I have no problem with that policy depending on the circumstances. I've had to service computers that were so clogged with tar and accumulated dust that fans stopped spinning and the heat syncs were no longer doing their jobs. What this article doesn't really get into is the exact extent. The whole cancer causing is a bit weak on the surface. However some computers I've seen from smoking homes have been so bad we refused to work on them and then showed the customer why.
I doubt this was a case of their being a hint of smoke. But regardless of the reality it does make for awesome internet headlines.
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AnnesTripped Up by Libidos and HubrisAlexandria, VAIcrontian
edited November 2009
One of my users, a smoker, once brought in her iBook for me to do some work on it. It was the most foul machine I've ever seen. It smelled terrible, was completely brown, and all surfaces of it were sticky. I was pretty horrified.
One of my users, a smoker, once brought in her iBook for me to do some work on it. It was the most foul machine I've ever seen. It smelled terrible, was completely brown, and all surfaces of it were sticky. I was pretty horrified.
The crud that smoke is able to attract is absolutely mindboggling.
One of my early jobs in life was stock/night cleanup for a party store. When I had to clean the front windows, even as a smoker, I was disgusted by the fact that I had to SCRAPE THE GLASS WITH A RAZOR BLADE before I could use glass cleaner to any effect.
I've been doing computer repairs for several years, and the computer of a smoker is definitely different. A normal person's PC will have plain old dust inside. A smoker's computer has a brown / black gooey tar in it. I have to use an old toothbrush to scrub the dirt out! To get it off the cables and everything in there. I've seen many smokers CPU heat sinks where the pattern of the fan blades was IN the gunk all over the heat sink. And all that needed to be cleaned out.
And a smokers computer just plain smells bad also.
I'm an ex-smoker PC technician who used to chain smoke in his poorly-ventilated bedroom with thousands of dollars of computer equipment, and I never had any of my own hardware fail in that time, despite almost no shortage of nicotine staining on a lot of the beige surfaces and tobacco-stench-dust-bunnies clogging heatsinks and fans.
I'm really glad I quit, and I loathe the habit now, but I think this policy is utter horsepucky. I hope Apple gets some well-deserved flak over this because it's absolutely absurd. Does any other company void warranties for smoking yet?
I'm an ex-smoker PC technician who used to chain smoke in his poorly-ventilated bedroom with thousands of dollars of computer equipment, and I never had any of my own hardware fail in that time, despite almost no shortage of nicotine staining on a lot of the beige surfaces and tobacco-stench-dust-bunnies clogging heatsinks and fans.
I'm really glad I quit, and I loathe the habit now, but I think this policy is utter horsepucky. I hope Apple gets some well-deserved flak over this because it's absolutely absurd. Does any other company void warranties for smoking yet?
You know what, I'm not exactly known for my pro Apple stance, but I don't have a problem with what they are suggesting here. If you smoke next to your laptop all day long you are exposing it to an adverse condition. If you spill liquid across it, its not like they cover that, why should blowing smoke into the air intake be any different?
As a tech who worked at Geek Squad for 2 years, I saw dozens and dozens of PCs choked to death by ash, tar, and lord knows what else is spewed through a PC by cigarettes. PC deaths aside, it's just plain fucking disgusting.
I have no problem with this. Not only is it disgusting to work on a PC filled with tar, but all of the dust, dirt and hair that would normally pass right through a PC instead stick to the tar covered surfaces.
Their reasoning is poor, however. OSHA nonsense. They should just be honest about it. Anyone with a brain knows that smoking around electrical equiptment is bad. In this economy it's no surprise to see people stop getting a free-pass on what is probably already defined in their warranty as abuse or misuse.
I agree with Cliff_Forster & Thrax. There is nothing like powering on a PC/MAC... and the damn thing coughs out a cloud of cigarette smoke!!
MyStompbox - Bitchin avatar, I love it. Welcome to Icrontic.
Since your new, let me add, my tendency is to say, Apple bad, mega corporations evil, must side with consumer, but in this case, I just can't. Its reasonable for an electronics vendor to say, hey, blowing smoke into the air intake is bad for the equipment, and if you do, thats your problem, not ours.
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LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited November 2009
If a computer repair can be denied due to user carelessness, such as spilled liquid on the keyboard or a dropped computer tower, then it seems logical tar-coated components could reasonably be excluded from service as well.
As for other reasons:
“the Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, that has voided the warranty and they refuse to work on the machine, due to ‘health risks of secondhand smoke.’â€
That's simply horse cookies. 'Health risks' of tar residue on computer components? That's a mix of paranoia, stupidity, and a moral superiority complex.
While I'm in the same boat as you guys, as a technician who worked on completely fucked computers because of smoking, and absolutely loathing the habit and everything about it, I will say that their reasons
"A biohazard"
are completely nanny-state stupid. Idiotic.
Just be honest, Apple. Say "smoking prematurely damages thermal performance" or something. A biohazard. Give me a break.
lordbean
Ontario, Canada
Comments
I doubt this was a case of their being a hint of smoke. But regardless of the reality it does make for awesome internet headlines.
The crud that smoke is able to attract is absolutely mindboggling.
One of my early jobs in life was stock/night cleanup for a party store. When I had to clean the front windows, even as a smoker, I was disgusted by the fact that I had to SCRAPE THE GLASS WITH A RAZOR BLADE before I could use glass cleaner to any effect.
And a smokers computer just plain smells bad also.
I'm really glad I quit, and I loathe the habit now, but I think this policy is utter horsepucky. I hope Apple gets some well-deserved flak over this because it's absolutely absurd. Does any other company void warranties for smoking yet?
You know what, I'm not exactly known for my pro Apple stance, but I don't have a problem with what they are suggesting here. If you smoke next to your laptop all day long you are exposing it to an adverse condition. If you spill liquid across it, its not like they cover that, why should blowing smoke into the air intake be any different?
Their reasoning is poor, however. OSHA nonsense. They should just be honest about it. Anyone with a brain knows that smoking around electrical equiptment is bad. In this economy it's no surprise to see people stop getting a free-pass on what is probably already defined in their warranty as abuse or misuse.
MyStompbox - Bitchin avatar, I love it. Welcome to Icrontic.
Since your new, let me add, my tendency is to say, Apple bad, mega corporations evil, must side with consumer, but in this case, I just can't. Its reasonable for an electronics vendor to say, hey, blowing smoke into the air intake is bad for the equipment, and if you do, thats your problem, not ours.
As for other reasons: That's simply horse cookies. 'Health risks' of tar residue on computer components? That's a mix of paranoia, stupidity, and a moral superiority complex.
"A biohazard"
are completely nanny-state stupid. Idiotic.
Just be honest, Apple. Say "smoking prematurely damages thermal performance" or something. A biohazard. Give me a break.