Verdict coincides with firmware update

A federal judge in New York has dismissed a class action lawsuit against Apple, reports say. The case originated in complaints about the iMac, saying that the computer would begin displaying vertical lines after the warranty period had expired. Apple was alleged to be aware of manufacturing defects, while doing nothing to caution the public.

The dismissal is based on the nature of the allegations, which the judge has ruled to be too broad to be examined. The case could however persist on the basis of its common-law claim, so long as plaintiff lawyers amend it to reduce scope. An altered suit would likely carry lower penalties for Apple.

The ruling comes just after a firmware update for 27-inch iMacs, updating ATI video cards to fix recent glitches. Results are said to be uneven, solving problems in some cases while leaving them intact in others. The flaws could be behind recent shipping delays on 27-inch systems.

by MacNN Staff