According to Dow Jones Business News, Reding said:

“This case and the responses I received since I sent my letter have highlighted rather clearly just why the Commission cannot sit on the side-lines on enforcement issues,” she said. “The approaches to enforcement in these types of cases turn out to be very diversified and inconsistent at a national level. In at least 21 EU Member States Apple is not informing consumers correctly about the legal warranty rights they have. This is simply not good enough.”

Reding’s remarks echo comments she made in October 2012, in which she called Apple’s standard free offering of one year of warranty protection to its customers ”unacceptable marketing practices” according to EU laws. The EU requires that companies not only offer a two-year warranty for free, but companies also need to inform their customers of this right.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Italy has been the most aggressive EU member state in enforcing this law against Apple: It has fined the company for only advertising a free one-year warranty when selling iPhones, iPads and other electronics to customers, while selling AppleCare, a paid extended warranty option.

But Italy isn’t the only country Apple has run afoul of in this respect: earlier this week Apple informed its retail staff in Australia to start honoring free two-year warranties for its customers in the country to bring its practices in line with local consumer protection law.

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Obviously a quarter of a million dollars or so is nothing to Apple, which has about $120 billion in the bank. But this episode does signify the end of this strange saga wherein Apple — for a while — refused to budge on selling AppleCare, its premium warranty service, to customers in Italy without telling them that Italian law requires two years of standard warranty coverage for all consumer products for free. Italian regulators were unusually aggressive in the law’s enforcement, fining Apple nearly a million euros already over the issue.

The additional fine is being levied for Apple’s non-compliance with the law between March and November 2012.

Even after being slapped with the first fine a year ago, Apple continued to sell AppleCare in its stores in Italy and on its website. Then the European Union said it would start to look into Apple’s practice selling AppleCare in other countries in Europe that have similar consumer protection laws as Italy. In November, Apple finally complied with the Italian agency’s demands and stopped selling AppleCare warranties in Apple Stores in the country.

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AppleCare is a paid warranty policy that the company sells to customers to cover their gadgets after the free warranty period expires. Apple had come under fire from the Italian government’s consumer watchdog agency in late 2011 for not making it clear to Italian customers that they are entitled under European law to a two-year free warranty policy, and for continuing to sell AppleCare as an extended warranty that kicked in after just one year.

The company is still selling AppleCare on its website in Italy, but now phrases it as a way to “add to the two years of vendor warranty required by Italian law to protect consumers.”

Apple seemed to get away with ignoring the threats for almost a year, even as Italy got more aggressive in its enforcement policy. The company has been fined almost a million euros.

This probably isn’t the end of the warranty saga, however. The European Union’s Justice Commission has also been asking member countries if Apple is violating the two-year free warranty law in their countries as well.

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The first iPad, released in 2010.

With so many people writing about Apple, finding the best stories and reports isn’t easy. Here’s our daily pick of stories about the company from around the Web that you shouldn’t miss:

• Steve Jobs said the idea for the iPad predated the iPhone. But by how much? NetworkWorld has a portion of a deposition given by Apple SVP Jonathan Ive last December in which he says the first iPad prototypes were floating around Apple HQ as early as 2002.
• After debuting last month and spending a few weeks at the top of the iOS App Store, Google’s Chrome for iOS browser has gathered a 1.5 percent share of iOS browsers. Seems impressive, but as Cult of Mac notes, it’s really only grabbed 10.3 percent share of all third-party browsers available on iOS.
• Computerworld weighs the evidence for whether the soon-to-be-shipped OS X Mountain Lion may be the last iteration of Apple’s desktop OS.
• Apple snagged a patent that is said to be critical to defending the iPhone and iOS in the global mobile patent war. Patently Apple explains the significance.
• First Italy, next Portugal? Apple’s practice of offering only one year of free product warranty support has caused it to incur huge fines from the Italian government. Like Italy, Portugal also requires all companies offer two-year warranties for free, and now a Portuguese public interest group is threatening to sue Apple over the practice, AppleInsider reports.

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Italy’s Competition and Market Guarantor Authority (AGCM) is threatening to fine Apple 300,000 euros (about $377,500) for giving one year of warranty service to customers for free, but charging for additional coverage through its AppleCare product. Italy requires all companies offer two years of product coverage for free.

According to Reuters:

The AGCM said in its monthly bulletin that Apple was continuing to adopt unfair commercial practices in Italy and noted this could eventually lead to the closure of its Italian operations for up to 30 days.

The U.S. group has 30 days to respond.

The AGCM alleges that information provided by Apple about an extra guarantee scheme encourages customers to buy the service without clearly explaining that the company is obliged to offer a two-year free warranty, the source said.

In December Apple was ordered to pay 400,000 euros for not explaining the two-year warranty guarantee to Italian consumers and an additional 500,000 euros for offering AppleCare without a complete explanation of consumers’ rights. It appealed the fines but lost, and is now facing more fines. It’s not clear how big Apple’s operations are in the country in total, but it does have 10 retail stores.

