MacBook Pro’s battery tends to lose its ability to hold a charge or cause other complications after it goes through hundreds of charging cycle. The only option that you’ll be left after that is to replace the battery. Now, Apple offers battery service free of charge with Apple Care coverage when you have the warranty. And if your computer is out of warranty you’ll be charge a nominal fee of $199 in the U.S and similar amounts in other countries.
However, due to severe constraints of top assembling with glued-in batteries, Apple is currently unable to service the batteries of the 15-inch MacBook Pro models released from mid-2012 to early 2013. And this shortage will remain till September 15, 2017.
As a temporary solution, the customers may choose to delay the battery service until the inventory is available again, in exchange for Apple bearing the cost of repair. And if the delay had to be avoided, the customers may exchange the MacBook Pro for a functionally equal model.
Since the affected MacBook Pro models were from some four to five years ago, the number of customers with the shared stories of replacing their notebooks with newer models was significantly high.
Many users on have shared their stories on social media about their experiences. For example Reddit user NoTNoS said that he got his 2012 model of 15 inch MacBook Pro exchanged for a 2017 model 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. He said that Apple took some 10 business days to complete the entire process and he was allowed to keep his old MacBook Pro during the wait. The only cost that he incurred was the nominal $199 for battery service fee.
There have also been other MacBook Pro owners that have shared similar experiences on other social media channels. There were only handful users who shared unsuccessful attempts. There were also cases of where many users have received refurbished 2015 MacBook models while others claimed to have received even newer models from 2016 and 2017.
To potentially qualify, your MacBook will have to meet these requirements:
– The notebook will have to be a mid-2012 or early 2013 model 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. It will not apply to 13 inch MacBook Pro or MacBook Air in India
– The MacBook must be in need of a battery service. Under the ‘health Information’ section of your computer, the condition should specify “Service Battery” or equivalent status.
– The full charge capacity of the battery should typically be below 80% which can be estimated to look like a coconut battery.
– The battery charge cycle could also be a factor. Ultimately only Apple’s diagnostic test will ultimately determine if the battery requires servicing.
There didn’t appear to be any regional limitations to the policy and customers have successfully been able to exchange their MacBook Pro models residing in the U.S, Canada, U.K, Spain, Brazil, Australia and other countries. It also didn’t matter if the MacBook is covered by AppleCare to qualify.
Nevertheless in a recent update there has been the release of an internal memo by Apple that has informed Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers that the company is actively working to make worldwide supply available again. The top case assemblies with batteries for mid-2012 and early 2013 models of 15-inch MacBook Pro with retina display will be out soon.
The memo clearly states that with effect from July 26th the service inventory of the assemblies with batteries will be available for new repairs. The directive also adds that the MobileGenius has also stopped displaying messages about delayed repairs.
Apple had advised Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers to place orders for required inventory to fix all the new repair requests. The company has asked the service providers to inform the customers that the inventory should arrive either within 15 business days or by early August.
The memo had marked the end of Apple’s outright exchange for newer MacBook Pro models. Many users have also confirmed that the Genius Bar employees are now informing the customers that battery inventory will be available in the coming 15 days as instructed. It is also unclear if Apple Store will honor the exchanges that were initiated prior to July 26th that are still under process. While for users of other MacBook models including MacBook Air in India, the battery servicing process remains the same.
