The engorged battery photos you see above and in the gallery below were sent to us by a reader named Brian. He claims that he was watching a movie on his 17-inch MacBook Pro (core duo) when it suddenly shut off. This happened twice before, only this time with a notable difference: his battery was fit to burst. As we have all learned,
swelling is typically the final stage
before explosion. We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now due to sketchy claims, but this is about the fourth seemingly valid case we've come across which could be a sign of a worrisome trend. It certainly wouldn't be
the first time that Apple had to
recall batteries. So what's up, anyone else out there experiencing battery bloat on their 17-inch MBP?
[Thanks, Brian M.]
posted Mar 21st 2007 10:06AM
My 17 inch MacBook Pro was starting to just shut off? Just go dead for the past 2 weeks with no warning. It started happening more frequently the past few days. For some reason I turned it over and noticed a bulge on the battery pack. THere was also a plastic like adhesive sticking from side to side.. melted looking. It has always run hot, but not to the point that I worried about it. I had read they run hot.. so I didn't care. I just took my 17 inch MacBook Pro in to a Mac store. They looked at it. Showed it to each other. Said look at that bulge. THen they put a new battery in and I left.
I also have a swollen battery in a 17" Macbook Pro. Similar story to what I read here. About a week ago, my unplugged Macbook just shut off - lost a few open files too. It was pretty much fully charged at the time. I experimented and this repeated twice more. So for the past week I have been running it connected to the mains. Today the battery is puffed up, just like the one shown in picture. I guess it's time to run for cover. Rob
Update to my comment yesterday. I took the battery from my 17" Macbook Pro into an Apple dealer today. Apple knows about the swollen battery problem. Will get a replacement under an Apple warranty extsnsion (my original warranty ran out long ago). Robert
my battery on my 17" mbpro has got the serious hump, it was that bad it forced it's way out the back of the machine, i quite expected it to catch fire, sitting here with high blood pressure waiting for the dealer to open!
MacBook Pro 17" just caught bloated battery syndrome after I can't remember how long (over a year). It exhibited some weird behavior beforehand (shutdown, screen dimming), but I don't know if that was directly related yet. New battery on the way from Apple.
I have same problem. I bought my MacBook Pro 17 one year ago, in Mexico. My battery become in a swollen battery last week. I lost functions on trackpad and combo drive. I put away battery and I recovered functions... for now.
Pictures on: http://homepage.mac.com/penagoscorzo/swollen-battery/
Swollen battery in MacBook Pro 17
I hope Apple can replace my battery, but in Mexico maybe it will be a problem.
My Macbook Pro started exhibiting the same behaviour. I noticed, about 30 days ago the battery would willingly drain to around 20% then cut out. Now it cuts out at around 40%+
I noticed while upgrading the RAM that the battery didn't fit back onto the case as cleanly as it used to, and have just noticed slight bulging, highlighted by an uneven gap between the outer aluminium piece and the plastic rim. It is significant enough to cause it to not rest evenly when installed.
Here are some photos:
http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/2946/batt1aj4.jpg
http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/6378/batt2sr6.jpg
Model Information:
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0202
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2735
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 2862
Health Information:
Cycle count: 302
Condition: Good
iStat Health: 45% (a few days ago it was 67%, a month ago 80%)
I purchased the laptop in October/November 2006 with full Applecare, so we'll see what they have to say.
Same symptoms as all the previous posters. My MBP 17" got preggers today. It gave birth to a pain in the butt.
Luckily, a local Apple Store switched it out for me with no charge in less than 20 minutes. No appointment necessary. Call around---each Apple Store has different policies and levels of snobbiness.
No warranty coverage is necessary. Apparently, it's not a factor with this particular issue.
I suspect my new battery is a refurb battery. Not that that matters.
I just had this problem: took my macbook pro out of a carrying case and noticed the swollen battery. for a couple of weeks the machine had been shutting down under battery power at around 60%. my trackpad had been clicking with difficulty. I'll call applecare tomorrow morning. took the battery out and placed it outdoors because it contains mercury. the gas is lethal. this could be a really dangerous problem.
I may as well add my name to the mix! My 17'' MacBook Pro began shutting down spontaneously a couple days ago and, last night, I noticed the battery beginning to swell.
