Technology Swollen Mac Batteries

[DoctaJay]

I was thinking of buying a Mac for medical school, but this is kind of scarey:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/21/swollen-batteries-affecting-17-inch-macbook-pros-too/

I was just going to get a Mac because its trendy and I can do a lot of video editing, but swollen batteries? I don't know.

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[Bertelman]

Four reported cases? Seems pretty unlikely it would happen to you. Manym many more are happy with theirs. If you are interested in video editing, get the MacBook pro and get FCE with a stud discount.

 

[16846]

Four reported cases? Seems pretty unlikely it would happen to you.

Actually, it says four valid cases, not reported, meaning they confirmed these four cases to be true. If you read down further you will see many more comments by mac users that said it also happened to them. If this is just a sample of the population that has had this happen, it would seem to be something that would classify as at least an uncommon, if not a less-common, problem.

It would certainly make me think twice.

 

[southerndoc]

Keep in mind that this is a problem with laptop batteries in general and is NOT specific to Apple.

The same problems have affected other computer manufacturers, including explosion and fire risks.

 

[16846]

Keep in mind that this is a problem with laptop batteries in general and is NOT specific to Apple.

The same problems have affected other computer manufacturers, including explosion and fire risks.

True, but all the other manufacturers that are involved have recalled those units.

 

[southerndoc]

True, but all the other manufacturers that are involved have recalled those units.

So has Apple. Apple recalled all of its affected batteries. Like other companies (Dell, HP, etc.), Apple hasn't received enough complaints or evidence to recall current batteries.

I'm quite sure the people who had affected batteries had them replaced free of charge. MacBooks haven't been out long enough for warranties to be invalid yet. (I think MacBooks come with a 1-year limited warranty, but if memory serves me correctly, the battery is under warranty for 3 years.)

 

[DoctaJay]

It seems like the complaints were specific to the 17" MBPs and not the 15" ones, so maybe that is a way around it. Although they probably use the same battery. Anyway, I won't by a MBP until the new Santa Rosa chips come out. Hopefully I'll be able to upgrade to the Leopard OS when it comes out in Oct.

 

[southerndoc]

It seems like the complaints were specific to the 17" MBPs and not the 15" ones, so maybe that is a way around it. Although they probably use the same battery. Anyway, I won't by a MBP until the new Santa Rosa chips come out. Hopefully I'll be able to upgrade to the Leopard OS when it comes out in Oct.

If you buy in June, and if Leopard is released in October, you won't get a free upgrade. Just wait until Leopard is released if you can. It will save you from installing another OS.

 

[16846]

If you buy in June, and if Leopard is released in October, you won't get a free upgrade.

Wow, that's total crap. Even Microsoft isn't that stingy.

 

[TMP-SMX]

If you buy in June, and if Leopard is released in October, you won't get a free upgrade. Just wait until Leopard is released if you can. It will save you from installing another OS.

Not necessarily true. In the past, they have given free upgrades to people that purchased a computer after the new OS was announced to be released.

By the way, doctajay I saw you on macrumors.

 

[Bertelman]

Wow, that's total crap. Even Microsoft isn't that stingy.

Or maybe Microsoft recognizes their releases are so widely available, either bootlegged or purchased, that it would be silly to charge.

 

[DoctaJay]

Not necessarily true. In the past, they have given free upgrades to people that purchased a computer after the new OS was announced to be released.

By the way, doctajay I saw you on macrumors.

lol, stalker

 

[southerndoc]

Not necessarily true. In the past, they have given free upgrades to people that purchased a computer after the new OS was announced to be released.

By the way, doctajay I saw you on macrumors.

Usually it's limited to those who buy a computer during a 14- to 30-day period prior to the new OS release. So when I said if you buy in June, and Leopard is released in October, then it is highly unlikely that you will get a free upgrade 4 months after you buy the computer.

 

[DoctaJay]

how much does it really cost to upgrade an OS on a Mac?

 

[Bertelman]

stud discount is like $49. Like it or not, you'll be doing it a few times during the life of your system. I say get the computer now, upgrade once the kinks are worked out. Wait until the first revision of the new system to upgrade.

 

[southerndoc]

stud discount is like $49. Like it or not, you'll be doing it a few times during the life of your system. I say get the computer now, upgrade once the kinks are worked out. Wait until the first revision of the new system to upgrade.

I've had my Mac for almost three years and have only upgraded one time. Unless you're an AppleSeed tester, you won't be installing OS X multiple times.

