When is a Mac not a Mac?

[jaez]

This question is related to licensing OS X on a machine. I believe that legally, once you buy OS X, you can run it on any computer you can. But, the EULA says it has to be an Apple computer, before the Apple License will apply, which means Apple will only support OS X on Apple machines.

 

So, I'm wondering, when is a machine considered an Apple Mac, for the purposes of Licensing and recieving support?

 

Say I buy a Mac from Apple. Then the hard drive fails, and I replace that with an aftermarket drive from newegg. Is it still a Mac?

 

Say then, I upgrade the RAM with after market memory. Still a Mac?

 

Say the computer falls to the floor and the case cracks. So, I buy a cheap aftermarket PC case and put the Mac parts inside. Still a Mac?

 

Maybe the motherboard is the critical component that says it's a Mac. So, what if some components on the MB fail, and I replace them with aftermarket parts. Still a Mac?

 

At what point does my original Mac fail the test of Mac-ness, for the purposes of being able to put OS X on it and getting support from Apple?

 

Or, do I lose support immediately on the hard drive fail, becuse I replaced it myself, instead of sending the machine into Apple for them to fix?

 

Anyone know the answer to this question?

 

When is a Mac not a Mac?

[x86now]

I would think its the motherboard (or logic board in Applespeak) that is the deciding factor. Apple has never said they would deny warranty coverage if a hard drive or ram stick has been replaced I don't imagine. That would get them a heap of bad press. Using a PC video card in a Mac Pro (that happens to work) might wander into a gray area but I doubt it. If its been flashed or modded to work might cause them to frown. Replacing the CPU might get into a darker gray area. Replacing heat sinks might cause problems (especially if you have heat related repair issues!). Perhaps the safest thing is to put it back to stock as much as possible before sending it into service. Or perhaps just removing the non-Apple parts and let them use their parts (ram or hard drive or video card) when they service it.

[Hagar]

looking at any mac, it's fairly clear what parts are considered "user-serviceable" & which aren't.. modern macs are well-sealed and have neat slots & plugs for everything you are allopwed to touch. In stark contrast to the g3/g4 series which could be opened whilst running, and gave access to most parts.

 

I'm fairly sure that any dismantling of an all-in-one mac by a non apple-certified person will void the warranty.

 

Obviously the Mac Pro is the exception here.. I doubt adding a harddrive in one of their neat sleds is going to invalidate anything. Ram is a common & normal thing to add, too.. cpu? who knows.. I expect that any changing of Apple specific parts (such as the logic board or ram daughterboard) with anything other than Apple parts by an Apple-certified technician will send your warranty on a long dark journey.

[X-Ray Mac]

If you replaced the hard drive in a notebook or something other than a Mac Pro, would the protection plan still cover everything (minus hard drive, of course) or would that void everything?

[jaez]

I don't knoiw Apple's policies. But, I have a Sony Vaio Laptop, where I replaced the original hard drive with a new drive, and my replacement does void the Sony warranty etc..Thing is, I put in a 7200 rpm sever class Hard disk, which doesn't "power down", and the thing even overheats, so I have to use an external fan to cool the Laptop when in heavy use. Works very fast with the drive, but the Vaio wasn't designed for it. Also , server class HD aren't supposed to be used in Laptops, because they don't have power saving built in, and they run all the time, so deplete batteries etc..But, I like them because I never have to wait for the hard disk to come out of sleep mode etc..So, it's like using a desktop. So, yea, if you upgrade your computer with a HD that could void license and warranty etc..for any manufacturer.