MacBook Pro Battery

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M

MollyConnor

Guest
#1
#1
Hey guys this is a question for you all that know more about computers than I do. Which would be many haha. :p

I use a MacBook Pro 13''. I got it in January of 2011 so I'm not sure if it's the 2010 or 2011 version. Anyways, my battery is running low. It says "Replace Soon," but it's been there for about a year. So I have two questions.

1) Can I wait to replace it till it says "Replace Now" or is it better to do it soon. It holds a decent charge, maybe about an hour without being charged. I'm cool with that but at the same time, I don't want it to mess up the computer. If it needs to be done, I would rather do it sooner than later.

2) Where do I go to get this done? Do I have to take it to the Apple store? How much would a service like this cost me? Could I just do it on my own? I have found some websites online about MacBook replacement batteries but the costs are so different ($20-$100) that I don't know what's legit anymore.

I found this website might be my best bet. What do you think about it?

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/Ma...c64qatH-UVd8yh8hoCJ0Tw_wcB#productDescription

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is my first Apple computer and I really like it, but I'm clueless about it. :(
 
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maxwel

maxwel

Senior Member
#2
Apr 18, 2013
9,339
2,427
113
#2
1. You need to repent.

2. You need to get a pc.
 
J

JeniBean

Guest
#3
#3
You need to back up your computer! Why do you say you have a year left? A battery should last longer than a year. Of course I have a PC...mine last years!
 
PopClick

PopClick

Senior Member
#5
Aug 12, 2011
4,056
136
63
#5
JeniBean said:
You need to back up your computer! Why do you say you have a year left? A battery should last longer than a year. Of course I have a PC...mine last years!
Click to expand...
If I understood Molly's post correctly, the battery is almost 5 years old. The "replace soon" message has been there for about a year.
 
S

Shouryu

Guest
#6
#6
*jumps in to answer for Lynx before he gets here*

*wags finger*
YOU SHOULD BE USING LINUX! WHY DIDN'T YOU GET AN OLD THINKPAD AND INSTALL CHOCOLATE-MINT-UBUNTU-KDE-FEDOREBIAN?!?!?!?!
 
J

JeniBean

Guest
#7
#7
PopClick said:
If I understood Molly's post correctly, the battery is almost 5 years old. The "replace soon" message has been there for about a year.
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Well my natural blonde is showing! ;)
 
M

MollyConnor

Guest
#8
#8
Nautilus said:
I think I found the problem. You're welcome.
Click to expand...
Hmmm? You think that's my problem huh? I don't know because this is how things went down.

When I graduated high school in '08, I spent $1,300 (all my graduation money) on a Dell laptop that lasted 2 years before it crashed because of a virus which I didn't even know it had!

My MacBook was $900 (got a student discount) and I've had it for almost five years.

So tell me, where did I go wrong? Oh yes, it was when I bought the PC. :p:rolleyes:
 
M

MollyConnor

Guest
#9
#9
Shouryu said:
*jumps in to answer for Lynx before he gets here*

*wags finger*
YOU SHOULD BE USING LINUX! WHY DIDN'T YOU GET AN OLD THINKPAD AND INSTALL CHOCOLATE-MINT-UBUNTU-KDE-FEDOREBIAN?!?!?!?!
Click to expand...
Umm....what is Linux? I've seen Lynx talk about it but I have no idea what it is. Is it an operating system? Because that's what I've found online.
 
seoulsearch

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
#10
May 23, 2009
14,943
4,586
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#10
Hi Molly, I don't know if this will help much but do you have a place there that specializes in batteries?

There is a chain of stores called Batteries + Bulbs and I've found them to be especially helpful. I've taken both my phone and laptop there and they were able to find compatible batteries. I have a Sony Vaio so I don't know what they might carry for your model.

The only thing I don't like is that they sell Rayovac batteries, which, in my experience, do NOT last nearly as long as the bigger names (at least, the "new" batteries I bought from them faded out MUCH sooner than the factory originals.) Next time I'll have to ask if they have another brand available.

I don't know what it will cost for your model, but I believe mine was about $120, which one of my family members (who works at Best Buy) said is pretty typical (at least, for my brand of laptop. I don't know if there will be much of a difference for yours.)
 
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S

Siberian_Khatru

Guest
#11
#11
maxwel said:
1. You need to repent.

2. You need to get a pc.
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1. Lolz
2. PC = personal computer = umbrella term

@Molly -
That ifixit site is pretty handy. If you feel comfortable with doing the job yourself, give it a shot! Otherwise you'd have to bring the laptop to a technician that services Macs, or an Apple store, either of which will cost you considerably more (they'll probably have a mark up on the battery and you'll be paying for labor, but your most accurate estimate will come directly from them, not from my ballpark speculation).

