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| Apple AirPort Time Capsule Warning |
Experts warn that a potential bug could affect Mac users who still rely on the Apple AirPort Time Capsule for backup.
Although the company discontinued the AirPort Time Capsule in 2018, the product is still used by many Mac users.
Failure of the available Seagate internal hard drive at this time may put data at risk.
This news was first reported by Datenrettung Berlin, a German data recovery company.
In the AirPort Time Capsule, Apple uses a Seagate Grenada disk.
The drive now has obvious design flaws that result in an unusually high failure rate.
Datenrettung Berlin says: We have to assume that there is a design flaw in the Seagate Grenade drive integrated into the AirPort Time Capsule (ST3000DM001 / ST2000DM001 2014-2018).
The disc waiting ramp is made of two different materials. These materials degrade at different rates over time.
This poorly ventilated AirPort Time Capsule's disc pattern passes through the parking ramp faster than usual.
Without a fan for cooling, the ramp that holds the read/write head is detached when not in use.
Apple AirPort time capsule
Damage to the parking ramp causes severe damage and distortion of the read/write module during the next read/write stop. Except in the event of severe damage to the dashboard surface.
When your AirPort Time Capsule is turned on or woken from sleep mode. A twisted read/write unit scratches the disk and destroys the data stored on it.
Datenrettung Berlin said Seagate's engine failure is the cause of nearly all AirPort Time Capsule failures.
She added, "While it is sometimes possible to recover data, it takes a lot of effort. In some cases it is not possible to restore the data completely.
Datenrettung Berlin recommends AirPort Time Capsule users with a capacity of 2TB or 3TB to look for an alternative backup solution.
iFixit provides a step-by-step guide on how to replace your AirPort Time Capsule CD with a more reliable CD.
Since the AirPort Time Capsule was discontinued in 2018, there is no official patch available. No recall for Seagate tablets or AirPort Time Capsule.