 

[alwaysaangel]

If you want it for med school I would go ahead and buy in June when Santa Rosa comes out. Waiting til' October isn't really worth it and Leopard will inevitably have some kinks that will take a few months to work out anyway. Tiger is an awesome system and then you can pay the $50 to upgrade later.

 

[alwaysaangel]

In regards to the battery, Mac addressed this last week:

http://www.macrumors.com/2007/04/27/battery-update-1-2/

Apple has posted Battery Update 1.2, which updates battery firmware and improves battery functionality according to Apple.

The update affects most Intel-based notebooks, including:
* MacBook
* MacBook (Late 2006)
* MacBook Pro (15-inch)
* MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy)
* MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo)
* MacBook Pro (17-inch)
* MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)

More information about the update can be found in this knowledge-base article.

Update: Macworld has posted a statement from Apple regarding the update. Apple has apparently recently identified an issue that was causing poor performance.

"We have issued a software update that is designed to improve battery performance, and consumers can receive a new battery free of charge if their battery continues to have performance issues after installing the software update, even if their computer is out of warranty," said Apple in a statement provided to Macworld.

According to Macworld, no safety issue has been identified; the update is limited purely to performance concerns.

Update 2: Apple has added another support page for the battery update. Highlights are:

* If, after installing the update, your computer continues to exhibit below symptoms, you may be eligible to receive free out-of-warranty replacement of your battery.
* The warranty on the batteries of MacBook and MacBook Pro systems with Core 2 Duo processors has been extended to 2 years from the date of purchase.

Symptoms of an affected battery:
* Battery is not recognized causing an “X” to appear in the battery icon in the Finder menu bar.
* Battery will not charge when computer is plugged into AC power.
* Battery exhibits low charge capacity/runtime when using a fully charged battery with a battery cycle count (as shown in System Profiler) of less than 300.
* Battery pack is visibly deformed.

I'd say replacing an out of warranty battery is pretty generous.

 

[DoctaJay]

I've been a computer geek for awhile so I don't want to get a Mac to avoid viruses or the other gimicks that people use to sell em. I just think that they look cool, and with already owning 2 windows machines (desktop and laptop), I think its times to branch out a litle. I'm just worried about the tons of money I'll spend buy needed softare like Office, Dreamweaver, Photoshop CS 2, Final Cut Pro, etc.

Also would I be an idiot not to get one of Apple's Laptop Care services? Would I really need it within 4 years since Macs are so "reliable"?

 

[Heeed!]

Also would I be an idiot not to get one of Apple's Laptop Care services? Would I really need it within 4 years since Macs are so "reliable"?

I have Apple Care on both my Mac Book and iMac. It has been invaluable for phone tech support....and peace of mind.

 

[southerndoc]

There are a couple reasons to wait until fall to buy a MacBook:

1. As already mentioned, Leopard;
2. Apple usually offers back-to-school specials in late August/September;
3. You won't be a student in June, but when you become one in August, you will qualify for educational pricing.

You can purchase MS Office for about $150 on an academic discount. I think the Photoshop suite (Phoshop CS3 and a couple other programs) is around $300 with an academic discount. I bought mine from Journey Ed.

 

[alwaysaangel]

There are a couple reasons to wait until fall to buy a MacBook:

1. As already mentioned, Leopard;
2. Apple usually offers back-to-school specials in late August/September;
3. You won't be a student in June, but when you become one in August, you will qualify for educational pricing.

You can purchase MS Office for about $150 on an academic discount. I think the Photoshop suite (Phoshop CS3 and a couple other programs) is around $300 with an academic discount. I bought mine from Journey Ed.

You're right for the most part but for 3 - if you show up at an Apple store with an acceptance letter they'll give you the discount, so for people like me who just can't wait - there are options.

Also, if you wait and buy from the computer store at whatever university you go to - they will typically have a student/teacher edition of Office that runs $75 or so.

 

[Bertelman]

I'm not sure how this works these days, but several years ago I squeezed a Microsoft Office mac version out of Microsoft since I already had a license for the Windows version. You might try this.

 

[Bertelman]

I've had my Mac for almost three years and have only upgraded one time. Unless you're an AppleSeed tester, you won't be installing OS X multiple times.

I bought my laptop in '03. Within the year I upgraded to Panther. Next came Tiger. Leopard will be out later this year, and I'm sure I'll do that, too.