Here's the thing: that horrifically swollen, completely destroyed battery you're peering at above isn't as
rare a sight as it should be. If you'll
recall, we've
personally covered at least
four MacBook Pro battery
explosions, and we've also seen a similar amount of
volatility over on the PC side. The story behind this one is as follows: a 17-inch (non-unibody) MBP owner was using his machine on a desk (thankfully), when suddenly an odd noise began to increase in volume; following that, the entire machine "jumped up" slightly and turned off, and this battery is to blame. Oh, and if this all-too-commonplace occurrence happens to you next, let's hope you aren't actually using your laptop on your, um,
lap.
posted Nov 11th 2009 12:23PM
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Lol. Just... lol.
I agree w. u hahahahaha
--
01110111011101110111011100101110011100000111001001101001011101000110100100101101011001100110100101101110011001010010110101100001011100100111010000101110011000100110110001101111011001110111001101110000011011110111010000101110011000110110111101101101 = the best thing ever
"Bateria do MacBook Pro Explode!"
I got nothin', man. That's unbeatable.
I'm not defending apple or anything because no battery should do this but.. in most cases this happens because of user naïveté, not replacing old batteries or never cycling the battery etc..
oh Sony... lol
@rube
Why would you even mention defending Apple... they didn't make the battery.
The most annoying part about these MacBook Pro batteries is that, when you take them to the Apple Store, these monkeys don't believe that there could possibly be anything wrong with their precious Apple computers and that it's all the owner's fault.
I went in there a few weeks ago because my battery was holding a charge for 10 minutes (mind you that I had gotten this battery as a within-warranty replacement because my old one did the same thing). The first thing they do is put their hand on their hip and ask accusingly,"WELL DO YOU HAVE APPLE CARE?!" as if not having Apple Care is the source of the problem. I say no, that I got the battery as a free replacement for another defective battery, and the guy goes, "well, if that's the case, then it doesn't even matter if the battery is defective. We're not replacing it."
Apparently, when you get a new battery, your warranty for the old battery is transferred over to the new battery (so, if your battery dies after one year, you're basically shit out of luck and have to hope for the best for your new battery). I asked him to check to see if the battery was even the issue, and he loads up that USB program that they have, and, of course, it shows a big red box that says "DEFECTIVE. REPLACE BATTERY." He then was like, "yeah, you'd totally get a new battery if this were under warranty." Asshole. Keep in mind that this happened less than a year after I got this new battery, so it WOULD HAVE been under warranty had the shady warranty-transfer policy not been in effect.
Sorry about the rant, I just get pissed when a company is allowed to push clearly-inferior products to their customers and then we're all supposed to just deal with it.
@rube Very true, it's an old (pre-unibody) macbook pro anyway so it's likely they tampered, or did something risky with it
@John: Yeah, same here. Battery swelled up and Apple initialy didn't want to know because the machine was over a year old without Applecare. This despite the fact that they've got (or at least had, not sure if it's still current) a battery recall problem for this exact issue but only for certain batches of batteries. One long argument on the phone later and they offered me... wait for it... a £20 off voucher as a gesture. Took it into an Apple store, spun the battery like a top on the genius bar, instant no-argument replacement. For the record, the UK has the Sales of Goods act which basically means that if a product fails within a reasonable length of time because of an inherent defect at time of manufacturing (and this qualifies because a) it clearly isn't designed to do this no matter what Apple try to claim and b) they set a reasonable length of time at three years with the recall on the other batteries) so if you suffer this problem in the UK just keep pushing and you should get a replacement.
"in most cases this happens because of user naïveté, not replacing old batteries or never cycling the battery etc.. "
I'm sorry, but aside from abnormal activity like dipping it in the bathtub, or introducing it to extreme voltage or current, no battery should EVER do this.
How many n00b users do you think regularly cycle their batteries or replace them before they've been totally dead for a few months?
To be fair to everyone, there are hundreds of laptop batteries from all manufacturers that explode every year. But there are MILLIONS of laptops sold every year, so we're looking at 1/100 of 1%. Them's pretty good odds. Worry about driving or getting hit by a train. You have a much higher possibility of getting injured there!
The batteries are made by a third-party and can very well happen to any computer.
Reminder: "Karma's a ..."
This happened to my MacBook 3,1 about a month ago. The battery bulged so I powered off my machine so that it wouldn't explode. Called up the Boca Raton Apple Store and they were jerks. Ended up going to the Wellington Green Apple Store. The guy at the Genius Bar took a look at it for one second, went to the back and got me a new battery. Tested it out and the track pad and I was good to go.
My MacBook is coming up on two years on Black Friday. I didn't buy AppleCare. There was no charge for the replacement battery. It really depends on the people working at the Apple Store, so YMMV.
