ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, May 10, 1996 TAG: 9605100042
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CUPERTINO, CALIF.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Apple Computer Inc. said Thursday that defective chips are freezing up some of its most popular computers, and the company has set up a repair program.
The defects occurred only in a limited number of computers, and problems will be fixed only as they appear.
Owners of PowerBooks, Power Macs and Performas should not send healthy computers in for a repair, said Apple spokeswoman Nancy Morrison. The notice to Apple's 8,000 distributors went out Wednesday, she said.
The defects in the Performa and Power Mac desktops will be repaired through dealers. In some models, color hues may change and the system can freeze, Morrison said.
The problems arise from defective ROM/cache and clock chips, Morrison said.
Apple hasn't yet determined if the defective chips were installed only in certain factories or in certain lots, Morrison said, and therefore can't estimate how many devices might be affected.
In the PowerBook 5300 and 190 laptop models, the company has found cracks in the housing around the hinge in some models. And in others, the AC jack may become loose or cease to work.
``On the powerbook side, we feel we can do a better fix if we have the customers send the computer back to a central repair depot,'' she said. The PowerBook logic boards will also be upgraded, she added.
It will not include all of the approximately 1 million PowerBooks and Performas, she emphasized.
Apple had to recall some of its laptops last year after rechargeable batteries caught fire.
The memo instructs dealers to take machines to Apple service providers for repairs or to call (800)SOS-APPL.
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB