Reviews for Rechargeable Battery - 17-inch MacBook Pro

After nine months of constantly using my MacBook Pro 17, the system recently started to shut down unexpectedly, Now the battery casing is expanding and buckling and will not hold a charge. The effective life cycle with other rechargeable battery systems I have used seems to be about the same.

I was concerned about additional damage or safety hazard so I removed the battery. I called Apple Support and they agreed without dispute to send a replacement under warranty at no charge. Apple is still the best overall computer experience I have had!

1293 of 1612 people found this useful

If you've ended up here, then you likely have had problems similar to mine.  Here's mine: I use my computer plugged in most of the time, but often unplug to roam the house or to work somewhere without power.  The unit has worked well (although it does get HOT!) for a couple of years now (of nearly continual usage) originally getting approximately 3 hrs of usage - although of late I have noticed shorter & shorter battery life.  The other day (not certain whether I had just been utilizing the battery or had just gone to power), when I returned to it to start working I realized that the computer was wobbly - checked to see if it had lost a footing or had been placed upon something, then discovered that the battery case was almost completely out of its slot and the battery was all warped and expanded (to almost twice its size).  Removed power, shut it down, took out the battery and couldn't believe it - thought someone must have tried to pry it out of the computer.  It appeared that the unit had simply become unglued (although greatly expanded and warped).  No amount of effort could get it back together/normal (nor back in its slot).  

In looking to replace it, I ended up at this review forum (I will take it to an Apple Store to see if they will simply give me another - as some have apparently successfully done - albeit theirs were potentially still under warranty which I doubt mine is).  I have read most of these reviews and to save you the trouble here are the most salient points: 1. This has apparently been a problem since these units first came out - look at the reviews, back to September '07 (whether they have improved on the design since their debut is unclear, but they definitely have NOT solved the problem); 2. You can go into "About This Mac" to find details about usage - I read one place that the units have about 2250 charge cycles - you'll see a number showing how many you've gone through (some said that below about 300 remaining the battery starts to have serious problems like shutting down when it still shows a charge - I did experience this a couple of times just before the battery expanded, but wrote it off to pilot error & don't know how many I was on when this all happened); 3. As the unit expands it can do other really bad things like expand inward - shutting down the mouse pad and creating serious OS errors; 4. You apparently can re-calibrate your battery and doing so may help your battery's life, but actually doing so a lot may hurt it instead; 5. Seeing that this is a regular problem (and unfixed) I am hesitant to buy another unit (many here have gone through 3 or 4 batteries) AND I do not think I would want to have one of the new computers with non-removable batteries - what happens when it goes - could ruin your whole computer AND NOT be replaceable!

147 of 150 people found this useful

I've extolled the virtues of owning a Mac to all I've encountered. I've owned my MBP for nearly 3 years and began to notice a problem with overheating and discovered the bulging battery. This caused my computer to shutdown in the middle of projects and ultimately resulted in my ordering a new battery at a cost of $129. Never in all my years of owning a PC have I had the issue of a bulging battery. Especially when you bear the cost of replacing it.

143 of 151 people found this useful

wow. Applecare just told me that the battery bulge is part of the battery design. seriously! the battery bulges outward so as not to damage the innards of the computer. when the battery is at the end of its cycle life.

so let me get this straight... apple designed the battery to bulge after the "cycle life" of the battery in order to protect the mobo / trackpad / etc... and yet the bulging renders the trackpad button usless and makes for a wobbly base so that the computer wont sit flat on the desk, and thus must be replaced at the cost of $130... hmmmm....

APPLE i love you, but seriously...

we are not ignorant. we, for the most part, are computer geeks with enough common sense to know you're being stubborn + indignant about a clearly "known issue"

please don't spin this problem into ergonomic functionality.
these batteries are of defective design or manufacturing

103 of 104 people found this useful

My battery expanded, unfortunately. If you go to "about this Mac' (in your menu) > More Info > Power > Full charge capacity. on the 17 inch it should read about 2205. Then check Cycle Count. My number is at 578. The problem is that the batteries are only 'good' until about 300, after that they start doing weird things, like making your laptop shut down while it is plugged into the charger, etc. You just need to purchase a new battery. Also, they tend to get hotter faster the older they are, which explains the expansion. Hope this helps. I am a bit disappointed, but I guess it just happens.

90 of 93 people found this useful

For anyone with a negative review on this product I suggest you read the Wikipedia article on Lithium-ion batteries, especially the part about disadvantages, before you declare Apple at fault. The current state of battery technology is disappointing and expensive. Lithium-ion batteries lose about 20% of their capacity per year starting from manufacture, the upshot they are the best weight-to-energy batteries on the market and don't have a memory-effect. Apple has a nice easy to use design that feels solid, and a little LED charge indicator on the bottom. The Apple Genius Bar has replaced defective batteries on the spot.

125 of 165 people found this useful

When this battery started to deform, I took in out of the PowerBook and set it on a counter. Three days later, it is 3x the size and would have torn the PowerBook in two. Not very impressed Apple!

92 of 100 people found this useful

This is the second time a bulging battery has nearly destroyed my 17-inch MacBook Pro. The battery becomes so enlarged that it warps the entire chassis so that it will not sit flat, close properly, or allow the track pad to function. Not to mention the heat generated by these bulging batteries should be considered a safety concern alone. Yet the "genius bar" claims that this is normal battery behavior and that I am responsible for purchasing a replacement. It's insulting! Whether I purchase it or Apple grants me a free replacement I'm stuck with a time bomb and it's shocking that Apple finds this acceptable.

82 of 83 people found this useful

After almost 2.5 years my MBP 17" Battery pulled the expanding balloon trick, eventually killing the trackpad.. I of course thought it was the trackpad until the battery expanded in the other direction.. and when the Macbook is a rockin.. well I wasn't knocking on wood.

The cool thing was after going setting up an appointment at the Emeryville Apple store, they replaced it immediately no questions asked even though my mac was wayyyy out of warranty. Cheers Apple.

86 of 92 people found this useful

My battery popped out on my MacBook Pro after about a year and a half. At first I couldn't figure out why it was bulging on the bottom but then I took it out and saw it was coming completely apart. This is very unsafe and from the looks of it, many others are also experiencing the same problem. I love my MacBook but this is a little unusual for something like this to occur from normal wear and tear.

78 of 80 people found this useful