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Looking for a college computer... again

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Nords:
Our daughter's 2009 Macbook battery is dying/dead.  Its error message is "Power source:  battery.  No batteries available". 

It's led a hard college life, living in a backpack and being flung around the campus or operated on top of pillows and fluffy sofa cushions.  She's had it in the Apple Store a couple times for minor repairs, but I think it's the original battery.  I know the Macbook has a new hard drive in the last year, and its magnetic latches on the cover are bad-- the ones that click onto the clamshell when you shut it to tell the battery to hibernate.  I remember she had its CPU running so hard one day that I could hear the cooling fan from across the room, and it sounded like a turbine winding up for launch.

So the Macbook has probably reached its effective end of life, and she still has senior year to go.

Last fall she hijacked asked to borrow my iPad/wireless keyboard rig, and I think she's been using that for classroom work while her Macbook sits in her room for serious word-processing and number crunching.  I'm not sure exactly how she's been using her computers, only that there have been no complaints.

The good news is that she might be over her Mac fandom.  I have a three-year-old Win7 ThinkPad that I could offer her, but its battery is only good for about 60-90 minutes.  It also weighs more than her Macbook, so she might not be interested. 

I don't know whether she'll be looking for a 13"-14" screen for hauling around campus again, or whether she'll want a 17" screen to sit on a desk in her room.  She does not own a TV and this is her last year of college, so she might want a fairly big machine that could double as a desktop in her post-college apartment or sit on a table for streaming Netflix.  Maybe she'll use a DVD on it, but maybe she does most of her videos by streaming.

I've heard a lot of grumping about Win8 but that's not my problem.  I know some manufacturers have put out touch-screen Win8 laptops, which would be a natural for a Mac/iPad user, but I don't know how reliable or affordable those are. 

I'm not sure whether I'll even be consulted on this issue, since she's a civil-engineering major with plenty of computer-geek friends.  I just want to be able to hold up my end of the conversation if asked.  She's on NROTC scholarship (with a stipend) and she won a couple of other small scholarships this year, so I suspect that she has at least $800 burning a hole in her budget.

She'll be home tomorrow for a month of surfing (woo-hoo!), so she has plenty of time to test-drive and order online.  Any recommendations?

ketchup:
Thinkpad.  Whether it's that 3 year old one of yours or a "new" one fresh from the Lenovo Outlet, Thinkpads are quality and can take a beating.  My dad has a T42 that still looks brand new and he uses it every day.

Daley:
Nords, Macbook batteries are surprisingly easy to replace for half the cost of what Apple would charge... still a PITA compared to regular laptops, but very doable. You'll need the guides over at iFixit, a tri-wing Y1 screwdriver, and a new battery from Wegener Media for the make/model. You should be able to pick everything up for under $60, and it's a 15 minute repair so long as you keep track of all your screws.

Why Wegener Media? Good prices on OEM Apple batteries from a reputable and long-time Apple parts dealer. You don't have to worry about getting a cheap knockoff that'll fail in under a year this way off Ebay.

As for replacement recommendations, I'll second a Thinkpad, specifically the T series. If it comes down to buying another machine, scrounge outlet.lenovo.com for something like the T420/T520... or just buy a beefier 9-cell battery for your existing Thinkpad if it's available.

Nords:

--- Quote from: I.P. Daley on May 14, 2013, 06:15:39 AM ---Nords, Macbook batteries are surprisingly easy to replace for half the cost of what Apple would charge... still a PITA compared to regular laptops, but very doable. You'll need the guides over at iFixit, a tri-wing Y1 screwdriver, and a new battery from Wegener Media for the make/model. You should be able to pick everything up for under $60, and it's a 15 minute repair so long as you keep track of all your screws.
--- End quote ---
Intriguing.  I'll see if I can get her interested in that.  We'll have to take a look at the clamshell magnets too, and anything else that's broken recently. 

Thanks!

madage:

--- Quote from: I.P. Daley on May 14, 2013, 06:15:39 AM ---Why Wegener Media? Good prices on OEM Apple batteries from a reputable and long-time Apple parts dealer. You don't have to worry about getting a cheap knockoff that'll fail in under a year this way off Ebay.

--- End quote ---

Dang. I should've asked Daley about Apple OEM batteries before sending my wife to the Apple Store to have her 2009 MBP battery replaced. Now I know. Thanks (again), Daley!

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