Recalled 2015 15-Inch MacBook Pro Models With Faulty Batteries Banned From Flights in U.S.

[Rookie42]

The few extra minutes per person adds up really damn fast. Think about it right now each person might interact with security TOTAL like 15-30 sec total. 5-10 sec getting your ID check. another 5-10 sec with the person screening your bags and another 5-10 sec at the body scanner. Now on top of other failed screenings you have to add in the MBP checks time adds up way to fast.

Yeah - I agree - it's going to be painful... but my expectation is that this happens kinda off to the side, a bit like when they ask you to do some extra random checks for traces of explosive on your bags or skin etc. Other people in the queue / process should still be able to complete their passage through the system, and there'll be a separate queue of people waiting to reclaim their laptops from the people checking them. Delays for some people? Absolutely. Additional costs / hassle? Yes. Less likelihood of a battery exploding on a plane? Let's hope so.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Sounds like a new protocol in dealing with consumer electronic products that have defective batteries. This is better for everybody. Nothing for Apple to be embarrassed about.

Incredible spin.

 

[cube]

somehow all this sounds fishy, feels like Apple intentionally paid up front with FAA to put out this ban. in order to force their current users and new buyers to buy the latest new releases.

It is more suspicious that it coincides with their new battery replacement prevention measures.

 

[ruslan120]

Hum... My Macbook Pro 15" 2015 had its swollen battery changed in 2017. They charged me (a lot!) because it was out of warranty. Two years after it is swollen again...

That’s absurd. Apple should replace it with a newer model. If they don’t I would (politely) complain and escalate to a manager at the store.

 

[newyorkguy]

Mine was repaired on my own costs beginning of this year because battery was blow up and dangerous. Call for this issue was in June and Apple don´t want refund me the costs. F...Apple.

 

[theorist9]

Not to worry, all future MBP's will be 1.2 mm thick. While this may create some thermal, keyboard, and port issues, it will ensure they all come in at ~<100 mL, and thus meet all TSA requirements.

 

[tivoboy]

I don't live in the US, and so I am not certain exactly how the TSA operate. I believe they are not connected to the airlines, and that they handle security at the airports independently (as well as other things).

In the UK, the security operation is completely independent from the airlines.

The recall for these MBPs is quite specific, and the TSA/FAA rules are for the safety of the general public.

If I were responsible for airport security, I would proceed on this basis:
I already have laptops out of bags, so it should be very simple to identify an apple machine. I separate these machines at security, not at the gate. I check the serial number, and enter it into the apple website at security. The apple website tells me if the machine is affected or not, including if the machine has had the necessary replacement (which I don't care about as long as it's now considered "safe").

This process shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes. It's no more intrusive than the random checks that are imposed upon individuals for all sorts of reasons at this stage in the process of security checks at airports in my experience. And yes, I have flown a great deal around the world, and usually carry various electronic devices.

I understand that TSA and other security staff are unlikely to be very good at distinguishing which model of machine you might have with you, but that's what the web site is for. The biggest risk here is fat-fingering the serial number into the web site.

Maybe, as an additional comfort for the airline, they pop your laptop into a sealed clear plastic bag, shown as checked, and you can't use it until you board the aircraft... a pain in the backside, but better than being on a flight with an exploding laptop.

The crunch comes when you turn up with a machine which is affected, and they say you can't fly with it. Bear in mind the FAA ruling here states you're not allowed it in the luggage hold either... so switched on or switched off... there's going to be very little you can do at this stage other than allow them to destroy it, or take it home and miss your flight.

Well, some airlines are actually the ones that contract with TSA.. of course the agents are trained and in place from the TSA agency (under homeland I believe) but many airlines will put in extra TSA locations and the priority ones for sure independently and PAY something for them.

So, if say an airline like United decided to not allow this laptop, the TSA checkpoints in terminal 3 at SFO would I imagine ALL be given that directive.

Also, "well the laptop is already out" doesn't apply universally here, since many people today use service like TSA PRE which allows one to keep all electronic devices left in the carry-on bags and put it all through the XRAY machine. And leave shoes on as well. So, they won't have the opportunity to VISUALIZE the laptop at security unless they someone see an image in the xray and can someone tel that it is a rMBP (and as I noted above the architecture and exterior are pretty much identical for years 2012=2015)

So, to operationalize this is going to be challenging to say the least.

 

[Timemaster]

Yeah - I agree - it's going to be painful... but my expectation is that this happens kinda off to the side, a bit like when they ask you to do some extra random checks for traces of explosive on your bags or skin etc. Other people in the queue / process should still be able to complete their passage through the system, and there'll be a separate queue of people waiting to reclaim their laptops from the people checking them. Delays for some people? Absolutely. Additional costs / hassle? Yes. Less likelihood of a battery exploding on a plane? Let's hope so.

