Macworld does what most of us won't: they void their MacBook's warranty by opening up the battery compartment and removing the RAM and hard drive. And as a special treat for us all, they posted the video on YouTube. Thanks guys! Wow, easily removable drives on an
And for the record, the mere act of doing what Macworld did won't automatically void your Apple warranty. But, according to the terms, if anything goes wrong (like, in the future even), they can always negate your claim because you did the swap. So those of you looking to save some bucks by ordering a lower-capacity model and upgrading should consider the warranty and its restrictions first.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-18-2006 @ 11:39AM
Aaron B said...
I hate for the first post (or near first depending on when this shows up...) to be this, but this blog entry is a grammar disaster!
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5-18-2006 @ 12:07PM
smilespray said...
Uhm, where does it say that the warranty is voided when you upgrade RAM? It's designed to be user-replaceable.
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5-18-2006 @ 12:16PM
mr. Obsession said...
"Uhm, where does it say that the warranty is voided when you upgrade RAM? It's designed to be user-replaceable."
Second that...can you source this claim? Everything I've read contradicts your statement.
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5-18-2006 @ 12:24PM
forepac said...
Upgrading RAM won't void the warranty - from Apple's support pages:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25097
"Changes made to Apple hardware that are not authorized by Apple may void the warranty... Adding DRAM, VRAM or other user-installable upgrade or expansion products to an Apple computer is not considered a modification to that Apple product."
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5-18-2006 @ 12:29PM
mr. Obsession said...
Post has been edited to reflect this inaccuract statement. But with a sarcastic edge...tsk, tsk, tsk.
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5-18-2006 @ 12:48PM
Victor Agreda, Jr. said...
Mr. Obsession, the only editing I did was added a strikethrough on the work iBook because that's what I'd meant to do to begin with... and to subtly point out that you'd NEVER be able to "user service" the old iBook HD.
Now, as for the warranty issue... That's right, adding RAM won't void the warranty. My experience has been that any company will try to weasel out of a repair if they can. The Airport card on my iBook is supposedly user-servicable, right? Because it's accessible, right? Yet, AppleCare wouldn't let me swap out another card myself during troubleshooting. I had to send my iBook back 3 times to Apple to get it "fixed." All they did was swap out the card. And, for the record, they broke it once, and didn't install it properly the 2nd time.
I have yet to see where the HD is considered "user servicable" despite the fact that it is easily accessible. Let's not forget the CPU in certain older Mac towers were easy to remove, but Apple eventually forbade users from upgrading their G3's to G4's...
Alls I'm saying (in terrible grammar to boot): BE CAREFUL. I've had enough trouble with AppleCare (exactly how many times should one reinstall an OS?)-- I don't need to give them an excuse to tell me where to take my Mac...
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5-18-2006 @ 8:32PM
Reg said...
I'm not yet clear on this:
Is it possible to install 7200rpm drives in the MacBook?
The MacWorld article implies that they are a little too thick to fit. However, I've also read that there in an 80GB 7200rpm that do fit, but not a 100GB.
(I'm interested because a 7200rpm drive can make a difference with disk intensive operations, and if it's an easy upgrade I might just want to do it even if not gaining any extra space.)
Anyone have a link which clarifies this?
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5-22-2006 @ 11:01AM
The MacPriest said...
Funny how everyone is so obsessed by what may void warranty. No one (well, one at best) actually cares about what the entry is about. Just like so many blog-comments also this one is used for ego-advancement purpose. Well, be proud of yourselves and your so called knowledge. I personally found this an interesting video which convinced me I don't have to pay the insane amount of money Apple wants for the BTO-memory. Besides, warranty at Apple is a joke anyway, so don't worry about it. Just pray you dont get the MacBook they built on monday.
Sorry for any inconvenience if spelling or grammar doesn't live up to the required standard. I am a German, living in the Netherlands, writing in English. I know, I am asking for trouble!
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