Acer Predator Desktop Computers
- posted by Michael Walsh on March 23rd, 2009
- (10)
OK, let’s start the week off with the bad news.
I got this feed through my Tweetscan reader and as I’m not one to shy away from stuff like this, I thought I’d bring it to your attention as well.
On 19th March, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission posted a recall alert regarding the Acer Predator desktop models sold from May 2008 through December 2008 because of, and I’m quoting, “a burn hazard to consumers“. Apparently, “Acer has received two reports of computers short circuiting, resulting in melted internal components and external casing. Neither incident occurred in the U.S. No injuries have been reported.“.
The problem seems to have been caused by “the insulation on the computer’s internal wiring, which can become bent or stripped, causing the wires to overheat while the product is in use.”
Again, this is a voluntary recall from Acr so whoever’s got one of these, please stop using it right now and get on the phone to Acer to schedule a free repair toll-free at (866) 695-2237 anytime.
Oh, and let us know how you got on.
You want comments? We got comments:
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Morris Lee wrote, on March 24th, 2009:
humm… this is another good reason for a barebone desktops… HEHE, you put in what you need and want, nothing else in the way.
Mr_M wrote, on March 24th, 2009:
Yep, but this is already “old” news, Acer knew this for month’s and month’s now. But, if you knew what the rework for this issue is you would start crying or laughing (or both), its a joke and if you ask me this “rework” doesnt solve the cause of the problem.
Anyway, good luck to all you Predator owners, maybe Acer should build in a smoke/fire detector in the ‘reworked’ Predator’s.
Morris Lee wrote, on March 24th, 2009:
@Mr_M,
ahha, apparently, it is the powerconnector to the video card is too thin, that is what i heard.
I finally just figured out what your gravatar is
Hahah, smoke detector, good one.
Mr_M wrote, on March 24th, 2009:
@Morris Lee,
No not to the videocard powerconn. (hint: its a cable ;])
But did it take that long to figure out what my gravatar pic is?? as a computer guy it should look very familiaire…
But what are you looking at in your gravatar?? is it a computer part?? hint??
Morris Lee wrote, on March 24th, 2009:
@Mr_M,
I meant to say cable, but thanks for the correction, my head is not very clear or responsive lately…. lol, probably one reason for me taking so long to see your gravatar is.(I been on the acer guy on my aspire one mostly, so the gravatar is even smaller to see.)
my gravatar is me holding my BB gun, that is all, AHHAH. don’t suppose holding a harddrive or a computer for my gravatar is such a great idea, I may look bit too geeky.
Rick wrote, on April 26th, 2009:
I saw the other day where Acer has an agreement with Ferrari and now has a computer out named “Ferrari”. I also saw where someone else had signed an agreement with Lamborghini. Why aren’t American auto companies more creative, in design, reliability as well as advertising?
Sparkion wrote, on April 27th, 2009:
Morris, it’s the reader of a harddisk! haha
But I agree with you.. barebone.. adn built it yourself. Its the best way.
Mr. M. Crying or laughing probably depends on who your employer is right
Ah well, this keeps the people at ACER sharp I guess.
Have a nice day!
Cheers
Sparkion wrote, on April 27th, 2009:
@Rick:
I’ll tell you why: because besides the ford mustang shelby GT (yes the Bullit car) and the FORD GT. Americans don’t know how to built nor design cars.
And europeans do! (Aston Martin, Spyker, Lamborghini) So that’s why it’s much more appealing to connect your product design to a european car manufacturer.
I would say: Go get yourself one!
Michael Walsh wrote, on April 27th, 2009:
@Rick,
Sparkion’s right, although saying the American’s don’t know how to build cars is not quite the reason (or right – c’mon Sparkion!), it’s more because the values associated with American cars don’t fit with what notebook brands want to project. After all, it’s the computer brands who associate themselves with the car brands, not the other way around.
America is big on cubic inches, iron block engines and indestructible gas guzzlers brimming with automatic weapons ready for Jack Bauer to leap into action – not exactly features you want to associate with notebooks. So in addition to the obvious coolness of exotic names like Lamborghini and Ferrari, you need real-life features that both worlds stand for like light weight (carbon fibre), high performance (high-tech engines Vs. cutting edge processors) and efficiency (power to weight ratio (Ferrari Scuderia anyone?) Vs. performance and battery life).
Except for a few notable examples, American cars are notoriously heavy, sluggish and inefficient. OK The Corvette ZR1 goes like stink but when you paint a mental picture of Corvette and it’s brand values, don’t you think of the original C-1 usually painted red and white and covered in chrome? More cruiser than sports machine so the values are all wrong. The AC Cobra is one of my all-time favorites but its just a missile on (high-profile) tires, making it devastatingly fast on the straights but ludicrously dangerous on the bends – not an all rounder then.
I think Carroll Shelby would happily place his name on a computer (for a price) but it would have to be an all-American effort that looks like his motorbike collaboration with Rucker Performance, which means either HP or Dell. The Dell Shelby sounds positively lethal!
If you ask me, American firms need to sort out the obvious identity crisis they’re suffering from right now and get their mojo back.
Obama’s set ambitious goals and in this sense, Fiat might well be the best thing to happen to GM after all.
zr1ab wrote, on May 9th, 2009:
“Obama’s set ambitious goals and in this sense, Fiat might well be the best thing to happen to GM after all.”
I can see it now. The all new Fiavette.