OWC or Apple Replacement Battery?

[LarryJoe33]

My new (1.5 years old) replacement battery from Amazon is coming up as service battery. It really is discharging quickly and I just attributed it to these machines not managing power well.

So maybe I got what I paid for. I got it off Amazon from one of the many options. Not the cheapest in go the options but not the most. I remember laboring over the choice and reading reviews. I thought I made a good choice.

So maybe it's time to try the OWC NuPower battery for $104 that is often recommended here? That said, I believe Apple will replace it for $129. I can surely handle it, but why not go with Apple for $25 more. Does Apple "condition" it the way OWC reccomends?

 

[LarryJoe33]

So it looks like from my research here, the top batteries for self install are from OWC or iFixit. Any experiences from either of these two?

 

[Naimfan]

Just bite the bullet and get the official, warranted Apple battery.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Just bite the bullet and get the official, warranted Apple battery.

Yeah, I’m going to bring it in today. Hopefully you don’t need a genius appointment for this.
[doublepost=1520175549][/doublepost]Does anyone know if you need an appointment for a new battery?

 

[kevink2]

Yeah, I’m going to bring it in today. Hopefully you don’t need a genius appointment for this.
[doublepost=1520175549][/doublepost]Does anyone know if you need an appointment for a new battery?

I made one a couple years ago for an iPhone battery replacement. I just noticed that my "Service Battery" indicator is back on my MacBook pro. It has been on before then gone away for a few weeks. Guess I'll need to schedule an appointment to get replaced. Will be an expensive weekend when I go out of town to do it, since I also need to get my car serviced.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd try Apple first, for the "official" battery.
If you can't get it from them, I'd try the ifixit.com battery.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Just left the Apple store. They don’t stock the battery for my 2011. They would have to order it and they also insisted on doing tests first. I lost patience and don’t want to go back. I went with ifixit

 

[LarryJoe33]

Talk about disappointing, I went with iFixit based on reviews and recommendations here. Got the battery Friday. Installed it, conditioned it (charge, discharge, charge). Battery drops from 65% straight to 7% consistently. I am on four cycles of it doing this and the design capacity per coconut is down to 85% of original. SMC PRAM reset.

I thought I was paying a premium for a quality battery. What a piece of garbage. iFixit has been unresponsive to boot.
My Amazon battery is back in and I am out $100 bucks at the moment. Buyer beware of iFixit.

Moral of story, should have just had Apple do it (which I will now).
[doublepost=1520940081][/doublepost]This is the battery iFixit sent me, just at a $60 premium:

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Macbook-020-6547-661-5229-661-5557/dp/B00YBVX95C

 

[Fishrrman]

Thanks Larry for the report on troubles with the ifixit battery.
I had suggested them in the past, will not do so again.

From now on, my advice will be:
GET AN APPLE BATTERY FIRST, IF YOU CAN.
Only if you cannot do that, then look for a 3rd-party replacement...

 

[LarryJoe33]

Thanks Larry for the report on troubles with the ifixit battery.
I had suggested them in the past, will not do so again.

From now on, my advice will be:
GET AN APPLE BATTERY FIRST, IF YOU CAN.
Only if you cannot do that, then look for a 3rd-party replacement...

Yeah, thanks, iFixit came recommended by few posters in addition to you. I just wish they would reply to my ticket or answer the phone at this point. There is not mechanism to start a return on their site.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I had heard a lot of good things about iFixit. Thanks for posting your experience here. I've had several family members get battery replacements from no-name places and they were not happy with them. Apple it is.

 

[LarryJoe33]

I had heard a lot of good things about iFixit. Thanks for posting your experience here. I've had several family members get battery replacements from no-name places and they were not happy with them. Apple it is.

Maybe I just caught them at the wrong time. Their battery is a "replacement" battery not OEM. I splurged for what I thought was the real thing or at least a quality replacement. My experience was like one of those negative reviews on Amazon for the cheap batteries. I researched the battery they sent me and it is in fact the $30 battery from Amazon above.

I called and finally got through. They sent me a return label. The woman on the phone offered to ship me a replacement but I learned my lesson and wasted enough time. Apple store it is.

