The cases I received that caused by power adapter & battery are increasing at alarming rate, I would like to alert all Mac users in this forum about this matter. Do not fall for this cheap products, even if it's given warranty and so called OEM or Apple.

Very Important:
There are no such things as OEM product from Apple. It's either Apple or not. Not Apple means it's 3rd party or compatible model only. As Apple DO NOT resell bare parts to consumers in retail.

Here's a few cases I would shared with you:

Case#1:
OEM Battery for MacBook white
Owner original battery dead. So he went and bought a cheap OEM Battery. Upon using a few days. The MacBook refuse to detect and charge any battery at all even the owner has then bought a used original battery. Meaning the MacBook is currently only working with charger only. And the repair required replacing the whole logicboard, the on board charging component has gone faulty due to over current from the battery.

Case#2:
OEM 85W Charger for MacBook Pro
Owner bought this charger first few usage it's fine. After just a day or two usage on his MBP 2.4Ghz (Alu), the trackpad stop working when using the adapter. Also notice static/current shock all over the aluminium casing. Then he tried the same adapter on a MacBook white. No shock (cause of plastic body), but USB mouse won't work properly. He did not test further and already asked for refund.

Case#3:
OEM Battery for MacBook Pro
As usual original battery died after extensive usage in few years. Owner then bought OEM battery. Things works fine for few weeks. Then one day the his MacBook Pro refuse to boot up. After diagnose it was the battery causing over current and burned the logicboard. Repair cost him over RM2k.

There are a few more cases, but not handled by me so I will not put them here.



I'm not intend to harm anyone business here. But I would like to warn all Mac user to be smart and alert on these issue. Sure you save few hundred on buying these products, but in the end you might have to pay more when the damage is done on your unit.

Some explanation on why these product is cheaper/causing issues.

Chargers:
They look alot like the original. But upon inspecting carefully, you should notice the wordings on the adapter is not as sharp as the original. Also one type of the OEM charger have plastic grounding knob.

How does the adapter ground itself with a plastic knob?

You do know grounding is meant to protect you and your device from surge. So meaning there wont be any fuse jump should there be any overcurrent/ short circuit happen on the adapter.

Another thing to check after personally test some 3rd party/ OEM charger/ Replacement charger/ Or some so call First Class Replacement. First thing you will notice is, they felt marginally lighter than the Apple original adapter.

Why Apple charger cost so much?
#1 The design. Apple paid their engineer, designer, marketing ppl to invent and market the product. They even pay to patent the design. Then lastly package it nicely in a box for you.

For "OEM" they just copy. Maybe uses cheaper component (I can't testify). No packaging (just plastic wrap).

#2 Apple also give you the long cable and short adapter.

OEM give you 2 pin plug that need a converter. Some doesn't come with any connector.

#3 See all the icon and logo on the adapter? They meant the adapter are being tested to met such standard. And in Malaysia, SIRIM review the item and allowed it to be imported. All that cost $.

But for those OEM one, no one can testify. Those logo and terms are merely "copy".

Battery:
It's either the battery are being refilled/refurb, meaning the the exhausted battery cell are removed and replaced. It's unknown what type of cell they uses. But according to Apple they design the cell and manufactured by their appointed factory.

OEM type, these are the dangerous one. They look alike, but internally lack of the controller chip and microprocessor that help to maintain the battery health. So anything goes wrong Mac OS won't able to get the info from the battery. When things goes wrong it's already too late.

Why Apple battery cost so much?
More or less like the charger. But these battery include more technology than the charger. It has built-in chips that check the health of battery. Keep info as of model, date of manufacture, manufacturer, serial number, charge cycle, charge remaining, amperage and etc. It also support Apple battery update should Apple decide to release an update.

I do not know does those OEM batt have similar functions. Also original battery from Apple come with 12months warranty (thanks xaw5126 for clarifying).

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Update:
Info on static shock (electrostatic), minor electric shock, static/current noise over headphone/speaker/mic/recording on MacBook Pros/ Unibody MacBooks

If you having mild electric shock when using a power adapter on your Unibody MacBook, most likely you have grounding issue. Check if you are using the short 3-pin head. If yes, change it to the long cable that came with your mac.

Here's reason why using the short pin head cause shocks:



Many have reported using the long cable solve the issue. If you still have shocks after changing the plug, consult your technician.

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If you have bought any 3rd party/ OEM charger or battery, do share your experience.

This post has been edited by wei: Jul 18 2011, 11:51 AM

Thats why I stay away from that section. Lucky the admin split that section out.

I welcome 3rd party product if they are build with quality. But if it's not, then we are risking thousands ringgit of investment.

It's very sad to see Mac users ended up with faulty or semi-faulty Mac that could have lasted them many more years. Just because of these self-claimed items.

Guys, try to focus in mac charger n battery only. iPod and iPhone have thier own section.

I didn't notice Apple issue the pattern for Magsafe, MacBook, MacBook Pro Polymer battery design to any 3rd party.

Added info on static shock with unibody macbooks.

If your battery is below 300 cycle and can't detect/ won't charge/ swollen.

No local supplier, gonna be hassle to claim warranty or support.
And you have to lug another bulky battery pack along with not light-weight MacBook/MacBook Pro.

Send it in to Service Center.
Have you try unplug the power cord? Does it shutdown immediately?

Glad to hear that.

Check my other topic:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1215928

This post has been edited by wei: Jan 17 2011, 09:27 AM

It's not just MacBook Pro. It's been at such way since many years. Even they redesign the plug head recently to a slimmer one, yet they did not include the grounding for whatever reason. If you felt unsatisfied, you should call AppleCare and make a report. The more ppl report the better. And hopefully Apple engineer will rework the design.

The grounding issue are reported to interfere with tackpad movement and cause random click.

So far no one i know willing to live with the static/electric shock in long term.

If you have another MacBook / MacBook Pro around, you can plug the charger in and see any light on the charger tip. There's no way to tell the battery or board or anything else fault by just reading your mentioned symptoms. But to our experience if the charger is working, but battery faulty, there should be still green light and the MacBook should still turn on.

All unibody models have LSI as guide for Liquid damage. So it's very easy to tell if it's contact with liquid.

Should include ACPP into the budget when buying a new Mac. Instead of wasting it on upgrades and accessories. Those you can get later anytime.

Not nessacary. Read this topic: http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1903203

Read the replies. I think mod should merge it.

That's normal, we always seen that. Sometime the green light will be half bright. Just pull the MagSafe off and plug it back. It could be the pin did not align nicely.

Age doesn't judge the health of the battery. Send it to service center and they will have proper diagnose software to tell is your battery healthy or not.