Battery Not Covered Under Supplemental 3 Year Warranty

I don't know of any computer manufacture that has extended warranties on batteries.

Any of the PC manufactures I deal with on a regular basis (dell & lenovo mostly) clearly state computer has an X year warranty and the battery a Y year warranty and Y is always one year.

The clam that was made that the computer will only last one or two more years after replacing the battery is TOTAL BS. As of resent I have been anything but amused at Apples 'Genius' people. I've assisted two people one from this forum and one from another forum were Apple 'Geniuses' said they had a bad logic board and that a new computer would need to be purchased. When really all they had was a corrupt OS and was easily fixed.

If electronics work during their first 30 days without issue, chances are they will continue along time into the future.

Spend the $159, get yourself another battery and be happy with the little guy.

I'm not trying to pour salt into any wounds....but next time read / understand / ask questions before a purchase of either a computer or an extended warranty for the computer. After all you didn't just blindly sign on the dotted line when you purchased your house or lease did you?

Apple warrants their batteries to have an 80% charge after 300 cycles If they fail before this, then they're generally replaced under warranty.

You also need to realize that AppleCare is a warranty against manufacturing defects, and your battery is definitely not defective..it's simply reached it's end of it's useful life, which in turn means you should not be entitled to a free replacement.

If you don't like, then don't complain here...we are users here just like you, and are in no position to help you attain a new battery.

the battery is an integral part of the newer machine, requiring the machine to be taken apart for replacement.

What many don't like about a non-user replaceable battery is the fact that you must "hand over" your computer to a stranger.

So for security reasons it is often necessary to delete all of your personal information off of the Macbook prior to servicing. This takes longer than replacing the battery in earlier Macbooks.

So what use to take 10 minutes now takes several hours. I can replace the battery on my 2008 Macbook in less time than it takes to make an appointment online for the Apple store.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/01/17-inch-macbook/

Hi ncmm,

All of the specifics for the AppleCare coverage is itemized on their page and in documentation that is mailed to you when you active the plan on your computer. It is your responsibility to read it and understand it, if you didn't agree with it or found something in error then it is also your responsibility to contact Apple regarding it. So let's take it from the top...

*Under Section 1, Paragraph B (Limitation), Line item IX*

+(ix) Consumable parts, such as batteries, except in respect of battery coverage under APP for iPod or unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials and workmanship;+

* http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html*

+Your one-year warranty includes replacement coverage for a defective battery. You can extend your replacement coverage for a defective battery to three years from the date of your notebook purchase with the AppleCare Protection Plan. However, the AppleCare Protection Plan for notebook computers does not cover batteries that have failed or are exhibiting diminished capacity except when the failure or diminished capacity is the result of a manufacturing defect. Apple offers a battery replacement service for MacBook Air and all MacBook Pro notebooks with built-in batteries. You can purchase replacement batteries for late models of Apple notebooks directly from the Apple Store.+

* http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html*

+For Apple notebooks with removable batteries — such as previous generation MacBook and MacBook Pro computers — a properly maintained battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.+

While it's very fun to be told that you need to spend more money on an expensive computer that you purchased AppleCare for, it's also important to understand what you're entitled to and what isn't covered before proceeding.

Ziatron wrote:
So what use to take 10 minutes now takes several hours. I can replace the battery on my 2008 Macbook in less time than it takes to make an appointment online for the Apple store.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/01/17-inch-macbook/

I should write that guy back, very misleading article. I've had 6 "non-user replaceable" batteries serviced at Apple Stores. All 6 were done in less than 20 minutes. I'd make the initial visit, get the diagnosis and the battery ordered. I then coordinated a date and time and requested a "while I wait" replacement which was honored. I was told for ease of scheduling (on behalf of the Genius Bar) to block out two consecutive GB appointments at a non-peak, yet convenient time.

The machine was out of my sight for less than 20 minutes in all instances. I verified data integrity prior to service and upon completion of service. Quite frankly, if you've got data on your machine that is that "mission critical" on your portable computer where you can't leave it out of your sight for any period of time then you should have significant security procedures in place on the machine to prevent unauthorized access in the first place.

The machine was out of my sight for less than 20 minutes in all instances

A lot of data can get copied in 20 minutes. ( I guess it would be hard to copy data and change the battery simultaneously 🙂 ) I changed my user replaceable Macbook battery in 30 seconds, without leaving the house.

Don't get me wrong, I love Macbooks (the ones with Firewire anyway), I just think a user replaceable battery is a better design.

Hi Ziatron,

I'm sure it can, but really the bigger question would be... if you've got data on your machine which is extremely valuable, why is it so easy to get at in the first place? All the jobs that I've worked where data integrity was of the utmost importance didn't exactly let employees walk out with it on their MacBook.

As Apple has now shifted all of their portable machines to the "non-user replaceable" form factor would seem to indicate that Steve & Co. like it a lot. The last quarter's financial results would seem to impress upon the bean counters that the target audience does as well.

If you want to retain control or your data, then remove the disk drive. It would be preferable to replace it with a base drive--no additional software or data. Then it can be tested, as needed.
-Ken

The last quarter's financial results would seem to impress upon the bean counters that the target audience does as well.

You are right about that!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126549994152342111.html?ru=yahoo&mod=yahoo_hs