 

[_Kiki_]

I can recommend Floureon battery for this laptop;
MacBook's Pro 13 A1278 from 2009 to 2012 they have the same battery model A1322

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Maybe I just caught them at the wrong time. Their battery is a "replacement" battery not OEM. I splurged for what I thought was the real thing or at least a quality replacement. My experience was like one of those negative reviews on Amazon for the cheap batteries. I researched the battery they sent me and it is in fact the $30 battery from Amazon above.

I called and finally got through. They sent me a return label. The woman on the phone offered to ship me a replacement but I learned my lesson and wasted enough time. Apple store it is.

Every battery is a lottery, some are duds even from reputable suppliers, this is a dud simple as that.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Every battery is a lottery, some are duds even from reputable suppliers, this is a dud simple as that.

Understood, but I'm not giving iFixit a second shot especially since their battery is a $30 Amazon battery. In fact, Amazon Prime has a much better return policy and process and much better and responsive customer service. I would rather spin the lottery with Amazon, but as I said, I will go with Apple, as their warranty and return policy is even better. $104 for iFixit's battery is a premium and should not be as much of a lottery IMO. $129 for Apple is a no brainer.

 

[LarryJoe33]

So.......I walked into the Apple Store yesterday without an appointment and was told I needed to make a Genius appointment online and for that visit, it would just be a diagnostic and then result in the order of the battery. I pleaded with them to just have someone order the part to save me a trip and told them that no matter the diagnosis I was going to have them do the battery. On top of all this, the wait time for the first appointment to just look at my machine is over a week and longer at other stores. I made an appointment.

But against my better judgement and my impatience, I thought I would give the only other recommended non-Apple sourced battery a shot. It's the NewerTech NuPower at OWC. I ended up finding it on B&H for $79 shipped (vs. $104 plus shipping at OWC). Ordered it yesterday and it is coming today. B&H is solid and their returns are easy. I'll give this one a ride and if I am not happy I will return it and keep the Apple appointment.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._nwtbap13mbu65w_apple_macbook_13_unibody.html

 

[CoastalOR]

So.......I walked into the Apple Store yesterday without an appointment and was told I needed to make a Genius appointment online and for that visit, it would just be a diagnostic and then result in the order of the battery. I pleaded with them to just have someone order the part to save me a trip and told them that no matter the diagnosis I was going to have them do the battery. On top of all this, the wait time for the first appointment to just look at my machine is over a week and longer at other stores. I made an appointment.

But against my better judgement and my impatience, I thought I would give the only other recommended non-Apple sourced battery a shot. It's the NewerTech NuPower at OWC. I ended up finding it on B&H for $79 shipped (vs. $104 plus shipping at OWC). Ordered it yesterday and it is coming today. B&H is solid and their returns are easy. I'll give this one a ride and if I am not happy I will return it and keep the Apple appointment.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._nwtbap13mbu65w_apple_macbook_13_unibody.html

Maybe I'm missing something, but $79 is for the MacBook battery (your link). The one for a 2011 13" MacBook Pro is $94.25.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1127255-REG/newertech_nwtbap13mbu65v_batt_f_13_mb.html
Did you order the correct one?

 

[LarryJoe33]

Maybe I'm missing something, but $79 is for the MacBook battery (your link). The one for a 2011 13" MacBook Pro is $94.25.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1127255-REG/newertech_nwtbap13mbu65v_batt_f_13_mb.html
Did you order the correct one?

Crap, you are right, but they both have the same manufacturer part number and the same B&H part number? And this is the same part number as the OWC battery for my machine??

I guess I will see when I get home tonight. I can't believe I f'd that up. I just though the description was wrong. Not the Macbook part (I totally overlooked that), the model years 2009 to mid 2010. This why I matched it up to OWC part numbers and it's the same. I either found a deal or it's going back.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1127255-REG/newertech_nwtbap13mbu65v_batt_f_13_mb.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._nwtbap13mbu65w_apple_macbook_13_unibody.html

OWC Same too??

 

[CoastalOR]

The OWC Manufacturer number (NWTBAP13MBU65V) does match the B&H Manufacturer number (NWTBAP13MBU65V) for a MacBook Pro 13", 2009 to Mid 2012. Unfortunately, I think you might have ordered a Manufacturer number NWTBAP13MBU65W from B&H not a NWTBAP13MBU65V.

