Comment Re:Headline Is Understated for Once (Score 1) 270
For once, the headline is understated.
It really doesn't matter what Apple's warranty duration is, because there seems to be a statutory warranty of 2 years in at least part of the EU.
What this story is really about is Apple selling 2-year AppleCare plans in places with statutory warranties of 2 years, which is pretty darned slimy IMHO.
This story is also about Apple not publicly acknowledging that they had to honor a 2 year warranty and doing that by default as well.
I think it does matter what is Apple's stated default warranty duration. There is a difference between having a certain right and having this right being effectively respected without hassles. I don't doubt that before this you would be able to get the 2 year warranty honored, the question is whether that would take a visit to the shop, or if that would take pursuing a legal complaint of some sort. Perhaps you if are a lawyer, that is trivial to do, but if you have no idea how to bring them into legal compliance (say, you are an expat and don't even speak the local language correctly), it can be a real PITA.
Think about getting a refund for your Windows license because you refused the EULA and the EULA tells you to talk to the seller to get your money back. Regardless of your legal merit, shops -in general- won't reimburse you for your Windows license. People that go as far as getting a lawyer involved get their money back (and get a Slashdot story), most people don't bother.