Incident: Faulty AMD Radeon HD 6970M Graphics Cards in iMacs.

Published Date: 2013-08-16

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of faulty graphics cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs happened between May 2011 to October 2012 as per the article [20804].
System 1. AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs [20804].
Responsible Organization 1. AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards [20804]
Impacted Organization 1. Users of mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs with AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards [20804].
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Hardware failure of the AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs [20804] 2. Hardware failure of Seagate hard drives found on some iMacs [20804]
Impacts 1. Distorted computer display, appearing white or blue with vertical lines, or turning black [20804].
Preventions 1. Regular quality assurance testing during the development process to catch any potential issues with the graphics card before it reaches consumers [20804]. 2. Implementing better monitoring systems to detect early signs of graphics card failure in iMacs already in use, allowing for proactive replacements before major issues occur [20804]. 3. Conducting thorough compatibility testing between hardware components (such as the AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards and the iMac models) to ensure seamless integration and prevent failures [20804].
Fixes 1. Replacement of faulty graphics cards found in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs with AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards [20804].
References 1. Support language from Apple 2. Details posted by 9to5Mac [20804]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The article mentions that the program to replace faulty graphics cards in some iMacs overlaps with an earlier replacement program covering Seagate hard drives found on some iMacs. This indicates that Apple has faced similar incidents of hardware failures in their products before [20804]. (b) The article does not provide information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article as it mentions the replacement program initiated by Apple to replace faulty graphics cards found in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs with AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards. The article states that the video cards could fail, causing display issues such as distortion, white or blue screens with vertical lines, or turning black. This indicates a design flaw in the graphics cards used in those iMac models [20804]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is not explicitly mentioned in the article.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident related to the faulty graphics cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs is within the system. The article mentions that the video cards could fail, causing display issues such as distortion, white or blue screens with vertical lines, or turning black. This indicates an internal hardware or software issue within the iMac systems themselves [20804].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case is related to faulty graphics cards found in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs with AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards. The failure of these video cards could cause the computer display to appear distorted, white or blue with vertical lines, or turn black. This issue is attributed to a hardware fault rather than human actions [20804].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in this case is related to hardware. The article mentions that Apple initiated a program to replace faulty graphics cards found in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs with AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards. The issue with the video cards could cause the computer display to appear distorted, white or blue with vertical lines, or to turn black. This indicates a hardware-related failure [20804].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious <Article 20804> does not mention any malicious intent related to the software failure incident. The failure described in the article is related to faulty graphics cards in some iMac models, specifically the AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards, causing display issues such as distortion, white or blue screens with vertical lines, or black screens. This indicates a non-malicious software failure incident [20804].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to faulty graphics cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs with AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards. The failure of these video cards could cause the computer display to appear distorted, white or blue with vertical lines, or to turn black. This issue was addressed by Apple through a replacement program. There is no specific mention in the article about whether the failure was due to poor decisions or accidental decisions.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence or accidental factors. Therefore, the information to determine whether the software failure was due to development incompetence or accidental factors is unknown.
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the faulty graphics cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs with AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards was temporary. The article mentions that Apple began a program to replace the faulty graphics cards, indicating that the issue was not permanent and could be resolved through hardware replacement [20804].
Behaviour crash, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is related to faulty graphics cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs. The faulty graphics cards could cause the computer display to appear distorted, white or blue with vertical lines, or to turn black, indicating a crash in the system [20804]. (b) omission: The article does not mention any instances of the system omitting to perform its intended functions. (c) timing: The article does not mention any instances of the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly due to the faulty graphics cards causing display issues [20804]. (e) byzantine: The article does not mention any instances of the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The other behavior described in the article is the failure of the graphics cards in the iMacs, leading to display issues such as distortion, white or blue lines, and black screens, which are not explicitly categorized under the options (a) to (e) [20804].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence theoretical_consequence The articles do not mention any consequences related to people losing their lives, being physically harmed, having their access to food or shelter impacted, or experiencing property damage due to the software failure incident. There is also no mention of any delays caused by the software failure. The focus of the article is on the replacement program initiated by Apple to address faulty graphics cards in some iMacs, specifically the AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards, which could cause display issues such as distortion, white or blue screens with vertical lines, or black screens. The consequence discussed in the article is related to the potential impact on the computer display due to the faulty graphics cards [20804].
Domain information (a) The failed system in the article is related to the information industry as it involves the replacement of faulty graphics cards in some mid-2011 to late-2012 iMacs, which are used for various information-related tasks such as content creation, design, and general computing [20804].

Sources

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