Happened to mine 3 or 4 months ago. Took it into a Apple authorized service center and they gave me a new battery. Couple of weeks http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/acer/btp-60a1.htm
later the flimsy wire connecting to my power brick burnt out for no appreciable reason ... they replaced the power brick too.
What do we want? Flawless hardware ... but given that that is always going to be hard to control, I am happy to make do with flawless service.
It started on mine a week ago.
Just noticed mine doing the same thing. Randomly shutting off, not holding a charge, before getting to 100% the light on the adapter would alternate between amber and green, getting stuck at about 90% charge.
I'm also going through some other problems with my macbook pro (gets really, really hot, won't sleep, etc.) and the parts are in for that at my local apple store, but I have to find a time that I can part with my computer for 3 days.
Now I also need to get a new battery. Fun.
This just happened to my MacBook Pro 17 inch — I have treated this laptop like gold since I got it! I have it elevated on a laptop holder with lots of airflow underneath and always use power save modes when I wasn't working. I went to pack it up last night for a business trip and realized that it was swelling out the bottom— the battery was nearly a half inch thicker!!! What would have happened if I didn't catch this right away? Could my laptop have exploded? Scary stuff...
Just had it happen to me. Couldn't figure out what was happening. I was getting phantom mouse clicks, just laying my palms below the keyboard to start typing. The swelling was subtle, and entirely upward, so that the battery was pressing into the bottom of the trackpad. They guy at he Apple store told me the battery was over a year old, and so they would not replace for free.
I have the same problem with a 17" MacBook Pro. Apple however is refusing to replace the battery.
That bites! I'd throw a fit!
I had the NVIDEA 8600 CT problem and had to take my 17" Macbook Pro in for a new logic board. Two days after that the new logic board failed and I had to take it in for the same repair again.
Now a week after having it back my trackpad started not clicking properly. I did some research and found the swollen battery problem, removed the batter and sure enough now the trackpad is working.
At fist the bottom casing on the battery was barely separated but after sitting out of the machine for a couple of days (while I wait for Apple to send the free replacement) the swelling has become much more pronounced.
My verdict on the 17" Macbook Pro == Lemon.
The only upside is that even though I am 6 months out of warranty and did not purchase the AppleCare extended warranty Apple have made all of these repairs for free. Further indication that they know they have a big problem with some of these machines.
I have a two year old 17" MBPro. I'm on my second battery and have just discovered that it is swollen as well. Apple is replacing it for free.
I had this battery problem with my 17 inch macbook pro the day after boxing day.
I purchased my macbook pro in June 2006 so even with apples battery update extended 2 year warranty program, it was still out of warranty by a full 6 months.
I called there tech support, and got through to their level 1 support, these couldnt help me at all and just passed me over to a higher level support.
Their higher support refused to help too so I asked if I could speak to someone who could help, they then put me through to customer relations and what a difference, these couldnt be more helpful if they tried.
I explained my problem with my battery and emailed them pictures of how badly swollen it was whilst I was on the phone to them.
I actually received a new replacement battery in under 24hrs from talking to customer relations.
I am very grateful for their service and support even tho my battery was out of warranty.
Mike
I had the same thing happen to my macbook pro.I took it in to a repair shop because the track pad did not work.The guy did not really work on mac's but gave me a guy that did but he was closed for the day. So the next morning I was getting ready to pack it up and notice it was not sitting right on my desk I took it out the batter had come apart. I took it into the repair shop took the batter out turned on the computer and the track pad was working again. The batter is right under the track pad so it was putting pressure on it when it expanded. Apple care was up but the still replaced the batter for free.
I've just encountered this problem with my two-year-old 17-inch Macbook. The first sign was the mouse button becoming a little unresponsive, followed by a squeaking noise underneath the laptop. I turned the Macbook over and – hey presto – the battery was bulging.
I called AppleCare, and while they didn't offer me a free replacement (they argued that the battery wasn't defective because it wasn't leaking and I was out of warranty anyway), they did at least give me a discount voucher worth £21.
And it's good to confirm that even though I bought the machine in Australia, they were happy to service me here in the UK.
