MacBook Pro Battery Replacement

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I have a 2016 MacBook Pro that now requires me to swap the battery. The issue is that because this is a machine from 2016 it is seen as obsolete by Apple. This means that Xcode and other apps no longer get updated. Neither does Final Cut Pro X and other apps.

In light of this if I was to swap the battery for a new one it could cost about 250 CHF. I don’t remember how long ago I swapped the battery.

Several More Years of Support

Last time the decision was easy. If I swapped the battery I would get three or four more years of use with a MacOS machine. Now if I spend 250 CHF to replace the battery I am left with a Linux machine. Linux machines work well. I am writing this blog post on an HP machine running Ubuntu. I like Linux.

Battery Not Dead Yet

The battery still holds charge and the machine still turns on so swapping the battery is not urgent. The question I have is how long can I wait before batteries for this laptop can no longer be found, because at that point the machine will be a brick.

The Per Year Cost

If we keep things simple then the MacBook Pro cost 1600 CHF, and was in use for 8 years, so that’s 200 CHF per year. The price per year if I swap the battery for a second time will come to 262.5 CHF per year. The cost would rise to 2100 CHF for eight years.

Obsolete as a Mac

The issue, now, is that my mac is obsolete and unsupported, and whilst it would be great to swap the battery and get four more years of use it would be a Linux machine, rather than a MacOS machine. In light of this spending 250 CHF for old hardware, when I could get a new machine for the same cost doesn’t make sense.

Battery Price

I think the battery costs 90 CHF but the issue is that if I replace just the battery then other hardware could die, and I would net to get the specialist tools. It’s 90 CHF plus 100 or more francs for ifixit tools, and then the dexterity to swap the battery without damaging anything.

And Finally

For as long as I can turn on the laptop I will keep it as it is. When I see that the battery is truly dead I will revisit swapping it. At 250 CHF I’d rather consider swapping it when I have no choice.