{"id":6825,"date":"2015-11-03T08:39:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T15:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/?p=6825"},"modified":"2021-08-26T18:28:27","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T01:28:27","slug":"oh-bother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/2015\/11\/03\/oh-bother\/","title":{"rendered":"Oh Bother!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>The evil \u201cService Battery<\/strong>\u201d is back all the time now. I\u2019m going to have to get the machine in for a battery replacement. It\u2019s not that big a deal, it\u2019s just a matter of time and how long can I be without the computer.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve decided that I want Apple to handle it rather than doing it myself, in part because Apple will warranty the battery and in part because all the online battery suppliers I\u2019ve spoken with, want me to remove the battery to read them the model number.<\/p>\n

Apple started building many of their laptops with non-removable batteries after 2009.<\/p>\n

The fact that this machine is a 2012 MacBook Air, and the MacBook Air was never<\/u> manufactured with a removable battery gives me great concern when chatting with a battery supplier who doesn\u2019t know this.<\/p>\n

This is especially true when I\u2019m asking them about a battery from their website where I\u2019ve copied their part number into the little chat dialog, and am asking a specific question like:<\/p>\n

\u201cYour site says this battery will work in all MacBook airs but then specifically says this product is for a 2014 MacBook Air. Is the product compatible with a 2012 MacBook Air?”<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease remove the battery from your computer and read me the model number. If your machine in plugged in you can remove the battery and not have the computer turn off<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

\u201cUh you understand this is a MacBook AIR right?”<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, simply remove the battery and we can get started.<\/em>“<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, you understand this is a MacBook Air, correct?”<\/p>\n

\u201cYes<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, we\u2019re done!”<\/p>\n

<\/a>For those unfamiliar with the MacBook Air construction. Just to get the bottom panel off requires removal of 10 screws. These particular screws are something called Pentalobe. While I have a Torx screwdriver set, I haven\u2019t had a need to purchase a Pentalobe set. The screwhead looks like the image to the right, obviously not the run of the mill \u201cComputer Tool Kit\u201d from The Dollar store.<\/p>\n

How can I trust anything that the representative of a battery manufacturer tells me, if they don\u2019t know the most basic<\/em><\/strong> of facts about the product that they\u2019re selling me a replacement battery for? I am after all accessing their consumer website, not their commercial supply site.<\/p>\n

<\/a>The cost to have Apple replace the battery is about $120. Purchasing a replacement on my own is $99, and there\u2019s no warranty.<\/p>\n

The difference is insignificant by the time I pay shipping, taxes, buy the proper screwdriver, and then splay my machine across my kitchen counter.<\/p>\n

When I get round to needing a Terabyte drive in my machine, everything changes. (I want a TB drive now, but I don\u2019t need<\/strong> a TB drive.) On that day, I\u2019ll buy the proper tools to get into my beloved MacBook and while I\u2019m in there I\u2019ll look at any other upgrades that I might be able to install.<\/p>\n

Based on pictures of the main logic board, I doubt there\u2019s much I can do other than upgrade the hard drive, but it\u2019s always worth a look.<\/p>\n

I tend to buy maxed out machines right from the get-go so there\u2019s little to add. When I bought this machine, I got the max memory and biggest hard drive available. The only reason that a TB drive is an option now, is because technology has made TB solid state drives available and reasonably affordable.<\/p>\n

As an aside, it looks like Apple may be able to replace the battery while I wait. That is IF they have any in stock, so I guess it\u2019s in my best interest to schedule my visit to Apple in advance.<\/p>\n

I wonder if I\u2019ll be able to get in and out of an Apple store without making additional purchases?<\/p>\n

Hmm, self control? Me?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The evil \u201cService Battery\u201d is back all the time now. I\u2019m going to have to get the machine in for a battery replacement. It\u2019s not that big a deal, it\u2019s just a matter of time and how long can I be without the computer. I\u2019ve decided that I want Apple to handle it rather than … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Oh Bother!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,9],"tags":[174],"class_list":["post-6825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-modern-problems","category-technology","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6825"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10168,"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6825\/revisions\/10168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}