""in most cases this happens because of user naïveté, not replacing old batteries or never cycling the battery etc.. "
In most cases like this, the comment happens because of author naïveté.
Looking at it on the bright side.. you may now use the battery to keep the door from closing by itself.....
Or microwave it :D .... Sorry if my advice is not helpful :(
If you hate hot laptops, DO NOT buy a MacBook.
This bad boy singed my wife the other night. This is crazy!
I will likely not be buying anything more in this line until they are able to control this very bad engineering issue. Especially with Windows 7 making PCs attractive again.
@rube really, ...really you went out of your way to get the correct letters to write the word "naïveté"
.........wow.
You clearly are an expert Mac user, just based on how |337 you are.
@John: A friend of mine had this happen. She was one month past warranty. They wouldn't take it back. The battery freaking exploded. She had to call Apple Care and spend an hour on the phone with them before they would replace it. ????
Apple is full of shit
Rank me up fellow Win 7 users!
AHAHAH!!!
@forrest
"How many n00b users do you think regularly cycle their batteries or replace them before they've been totally dead for a few months?"
maybe "n00b's" should not buy a macbook pro.. they buy the computer to feel special and don't know the first thing about it. All they know is how nice it feels to the touch and how pleasing it is to the eyes.. those people deserve this type of stuff to happen to their computers. also.. cycling a battery is explained in the user manual and if you use a notebook as it was intended.. "on the go", why would you not replace an battery that doesn't hold a charge longer than 5 minutes.. it's just foolish
@ Lance S
"really, ...really you went out of your way to get the correct letters to write the word "naïveté"
.........wow.
You clearly are an expert Mac user, just based on how |337 you are."
yes, thank you. I cannot take all the credit though, I'd like to take this time to give special thanks to my inspiration.. sen. John McCain.
"maybe "n00b's" should not buy a macbook pro.."
I thought macs were perfect for n00bs because they 'just work'?
"why would you not replace an battery that doesn't hold a charge longer than 5 minutes.. it's just foolish"
Do you live under a rock? Upwards of 90% of the population is foolish. Count yourself in that group if you actually think that expanding or exploding batteries are in any way acceptable under normal operating conditions.
Even if you're not foolish, not everyone has the free cash to just run out and replace their battery the instant it's not holding a full charge. Will macs even run without a battery, even if it's dead?
john "Keep in mind that this happened less than a year after I got this new battery, so it WOULD HAVE been under warranty had the shady warranty-transfer policy not been in effect."
That isn't shady, that's just business. You don't get a new warranty just because they had to fix something. If they did, I would find a sneaky way to get my laptop and car replaced every year. Apple has the best rated customer service in the biz, so if you don't think that's fair, you'll be even less happy with the alternatives.
lulz... My FastMac battery did the same thing. I have been waiting for a replacement now for 8months. I've got a picture of it somewhere. I duct-taped it shut. I probably shouldn't be using it anymore, but... I gets me by for those short 20 min sessions. I've gone through 5 batteries in 3 yrs. Needless to say, I think the 15" Macbook Pro 1,1 had a battery-raping bug defect that never got resolved.
Wow. How quickly this degenerated into a "I hate Mac barrage."
Various reports over on the Mac forums have indicated Mac's own diagnostic tools aren't that great. One user reported the tool passed his battery but when it was visually inspected, it had obvious signs of swelling.
My own personal experience with the same thing as John saw different results. I called in because my battery would no longer hold a charge and kept powering down at 80%. It was a replacement for my original battery. It was out of warranty and no Apple Care. First tech on the phone said there was nothing he could do. He passed me along to a senior supervisor. He himmed and hodded and then said he would, just this once, send me a replacement. I called 4pm on Friday. The battery arrived via DHL at noon on Saturday.
With that said, I have always had poor experiences at retail Apple Stores. I have had golden service when I call them direct.
John, your reply seems odd. You said it was covered under warranty but just left without a replacement? You should have called Apple directly and reported the tech. This is not the type of behaviour I have received from them in the past. I had my iPhone screen replaced and received rude and poor service from the tech on site. I called Apple and when I went back (it was the same guy) he said a note on my file reads I was unhappy with their last interaction. He apologized and said he would put in as many screens as they had on site till I was happy with one. Totally different experience.
Some bad apples (pun intended) get through but to be treated like you bought something from Sony is not what I have been used to with Apple.
My Mac was 2 years out of warranty when this happened. I called up in advance because its somewhat of a drive to the store and they didn't hesitate at all (actually they made sure that I wrapped it up if it happened to leak).
Duuhhh "it just works". I'm a stupid Windows-loving comedian.
