The firm says in an advisory published on its website (and which you should read in order to determine if your MacBook Pro is part of the recall or not), that some units, or “a limited number” as Apple claims, shipped with a faulty battery that tends to inflate.
#Macbook pro 2018 swollen battery update#
I’ve asked Apple about all this, and will update the article if I hear anything.The battery nightmare continues for Apple, and after the company admitted it slowed down iPhones with degraded batteries on purpose, it now launches a recall for 13-inch MacBook Pro due to swollen units. So if you start to see this effect, my suggestion is to get the battery replaced right away - even if you have to pay for one. My problem occurred 18 months from the date of purchase with about 30+ recharge cycles.įortunately, there was no physical damage to the cover plate, but I’ve seen some ugly photos of warped MBP cases as the battery swells. However, there’s no guarantee it’ll happen that way, and AppleCare is strongly recommended. A brief perusal of the Internet suggests that Apple has, without much fuss, replaced swollen MacBook batteries, even when out of warranty, at their discretion. Consumer reports had some helpful comments in July, 2009. It turns out that this has been an occasional problem in the past, and Apple had an official battery replacement program - but the program was terminated in 2008. She said she thought it was a safety feature, but couldn’t offer any additional details. I asked the Apple genius about why the battery swells. Once the battery was replaced, the cover plate fit perfectly.
I found it interesting, however, that even though I had a reservation, AppleCare in Austin had no visibility into the Apple retail store inventory - so I could have arrived and there’d be no replacement battery on hand. Saturday morning, the battery replacement went smoothly. (Park Meadows Mall, Lone Tree, Colorado) Even before we hung up, I had received an e-mail, reserving me a time with an Apple genius to replace the battery. That policy has paid off handsomely for me.) After I explained the situation, the Apple rep said, matter-of-factly, that I had a “swollen battery” and asked me for the location of my closest Apple store. MBP, Unibody G1, replaceable battery, $129 (Credit: Apple, Inc) This was serious, even though the battery continued to function. Last week, when I moved the MBP, I noticed that the cover plate was ajar and couldn’t be closed properly - one of the latches just couldn’t catch. I didn’t recall that defect before, but I didn’t have time to worry about it very much. From time to time, I unplug all the connectors and take the MBP to another room to write in a comfortable recliner.Ībout six weeks ago, I noticed that the 2-inch wide cover plate over the battery was slightly ajar.
In place, the power cord tends to stay connected all the time. My TMO workstation has my MacBook Pro connected to some external hard disks (Time Machine) and an older 23-inch Cinema display - with a DisplayPort to DVI connector. I was introduced, for the first time, to the swollen MacBook battery syndrome. It got steadily worse to the point where the cover plate would no longer close properly. About six weeks ago, I noticed that the cover plate on my 15-inch MacBook Pro (Unibody, 1G) was bulging.