for a Macbook and my iMac) be less interesting?

approximately one third less interesting.

[Spheric Harlot]

Absolutely nothing has changed AT ALL.

Apple merely clarified what has been the case since the EU-wide consumer protection law in question was passed a number of years ago.

The only reason they had to get explicit is because consumers have been generally completely ignorant of what that law entails, who handles coverage, how dealers (not manufacturers) get around it all the time (by recommending that customers go directly to Apple, for example—the moment you do, the EU warranty expires, because you didn't insist that the dealer rectify the problem), and what is (and what isn't) actually covered.

AppleCare is exactly ZERO less or more interesting than it was before, and AppleCare covers completely different things, anyway.

[Spheric Harlot]

In a nutshell, the most important differences between the EU requirement and an actual warranty:

1. EU requirement is the DEALER'S responsibility. If you have a problem, you MUST go through the dealer. If you walk into CarreFour with a broken iMac you bought there, and they tell you it'll take six weeks to get repaired and suggest you go to Apple, and you actually take them up on that, BAM!—they're relieved of their responsibility, because you didn't actually give THEM the chance to honor the law.
A warranty is completely voluntary, and is generally MANUFACTURER responsibility, and will generally be honored, whichever route you take to get a problem addressed (though restrictions may apply as to authorized repair centers and the like). There are other voluntary dealer warranties (the "extended service packages" or whatever that many dealers offer) as obvious exceptions, so I won't go into those here.

2. EU requirement covers problems extant AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. The law states that if a problem arises within the first six months, it can be treated as having existed at the time of purchase. If it shows up after six months, it is UP TO THE CUSTOMER to PROVE to the dealer that the problem already existed, e.g. was a manufacturing defect or a design problem or a component problem. Good luck getting the lawyers and experts on board to prove your case. Oh, and you're paying for them unless you actually win in court.
A manufacturer's warranty generally covers anything of the "oh, it broke, but you didn't actually help break it" variety of failures (subject to the terms within the warranty agreement).

3. Within the constraints of the EU requirement, if you have a problem, THE DEALER gets three chances to fix it; after that, you can insist on an alternative solution (whether refund, identical product, or voucher is up to the dealer's discretion, though).
A manufacturer's warranty is up to the terms of whatever the warranty agreement states. Generally, replacement or refund are entirely up to the discretion of the manufacturer, as well, but the dealer is out of the equation—he just passes products/money back and forth.

Basically, the EU law is something of a "lemon law", designed mostly to cover stuff like used car sales.