The bad news: Apple is no longer offering extended support for its 2011 MacBook Pro notebooks via its Repair Extension Program for Video Issues.
A group of updated support documents point out that Apple is still covering 15-inch Retina models of the Pro from 2012 and 2013, as long as they were bought less than four years ago. The program was slated to end on December 31st, 2016, although Apple has kept it in effect for users within a four-year window.
Apple first launched the Repair Extension Program for Video Issues in February of 2015. The program addressed what the company claimed was a “small percentage” of Pros with absent or distorted video, or prone to sudden reboots. Problems came to light as far back as 2013, however.
Come October of 2014, Apple was hit with a class-action lawsuit wherein users sought compensation for faulty GPUs. A later online petition to Apple executives collected over 40,000 signatures.
Customers who qualify for the Repair Extension Program can receive free repairs for video errors, but will be charged extra for separate fixes, or ones that have to be done before the video glitches can be resolved. You can make an appointment with either an Apple Store location or Apple Authorized Service Center or call Apple support to request a prepaid mail-in box.
Please let us know about your experience with this program in the comments.
Via AppleInsider