Apple to repair some iBooks

By Duncan Martell

SAN FRANCISCO:  Apple Computer Inc. has launched a three-year, worldwide

repair program for certain of its iBook notebook computers that can have

problems with their internal or external display monitors.

"We have determined that a small number of iBooks introduced in 2002

have a display problem caused by a component failure on the logic board,"

said Phil Schiller, head of worldwide product marketing for Apple.

However, Apple declined to comment on the exact number of iBooks affected.

Cupertino, California-based Apple said it will repair these components for free

and offer a full refund for customers who have already paid for the repair.

Apple will pay for shipping costs, the company said.

In the last several months, there has been increasing chatter on Mac

community message boards about problems with the logic board, one of the

building blocks of a computer. Apple said that problems can include, scrambled

or distorted video, unexpected lines on the screen, an intermittent video image,

video freeze, and the computer starting up to a blank screen.

Apple said that either Apple technical support or an authorized Apple service

provider will determine if the component failure identified for the repair

program affects a user's notebook, and, if it does, will arrange for the repair.

The program applies to iBooks with serial numbers in a range of UV220XXXXXX

to UV318XXXXXX and that were manufactured between May 2002 and April 2003.

(Reuters)