Again sounds great in theory but remember you now have to add in a few extra minutes for each one of those poeple on top of all the other ones that get pulled which already are slow. So now you are adding in a lot of time for a lot more people not just Macbook pro users. You have to add a lot of extra time for each and every person who has there stuff pulled for any reason.
Basically at scale this one is not going to work in any way shape or form.
[doublepost=1565816979][/doublepost]

Mine was repaired on my own costs beginning of this year because battery was blow up and dangerous. Call for this issue was in June and Apple don´t want refund me the costs. F...Apple.

dont worry there is going to be a class action law suit coming. Apple will be paying out and then some.

 

[Shellbo6901]

I’d just like to know the difference between a swelling battery due to do “heat” and the recall for a battery that is overheating?!
Just took my MacBook in today to be sent off for a replacement and the battery still had 100% life to it before it died last week. I bought mine 9/18/2015 and the only thing wrong with it in 4 years is the battery. I’ve had plenty of laptops last years with only one battery and even my white MacBook lasted 7 years(after replacing the original battery day 2 bc I spilt an entire 8oz glass of water on it and frying it immediately, with no other issues except replacing the cd drive and the plastic casing breaking off). I’ve had 2 iPhones replaced due to battery swelling for free so this is nothing new but it I’m sure with the mass amount of overheated batteries they try their hardest to cover up as many as they can so they only cover the costs for the least amount possible, but seems like they’d at least give a little bit of a discount for swelling if it’s due to overheating. Maybe they should had a temperature gauge on MacBooks and only replace them if it hasn’t even reached a certain temperature. Not sure if they have the alert that iPhones have because mine has always been in under 80 degrees but usually 75-78 VS my iPhone basically never seeing below 95 except 2-4 months a year and at night.

 

[hmdqyg]

It is not that bad for 2015 MBP users. They can replace their old battery for free. Thus, add a few more years to the device’s life

 

[XXPP]

That’s absurd. Apple should replace it with a newer model. If they don’t I would (politely) complain and escalate to a manager at the store.

You probably use the computer all the way under the charger and in a warm room .. My MSI also swelled after a year. I had to pay for the exchange.

 

[ApplesandOranges]

People on this forum really dragged Samsung through the mud over their phone battery issues. Not so much with Apple...

 

[ApplesandOranges]

Ugh how can they tell the difference between the models in the 3rd gen (first introduced in 2012) lineup though, they all look similar. I just had to fix my 2014 model out of pocket due to swollen battery too. It's not the recalled model, but on the outside, looks no different.

I guess it's one of the "benefits" of rarely updating their designs? They all look the same...

Are they going to make people show their "About this Mac" menu at the airport?

 

[wellander1]

Good.
But who will check the battery at the airport.

 

[theorist9]

People on this forum really dragged Samsung through the mud over their phone battery issues. Not so much with Apple...

And I'm sure you'll see the opposite on a Samsung forum.

The only way to move beyond the partisanship is to look at independent data. Every laptop manufacturer has reliability issues. The question is: How do they compare? A good independent source for this is Consumer Reports (CR), which doesn't accept advertising from anyone. Their 2018 Winter Survey covered reports on 36,919 laptops, owned by CR subscribers, who responded to a survey and purchased a new device between 2013 and 2018. Their reliability ratings for laptops are as follows:

Apple: 10
Samsung: 8
Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft: 6
Dell: 5

So yeah, Apple does have problems, but everyone else has more. Now you might say Apple should be more reliable, because they charge more.

You could also argue that, because they charge more, Apple should provide better customer support than anyone else. I can't speak to other manufacturers, but I can say that, from personal experience over the past decade, Apple's customer support for me has been nothing short of outstanding. At least that's my personal anecdotal experience.

Now as far as non-anecdotal data goes:

Here are CR's findings for laptop owner satisfaction, by brand:

Apple: 10
Microsoft: 7
Asus: 6
Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung: 5
Acer: 4

Finally, here are overall owner ratings for tech support (these may come from a different CR survey). These are a composite score combining phone support, online support, and % of problems that were solved, and are for laptops + desktops combined:

Apple: 82
Microsoft: 68
Dell: 56
Lenovo: 54
HP: 53
Asus: 52
Samsung: 51
Acer/Gateway: 50
Toshiba: 50

Particularly telling is the percent reporting their problem was solved:


Apple: 79%
Microsoft: 74%
Dell: 57%
Lenovo: 51%
HP: 50%
Asus: 46%
Toshiba: 46%
Samsung: 42%
Acer/Gateway: 42%

 

[ApplesandOranges]

And I'm sure you'll see the opposite on a Samsung forum.

