This could be pretty nifty.
In the wake of what appears to be a severe constraint of top case assemblies with integrated batteries, Apple has informed its Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers it is currently unable to service the batteries of 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display models released in Mid 2012 and Early 2013.
The battery replacement is typically free of charge with an AppleCare+ plan, but can retail for $199 in the United States, £199 in the UK, or $259 in Canada for out-of-warranty replacements.
According to Apple’s internal directive, top case assemblies with batteries for the aforementioned MacBook Pro models will remain severely constrained until September 15, 2017. The directive does not identify a reason for the shortage, which has been ongoing since at least March.
The directive says that customers may choose to delay battery service until the inventory is available in exchange for Apple covering the cost of the repair. Customers may also exchange the MacBook Pro for a functionally equivalent model.
Given the affected MacBook Pro models were released between four and five years ago, however, an increasing number of customers have shared stories of Apple replacing their notebooks with significantly newer models.
According to Reddit user NoTNoS, Apple offered to exchange his 2012 model 15-inch MacBook Pro for a 2017 model 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. He said the process took about 10 business days, and he was allowed to keep his old MacBook Pro during the wait. The only cost was the $199 battery service fee.
Dozens of other MacBooks Pro notebook owners have shared similar experiences with only a handful of users describing unsuccessful attempts. Many users appear to have received refurbished 2015 MacBook Pro models, but some others claim to have received even newer 2016 or 2017 models.
In order to potentially qualify, you must have a Mid 2012 or Early 2013 model 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that requires battery service. To check, click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the macOS menu bar, and then click on About This Mac > System Report… > Power.
A section of the report, entitled “Health Information”, lists the battery’s cycle count, which should be under 1,000 cycles, report the condition of the battery and whether or not the battery should be serviced. Apple’s current definition of a consumed battery is one with a full charge capacity below 80 percent, which can be checked with a tool like coconutBattery.
The replacement policy, though generous, could be ended at any given point in time and not all employees may be aware it exists.
There doesn’t appear to be any regional limitations to the policy, with customers who successfully exchanged their MacBook Pro models residing in the United States, UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and other countries. It also doesn’t appear to matter if the Mac is covered by AppleCare+ to qualify.
Customers interested in trying their luck can visit any Apple Store or select Apple Authorized Service Provider, wherein an employee will run a test to see if the battery requires servicing and proceed from there.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.