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Start-up issue with brand new 2019 MacBook Pro 16

Spotondrums

Spotondrums

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 15, 2020
17
2
London
Hi Guys, Newbie poster here with a bit of a horror story to share.

I just bought two brand new 2019 16 inch MacBook Pro's directly from the Apple store in Kingston, UK and both of them would not power up for installation.

Took the first one back to the store yesterday and they immediately gave me a replacement which has now the same issue. Just got off the phone with Apple support who could not diagnose the problem and told me that I have to return to the shop and return the computer. This will now be my third visit. Have to admit I'm not well pleased but I'm trying to stay calm.

Has anyone else had or heard of a similar issue with brand new 2019 models?
 
Last edited:
If the battery has been depleted it will take some time on charger before the system will boot up. During that time the system may appear as dead.
 
matram said:
If the battery has been depleted it will take some time on charger before the system will boot up. During that time the system may appear as dead.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Matram....

Spoke to a Mac Genius friend of mine last night who said that the MacBook 's generally come with a 80/90% charge new. Regardless, I did charge both computers overnight so two depleted batteries doesn't appear to be the issue.... :(
 
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How odd .... I've had 2 from the refurb store and both powered on from unboxing just by lifting the lid.

I know it does feel like you have to press the power button for an age before it decides to boot up from off
 
I know right. Really doesn't say much for Apple quality control. I'll let you guys know how I get o at the Apple Store tomorrow.... :(
 
Dumb question here.. have you tried to hold the power button down for like 30 seconds to see if it will power on? It is unlikely that you got 3 bad systems in a row. Mine (still) powers-up when I lift the lid. I did have my own dumb moment, when the battery wasn't charging. I thought there was a problem, but then realized that I had not plugged the USB C cable in all the way (it clicks slightly), and the Mac makes the same plug-in noise as my iPhone/iPad when it is connected to power correctly. Do you hear that noise when you plug it in? Good luck.
 
Yup. Tried holding for loner than 30 seconds. Yup my USB C cable clicks when iserted.

Nothing. :(
 
Spotondrums said:
Yup. Tried holding for loner than 30 seconds. Yup my USB C cable clicks when iserted.

Nothing. :(
Click to expand...

Do you hear the chirp, when you plug it in? Which USB C Port are you plugging into? Have you tried all 4? It seems very unlikely to get 3 bricked Macs in a row, particularly from an Apple store o_O
 
id ask them to open the next one at the apple store to make sure it works before you leave.
I take it they did some basic troubleshooting at the apple store before handing over a replacement? It may be a bad batch of macbooks, thats the only thing I can think of. That or you are just extremely unlucky :(
 
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Spotondrums said:
No 'chirp' but a 'click yes. Tried all four USB C sockets on both MBP's
Click to expand...

Crud :-(. Is there anyway for you to try a different power adapter? If you don't hear the chirp, it means that the USB power adapter is not connected, so once the battery goes flat, your Mac won't boot. So if the internal battery is flat, and you got a bum power adapter, you would see the behavior you are describing.
 
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Hi Guys, just back from the Apple Store with an update! I almost blew a gasket right off the bat when one of the 'Geniuses' told that I wouldn't be a able to see someone without an appointment! I calmly explained that I wanted to see someone immediately as I had just made three trips to the Apple Store over 96 hours to purchase and return two broken MBP 16's ! :mad:

After about 10 minutes I was seen by a member of staff whom I explained my issues. She opened up the MBP and tried to start her up using the charger out of the box and got absolutely Nada,...Dead as a Door Nail. Exactly the same results as I had with two computers at home. I was then offered a third band new MBP (16.0 SL/2.6G 6C/16GB/5300M/512GB) but politely declined and instead asked for a full refund stating that my faith in Apple's Quality Control has been tested and that I'd rather look at my options.

So here I am without a computer and seriously considering what my next move is. Should I look at a Dell XPS 15, a Microsoft Surface Book 2 or roll the dice on a third time MBP 16? 😥
 
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Howdy Spotondrums,

Could you work with Windows, or are you dependent upon macOS specific apps/technologies? The Microsoft Surface devices are very nice, real close the same quality as expected with Apple products. Some folks would say it is just as good. I've used two different Surface Pros (tablets), and liked them.

Rich S.
 
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Thanks Rich. Going to give them a try. The computer is actually for my daughter who is off to University and will be using it for Graphic design, video editing etc.... :)
 
Thanks again to everyone who commented on my thread with advice.

Well after returning both the MBP's and thinking about my options I decided to pull the trigger on a customer ordered MBP 16 w/ upgraded AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (8GB of GDDR6 memory). Hopefully i'll be third time lucky! I'll let you know how I get on.... :)
 
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Spotondrums said:
Thanks again to everyone who commented on my thread with advice.

Well after returning both the MBP's and thinking about my options I decided to pull the trigger on a customer ordered MBP 16 w/ upgraded AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (8GB of GDDR6 memory). Hopefully i'll be third time lucky! I'll let you know how I get on.... :)
Click to expand...

Did you purchase from the Apple Refurb store? I bought my 16" i9 2.3/64GB/2TB/8GB 5500 from the refurb store and saved £750 so I hope you did ;)
 
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Hi,
You've had really bad luck... but on another note are you buying from the Education Store? I ask as its for your daughter going off to school. I always did Education Store Discount for booth mine who are teachers now. They still use Education Store for all Apple laptops, etc. The software bundle was a HUGE deal when chosen with Laptop.

Hope you get a good one I love my 2.4 I9/32gbs ram/8gbvideo/2tb ssd/space grey...
bought back in January and no problems here :)
 
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MrGimper said:
Did you purchase from the Apple Refurb store? I bought my 16" i9 2.3/64GB/2TB/8GB 5500 from the refurb store and saved £750 so I hope you did ;)
Click to expand...

No I didn't as the only one available on the Refurb site with AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory was £ 879.20 more than what I paid for a new one, albeit a lower spec Processor and smaller hard drive...
 
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