Apple has scored some important legal wins here at home recently — but its luck hasn’t been as consistent on the international stage.

The 4G iPad false advertising case in Australia, a $60 million iPad trademark payout in China, and Italy’s aggressiveness on enforcing warranty rules shows that even the richest and most influential tech company in the world isn’t immune to local laws and red tape. Luckily for Apple, it has enough cash in the bank to shrug off a few million-dollar fines here and there.

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The BBC reports that in Italy consumers are guaranteed two years of warranty protection for all purchased products, but Apple had guaranteed only one year of warranty support — equal to what it offers here in the U.S. and in other countries. Instead of recognizing the second year of free warranty support, Apple was reportedly telling Italian customers to purchase AppleCare to cover any warranty claims after the first year.

The Antitrust Authority said Apple was misleading Italian consumers about what their rights were, which would ”induce consumers to sign an additional contract.” As a result, Apple was fined €400,000 for not explaining the two-year warranty guarantee to consumers at the time of the sale or on its website, and the additional €500,000 fine was levied for offering AppleCare without a complete explanation of consumers’ rights. Apple has also been given 90 days to update its Italian website with information about the two-year guarantee.

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If you purchase the plan, you’ll be covered for up to two incidents of accidental destruction of your device — i.e. dropping it down a bunch of stairs. Water damage is likely also covered under this plan. You’ll be liable for a $49 service fee to get the replacement devices, but at least you won’t have to fork over for a whole new iPhone.

AppleCare+ replaces the basic AppleCare package, which used to cost $69 but didn’t provide any coverage in case of accidental damage.

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1. Know the computer’s serial number

Apple products are hot on college campuses, and can easily get stolen. Once stolen, it’s hard to retrieve your serial number after the fact, and it’s one of the first things a police officer will ask about. To obtain this information, go to the Apple () menu in the upper left hand corner, choose “About This Mac” and then click twice on the OS Version and the serial number will appear. Both student and parent should keep a copy of this information.

2. Know the computer’s warranty expiration and make sure Apple’s info is correct

Most Apple products have a one year warranty, extended to three years by AppleCare. Generally if you purchase both the computer and AppleCare at the same time directly from Apple, your AppleCare will be registered. It’s important to know if it was registered properly and the expiration date is correct before a problem develops. Go to http://support.apple.com and then click “Check Your Service & Support Coverage” in order to find out when the warranty expires. If this information is incorrect, contact Apple to get it corrected. Typically you need to fax them the receipt if there’s a discrepancy.

3. Get AppleCare if you don’t already have it

AppleCare is really a great value, especially for college students. Not only does it cover hardware failures, but it also gives you three years of phone support. That support will come in handy when a paper is due and you can’t figure out how to get iWork to play ball.

If you didn’t purchase AppleCare when you purchased your Mac, you can purchase it at anytime during the initial one-year warranty period. AppleCare is highly discounted in the educational market, either directly from Apple or from campus bookstores.

4. Insure your Mac against loss

Even if your Mac isn’t stolen, an inebriated roommate, an out-of-hand party, or plain carelessness can result in a damaged Mac. The two most common problems I see are liquid spills and laptops being dropped. Neither of these are covered by Apple’s original or extended warranty.

Most homeowners or renter’s insurance companies will allow you to specifically “schedule” a student’s computer while at the dorm. Typically this costs just a few dollars a year and results in a lower deductible and protection against more perils. Before you have problems is the time to talk with your insurance agent about it.

5. Bring a pound of uncooked rice

No this isn’t for an emergency late night dinner; that’s what ramen is for. Liquid spills are common in college environments, and the best known remedy for that is a bag of uncooked rice. Not instant rice, but the inexpensive uncooked plain white rice. Should a spill occur, immediately cut power to the computer and remove the battery. If the battery can’t be removed, shut it down. Put the device in a sealed container (typically a trash bag) with that uncooked bag of rice and wait 48 hours before trying to turn it on. The device may be okay after that. Though I shouldn’t have to say it, it is advisable to throw away the rice when you’re through.

6. Time Machine is required, but is just a first step

College is a significant investment, and a late or missed assignment can be the difference between passing a class and failing. Time Machine is a quick and effective primary backup system that comes with every Mac running Leopard or above, and enabling it will help you prevent delays due to data corruption.

However it really isn’t enough — again, college have a way of attracting “accidents.” If the Time Machine drive is sitting next to the computer, it could get damaged or go missing along with the computer. Students who use portable computers may go days at a time without connecting to their Time Machine drives, too. For the average going rate of $50 a year, I highly recommend that you buy an online and offsite backup solution. Read my recent articles for recommendations.

