We have all been there before, and for those that haven’t, you most certainly will be in time. We grab our Apple devices, hit the power button, and things do not go as planned. “It is broken!” we exclaim. But is it software or hardware? This is an extremely important question we all must ask ourselves when in this situation. But what does this mean? Well, it is simple really…. Is this issue we are experiencing caused by corrupted software or a mechanical malfunction? This an extremely important question that must first be answered so that the correct steps can be taken toward resolving the issue. How do we go about answering this question? Well, the simplest way to find the answer would be to go ahead and attempt some troubleshooting in the problem space of software that we as end users are responsible for maintaining.
Assuming the issue is software related is the first and easiest step we can take in attempting to resolve our issues as software corruption is the only issue that we as end users have the capability to fix all by ourselves without the need for tech support. When software is suspected as being the cause for an issue, just simply re-load and re-install the software and operating system from scratch. If the issue is resolved, we know that we were correct in our assumption of software being the cause of the problem and we have been successful.
If the issue is not resolved after re-loading and re-installing the software and operating systems, then it is pretty safe to assume the issue is hardware related. Unfortunately, as our Apple devices are designed by computer scientists and electrical engineers, we usually are not that equipped to attempt to fix a hardware issue. That’s where Apple Certified Technicians come into play.
After it is determined that hardware failure is the cause of the issue, it is the time to ask some additional questions. Is the device in warranty and is the issue covered by a warranty? If the answer to these two questions is no, then next ask ourselves an additional question… is this issue even worth investing money into resolving? All these questions and many more can be answered by a Apple Certified Technician.
When we experience issues with our Apple devices there is a logical and correct course of action that should be taken to resolve the problem. Neglecting to follow this logical troubleshooting flow can result in taking longer than necessary to come to a resolution.