Still, it's obvious the problem is a design fault of the battery instead than simple wear and tear. Batteries losing their charge over time is one thing and, perhaps, perfectly acceptable, but to see batteries swell to dangerous sizes is something else.
Same problems with my wife's 17" macbook pro, battery has expanded nearly 1".
Macintosh phone support guy had me on hold on and off for over 45 minutes, talking to his "administrator".
He said they couldn't replace the battery. When I said this is a design flaw and potentially dangerous, he transferred
me to his supervisor. Supervisor tells me the expanding battery is not a problem or flaw but is "normal" for a
rechargeable battery when near the end of it's life cycle. I said that was BS and asked why other models were recalled
with the same problem. He said it was due to premature failure. I said there should be a class action suit. He asked
if I was threatening legal action and I said yes. He said he couldn't talk to me anymore and referred me to the legal department.
I asked for the number and he said my attorney could find the number and then hung up on me.
The computer is always plugged in and is only 2 years old. Now I'm out $150 because of Apple's design flaw.
Hi Kevin,
I recently learned some interesting details about batteries from the Mac Store.
Batteries should not be overcharged. Meaning that once the battery is fully depleted you should recharge it, but that as soon as it has charged up you should unplug it. Failing to do this, you risk damage to the life of the battery.
Also the store recommended that if you feel the need to leave your computer charging, you should remove the battery from the computer.
Don't know if this has anything to do with exploding batteries, but it is something that everyone should know about.
Just had my battery replaced on my 2 year old Macbook Pro 17" due to a bulging battery. They wouldn't let me take it out of the Apple store, but recently my computer had been randomly shutting off when on Battery Power while there was still about 80% juice remaining.
Luckily, I do have Apple Care so after about 20 minutes in the Apple store, they just threw in a new battery and I was on my way. They said they have no idea why they bulge like that, but it does happen sometimes.
Look at this, same cases in Italy: http://www.macitynet.it/forum/showthread.php?t=56112&page=2&highlight=macbook+pro
MBPro 2Y old, battery warped just 2 weeks ago.
It just happened. I heard a pop and the computer jumped up. I turned it over to see that the battery had opened up and was warped. Like the others on your photo site, you can see the bag inside. I was glad that I was at home and using the computer when this happened. What if it exploded and burn my house down.
Does anyone know if apple is dealing with this problem?
Me too! First Generation MacBook Pro 17" Core 2 Duo purchased Nov 2006. Always used at home. ALWAYS PLUGGED IN, and rarely use without mains power. NEVER leaves the house. On Sunday March 8th 2009, my wife reported the mouse button not responding. A quick investigation revealed the swollen battery. I paid for Apple-no-Care protection until Nov 2009 when originally purchased. Called Apple-no-Care support on Monday. Same thing another poster above reported: Indian chap said that there was only 1 year warranty on the battery, and put me on hold to "talk to his supervisor". After about 10 minutes be came back to inform me that they will replace the battery for free, however that I needed to courier back the dead one or they would charge me £70. Currently awaiting a new battery.
My comments in response to a post above: there should be nothing wrong with leaving the laptop plugged in; the laptop battery management hardware and software should STOP charging the battery once it is full.
Chris
My battery for the 17" MBP recently swelled up. Not to the extent of the photo, but you can tell that it's slightly deformed. I'm going to the Apple store tomorrow. They better replace it!
This just happened to my 17" MBP. Maybe a little worse than the picture here. Took it to the apple store and they said they could probably swap it out for me but I needed to make an appointment for another day. So I went home and called Apple Care. Out of warranty, nothing they can do. The CSR said I should be in "no immediate danger" So that's good anyway. Guess I'll give the apple store another try... and I hate going to the apple store..
Check out this: http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/ Reference that if they try to refuse to replace it. Should have no problem getting it replaced.
