When Apple opened the store in the Quakerbridge Mall, that action effectively killed off the local Apple Authorised Service Providers in the area. I know this because I know the owner of one of these shops, which had operated a store on Nassau Street for decades. Local customers took their Macs, iPad and iPhones to the Apple Store. He tried to make a go of it for years after the Quakerbridge Apple Store opened but finally closed his business last year. After decades as a business owner, he had to find a full-time job.
My wife's 2013 MacBook Air has been acting up and performing slowly. I suspected it was the battery but couldn't prove it. When I took it to the Apple Store near the end of last year to request a battery replacement, the Apple Genius dismissed my concerns and told me to run some diagnostics and clean up some files. Well today, macOS confirmed that the battery needs service.
I had hoped that my wife could run Windows 10 on the MacBook Air so that she doesn't' have to go to the office. The office is empty. She's the only person there all day. She's responsible for submitting insurance claims for patients, and one of the insurance carriers has an ancient system that only works with IE 11. Using a specific Windows 10 computer with IE 11 is the only reason she goes to the office.
I looked up online how I might do the battery replacement myself, but it seems complicated, and I don't have the proper tools. The "sealed in the box" design means that only Apple or local Apple Authorised Service Providers have the tools to replace the internal battery. Currently, within the USA, all Apple Stores are closed, which means I had to find an Apple Authorised Service Provider.
I found a list of Apple Authorised Service Providers on Apple's website, but none of the nearest shops is taking appointments. I'd have to drive to Pennsylvania or New York (Brooklyn) for repair. However, I got on a chat session with Apple Support and was offered the opportunity to mail it in for repair. The cost to replace the battery is $158.82 which includes a new battery and shipping costs. My wife will have to continue driving to the office.
It seems like every week, we are finding new ways that the current situation makes life challenging.
I am posting this a day later. I didn't even remember to post this entry until just now. I took exactly one photograph yesterday. One. And I don't know why. Was yesterday that forgettable?
I expect that this is normal for the current situation. There will be days when I have a full tank of mental and physical energy and creativity and days when there is no gas left in the tank.
Submitted as part of the 100DaysToOffload project.
I'm glad I can still replace my batteries using the correct tools. You eluded to the friend that went out of business and I thought you were going to pull him back into the conversation to see if he could fix the battery for you.
Before shelter in place he was supposed to help me upgrade the SSD in my iMac. Impossible now. I need the iMac for work and can’t be without it.
My friend has a full time job now. Plus the logistics of ordering and waiting for a new battery to arrive, get the laptop to him, getting it back, etc.
Khürt, You’ll need to visit iFixit website to get the tools matching your iMac. Do a full Time Machine backup with latest macOS. Swap new SSD into position, install latest macOS from cloud, and restore from Time Machine backup.
Hi Daniel, thanks for that. I am sending the MacBook Air back to Apple to do the replacement. I am not confident I can clearly see the small screws and parts or that my eyes can handle the strain. I had two eye surgeries last year.
Khürt, run a full Time Machine backup before you send it to them.
There is no data stored on the MacBook Air. Never has been. Reinstalling the apps takes less time than a Time Machine restore.