Professional repair options

What to do when all else fails

> How much is a new laptop battery?

If your battery isn’t covered by warranty or AppleCare+, Apple will replace it. The prices start at $129 for a 13–inch or 15– inch MacBook Pro rising to $199 for the 13– and 15–inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and the 16–inch MacBook Pro.

> What’s the hardest Mac to repair?

It’s a constantly changing list but right now the Mac teardown experts at iFixit. com give the 16–inch Intel MacBook Pro just one out of ten for repairability and the 2019 13–inch MacBook Pro gets two out of ten. The 16–inch almost seems designed to frustrate fiddling: if a key component isn’t glued or soldered to something, it’s riveted instead. iMacs are a little easier once you get the screen off — iFixit gives the 2020 27–inch four out of ten for repairability — but they’re still very fiddly.

> Is Apple the best place for a hardware repair?

If you’re still under warranty or AppleCare+, we’d say yes. But if you’re out of warranty or cover, then Apple can be very expensive for some repairs. Apple has a program for independent repairers called the Independent Repair Provider Program: they benefit from Apple training, tools, and parts.

> What should I do before I put my Mac in for repair?

If your Mac is still functional apart from the fault it’s going in to fix, it’s really important to take a full backup of its storage drive before you drop it off. While it’s unlikely that anything awful will happen to your Mac while it’s in for repair, it’s still possible that you’ll end up with a blank drive once it’s returned. For example, a new logic board for your Mac may mean a brand new SSD too. You should also enable FileVault if you haven’t already, to protect your personal data. This encrypts your hard drive or SSD and requires your account password to log in, so nobody else can access your files while your Mac is out of your care.

> Can I fix my Mac myself?

We’d never say never, but we’d also say that the newer the Mac, the harder it is to do anything with: for example, recent MacBooks have proprietary “pentalobe” screws, soldered–in memory, and batteries that are glued into place. Your local repairer will have the necessary tools and techniques you may lack.