My 2007 black MacBook has a swollen battery that interferes with the laptop operation. Are there any Apple programs that will replace this for free?

There were although you will need to take your computer to an Apple retailer to find out.

We are users like you. We have no official status nor can we provide you with official answers regarding whether Apple will replace your battery. You can always call Apple Care:

Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.

To contact product and tech support visit online support site.

If you have a MacBook with the removable battery you can get a new third party battery fairly cheap on eBay. Every MacBook from 2006 through Mid 2009 except the Late 2008 Aluminum Unibody use the same battery.

Black Batteries http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=macbook+black+battery&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&_sop=12 &_dmpt=Laptop_Batteries&_odkw=macbook+white+battery&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0. m 270.l1313

White Batteries http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=macbook+white+battery&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&_sop=12 &_dmpt=Laptop_Batteries&_odkw=macbook+black+battery&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0. m 270.l1313

Or for $129 from The Apple Store http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA566LL/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY

There’s one problem with running your MacBook with the battery removed. MacBooks and MacBook Pros automatically reduce the processor speed by about half when the battery is removed.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2332
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/apple-macbook-pro-battery-benchmarks,6643.html

I've bought used MacBooks off of eBay for my family, seven of them so far over the last 4 years. I've bought 8 batteries off of eBay sellers, just going with the cheapest. Only had one with a problem, it gave out after 6 cycles. That one was replaced under the warranty by the seller. The only other batteries that have been a problem were Apple branded batteries that started bulging. I've had two of those happen.

Apple doesn’t make any batteries. They buy them from the same manufacturers that the third party sellers are buying from. The only difference is that Apple has their logo imprinted on the battery.

What gives you the impression that would happen? You didn't seem to excited about the one you now have from Apple. The batteries were all made by Sony, if I remember correctly.

Brian,

I found myself in the same situation, and I went for the generic battery (from Amazon.com in my case). It was precisely the Apple battery that got swollen, so why would I want another one from Apple at an outrageously high price?

You can get them from as little as $18 and $20 from Amazon.

The battery I got has been working just fine for about a year now. It's probably from the same factory in China where Apple gets its new batteries these days.

We had a thread on the subject just a couple of days ago:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4119057?answerId=18960789022#18960789022

It's a very common occurrence with original Apple batteries.

Make sure you read the reviews. Some people have reported shortened battery life with these cheaper batteries though people keep syaing they are no different than the Apple batteries.

Shortened battery life is a common issue wth Apple batteries too.

(I hate batteries.)

I had this issue about 2 years ago with my late 2007 17" MBP. I took it into the Apple store, showed them how much it was bulging, and said it seemed like a safety issue. Even though it was out of Apple Care warranty, they gave me a new one for free because they acknowleged it could be a safety concern. 2 years later, that new one is now bulging (as I type this), and I fear my trackpad clicking could stop working soon depending on how fast it expands. I will try going to the Apple Store again, and if they don't give me a free one I'll probably just buy a cheaper off-brand from eBay or Amazon or something.

Update: I just went to the Apple Store and the Genius told me it would not be covered and that this just happens with older batteries. He said it did appear they had a program to replace them at no cost if it's within 3 years of buying the computer (but mine is 5 years old). He also said this can be a lot more common if you "overcharge" the battery by leaving it plugged in all the time. This last part seemed most heavily-laden with BS to me -- seriously, the batteries can't handle being on AC wall power? What percentage of laptop users do you think intentionally unplug their laptop every time it's done charging? 5%?

Anyway, I think I'll probably try my luck on one of the off-brand batteries online, since they are about 1/5 the cost. So even if it doesn't last as long, buying 4 of those is cheaper than buying an Apple battery (which, by the way, has 1.5 stars out of 5 on store.apple.com).

If anyone has been recently successful in getting a free replacement for a laptop older than 3 years, I'd love to hear about it.