So I have been working on my macbook pro 17" for some time with little to no issues. Recently my computer was working fine then all of a sudden in the middle of a project it just shut off. So i turned it back on. then about 5 minutes later same thing. So i left it off for a while. The next time i used the computer I tried to use the super drive and NOTHING. it would accept and eject discs but would not play anything. Not a movie, music cd, not even blank media. I just figured since I use it all the time it just died. I ordered a new one and installed it with zero issues. Might be an isolated random incident. HOWEVER HOWEVER HOWEVER.... I am finishing up some real late night work (currently 3am) before leaving to go away for the weekend to work and I open my bag to check my battery as I have 2. And just like that I said WTF it exploded. I have luckily 2 batteries. The one in my computer I have been using since my new drive install and there have been ZERO issues. Of course on Apples website there is NO mention that I could find about this battery explosion. So does anyone have an idea of what to do about this? Can I go to an Apple store and ask them for another battery. lol. YEAH, I was thinking it was worth a try. I have purchased 3 systems in the past 3 years all for different apps so hopefully they would be nice to me.
anyone have 2 or 3 cents to include. I am going to take some photos of my battery because the photos on here that are posted are no where near as insane as my battery. this thing is blown out from both sides.
I have the same problem with MBP 17 purchased on feb 2007. But the battery problem has appeared right now on june 2009. Apple does not want to replace my swollen battery anyway!! I'ts a shame!
I just found this post when I googled for "mac battery swelling". My 17" MacBook Pro is about ~ 2 years old. I noticed that my trackpad button was not working right, then that my case was warped. I looked underneath and saw the battery bulging just like in your published picture. Upon taking the battery out, the case is no longer warped and the trackpad button is nor working correctly again. Guess I'll be contacting Apple support.
Jim
same here. 2 batteries bought the same time. 2 years old. both swelled up so badly that one of them broke the contact pins.
My 2 and a half year old MBP17" battery swelled just like the picture this weekend. And Apple Care doesn't recognize it as a defect. They pretend that I go to the closest Apple service so they can inspect it.
But it is obvious that this battery is faulty and I expect to have a battery replacement delivered to my office. Have those of you with faulty batteries had to go to the closest store? or have you had your batteries sent to your place?
Regards.
I have the same problem, battery swollen, running hot, shutting off, and now dead. My MBP is 2 years old, out of warranty. Apple certified technician claims the logic board is fried and that I should take it up with Apple, that they should replace this since their battery is faulty, causing computer to run extremely hot, hence the logic board fried. Anyone else have this issue and any luck with the apple dealers replacing the logic board AND battery?
Same story here... We all have company MBP 17".. All purchased at the same time & after 2 years, within 1 week of one another.. Both mine & my colleague's did exactly the same thing.
Turning off if the mains wasn't connected, even with full charge- Not recovering work. Then after about a week of that, it exploded.
It did it to one of the other chicks we work with only last night as well!
"We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now"
I bet that if it wasn't Apple you would have been screaming the news with the first episode. Look what you did with the Sony battery issue. With Apple, it is swept under the rug.
I have a 17" MBP and I started having the same problem last week but didn't see a bulge until Monday morning. I called Apple and they are sending me a new battery. It was very little hassle so I can say that Apple is handling it well but it does appear that the 17" batteries are definatley having troubles as well.
Oh come on, you can hardly compare a few scattered reports of MacBook Pro batteries to the recall of what was it.. 7 million Sony batteries?
I noticed same swelling battery problem and sudden power shut off problem with a battery power showing above 70% remaining in my 17" macbook pro. Thanks for bring this issue up. I am going to contact apple and see if they would replace the battery for free.
I discovered my battery bulged out like that today! My laptop was fine yesterday, and today the battery was completely bulging out like the pics above. I called Apple and they were very good with customer service and are replacing the battery. Excellent customer service. no complaints whatsoever.
And my date finally come.
My trackpad quit working, so I did some research online and found the answer to my problem to be my swollen battery.
This has actually happened to my MBP 15" twice before - I wound up having the same conditions (shut off, swollen battery, no charge) and the apple store wound up replacing it each time, but not before asking me if I had done something peculiar to it in the first place.
"Uh... no, but then again, you guys think that it's reasonable to create a laptop that can fry an egg while it's burning a cd..."
