Report: Smoke While Using a Mac and They Won't Fix It When It Breaks
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In a few cases the refusals cited an unwillingness to expose technicians to the "biohazard" of tobacco leavings that had allegedly contaminated the machine. Consumerist has tried without success to get a statement from Apple on this...
eWeek has parsed the AppleCare warranty and believes there is enough "wiggle room" (presumably in the "extreme environment" clause) for Apple to refuse to fix the units. One reply suggested requiring techs to fix smoky Macs violated OSHA standards.
A self-professed former technician comments at Slashdot, "If smoking doesn't constitute improper operation, it should. For all the people bitching out there, smoking has been demonstrated to cause premature failure to humans, particularly second-hand smoke which contains a Noah's Ark of nasty bacteria and pathogens. Why is it such a surprise that it also kills sensitive electronic equipment?"
This presents an opportunity to Microsoft, which has been using a class-based campaign for PCs over Macs in which one of several users who paid less for their PCs said she was "just not cool enough to be a Mac person." Microsoft can now show PC users contentedly smoking in front of their laptops, preferably in trailers, and saying "Nanny State, kiss my ass!" If they'll fix units that have had beer spilled on them, we'll switch.
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