AppleCare

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Greenheart Games takes ironic aim at pirates.

- Samsung Galaxy S4 India launch weirdly tries "Gangnam Style."

- Original iPhone reportedly to be "obsolete" on June 11.

Bathroom break video: News reporter gets owned.… Read more

Apple's warranty practices, and dealings with journalists, have brought the ire of one of China's largest media outlets.

Earlier today, The People's Daily -- which is owned by the Communist Party of China -- ran a story criticizing the iPhone and Mac maker for its response to issues raised about its warranty practices in the country.

Those issues came about during a TV segment on state-run network China Central Television Station earlier this month which claimed Apple repaired only broken or otherwise faulty parts within its products for customers in China, versus providing replacements in other countries. … Read more

Europe's justice chief has warned that European authorities "cannot sit on the sidelines" of enforcement issues, following a case that saw little action taken against Apple's unlawful warranty practices in the region.

In 2011, Apple was fined 900,000 euros ($1.2 million) by Italian authorities for misleading advertising relating to its AppleCare Protection service. In short, EU consumer law dictates that consumers are entitled to two years of warranty. Apple, however, only provided one, with an additional premium warranty "bolt-on" for an additional year.

Apple lost its appeal to the case the following … Read more

Accusing Apple of a "misleading" and "illegal" AppleCare warranty policies, a Belgian consumer rights group will be taking the tech giant to court.

The Cupertino, Calif., company has come under fire after allegations were made that AppleCare, Apple's warranty system for products including the iPad and iPhone, does not conform to European law. As a result, Belgian consumer watchdog Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats has filed a complaint against the company (Dutch).

European consumer law states that within the European Union, two years' warranty must be provided for products free of charge. However, for customers elsewhere, AppleCare has … Read more

There is nothing good about automated phone systems.

Really. Nothing. They only exist to save companies money. Oh, and, of course, to annoy customers.

Sometimes, you know that if you keep pressing "0" you'll get through to a human being. However, it seems that, when it comes to Apple's phone system, cursing down the phone might be of help too.

The Next Web seems to swear by it. It reports that once it hears you cursing or sounding angry, Apple's phone system ceases to offer you any more (often useless) options.

A contributor to Reddit, … Read more

Apple has pulled its AppleCare warranty product from store shelves in Italy following scrutiny over the company's compliance with local consumer protection laws.

Reuters reports that Apple last week removed the product from its retail stores, and stopped providing it to its own resellers in the country. Nonetheless, the product can still be purchased from Apple's online store in the country, with mention that the paid plan adds "benefits" to the two years local buyers get under the Consumer Code.

Last December, Apple was hit with a 900,000 euro (then $1.2 million) fine for … Read more

Apple has reportedly stopped taking AppleID password resets requests over the phone, following the account hack of a technology reporter over the weekend.

An unnamed Apple employee told Wired that the ban would remain in effect for at least 24 hours and speculated that the freeze was instituted to give Apple more time to determine what security policy changes, if any, were necessary.

That information was apparently corroborated by an Apple customer representative who said Apple had halted all AppleID resets requested over the phone. The explanation came as Wired was attempting to replicate a hacker's exploitation of the … Read more

A Portuguese consumer advocacy group said today that it's moving forward with a lawsuit over Apple's AppleCare policies.

In a statement (translate), the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection (DECO), said that it has tried since last March to work with Apple to address what it calls "misleading information on consumer rights" related to the warranties customers get after buying one of the iPhone maker's products.

DECO claims that Portuguese consumers automatically receive a two-year warranty on products that applies to all potential defects. Apple, the group charges, mischaracterizes the warranty to get people to buy … Read more

If you were one of the millions following along today (hopefully on CNET's Live Blog) as Apple released its latest iteration of the iPad and have now decided you must buy it, be sure to add AppleCare+ to your order (pricing has not yet been made available).

First, everyone should know what sort of coverage is offered with every new iPad purchase. For included coverage, Apple shows that it truly believes in its products. Your new iPad will get one year of hardware coverage against manufacturer defects and malfunctions. That means, if your hard drive dies, some of your … Read more