by Apple has quietly extended its iMac 1TB Seagate Hard Drive Replacement Program through April 12, 2013. Last year, Apple acknowledged that certain Seagate drives in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs could fail, for 1TB models sold between May 2011 and July 2011.
Now, however, Apple is broadening the window of affected iMacs: Any 1TB iMacs sold between October 2009 and July 2011 could be affected, the company says. The Replacement Program was due to conclude back in July of this year, but Apple has now extended the eligibility window for customers to obtain their free replacements until April 2013.
You can paste your iMac’s serial number into a form on Apple’s website to confirm whether your Mac is subject to the recall. Apple says it will perform the drive replacement free of charge for affected customers, and urges customers to take advantage of the offer “as soon as possible.” Of course, you’ll want to ensure your iMac’s data is backed up first, since the fix involves replacing your existing hard drive.
If you already replaced your drive before learning it was eligible for Apple’s Replacement Program, the company says you should contact Apple for a refund.
