14 DAY TRIAL // The Mail on Sunday publication has managed to do something that neither viruses, nor Trojans could ever do: give a hard time Mac users. Everything began with a free DVD that accompanied the publication. The last Sunday's giveaway, the free Jazz Singer DVD, was recorded on a different optical medium, called the Eco-Disk. Half the size of an ordinary optical disk, the Eco-Disk is made of biodegradable materials.
The disk drove the Mac users mad, after they had inserted it into the Apple slot-loading drives. Many of them ignored the small notice printed on both the disk and disc sleeve, that warned Mac users not to insert the experimental optical medium into an Apple slot-loading drive.
However, this warning appeared to go unnoticed by some of the buyers, who later found out that there is no way to eject the Eco-Disk. Moreover, even if they noticed, due to poor English, the 'No Apple slot in Drive" warning failed to send the message.
"We inserted this damn Eco-Disc into our Apple Mac before realizing the implications of using an Eco-Disc, and the disc drive no longer works," cries one of the many affected Mac owners on a forum. "I have booked the computer in for repairs and it is likely to cost ?60 plus VAT to repair." He is not the only victim to fall for it. "The Apple dealer advises that thanks to the Mail on Sunday, business is very brisk," he says.
The Eco-Disks manufacturer won't take blame for this large-scale incident. Instead, it blames it on Apple, who wouldn't use ejection mechanisms within its slot-loading drives, just as specified by the DVD standards regulator, the DVD forum. Mail on Sunday reported that the newspaper got some people phoning up, but there was "nothing major".
It is not the first time Apple users are facing problems "on the way out". There is a high chance for the discs that are not perfectly manufactured to be caught by the eject system upon their release. Disks that are thicker than the standard are likely to get captive inside the DVD drive, although they inserted well.
One of the users managed to remove the plaguing drive and shared the successful recipe over the web. "I tried everything and my CD wouldn't come out. i even hit my laptop a little. nothing worked until i went onto my iTunes and i pressed "burn CD" and it ejected enough to take it out. My cd drive thing doesn't work anymore but i got the CD out which makes me feel so much better."
This incident was prosperous for Mac repair shops all over England. It is a good thing that the magazine decided to go Eco, as the vast majority of the disks are meant to meet the trash bin. Of course, those who did not get caught up inside a Mac.