Post by: Texas Mac Man on November 20, 2009, 07:58:59 PM
Post by: kbeartx on November 21, 2009, 03:54:24 PM
IMO, unless the warranty data specifically states that using equipment around cigarette smoke will void the warranty, then Apple should have to stand by their warranty.
This makes me wonder if there is any data that indicates cigarette smoke has any detrimental effects on computers and/or other electronic equipment.
Kb
Post by: kimmer on November 21, 2009, 06:49:22 PM
http://www.squidoo.com/cigarette-smoke-computer-damage
My mom was a heavy smoker, and her computer mouse would constantly stop working. I'd go down, put on gloves, open the Kensington up, spend hours cleaning the sticky tar and dirt out of the mouse, put it back together and it'd work for about 2 months. I finally bought her a brand new mouse and within a few months it was the same routine. Her Macintosh also started slowing down, but I never opened it up to clean it so I don't know if it was tar, dust, age or a combo of things.
Neither of us smoke, and while we've had to occasionally clean cat fur and/or household dust out of a mouse/Macintosh, we've never had to take things apart and spend hours cleaning sticky brown stuff out of anything.
Personally, I can understand an employee not wanting to work on a computer filled with tar and dirt.
Post by: Xairbusdriver on November 21, 2009, 07:31:34 PM
If the guy was lucky, the cooling fans accumulated tar evenly on the blades and didn't become out of balance. But if the machine was ever shut down, I wouldn't be surprised if those same fans ended up stuck to the frame and never worked again, at some point. Air is usually sucked in through the optical drive opening also. I'm sure that things worked like a charm!
Warranty or no, there is no excuse for living like that and expecting anything as sensitive to atmospheric conditions as a computer, forced air fan and filter, etc. to continue working. I can guarantee we'll have a "No Indoor Smoking" clause in the next lease. And we'll also include a note that the house will be inspected (especially the forced air filter) every 60 days with little more than a two day notice. "Two strikes" and their out. And no deposit/cleaning refund.
I'm even thinking of not allowing anything running Windows preinstalled...
Post by: krissel on November 22, 2009, 12:42:01 AM
I think Apple may have a legitimate beef with having to repair "abused" hardware. However, for PR purposes, I think it would be wise for them to put something in the warranty that spells out some of the less obvious causes for refusal of repair.
Post by: Paddy on November 22, 2009, 01:18:30 AM
As for being a biohazard - I think that's probably a bit of a stretch, but causing damage to the machine itself? Sure - anything that accumulates and blocks heat dissipation could do that.
My mother hasn't smoked in 4 years now, but the effects linger in their house, cottage and the car (which we now own). I can still smell the cigarette smoke in the car - it's fading, but it's still there. Still need to get the inside cleaned to see if I can get rid of the last of the smell. The paint in some of the rooms in their house is permanently discolored. I spent hours one day cleaning the outside of all of the kitchen cabinets - the yellowish brown residue was everywhere. The fridge, which was white, was off-white when I started - all from the cigarette smoke. I had to use a fairly strong cleaner to get it all off too. It wasn't a mild soap and water job! So removing the tar from computer components wouldn't be easy either, especially as most shouldn't be gotten wet.
Post by: kbeartx on November 22, 2009, 11:50:05 AM
Yes, logic suggests that sticky tar will attract and 'capture' dust, and create an insulating layer on exposed surfaces increasing heat buildup, which might be enough to damage electronic components - but as logical as all that sounds, in truth it's all supposition and theory until somebody conducts a scientific study and so far, I have read zero hard data to support these assertions.
And, as I mentioned earlier, unless Apple's warranty states that smoking near your Mac can void your warranty, then they are just weaseling, IMO.
Kb
Post by: Xairbusdriver on November 22, 2009, 01:48:23 PM
While posting something about 'smoking' might be 'fair', I suspect the lawyers would say mentioning anything specifically could make it difficult to deny service for anything not mentioned.
I don't see the problem, as long as they continue to be fair to ME! 
hey already have water presence indicators in laptops, maybe there is a market for 'tar' indicators, also! 
Post by: kbeartx on November 22, 2009, 07:24:47 PM
Even though the link from surface deposits to dust buildup to overheating sufficient to cause component failure seems logical & cogent, it is merely speculation without evidence.
Kb
Post by: gunug on November 23, 2009, 08:49:01 AM
Post by: Jack W on November 23, 2009, 07:03:51 PM
http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/ap...html#d23nov2009
- Jack
Post by: jcarter on November 25, 2009, 06:49:11 AM
Post by: sandbox on November 28, 2009, 05:29:08 AM
QUOTE
Apple's customer service came under the microscope earlier this week, when the company refused to repair smokers' Macs.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/353680/office-...ts-cs-into-lineQUOTE(jcarter @ Nov 25 2009, 07:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
No cigarettes in this house, just a couple of cigars on the back porch when our grandkids were born, but we do have a wood stove. I dont think it emits enough to ever bother us or the computer.
Jane don't be fooled by wood smioke, it's far worse than cigs.http://www.burningissues.org
Post by: jcarter on November 28, 2009, 08:13:56 AM
We have one of those EPA certified stoves with the internal catalytic converter. It burns the smoke at a high temperature in a secondary chamber above the fire box, and supposedly all you get coming out of the chimney is CO2 and water vapor. Though when you first fire the stove up before the converter kicks in, you can smell the smoke from the chimney in our yard. Its quite amazing the difference in the creasote buildup with these stoves, its almost none if you run them properly.
Jane
Post by: Xairbusdriver on November 28, 2009, 12:13:49 PM
I'm not sure the goo is electrically conductive and even the dust may not be unless the humidity is very high. But all that junque makes for a greatly intensified collection of the tar and any harmful chemicals that may also be in the smoke. We threw away much of the stuff in that rental house (cabinets, electrical outlets, air vents, etc.) because it was just too messy and time consuming to clean them. We did put most of the ceiling fans blades and trim pieces in our dishwasher. That's when we discovered they were white!
This all may be 'anecdotal' but the whole crew of workmen were happy to see all that stuff in up in the dumpster!
Oh yeah, the smoke in the 'valley' is probably not good to breath continuously, but I'm pretty sure most of it gets blow away fairly often. And they are much less concentrated than a closed house with two smokers! Of course. it's not just the visible particulates that are harmful, it can be just as unhealthful in some areas that don't look 'smokey'!
Post by: jcarter on November 28, 2009, 03:28:47 PM
But Im sure now that they mean what comes out of the chimney, and we do have that catalytic converter stove, which hardly ever smells, except if its windy out, it puffs back and stinks up the living room for a while.
Ive always hated cigarattes, our favourite neighbours died of smoking related lung and cancer problems. And I helped them clean their house many years ago, and that tar stuff was awful! At first I couldnt believe it all came from cigarettes, but they said it did, their white walls were yellowish, and you could see the difference when we took the pictures off the walls to wash and paint. They painted their living room every 3 years, we paint ours every 15 years.
Jane