This happened to my 15" MBP as well, but it was one of the batteries that was involved in a recall.
i just posted my recent macbook experiences (fraying magcord, battery, hothothot, no sleep...) with a lovely swollen battery pict www.coconutgirlwireless.wordpress.com) but i forgot to mention in my spiel -which maybe i'll update- about the snotty Genius Bar gal who, when i mentioned my battery experience to her (because I was comparing it to a needed recall of the power adapter) she said, "our batteries have never exploded." when i showed her the picture she declined to comment further.
In the past several weeks I've noticed odd behavior of my battery/system. It'll be 90% charge, then within a half hour almost dead--with only mail open and the computer in sleep mode. I'll put the computer to sleep, have a 80%-90% charge let it sit for an hour or two and the battery is almost dead. The fans are still on after an hour or two after being put into sleep mode and the computer is not hot to touch. It is also running very hot at times. The fans have been running more than normal also. I've already had to replace the power cord (after 9 months???) and am thinking that I might want to just replace the battery--just in case...
for gods sake, stop getting batteries from sony apple lol
Exactly the same thing happened with my MBP 17" two weeks ago. I took it back to the Regent Street, London, store without an appointment and was seen by a genius immediately when I told them the battery was about to explode. They swapped it over and no probs so far ....
The batteries are trying to reproduce. I, for one, welcome our bloated lithium overlords.
My MBP 17" had the same issue last month. I walked into the local Apple Store and came out in 5 minutes with a new battery installed.
Same thing here. I took my 17" battery to the Aplle store 4 months ago and they gave me a fresh one off of the floor. I walked out in a matter of minutes. No hassle.
Supposedly these are the safer higher end Li-Poly batteries. Well, at least they aren't causing explosions. So, i guess they are safer as long as apple takes it back I'm fine with that. But, jeez if these are Sony batteries again, they have a major problem with contamination of these cells.
I've got the same thing but its buckeled the bottom case of my MBP 17"
Going to ring apple and give them hell but need to get all my data backed up first.
My battery did exactly the same a few weeks ago: http://www.11tmr.com/11tmr.nsf/d6plinks/MWHE-6YTBYA
Just got mine swapped at an Apple store yesterday. The tech didn't seem surprised to me.
I actually just sent in my 17'' MBP battery 2 weeks ago for the same reason.
I had the same problem. Took out the battery, went to my local Apple service provider and got a new one free of charge.
"We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now"
and you say that the swelling is the "final stage" before exploding? Wow, aren't we the shining example of responsible news reporting, especially when it comes to issues that may actually save an eye, if not a life. And I agree with TorontoGuy above on the Dell laptops that caught on fire due to defective Sony batteries: you didn't show much hesitation in posting those stories, nor did you refrain from blasting Dell for putting defective, hazardous products onto the market, before you found out that the issue involved Sony more than Dell. When Apple's Macbooks starting doing the same thing (due to Sony batteries), the problem was no longer laughable, and Apple got your sympathetic condolences.
Once again, Engadget fails.......
Ok, I do have to agree with you here because of the safety issues involved. (But if it's just to bicker, which is what is seemed like TorontoGuy was doing, then you're just inciting everyone for no reason.)
I've had about a 10%+ failure rate out of a quantity of 475 MB Pro 15" laptops. Symptoms...the batteries do not work or they expand as in the picture above. They are the 1.83 CoreDuo variety. All I do is swap out batteries!
My 17" MAcBook Pro Battery is swollen to, Apple has send me a new battery.
I found it really funny that I went to the Apple Store last night and with this exact problem with my MBP 17 and my name is Brian. If you are having this problem, Apple will replace the battery at no charge.
Ooooh yes
SAME problem here !
I have had this happen to me three times with my MacBook Pro. Every time Apple fixes it and gave me a $50 gift card, but I still press them for a refund because it keeps happening.
My 17"MBP had the same thing happen about a month ago. Apple replaced the battery with no questions asked.
Same thing happened to be in December. Apple had a new battery to me by the next business day.
I work at a school and have seen this twice now. That may seem like a small thing out of an entire school, but I only know of three other mbp users in the entire school.
I've experienced the same thing with my 17" MBP CD. The battery was acting extremely inconsistant, dying after an hour (or less) of use and giving rediculous amounts of time left in the menu battery meter (+1000mins). It eventually just stopped holding any charge. I brought it to my local apple repair centre, luckily we have one on my university campus, and they got me a new one within a few days. Mine was no where near as bad as the above pictures, he must have been pretty close to the exploding point!
