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It costs a fortune because Apple will also replace the top case, keyboard and trackpad while they’re at it

by LIV2 6y ago

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
Reason077 6y ago
$199 for any retina MacBook Pro or 12-inch MacBook. $129 for a MacBook Air. https://support.apple.com/mac/repair/service#battery https://support.apple.com/mac/repair/service#battery
- manyxcxi 6y ago
  Assuming the cost of the batteries were the exact same, that means that Apple is charging an extra $60-$100 for the battery install. If it took all of 30 minutes, that’s a labor rate on par (or better) with most automotive/mechanic/trade shops in my area. I would love to be able to pay Apple just for the battery and do it myself, but I don’t know many people that want to learn how (even though it’s very simple). This is where I get torn about how angry I should be... I feel like Right to Repair laws should (exist in the US in the first place...) require that wear items be made available on their own. Not as an expensive assembly, not requiring authorized repairs when out of warranty, and not being DRMed. I think that certain classes of items should always be considered wear items- batteries, for instance. However, at a certain point regulation (in the US at least) tends to either be SO broad or specific as to become regulatory capture for the incumbents or basically toothless. On the other hand here, Apple is giving users a viable, quality option at what could be deemed a reasonable price. To be clear, I’m not patting them on the back- I’m sure lawsuits forced their hand, they’re still making money, and they’re protecting their brand. I guess the point I’m trying to get across is that it sucks that my options are battery of unknown origin which can have literal catastrophic implications or paying a non-inconsequential amount of money to repair a piece of equipment that is likely important to one’s daily life.
  - Reason077 6y ago
    Per the above post, in some models the battery modules are glued to the top case, which also contains the keyboard and trackpad. This makes replacement either quite a labour-intensive job, or a job that also requires replacement of the top case.
    - Nullabillity 6y ago
      Which is a design choice that Apple made when they designed the laptop.
      - nicoburns 6y ago
        Don't know why this is being downvoted. Manufacturers absolutely shouldn't be designing their products to be unrepairable in this way.
        rbanffy 6y ago
        The other day I read about car makers considering using batteries as structural elements to cut weight.
        the_pwner224 6y ago
        That doesn't necessarily mean they're not replaceable; just that the battery bears load. The engines on most modern motorcycles are structural elements but you can still easily take them out and work on them / replace them. Of course, the manufacturer could design them to not be replaceable. But it's not a requirement that structural elements are nonreplaceable.
        samatman 6y ago
        On the contrary: Manufacturers should have the right to design their products in any way they want, so long as the product is safe, and compliant with relevant regulations e.g. labor and environmental laws. You want a laptop with a replaceable battery, I want one that's as thin as possible while still doing the job. Good thing you can buy a ThinkPad and I can buy a MacBook!
- asadkn 6y ago
  That maybe only applicable to certain cases or is US-only. I was quoted ~$500 for rMBP 2015 due to swollen battery (which is entirely Apple's fault), from two of their authorized centers. I was told they assess the extent of damage and charge based on that, but the whole top assembly is changed in any case (glued). For example, if they believe the keyboard was in good condition, you won't get charged for it (and hence the baseline $200).
  - bigbob2 6y ago
    Honestly between "disabling legacy extensions" on Mac and it being absurdly expensive or beyond your control to install genuine parts, I'm not sure I can bring myself to own another Apple product moving forward. Just sucks that work places will be much slower to drop them. Pop! OS runs great for me these days, if I could only polish off the last few warts :(
  - Reason077 6y ago
    You can check the prices for various different countries by switching the country using the link at the bottom right corner of the page. In general, the price for battery service seems to be pretty consistent around the world, subject to local taxes etc.

It costs a fortune because Apple will also replace the top case, keyboard and trackpad while they’re at it

by LIV2 6y ago

It costs a fortune because Apple will also replace the top case, keyboard and trackpad while they’re at it

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

Reason077 6y ago

$199 for any retina MacBook Pro or 12-inch MacBook. $129 for a MacBook Air. https://support.apple.com/mac/repair/service#battery https://support.apple.com/mac/repair/service#battery

manyxcxi 6y ago
Assuming the cost of the batteries were the exact same, that means that Apple is charging an extra $60-$100 for the battery install. If it took all of 30 minutes, that’s a labor rate on par (or better) with most automotive/mechanic/trade shops in my area. I would love to be able to pay Apple just for the battery and do it myself, but I don’t know many people that want to learn how (even though it’s very simple). This is where I get torn about how angry I should be... I feel like Right to Repair laws should (exist in the US in the first place...) require that wear items be made available on their own. Not as an expensive assembly, not requiring authorized repairs when out of warranty, and not being DRMed. I think that certain classes of items should always be considered wear items- batteries, for instance. However, at a certain point regulation (in the US at least) tends to either be SO broad or specific as to become regulatory capture for the incumbents or basically toothless. On the other hand here, Apple is giving users a viable, quality option at what could be deemed a reasonable price. To be clear, I’m not patting them on the back- I’m sure lawsuits forced their hand, they’re still making money, and they’re protecting their brand. I guess the point I’m trying to get across is that it sucks that my options are battery of unknown origin which can have literal catastrophic implications or paying a non-inconsequential amount of money to repair a piece of equipment that is likely important to one’s daily life.
- Reason077 6y ago
  Per the above post, in some models the battery modules are glued to the top case, which also contains the keyboard and trackpad. This makes replacement either quite a labour-intensive job, or a job that also requires replacement of the top case.
  - Nullabillity 6y ago
    Which is a design choice that Apple made when they designed the laptop.
    - nicoburns 6y ago
      Don't know why this is being downvoted. Manufacturers absolutely shouldn't be designing their products to be unrepairable in this way.
      - rbanffy 6y ago
        The other day I read about car makers considering using batteries as structural elements to cut weight.
        the_pwner224 6y ago
        That doesn't necessarily mean they're not replaceable; just that the battery bears load. The engines on most modern motorcycles are structural elements but you can still easily take them out and work on them / replace them. Of course, the manufacturer could design them to not be replaceable. But it's not a requirement that structural elements are nonreplaceable.
      - samatman 6y ago
        On the contrary: Manufacturers should have the right to design their products in any way they want, so long as the product is safe, and compliant with relevant regulations e.g. labor and environmental laws. You want a laptop with a replaceable battery, I want one that's as thin as possible while still doing the job. Good thing you can buy a ThinkPad and I can buy a MacBook!
asadkn 6y ago
That maybe only applicable to certain cases or is US-only. I was quoted ~$500 for rMBP 2015 due to swollen battery (which is entirely Apple's fault), from two of their authorized centers. I was told they assess the extent of damage and charge based on that, but the whole top assembly is changed in any case (glued). For example, if they believe the keyboard was in good condition, you won't get charged for it (and hence the baseline $200).
- bigbob2 6y ago
  Honestly between "disabling legacy extensions" on Mac and it being absurdly expensive or beyond your control to install genuine parts, I'm not sure I can bring myself to own another Apple product moving forward. Just sucks that work places will be much slower to drop them. Pop! OS runs great for me these days, if I could only polish off the last few warts :(
- Reason077 6y ago
  You can check the prices for various different countries by switching the country using the link at the bottom right corner of the page. In general, the price for battery service seems to be pretty consistent around the world, subject to local taxes etc.