We now offer component level Mac Logic Board Repairs!

Posted on by
Reply

You heard that right! As of today, we are now offering this brand new service based right here in Kansas City, and it can save hundreds over what an entire logic board replacement may cost you. So what this means is that we are now able to replace corroded or defective components on the logic board level without having to replace the entire board. While this is cost effective in most cases, there are some instances when replacing the entire board is the only option since it is has a lot to do with the damage we find. As an example, if your MacBook Pro falls victim to being run over (yes we have seen that before), it’s not likely we can repair the board since there are bound to be internal “hair-line cracks” making a repair impractical. If for some reason we cannot repair the logic board, we will not charge you anything for our time and labor. And if we are able to repair your logic board, we will back it with a 6 month warranty and provide you with a formal quote to proceed.

If you have a Mac in need of repair, simply call us or stop by our office so we can start the diagnostics process. No appointment is necessary to bring in your Mac during our regular office hours Mon-Fri 8:30-5PM.

The days of going to the Apple Store (only to be told you might as well buy a new Mac) are over! : )

Same Day iPhone 4S Repairs Are Now Available

Posted on by
Reply

We are excited to announce that we are now offering the iPhone 4S model to our lineup of iPhone repairs. While we hope you haven’t already broken the glass on your new iPhone 4S, but if you have or ever do, we have you covered. No need to ship your iPhone to a repair center only to be without it for a few of days. Let us fix your iPhone and make it like new again using genuine Apple OEM parts right here in our Kansas City area office and repair center conveniently located in Overland Park.

Please call or use our online iPhone Take-in Repair form to arrange a time and to check availability for same-day service.

For pricing details, please visit our iPhone Repair and Rates page.

A Thank You Message to Our Clients

Posted on by
Reply

It’s hard to imagine, but it’s that time of year once again! Blowing trees, freezing rain, the smells of hot Apple Cider simmering…. Ok, so enough of that : )

I want to start by stating that we have a lot to be thankful for here at MetroMacs, and we immensely appreciate our client’s loyalty and the word of mouth treatment that has been a corner stone of our success. While we have had a very successful year launching our new office location, we always continue to strive for greatness. When our client’s are happy, we are happy. Thanks again Kansas City, and to all of our clients that are nestled in the outreaches of the Kansas City metro. Stay safe, warm and we hope you get to spend quality time with those whom you care about and have made a real different in your life this Holiday season.

Again, we thank you for your patronage and we look forward to being your locally trusted and dedicated Apple support and consulting provider for many more years to come.

Shane Blanchett

MetroMacs CEO

An open letter to Steve… RIP

Posted on by
Reply

Steve,

You’ve left such a mark that your presence will always be around us. Each time I reach for my iPhone now, I think of you and where you are now and what it must be like. I will never forget the first time I used an Apple II, it was in a Computer Land and there was a demo of Kings Quest playing on it. Gosh, here we’re talking back when I was 7 years old and I still remember it vividly. That’s a young age to be awe struck and inspired by any single thing knowing somehow this feels right, not really knowing it would end up being such major part of my life for decades to come. Every chance I got to use an Apple after that I would, and my first Apple was a IIGS (Woz Edition), which I still own and proud to say it still works.

Here is it, 2011 –  I’m now 35 and own an independent Apple consulting firm based out of Kansas City, MO. It almost gives me chills because I feel like I am exactly where I want to be in life. Quite simply because of you, I love what I do and that is helping people use the very products you and your team have created over the years. I remember what it felt like my first time to use an Apple and I now get to see that magic happen to others on a daily basis. There really isn’t any better joy in life than seeing people happy. It all comes so easy when you see someone learn how to use a Mac for the first time and hear how it is making their lives better a few days later. It has always been a dream of mine to shake your hand someday only if to say that you’ve changed my life for the better and I thank you. While I will never get to do that on Earth we can imagine the unimaginable and I DO dare to dream it could be a reality someday. You now know the rest of the story….

And at the very moment I learned of your passing I was busy buying a Mac Mini Server for another new client and Apple user in the making. I don’t see that ironic at all.

RIP STEVE. You will be deeply missed!

Our New “Real-Time” Active Monitoring Service Has Debued!

Posted on by
Reply

Macintosh support simply doesn’t get any better than this!

Ever since we have been in business, we have kept a very close eye on our managed client’s workstations and servers remotely on a periodic basis, or with regular scheduled on-site visits. The whole purpose is to detect small issues before they become major disasters – all to prevent downtime and lost man hours.

What we are able to do now, thanks to our partnership with Watchman Monitoring, is to enable the ability to detect & become instantly aware of potential issues before you have to find out the hard way something has gone terribly wrong. Wouldn’t it be nice to receive a phone call or an email alert before ever having to fall victim to an unwelcome Mac startup screen? At that point your whole day is wasted trying to recover from your backup, provided you have one. Since our software keeps an eye on your backups too, there is simply nothing to worry about. See it as an insurance policy for your Mac. Bottom line is that we can help prevent that type of scenario from even happening!

What exactly does it do? 

Quite simply this. It monitors critical system functions. These include on and off-site backups, disk errors, kernel panics, RAM problems and so on. Below is a more detailed list of the items we actively monitor. Since the software is updated on a regular basis, new features are always being added.

Monitored  Services & Hardware                                                         Desktop       Laptop       Server      
Check RAID drives (software raid in Disk Utility – if configured) Y Y Y
Check the Apple RAID Card (hardware – if installed) Y
Check the Billings Pro Server for errors (if installed) Y Y
Check that the Monitoring Client updates Y Y Y
Check the Crashplan Server for errors (if installed) Y Y
Check the Daylite Server for errors (if installed) Y Y
Check the Laptop Battery for consistency/longevity Y
Check the Hard Drive Capacity (main hard drive) Y Y Y
Check the SoftRAID Volumes (if installed) Y Y Y
Check the Specified Volumes (other connected hard drives) Y Y Y
Report Carbon Copy Cloner errors (if installed) Y Y Y
Report the Monitoring Client status Y Y Y
Report any Disk errors (I/O) Y Y Y
Report the # of kernel panics (bad OS X crashes) Y Y Y
Report POST (hardware) errors Y Y Y
Report RAM (hardware) errors Y Y Y
Report SMART (disk) errors Y Y Y
Report that Time Machine backups are working Y Y Y

 

How does it work ?

We install a small preference pane plug-in that reports back to our severs over the Internet (from any location) on an hourly basis. The software itself in very unintrusive and weighs in shy of 1MB. When an update is available, it downloads it from our dedicated server and is signed for security.

 

 

Who can get it?

This service is being offered to all residential, home office, educational and business based clients.

What is the cost?

We have kept it very simple and reasonable.

$10 per Month for each Mac (Home or Business)

$25 per Month for each Mac Server Installation (Home or Business)

We are also able to bundle our CrashPlanPro service for encrypted off-site backups for an additional $8 per Month. This includes unlimited incremental off-site backups in addition to your existing Time Machine or other backup method. And yes, we monitor this to make sure it never stops working. For example, if lightening were to ever strike causing a house fire or theft of all your Macs and backups. What would become of your data? You can always replace a Mac, but these days most people’s lives are on their computer. And insurance can’t cover you there. Take it from Sir Richard Branson and this CNN article – this very same scenario happened to him and he did up losing everything he had been working for the past several years. All because of an unforeseen lightening strike and no off-site backup solution in place.

Discounts are available if pre-paid on an annual basis. There is no contract to sign. It is a month-by-month plan. We cannot offer refunds for pre-paid discounts.

How do I get started?

To get started, simply Contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Then we will visit with you to setup a service subscription agreement if you’re interested.