Here's some pics of mine:
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/5325/img3881dy8.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/9897/img3880qi0.jpg
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/6662/img3885ud7.jpg
It seems like Apple well aware of the issue, and replacing batteries for free. They are trying to avoid a mass recall notice and bad publicity. And that's GOOD SERVICE. Hahaha!
I have just exchanged my battery... it began to swell and I had the sudden shutdowns when working on the battery power. A friend of me (also 17" Core Duo) has the exact same problems...
Apple didn't know about the problem yet, but off course I could send in my battery and get a new one...
The battery was not about to explode, but it would wiggle when on a flat surface ;-)
"My battery did the same thing" Then call apple and have them replace it you dumb shit!! Engadget wouldn't sweep anything under the rug, in regards to Apple. They are the biggest MS fanboys ever. The proof is in their target audience. Come on guys come out of the closet. You're doin' Gates in the pooter..
My 15" Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro did this at the beginning of February . . . got it replaced at an apple store. In short, I think the problem hasn't been fixed yet.
TorontoGuy and BooBoo,
I have updated the text to more accurately reflect our position. The fact is, the first accounts came in without much supporting data. This is exactly the same approach we took with the Sony batteries -- we did not publish after the very first reported incident for fear of inciting a non-issue, which BTW, turned out to affect Apple and most other vendors as well. Previous Apple recalls (and that related to Sony) are back-linked within the article above. Perhaps you missed this post as well:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/12/macbook-catches-fire-down-under/
Thomas
My friend's 1st generation macbookPro did the same thing at a conference. He left it in his backpack(sleep mode) and noticed the backpack was smoking. When he checked, the battery expanded so much that it bent to casing. Apple sent him a new macbookPro.
I've seen people use a swollen battery for months without any kind of explosion occurring. One customer's was so swollen (she had been letting the battery swell for over 8 months) that her computer would no longer sit even remotely flat on a table but was shifting and tilting all balanced on the swollen battery. From tests I've run on these batteries (including dissecting one) I have no reason to believe that they have even the remotest chance of exploding but if the battery is allowed to swell, it can cause damage to the top case and (in very rare circumstances that involve use of a severely swollen battery) some damage to the bottom case. I've only seen one 17-inch Macbook Pro with a swollen battery, however, so this is news to me. I used to work as a Mac Genius at an Apple Store.
I just had this happen yesterday. I went to my local Apple store in Austin and the 5 pretentious black-clad sales guys pointed me toward a bank of laptops and told me to make an appointment. I held up my may-explode-any-moment battery and told them all I needed was a new battery, and they insisted that only an Apple Genius, by appointment only, on another day, could help me.
When I got home, I called Apple, and by the end of my 45-minute phone call, they told me I would have a battery in 5-7 business days, at which point I could mail back my warped battery.
It was an incredibly disappointing day of substandard customer service, and I still have no working battery and a potential explodey situation.
I took my notebook in to an apple shop (Genius). They diagnosed the problem immediately as a battery problem. They ordered a replacement and told me to wait a week. A week went buy and no replacement. I called again every other day for another week. The battery continued to bulg and when I called them and told them that my battery looked like it was ready to explode they immediately told me to come in. I went to the same store and when I revelead my laptop, they quickly saw the battery, removed it, hid it quickly, went into the backroom and produced a brand new battery. I am still loyal to apple because they replaced the battery eventually and their genius service is unmatched by any other laptop maker. Would I buy apple again_ the answer is - YES, as long as they replace defective parts like what I had. Please see the attached photos.
Hmm...from the posts, perhaps we are better off asking if anyone with a 17" MBP has NOT has this problem.
I just sent my 17" MBPro battery back to Apple looking like this > http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftovers/429471678/. From the first time I called them on it until they managed to sort out courier issues, it took about 2 weeks to expand from a small bulge to this.
I thought this was old news. My Macbook Pro 17" battery swelled and died in the exact same manner. The Apple store replaced my battery with no questions asked free of charge about two months ago. No problems since.