 

[LarryJoe33]

The OWC Manufacturer number (NWTBAP13MBU65V) does match the B&H Manufacturer number (NWTBAP13MBU65V) for a MacBook Pro 13", 2009 to Mid 2012. Unfortunately, I think you might have ordered a Manufacturer number NWTBAP13MBU65W from B&H not a NWTBAP13MBU65V.

Yup, I am an idiot. It may be the same specs in terms of power, but nothing lines up. So not like me. Nothing to play with on a Friday night, going back. I have a genius appointment on Monday hopefully that goes smoothly and they order me an "official" battery for $129 installed.

 

[JPack]

The ONLY place you can buy an OEM battery outside of Apple is from Rewa.

http://www.rewatechnology.com/batte...78-a1322-mid-2009-mid-2012-oem-new-12738.html

Even then, Rewa doesn't always stock the OEM part.

Anybody else headquartered outside of China/Taiwan doesn't have access to Apple OEM parts. Apple doesn't sell the OEM parts to anybody but themselves and ASPs. The English-speaking websites like iFixit, OWC, and B&H simply don't have the SE Asia connections like Rewa does in order to source the real OEM part.

You're wasting your time (and money) with iFixit, OWC, and B&H. They're often selling B-grade batteries that have been rejected. Hence your 65% -> 7% experience. You might as well buy from AliExpress as the sellers source the same B-grade batteries.

 

[LarryJoe33]

The ONLY place you can buy an OEM battery outside of Apple is from Rewa.

http://www.rewatechnology.com/batte...78-a1322-mid-2009-mid-2012-oem-new-12738.html

Even then, Rewa doesn't always stock the OEM part.

Anybody else headquartered outside of China/Taiwan doesn't have access to Apple OEM parts. Apple doesn't sell the OEM parts to anybody but themselves and ASPs. The English-speaking websites like iFixit, OWC, and B&H simply don't have the SE Asia connections like Rewa does in order to source the real OEM part.

You're wasting your time (and money) with iFixit, OWC, and B&H. They're often selling B-grade batteries that have been rejected. Hence your 65% -> 7% experience. You might as well buy from AliExpress as the sellers source the same B-grade batteries.

Understood. I’ve heard this several times. Ordering the wrong battery is probably a blessing. I’ll start the process Monday at the Apple store. It’s just hard to believe that it’s this hard to get an OEM or equivalent battery for a 7 year old machine. Kudos to Apple for putting a stranglehold on their suppliers.

 

[prisstratton]

Understood. I’ve heard this several times. Ordering the wrong battery is probably a blessing. I’ll start the process Monday at the Apple store. It’s just hard to believe that it’s this hard to get an OEM or equivalent battery for a 7 year old machine. Kudos to Apple for putting a stranglehold on their suppliers.

Please let us know if you are successful getting a new battery from Apple. I would be most interested seeing as I was just told by them that my MBP (see my sig.) is obsolete and they cannot supply a replacement. Which now leaves me wondering what to do, as everything out there sounds like it is not very good. I tried the Rewa Technology website as suggested by @JPack and the grade of battery for my model is Grade A, which is their lowest. So, another hope gone.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Please let us know if you are successful getting a new battery from Apple. I would be most interested seeing as I was just told by them that my MBP (see my sig.) is obsolete and they cannot supply a replacement. Which now leaves me wondering what to do, as everything out there sounds like it is not very good. I tried the Rewa Technology website as suggested by @JPack and the grade of battery for my model is Grade A, which is their lowest. So, another hope gone.

I will report back, but this would suck if true for me. Considering I have called Apple support, given them the serial number and have been given instructions to take it into the store. On top of that, I made two trips with my machine and told them I needed a battery and was instructed to come in for a diagnostic before they could order me a battery.

 

[hallux]

Last night I was able to source an OEM Apple battery for my 2012 15" non-retina from an eBay seller, it was listed as new. The reviews are good for this one. It's shipping from Brooklyn and I'm near Albany, NY so I should have it in a couple days even though eBay estimates it'll arrive after an item I ordered at the same time that's shipping from California.

Here is their listing for your Mac: New OEM Genuine A1322 Battery Apple Macbook Pro 13" A1278 2009 2010 2011 2012 | eBay