Dahhhhh... I thought there were no problems with Macs :slurps up drool:
Apparently it's the first phrase that came to your head, and you posted this because you are ashamed of think such impure thoughts.
Six "Hail Steve's", and seven "Our iPod's will clear these sins, my son.
whoever said that Mac's don't have removable batteries were just plain wrong. Apple even went so far as to make them 'self-ejecting' batteries--its a feature!
"whoever said that Mac's don't have removable batteries were just plain wrong. Apple even went so far as to make them 'self-ejecting' batteries--its a feature!"
BOOM!
@RickJames
So does this mean if a unibody Macbook battery ever fails Apple invented the first Laptop/Grenade hybrid? Now that's innovation!
Don't forget. Apple Innovates. They're working on prototypes of hip and cool looking explosive electronics like iphones and mbp. It's their way of streamlining their products so you upgrade accordingly to their next gen products!
rather impressive. i have to wonder though, what an exploded battery in a macbook air, or any other built in non removable mattery would look like.
in a nutshell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(weaponry)
they are using a totally different battery tech so it is possible that whatever was causing those previous issues has been taken out.
that said, batteries don't last forever. the previous batteries were only spec'd to last roughly a year. and it is possible to swell a battery by having a machine overheat from using it non stop for hours, blocking the heat sink areas etc. it's rare, but it can happen. my brother is a success at doing it.
and break it down. how many of these batteries compared to how many have been out there had issues. was it really a large amount or is this like the whole 'ipods are deadly' thing where some 50 out of some 500 million units had a problem. yeah it sucks when it happens to you but is it really enough to call Apple negligent and start a total witch hunt
the entrepreneur will quickly see an advertising opportunity for...lap desks
http://images.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/9894-img8167s.jpg
They exist. The only way to make more money and make them sell better is to put an apple on it.
Maybe Apple should find someone else to make their batteries?
This is an older model Macbook Pro, which is actually made by someone else.
The new batteries (which we've yet to see any negative reports on, though they are newer) with the custom-built Apple cells that are built out of essentially rectangular cells as opposed to round ones like other batteries.
*older Macbook Pro -battery- which is made by someone else. Ahem.
I'm a PC....but flying off the handle was NOT my idea...
Tsk, tsk. Quality control sure has been slackin' off, guess we'll just have to raise those prices...
1. This is a battery issue. It's also been happening to PC laptops with the same kind of battery. Yes, shocking I know.
2. 4 reported cases out of millions of Macbook Pros sold is not what you would call "statistically significant".
3. You think it's a problem with quality control? Then maybe you could tell us what Apple could have done to find the problem in those 4 specific batteries when millions and millions of identical batteries had no issues at all.
Try to use common sense instead of being a douche.
Last I checked they were dropping (and screwing over previous MacBook Pro owners already).
eeeee, scary. I should be carefull with my MBP on bed!
Good thing you said "on" :D
People can get replacement for the laptop. But what about the lap ?
automail is pretty cheap these days
So what on 2012 all macbooks and iphone will explode together?
Looks better that way anyways.
I'm a Mac, and exploding batteries were my idea.
Who manufactures these batteries, They are most likely the ones to Blame.
@paddy
everyone's saying that, but all you geniuses are forgetting that macbooks ALWAYS had a ridiculous overheating problem as opposed to any other laptop i've ever used. the overheating comes from apple over packing their laptops improperly, to try it keep it slim, then to keep fan clock speeds low to keep it 'quieter than other laptops'. apple's getting bit in the ass for their decisions, and my next laptop choice is definitely not a mac.
No, even though the fault lies with the battery provider its ultimately Apple's fault because they provided you with the product. Virtually everything in the notebook is made by someone else and it would be unfair to never blame Apple if x happens and same with Dell and HP.
Fortunately I own an iPod Na..... KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!! ... (Dead bodies everywhere)
*cue Korn track*
I've seen windows machines with batteries that have exploded.
Windows Batteries....lol.
now with extra exploding action!
Windows doesn't produce batteries.
there there Thomas.
btw, you should have said "I've seen computers other than Apple with exploding batteries". Not every machine uses Windows. *hugs his ubuntu Dell*
Yeah... And I know the owner, hehehe.
Thanks Engadget for publishing my photos! :)
First publish of the pictures, at the Brazilian website:
Os Lunáticos - www.oslunaticos.com.br !
Ohhh Brazil! No, Apple doesn't cover defects caused by upside-down hemispheres.
Which MBP versions does this apply to? (e.g. 2006, Unibody etc?)
and what about the newer macbook with non-removable battery?
the bottom of the laptop will become shrapnel and obliterate your legs.
The worst thing here is that i own a macbook pro that uses the same type of battery.
These kind of pictures makes you wonder really....