Same thing happened to me, I thought the battery had just died. A few days later my trackpad was stuck in the clicked position. When I turned it over, the battery was huge. Just got my new one yesterday, no hassles, works great.
"We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now due to sketchy claims, but this is about the fourth seemingly valid case we've come across which could be a sign of a worrisome trend."
I'm not sure what their deciding factor for a "sketchy claim" is, but it would seem to me that if you provide pictures with your reports/claims it is more likely to be believed.
so to all of you who have commented on this saying that you have an issue, would it be possible for you all to take pictures of your batteries? I'm thinking the more "conclusive" evidence you all provide the less "sketchy" this issue will be.
A MBP I only knew for one night began to bulge last year. Soon it was coming out of deep sleep at all hours demanding tech support and bon bons.
It now has two Nanosand an iPhone in tow. None of them even look like me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandonshigeta/390743062/in/set-72157594410311876/
Apple replaced my battery three weeks ago for this exact problem. The Laptop is a 17" Revision A Macbook Pro purchased on the day it was released.
I had this problem also! The thing was pushing my mouse out so far, I could not click. A new one had to be bought.
The very same thing just happened to me! I had noticed over a couple of days that the trackpad
had started behaving strangely, It was "Marquee drawing" around Items I had not selected, then It just froze completely, even the wireless mouse stopped working, I used my other Mac In screen share mode & then regained control, within around ten minutes I noticed that the unit was smoking, I picked It up to examine It which was a BIG mistake as I managed to burn my right hand with what I assume was some kind of acid? Having now carried out some quite extensive
research on this matter I count myself very lucky Indeed that the unit did not explode, my unit now needs a new battery & the Apple Tech guy that examined It Informs me that the whole top plate now needs replacing. It would appear that this problem Is very widespread although I have no doubt whatsoever that Apple will come to the wicket on this one as they have always provided
me with the best of service In the past
i had the same exact problem with mine, and even after i had removed the battery from my 17" MBP it kept swelling. By the time I got the box from apple to ship it back to them, it had split the entire casing open and the metallic bag inside looked like it was about to burst.
Apple was great about it though, they sent me a new battery right away.
I have a rev A 17" macbook pro. after reading this article. I detatched the battery to inspect it. the battery life has not been that great, but not erratic that I have noticed. when I inspected the battery i saw that there was some brown discoloration on the bottom centre as if from overheating. is this a sign that the battery is faulty and will start to bulge?
I barely use the laptop as I got Mac Pro and have been using that instead, so it has not gotten a daily workout that would test it's mettle so to speak.
This happened to my Macbook regular. It swelled so much that I couldn't click my keyboard. Sent it in for repairs and they replaced the top pannel along with the battery. But they only said they changed the top panel on the statement... odd?
It seems like a fair percentage of users are getting rapid replacements at Apple stores. This is yet another good reason for computer companies to have a brick and mortar store.
I didn't realize that this was a common occurence...my 15" MBP had a similar problem but all i did was take it to the nearest Apple store and they replaced it on the spot.
Yea, I had this happen a few months ago, I took it to my apple store and they replaced it.
Happened to us as well on one of our 17" MBP. I have some pictures up in Flickr: Apple swapped it in less than 24 hours!
Yep. Happened to mine 3 or 4 months ago. Took it into a Apple authorized service center and they gave me a new battery. Couple of weeks later the flimsy wire connecting to my power brick burnt out for no appreciable reason ... they replaced the power brick too.
What do we want? Flawless hardware ... but given that that is always going to be hard to control, I am happy to make do with flawless service.
Yep. I just got my replacement today. I couldn't use my trackpad because of pressure from the battery underneath it.
Mine just got prego today. Hope it's a boy! Yeah, the Apple store people in the Loop sound like real douches. Appointment to say, here's my battery, thanks for the freshy. Glad your crap didn't fuck up my info. What's the problem people? Can't handle an impromptu customer service issue that is obviously well known. Why didn't Apple contact their customers for a recall?? They have multiple ways to contact me. Why don't they get proactive and solve issue before they happen.--Not to mention when things don't work like they are supposed to in the first place. (diff. issue entirely, I know.) This is really unacceptable. I like some Apple products, but as always, caveat emptor!