AppleInsider is reporting that Apple is ignoring two Mac data loss issues. One is an old bug (that really should be fixed). The other is an apparent abundance of failing hard drives:
Meanwhile, U.K.-based data-recovery firm Retrodata is warning Apple customers that they risk potential data loss due to a design flaw on certain 2.5-inch Seagate SATA drives, commonly found in notebooks such as the MacBook or MacBook Pro.
“The read/write heads are detaching from the arm and plowing deep gouges into the magnetic platter,” says Retrodata Managing Director Duncan Clarke. “The damage is mostly on the inner tracks, but some scratches are on the outer track — Track 0 — and once that happens, the drive is normally beyond repair.”
The problem is reportedly prevalent with Seagate 2.5-inch SATA drives that are manufactured in China and loaded with firmware Version 7.01. Model numbers affected include ST96812AS and ST98823AS.
Um, yeah. My first generation Intel Mac mini has a ST96812AS with firmware 7.01. I’d be a lot more worried if I wasn’t using Leopard and Time Machine.