Facing overheating batteries that “may pose a fire safety risk,” Apple launched a voluntary recall and replacement program on Thursday for the 15-inch 2015 MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
“If your MacBook Pro is eligible, please stop using it and follow the instructions below to have your battery replaced,” the company wrote.
To figure out if your machine is impacted, you can head over to Apple’s website and check your MacBook Pro’s serial number. The affected laptops sold between September 2015 and February 2017 but given the huge used market for Apple wares, it might be worth checking even if your buy date doesn’t fall neatly within that timeframe.
The actual replacement process isn’t exactly dead simple. If your machine is a 2015 MacBook Pro with Retina Display, it’s sent to an Apple Repair Center where its examined and then fixed in a process that can take up to two weeks. That can be a hell of a long time for “Pro” users who rely on their machines for work.
Then again, it’s probably approximately 10,000 times better than a fucking fire so please don’t skip out because of the one to two week service period.
Last month, one Apple customer said his 5-inch 2015 MacBook Pro with Retina Display “exploded during normal use.”
It was on my lap, plugged in, and suddenly started to spew smoke out both sides. I quickly placed it on the floor where it popped, the smoke increased, and it caught fire. Toxic smelling smoke filled my house triggering smoke and CO alarms. No one was injured, thankfully, but there was some damage to my home. The situation could have been much worse - imagine if I had been on a plane.
This is the second product recall this year for Apple who in April launched a recall and exchange program for international wall plug adapters because the “plug adapters may break and create a risk of electrical shock if touched.”