So it’s that time again… time to switch around our computers. I’ve decided to move to an iMac, having fallen in love with the look of the new aluminum and glass models. So I put in a custom order with Apple last week for one with a slightly faster processor and better video card. It’s replacing a Mac Pro, so it has a lot to live up to!

Today it arrived, and we unboxed it with the usual excitement. Unfortunately, there was an issue. A couple pieces of dust or dirt had somehow landed between the display and the glass. If you haven’t seen these iMacs yet, this bears some explanation. Instead of just the usual screen sunk back from the computer frame, Apple has added a piece of glass across most of the front of the unit. It’s striking, very attractive and it gets great color. However, there’s simply no way to remove that glass to get those specks of dirt out of there.

Being a designer, I can assure you this would drive me slowly insane. It had to be fixed.

So I called Apple, who suggested I send the computer back. This would mean waiting most of two weeks for a fix, something I’m a little under-excited about since I just got the thing! So I went up to MacForce to see if they would help. I had to try. Maybe they could just take off the glass in their shop, and get it back to me in a few days.

Unfortunately, they informed me that this isn’t something Apple would reimburse them for. However, after some back-room debate, they decided to do the fix for free, and to put me in the front of their queue. Which means I’ll get it back in less than two days - much better than two weeks! Being a little confused, I asked why they would offer to do this. Why would they eat the cost of this hour-and-a-half repair?

Apparently, they’re just nice people.

Thanks, MacForce!