Apple leaves Celine Dion fans high and dry

Mac users whose computers fall foul of copy-protected disks will not be covered by Apple's product warranty.

According to a posting on the company's support site: "Some audio discs use a copy protection technology that can prevent the disc from being read by a computer. This may also prevent the disc from being ejected. The audio discs are technically and legally not Compact Discs (CD format), and the CD logo has been removed from the disc."

The posting warns users to look out for labels displayed on the cover of the disc and on the disc itself that read: "Will not play on PC/Mac."

The posting offers a range of solutions ranging from holding down the mouse button while restarting to opening the firmware.

Apple recommends that owners of stricken machines contact one of its authorised service providers or its technical support department.

The statement adds that copy protected audio discs do not adhere to technical standards.

"Apple computers are not designed to support copyright protected media that do not conform to such standards. Therefore, any attempt to use non standard discs with Apple optical disc drives will be considered a misapplication of the product.

"Under the terms of Apple's One-Year Limited Warranty, AppleCare Protection Plan, or other AppleCare agreement any misapplication of the product is excluded from Apple's repair coverage."

News that Celine Dion's latest CD can cause some Macs to crash and fail to restart has led to an influx of comments from silicon.com readers.

The Canadian warbler's latest album is one of the first to feature copy protection technology, aimed at cutting down on piracy. Other CDs to feature the technology include the soundtrack for Star Wars II: The Attack of Clones, David Gray and Sting.

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