P.S Macs are good computers. Don't mind the haters. ;)
 
seoulsearch

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
#12
May 23, 2009
14,943
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#12
P.S. At Batteries Plus Bulbs, they changed the battery out right there for me--no extra charge. They do this because they want to make sure the battery they've found is compatible with your model. (The first time I went there for a phone battery, for some reason, the battery their system recommended for my phone was not the right one, but they eventually did find one that worked. And again, they installed it there and tested it out to make sure.)

Save your receipt and you should be fine. I've also bought specialty light bulbs from them and when they tried special-ordering a particular bulb for me (twice; the first one came in broken), I found out it didn't work with my lamp and they took it back, no problem.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#13
Aug 13, 2014
24,914
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#13
To answer the root question: If it still holds a charge and you're happy with it, rock on. Your computer popped up that message because it noticed the battery was not holding a charge like it once could. It's not "You need a new battery NOW!" it's more of a "hey your battery ain't what it used to be and you might consider getting a new one at some time in the near future." And if your battery becomes completely unusable it won't "mess up" the computer. You'll just have to keep it plugged in to use it. Eventually this happens to all laptops that don't die of hardware failure - no battery is forever.

And despite what Shouryu said, I would recommend a mac for basic end-users. That is... if a basic end-user wants to spend that much money, a mac is a good bet. They do last a long time. For people like me they are a bit limited in capabilities but for everyone else (you know, normal people) that want to just get online and watch a youtube vid, catch up on facebook, etc. a mac is a good, safe choice.

Let's put it this way: If a missionary is going to take his laptop (and an appropriate voltage converter) to a distant land where you can't just ebay or tigerdirect up an order for a new laptop when yours dies, I would want him to take either a mac or a thinkpad. And because of all the viruses that Windows gets, and because a missionary is probably not a nerd, I'd recommend a mac.
 
cinder

cinder

Senior Member
#14
Mar 26, 2014
4,328
2,361
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#14
Lynx pretty much covered it, but if you want real life perspective from a fellow mac user. My mac battery died suddenly (I think that might have been my fault, sometimes the tinkering goes wrong). No major issues just couldn't start the computer without it being plugged in. I bought a cheap replacement and that worked for about a year, before it stopped charging and made the computer die after it was on for just a few minutes (even if the computer was plugged in). That happened enough times that it fried one of my RAM modules and I had to replace it. So now I say that my laptop has become a desktop since I can only use the computer when it's plugged in, but as in all other respects my 2008 macbook is still going strong, I'm pretty happy with it.

So my advice: if you don't use your computer unplugged much, don't worry about replacing the battery, you don't really need it. If you are going to replace the battery, get the real deal not a cheap online substitute.
 
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Siberian_Khatru

Guest
#15
#15
cinder said:
If you are going to replace the battery, get the real deal not a cheap online substitute.
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Aye! This, for sure. The cheap-o aftermarket batteries tend to use lower quality electronics and lower quality cells. IF you do have the battery replaced, be sure it's a genuine OEM battery.
 
A

Abing

Guest
#16
#16
Hey Molly, first of all, yes Macs are pretty so ignore them all :p I mentioned my laptop died 2 days ago, well I did use the ifixit site and got to open my mac (mbp 13" 2013) and took out the battery and hard drive. It's not hard at all (i used a tiny screwdriver, a 13 year old can do it). But yeah buy the battery from a legit source, I thought apple store sells them? For like $99. Anyway, my laptop came back to life, and it's working perfectly again (so I didn't break it after taking the battery and hard drive out).
 
M

MollyConnor

Guest
#17
#17
Abing said:
Hey Molly, first of all, yes Macs are pretty so ignore them all :p I mentioned my laptop died 2 days ago, well I did use the ifixit site and got to open my mac (mbp 13" 2013) and took out the battery and hard drive. It's not hard at all (i used a tiny screwdriver, a 13 year old can do it). But yeah buy the battery from a legit source, I thought apple store sells them? For like $99. Anyway, my laptop came back to life, and it's working perfectly again (so I didn't break it after taking the battery and hard drive out).
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Hi Abing! Thanks, I do think they are pretty as well. :p Mine has that cute pink hard cover and it looks adorable!
Anyways, where did you buy your rechargeable battery? Was it from the ifixit site?
 
A

Abing

Guest
#18
#18
MollyConnor said:
Hi Abing! Thanks, I do think they are pretty as well. :p Mine has that cute pink hard cover and it looks adorable!
Anyways, where did you buy your rechargeable battery? Was it from the ifixit site?
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Oh, I didn't actually replace my battery lol. I only took it out, for the heck of it cause it wasn't turning on anymore so I figured why not peek inside and see what its like... But yeah, I may be wrong but I thought apple store sells these batteries (search via serial number and see if they sell the parts)
 
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