7. Know where to take your Mac when problems arise

In those years at college, a computer problem is likely to develop that may or may not be covered by Apple’s warranty. Before a problem occurs, it’s good to know who to call for Mac help. The obvious choice might be a local Apple retail store, but that might be far away, and in college, time is of the essence. Many campuses have college bookstores that also provide Apple warranty service, but you need to ask first. Additionally, you can use Apple’s Authorized Service Provider locator to find the closest repair center. If you have a choice between more than one, it’s a good idea to get to know them. Just ask a few questions and find out their procedures and turn around time.

8. Bring all recovery media that came with the Mac (if applicable)

Although Lion has recovery over the Internet, older Macs still need those DVDs or flash drives in order to reinstall or repair the operating system. These are typically in the box that came with the Mac and are often overlooked. When you call for support, the friendly Apple support technician will be expecting these to be close at hand. This can avoid a trip to a service provider if the problem can be diagnosed or repaired with a restore or reinstall.

9. Turn off automatic software updates

Although it’s rare, a software update can introduce new problems to a system. A recent example are numerous problems that came with 10.6.8 — enough that Apple introduced 10.6.8 v1.1. Apple eventually fixes problems with later software updates, but running software update right before a paper is due is a bad idea. Better to plan updates right before a visit home or scheduled downtime. Be sure if you don’t already know your Administrator password, you find it out now. You’ll need that for troubleshooting and updates.

10. Have a spare power adapter

This tip is for laptop users. Inevitably in the hustle and bustle of going about your studies, a power adapter is going to be left in class, at home, or at the coffee shop. A nice $1,000 + laptop can be rendered completely useless by the lack of a simple power adapter. Having a spare one can give you time to get a new one or retrieve your old one. I generally recommend keeping one at your residence, plugged in, and one in your laptop bag. If you lose the laptop bag, you can always retrieve the one from your residence.

Those are ten handy tips to make sure that you and your child never have to tell the prof “the computer ate my homework.” Got any others to add to the list?

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Earlier this year, Apple launched Express Lane, a support site designed to help consumers diagnose problems with Apple products through category selection. With an Apple ID, visitors could also see a list of their registered products and get help with common issues, as well as look up repair cases. Now, Apple has taken the idea of customized help a step further with the My Support Profile website.

Logging onto My Support Profile for the first time with your Apple ID, you’ll immediately see a list of all support activity between you and Apple, from phone calls made to repairs taking place, as well as a list of registered products. You will also see your contact information, and if you live in the U.S. or Canada, an option for VoicePass.

VoicePass matches a phone number with your product information, so when you call Customer Support you won’t have to go through the process of identifying which product you’re calling about. You can also communicate with Apple Support via SMS, presumably for repair updates.

If you’re like me, you may be surprised at how many Apple products you’ve purchased, as listed by the new Support Profile. I found every single Apple product (18) I’ve bought going back almost a decade, though a few were gifts that apparently weren’t registered by the recipients. Besides serial numbers, each device can be given a “nickname,” and the page for each product contains tabs for warranty details, case and repair activity, and support resources. There are also links for calling support or scheduling a repair. Of course, you can also register any product not listed.

Overall, My Support Profile improves the Apple support experience, which is already rated as industry leading. Hopefully, future improvements will make the site more interactive, possibly through the introduction of live text chat or support account e-mail links. An option for FaceTime or Remote Desktop from Apple’s end would be even better. Nonetheless, My Support Profile makes technical support a less painful experience for customers, and that’s always a good thing.

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While I’ve been able to troubleshoot problems with products using Discussions, it’s seldom been easy. Besides the antiquated search engine, the quality of answers for a given question can vary widely. The Introductory FAQ for the new Apple Support Communities doesn’t give the impression that will change much.

However, change will begin with the new customizable homepage. Current and new members will be able to access expanded profiles that will include photos and avatars, and will also be able to “invite your friends to join in the discussion.”

Less social and more relevant to the concept of technical support, members will be able to customize their “View.” The View appears to be a means of tracking discussions of interest, like discussions you are participating in. While browsing products is still possible, there’s an emphasis on asking questions, which will be possible from every page, and sorting information accordingly.

To that end, widgets are member-created filters for your View that will no doubt be shiny, but also (hopefully) helpful for finding answers. For example, one could create a widget for questions on the iPhone, perhaps focusing specifically on the iPhone 4 antenna. When an answer appears, such as “you’re holding it wrong,” problem solved, next question.

That brings us to the topic of the sometimes heavy hand of moderation at Apple Support. When Consumer Reports recently declined to recommend the iPhone 4 because of the antenna issue, some discussions regarding that article disappeared. Of course, whether Apple lets people rant or not isn’t the real problem.

There’s enough uncorrected misinformation in Apple Support Discussions that it’s probably better to pick up your phone and call AppleCare unless you’re knowledgeable about the topic you’re researching. What Apple Support Communities really needs is an investment from Apple, not a soliciting of customers to provide support. At the very least, Apple technical support representatives should be regularly answering questions and correcting misinformation, but that would take a bite out of AppleCare, so instead welcome to the technical support social.