An Irish consumer body has reported a rise in complaints about products made by Apple, the US computer giant with European headquarters in Cork.
Many of the complaints received by the Dublin office of the European Consumer Centre (ECC) relate to an alleged design fault in some Apple laptops which causes the machine to break down after a year's usage, just outside the company's warranty period.
ECC Dublin claims there is a problem with "built-in obsolescence" in some well-known Apple products such as laptops and iPods.
Apple declined to answer any questions on the matter when contacted by The Irish Times yesterday.
Last year ECC Dublin received 11 complaints about Apple products and handled another three cases on behalf of consumers. So far this year it has five cases on its books, and has received an additional four complaints.
Some complaints are from Irish customers, but the majority are from consumers in Spain, the UK, France, Norway and Sweden seeking redress from the company's offices in Cork.
"The problems related to people having purchased a product which breaks down after a year and Apple won't do anything about it," said Tina Leonard of ECC.
"We don't have a huge number, but I think when this happens to other Apple products most users just buy new products and do not complain."
While Apple provides a one-year warranty for its products, under an EU directive sellers are liable for all faults that arise within two years of sale.
Last month a Danish consumer agency said it had discovered evidence of a hidden design flaw in Apple's iBook G4.
The agency employed a laboratory to disassemble the laptop after it received scores of complaints about a defect arising after a year's use.
This investigation showed that a solder joint between two components had broken so that current could no longer pass through.
The breakage occurred because the solder joint loosened slightly every time the computer was turned on and off.
"It is a bit like a person dying a little every time he breathes because the cells break down," was how the Danish consumer advocates dealing with the cases described the fault.
"In the same way, the computer dies a little every time you turn it on and off."
Some users got around the problem by attaching a clamp to one part, while others inserted bits of cardboard to hold things together and allow the computer to reboot.
The agency ruled that Danish consumers should be able to return their computers to Apple if the fault arose, and the company settled some cases on this basis.