Perhaps you can get a replacement for the battery. Perhaps it could be similar to the Nokia drive of taking back their 5c version of batteries due to similar problems.
I would wait and see what apple does. I hope this user reported it to apple. They usually send you a box to send the machine in, so they can investigate. I smell another battery recall.........
Charge free, Die Hard.
sony batteries?
Happened to my battery too but after 304 cycles. Apple warranties the battery for up to 300 cycles. So after almost a 3 year stint the battery had to be replaced for about $160 CDN, in stark contract to your average Dell battery that lasts 18 months and cost $219 CDN. I think I got a good run for my money.
$219? Really?
I guess I just got a deal for the one that I have had for 5 years and replaced for $40, brand new.
Hmmm - $40.....$160, 3 years....5 years... take your pick
I've had my one laptop for over 4 years and I had to replace the batteries within 6 months. I did because they were a defective batch and ever since, I've only used one of the two batteries and it's served me for over 3.5 years and no hitch. Funny how quality has gone down when everyone believes something like Mac is infallible of making bad products.
Weren't they saying that they were going to use the same batteries as used in laptops for the "New" electric cars?
Can't wait!!!!
I see a Mac vs PC commercial in this
Mac: Hello, I'm a--
BOOM!!
PC: AHHHH!
They can switch roles. Since Hodgman is a bloated like an Apple battery.
Coming for the 2009 holiday iFlak, a flak vest for your lap!
My wife and I just had our second, and final, child. I was going to go in for the *snip*, but maybe I could save money by finding a MBP on eBay.
Shhhh.... they'll market is as having a "Home Vasectomy Feature" and jack the price up $200.
lol, why am I not suprised at all? once again, that's just Apple ...
"just Apple"
And Sony. And Dell. And HP. And Lenovo. And Samsung phones. And Microsoft Zune. And iPod Nano. And LG phones. and.......
you're either uninformed or just plain biased.
well at least the others don't pretend it's YOUR fault, when something like this happens!
Its funny that the PC article is 3 years old. It may be me, but doesnt it seem as if the majority of exploding batteries are coming out of Cupertino?
maybe because Cupertino* crams more cells into less space. Not saying that's a good thing, but that's what they do. They sacrifice a small measure of reliability in order to get more battery life in a slimmer package. If even a hundred batteries explode a year, that's a tiny percentage of the millions of laptops they churn out each year.
*batteries don't come out of Cupertino. They come from at least 3 different manufacturers in China and Taiwan. In the same factories that make batteries for other consumer electronics devices.
I saw someone with a battery like this at the Mac store in SLC just the other day. I was there getting my iPod replaced.
@John ... as opposed to what other product/company that transfers a full new warranty to a replacement product?
Is that Apple's new motto, "Think different, cause we sure as hell aren't doing anything different."?
Same happened to me and Yes Apple DENIED replacement but was "'concerned" about what may have been damaged. Next Time I'll tell them it melted down my car seat and I am suing!
*Steadily removes laptop....from lap*.
What no flames, or fire scorched MBP?!? That thing is fine just cram it back in there and fire it up . . . ohh poor word choice . . . start it up. MBP's don't have problems only unique solutions.
I guess we found those darn WMD's
These batteries are made by Sony, but that's no excuse: Apple picked them and distributed them. Apple failed to verify their quality, and this is all Apple's problem.
I have a 2006 MBP, and I had two of these batteries get recalled. Apple shrewdly limited the warranty after they were replaced, and the last battery only had a 90-day guarantee. So when my THIRD BATTERY failed, Apple's support personnel essentially told me to get lost because it was no longer their problem. Classy. The MBP ended up having tons of other problems, but I digress. Needless to say I'm shopping around for a fourth battery, but I definitely won't be buying Apple's $200 version of this battery.
When the chips are down, Apple's hardware isn't really any better than Dell, HP, or Sony. They're all cobbled together from hardware made by the lowest bidder.
I dunno, I think it's unfair to completely blame Apple on this one...it's not like they bought batteries that were advertised as exploding.
Ahhh...nothing a little duct tape can't fix :D
HA! Suck it PC users! We DO have removable batteries!!!
I guess not too many of you knew that those batteries (cells at least - the parts that actually can blow up) were manufactured by Sony?
So? It was chosen by apple to be included in their computers.....if they are charging a premium on their products,its their duty to have a better quality check.
I guess not too many of you knew, or maybe its only Atheos that doesnt know that nearly everything apple sells isn't made by apple but foxconn etc contract manufacturers. So any apple product defect isn't apple's fault?
It's no defence for lemons. If a company orders lemons and then sells the lemons even if the firm is named apple, its still a lemon. And the companys fault that put his name on product.