M5 MacBook Pro Gets Easier Battery Replacement Process

[svish]

Happy to see much easier battery replacement process. However don't think many will be changing them by themselves. Easiest option will still be taking it to a service center. But always it is good to have easier repairability.

 

[hgfjhbvytjdnb]

I tried changing the battery in my old Macbook Pro (Intel) and found it to be very difficult and fraught with risk.

I removed the old swollen battery but ended up damaging both the laptop and the connector on the new battery.

I have no problem paying the money to Apple to change a battery but Apple refuses to service anything in the laptop including the battery when the laptop gets older (mine was about 6 years old).

I think that this battery change was 100% necessary if the owner can't count on Apple to change the battery.

When did they start refusing to service 6+ year old devices? That's not my experience at all.

 

[-Maxim-]

Repairability is always a win, for me as a user and consumer.

remember to thank the EU for this.

Exactly. All the time people are bashing the EU or other regulators that they are forcing Apple to work on issues such as repairability and claim it would stop innovation. But sometimes big companies just need to be poked a little for small changes that help everyone in the end.

 

[nottorp]

Repairability is always a win, for me as a user and consumer.

But the days when I myself tinkered inside laptops are long gone, I'm too old for that s*** </Lethal Weapon>

This is just malicious compliance on part of Apple.

I don't want to swap the battery myself. I do want to be able to pay a local shop I know and trust to replace the battery in my mbpro with an original part. I want this process to not require Apple's approval. I want Apple to be compelled to sell original parts to anyone.

 

[Plutonius]

When did they start refusing to service 6+ year old devices? That's not my experience at all.

It was a 2017 MacBook Pro and Apple "vintaged" it in 2023.

I'm in New England (USA), have multiple Apple stores nearby, and they all refused to replace the battery. The third party Apple repair places nearby also refused to replace the battery.

After spending hours myself trying to replace the battery, I can see why .

 

[hgfjhbvytjdnb]

It was a 2017 MacBook Pro and Apple "vintaged" it in 2023.

I'm in New England (USA), have multiple Apple stores nearby, and they all refused to replace the battery. The third party Apple repair places nearby also refused to replace the battery.

After spending hours myself trying to replace the battery, I can see why .

I had my 2015 MBP repaired for swollen battery late 2022 (after it already had been replaced once previously under the recall), which had cost quite a bit since Apple never replace the battery itself, they replace the whole top case with battery. So that's 7 years.

 

[woolypants]

It was a 2017 MacBook Pro and Apple "vintaged" it in 2023.

I'm in New England (USA), have multiple Apple stores nearby, and they all refused to replace the battery. The third party Apple repair places nearby also refused to replace the battery.

After spending hours myself trying to replace the battery, I can see why .

I used to run a Mac repair business. My favoured technique was to use fishing line tied to two pencils, and cut the adhesive away in a gentle but strong sawing motion from top to bottom. Then get some spudgers or plastic cards in there as soon as a decent angle is available and start to work away at it that way. But yes, for a computer repair, it's probably one of the most physical.

I have to replace the battery in my MBP 2021 model over the coming days. These have the pull out adhesive that's supposed to make it easier, but I've found in the past that these just snap -- so I may have to be back in with this technique.

 

[Plutonius]

I had my 2015 MBP repaired for swollen battery late 2022 (after it already had been replaced once previously under the recall), which had cost quite a bit since Apple never replace the battery itself, they replace the whole top case with battery. So that's 7 years.

It was probably because it was covered since they earlier replaced the battery. It sounds like they did work on your laptop for free.

In my case, I never had the battery replaced and multiple Apple locations refused to replace the battery since my laptop was vintage. They all suggested that I contact 3rd party places but all of them refused to replace the battery.

 

[Troff]

This is honestly pretty good but not quite perfect. I would hope that as new MacBooks are released this becomes not only standard but also improved. Best would be for a vibrant market of third-party replacements to spring up but that seems like a pipe dream in today's market.

I did replace the battery in my 2015 MacBook Pro at work a couple years ago. Batteries were swollen to the point that the laptop no longer sat flat on a desk. The kit from iFixit was reasonable, with all the picks, prybars, and solvents necessary. The procedure itself was...well, take a gander if you wish:

MacBook Pro 15" Retina Display Mid 2015 Battery Replacement

Use this guide to safely remove the glued-in battery from your MacBook Pro with the help of an iFixit battery replacement kit. The adhesive remover...

www.ifixit.com

74 illustrated steps (and notice that's for installation, the final step is the iFixit standard (now reverse the steps for reassembly). Estimated time is "45 minutes to 2 hours" which...I was a little over 2 hours but it all worked. I did feel like I really owned that machine after that. (Oh, and still use it, those are incredibly nice machines, and I still prefer that model's keyboard.)

When I was shopping for the M1 Air their battery replacement guide was the first thing I turned to -- still absurd, but much more reasonable.