The only way to move beyond the partisanship is to look at independent data. Every laptop manufacturer has reliability issues. The question is: How do they compare? A good independent source for this is Consumer Reports (CR), which doesn't accept advertising from anyone. Their 2018 Winter Survey covered reports on 36,919 laptops, owned by CR subscribers, who responded to a survey and purchased a new device between 2013 and 2018. Their reliability ratings for laptops are as follows:

Apple: 10
Samsung: 8
Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft: 6
Dell: 5

So yeah, Apple does have problems, but everyone else has more. Now you might say Apple should be more reliable, because they charge more.

You could also argue that, because they charge more, Apple should provide better customer support than anyone else. I can't speak to other manufacturers, but I can say that, from personal experience over the past decade, that Apple's customer support for me has been nothing short of outstanding. That's my personal anecdotal experience. Here are CR's findings for laptop owner satisfaction, by brand:

Apple: 10
Microsoft: 7
Asus: 6
Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung: 5
Acer: 4

Finally, here are overall owner ratings for tech support (these may come from a different CR survey). These are a composite score combining phone support, online support, and % of problems that were solved:

Apple: 82
Microsoft: 68
Dell: 56
Lenovo: 54
HP: 53
Asus: 52
Samsung: 51
Acer/Gateway: 50
Toshiba: 50

Particularly telling is the percent reporting their problem was solved:


Apple: 79%
Microsoft: 74%
Dell: 57%
Lenovo: 51%
HP: 50%
Asus: 46%
Toshiba: 46%
Samsung: 42%
Acer/Gateway: 42%

My issue wasn't really with the cost, it was more about the hypocrisy.

 

[theorist9]

My issue wasn't really with the cost, it was more about the hypocrisy.

My post wasn't focused on addressing the cost, it was focused on addressing the partisan bias (which leads to the hypocrisy you mentioned). And the best way to address partisan bias is with data. Also, you earlier caught my attention by implying you wanted data (something I agree with)....

So basically most of the comments are related to personal experiences and not so much based on data.

So I gave you data.

 

[cap7ainclu7ch]

Yeah I don't understand the whole anyone that likes anything other than Apple needs to say that anyone that buys their product is an idiot. There are plenty of reasons to buy both Apple's products and their competitors products. And there are also reasons not too. Either way it's really shallow if you think you can judge someone based on what electronic tool they buy.

Apple products are generally pretty reliable and supported for longer than most other electronics. Apple was really the pioneer with iOS and its support of much older iPhones. The past two iOS updates have significantly boosted the speed of the devices I've installed it on. They also hold their value really well. And obviously the ecosystem that they have built is just incredible once you learn how to really leverage its benefits.

But obviously they make plenty of mistakes as well. Every big company has had large-scale hardware failures and issues. It's just the name of the game when it comes to pushing the boundaries on products that are made at the scale that these are. Overall Apple seems to play the game pretty well though and their focus on privacy and their recent Mac updates really show that they are taking them seriously again for the first time in awhile. Does this battery thing suck? Yes it does, but its not a note 7 scale issue and this is mostly precautionary.

 

[throAU]

Samsung'd! Good thing they didn't talk smack when the Note 7 had its issue.

To be fair, this is a battery defect that has been resolved, and not due to an inherent, non-fixable design problem in the product, like the galaxy fire.

 

[I7guy]

Incredible spin.

What spin?

 

[fatespawn]

The problem with all of these "Apple" headlines is that the FAA's actions are not aimed at Apple... they were just issuing a reminder to airlines that ALL... ALL recalled batteries are, and have always been prohibited.

Bloomberg simply picked up on the reminder and pasted "APPLE" in the headlines to grab attention.

Nothing new here. The other "newsy" sources like Verge, Endgaget and yes... Macrumors... just parroted the original and hyperbolic headline.

 

[Glockworkorange]

To be fair, this is a battery defect that has been resolved, and not due to an inherent, non-fixable design problem in the product, like the galaxy fire.

To be fair, I was making a joke.

Many of the responses to my post have been all "well, AKSHUALLY..."

It was a joke, people. A joke. No need to "fact check it," or compare the two situations in detail. A. Joke.

 

[tivoboy]

People on this forum really dragged Samsung through the mud over their phone battery issues. Not so much with Apple...

Well, in all honestly samsung really did break it themselves. They were trying to push the current state of battery physics with energy DENSITY and they simply did not do enough testing on it before launching. There were even internal and supplier memos that suggested that the path they were on could lead to battery overheating beyond specs - if not definitively saying CATCH ON FIRE.

It’s odd that the battery issue HERE is related to a small pool of units in a short time frame. Must have been a 2nd tier supplier since the form factor and density didn’t change. So, short of recalling ALL units, they tried to recall affected units and replace batteries. They probably will have to extend that at least to ALL these models (in the mid 2015 range) so people have new batteries AND a note from their dr. That they can carry into Security.

 

[WhatUp?]

When are they going to replace the faulty batteries in the 13 inch 2015 MBPs?

 

[skinned66]

If only they used genuine batteries installed by for everyone's safety. Oh, wait...they did?