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My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

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Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#201

Post by dmix »

henvic wrote: post #200
dmix wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a tiny usb-c 1TB M.2 external HD and a Mega sync service running 24/7 which backs up all of my important files. Plus I've got various 'MacOS bootstrapping' ZSH scripts which install a hundred different Homebrew packages and other configs, which I built up over a couple yrs and across ~5-6 Macbook fresh installs. I could get a new Macbook pro rolling within an hour of work and have it 99.9% the same as my curre…

The missing 0.1% is usually the most painful and the time it takes to update sucks. I love my mac but it has a long way until it improves this. Ideally I should be able to swap the SSD and have it working 100% (besides a few software that fingerprints your machine for licensing reasons and it's another pain) in a couple of minutes, or have the machine replicated 100% (with no update process or whatsoever afterwards -…

I’m getting closer and closer filling that 0.1% every time I get a new macbook. But you are correct. The tiny differences are annoying. Fortunately they are almost always automatable to fix via a shell script.

It’s been genuinely worth the effort to make these 4-5 scripts.

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#202

Post by dangus »

dehrmann wrote: post #163
el_cujo wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the 2018 one I have right now since they can't be opened with a screwdriver and the internal SSD is soldered. I'm going a little offtopic, but I cannot believe this. I haven't owned a Mac since having a 2010 MBP (which I loved dearly for 6 years), but I cannot imagine owning a laptop that doesn't allow me to switch the internal drive. It was annoying enough with all of the screws on the 2010 model. I'm sure there is…

This is a key factor for me not getting a mac. Not so much that I couldn't swap the hard drive, but that I couldn't recover data if the motherboard goes bad. And the keyboard.

> but that I couldn't recover data if the motherboard goes bad.

Perhaps it goes without saying: If you don't back up your data you can lose it at any time for any reason.

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#203

Post by saidajigumi »

xmichael999 wrote: post #158
ngngngng wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen dozens of comments over the last 24 hours saying that people have swelling batteries but their serial number is not covered. I would hope for a more comprehensive recall soon since these issues just keep popping up.

I'm one of them, and I'm a 2018 model! My serial number is not covered. The best part is since I live in Central America there is no apple store here, and the official resellers told me I must take it to the USA where I bought it. The last apple product I will ever buy.

the official resellers told me I must take it to the USA where I bought it.

This is such a common policy that it's a surprise to me when it's not the case. There's even a term for it: a "grey market" product, meaning a product intended for sale in one region/country, but shipped to another. Warranties are often a dodgy proposition in these cases.

My advice to anyone buying a product in another country that may need warranty service: check the manufacturer's policies before buying. Can you use the regular service network(s) in your country, or will you need to ship the product for service? To where? Will you have warranty coverage at all? In some cases, as the parent noted, policy may depend on your regional distributor rather than the manufacturer.

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#204

Post by jolmg »

el_cujo wrote: post #138
ben7799 wrote: post #126

This started to happen to mine at work too. Luckily I got it down to IT before it started on fire. They took the hard drive out. Opening the case released pressure on the swelling battery. As soon as it was open the battery started swelling faster. The case could never have been closed again. The whole enclosure bent like a soda can. I should have figured out earlier what was going on. The first sign was the computer…

>the 2018 one I have right now since they can't be opened with a screwdriver and the internal SSD is soldered. I'm going a little offtopic, but I cannot believe this. I haven't owned a Mac since having a 2010 MBP (which I loved dearly for 6 years), but I cannot imagine owning a laptop that doesn't allow me to switch the internal drive. It was annoying enough with all of the screws on the 2010 model. I'm sure there is…

A little more off-topic but my work laptop is a Panasonic toughbook (CF-C2), and I was impressed to find that I could swap-out the storage drive with my bare hands (no tool!). That was pretty cool. You just unlock the tray holding the drive, pull it, unplug the drive from it, plug the new one in, and push the tray back in. Super simple.

The arguments around why laptops are becoming less and less modular are usually that having mechanisms to attach and detach these parts take space, and so if people want thinner and thinner laptops, they need to remove these mechanisms. Personally, though, I can't see why I'd want a thinner laptop. The toughbook is thick, even by pre-ultrabook standards, but it's still very, very comfortable.

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#205

Post by [deleted] »

russtrotter wrote: post #78

I'm sitting here typing this response on a 2016 MBP (the first gen with the butterfly keyboard and touchbar). Due to some thermal issues, I unscrewed the cover to blow the dust out and discovered my batteries are all swelling. Yikes. I wonder if there's a follow-on recall in a year or so for this generation. I bought a battery replace kit from ifixit so I might kick the can down the road for a bit longer, time will t…

[deleted]

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#206

Post by smittywerben »

saganus wrote: post #157

Those fumes in the video can't be healthy, right? Why is this person standing there just inhaling that? I would be very concerned about breathing battery-fire fumes, no? Maybe they are not as toxic as I think? What should one do if this happens? Pouring water might make things worse, right?

My guess (not a chemist, battery enthusiast, or firefighter) is that the lithium exploded, and what remains is a cacophony of MacBook burning plastic fumes. It's not like it's LETHAL, just toxic enough to cause chemical burns, eye irritation, or cancer[0] through single exposure. There are several types of lithium too so I'm not sure what the right one is. The timing of his Reddit post t+5 days without any reported symptoms is probably a good sign. Was probably concerned his house was on fire.

[0] http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0710.htm

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#207

Post by magnetic »

dmix wrote: post #192
napsterbr wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I cannot imagine owning a laptop that doesn't allow me to switch the internal drive. +1. One of the (many) reasons I'll never own a Mac.

I have a tiny usb-c 1TB M.2 external HD and a Mega sync service running 24/7 which backs up all of my important files. Plus I've got various 'MacOS bootstrapping' ZSH scripts which install a hundred different Homebrew packages and other configs, which I built up over a couple yrs and across ~5-6 Macbook fresh installs. I could get a new Macbook pro rolling within an hour of work and have it 99.9% the same as my curre…

I don't want to minimize the work you've done with your scripts, but perhaps you don't know that all of that can easily be accomplished with TimeMachine.

From your new mac, during initial setup select "Restore from TimeMachine" and you are back in business as soon as the data is transferred back.

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#208

Post by jplayer01 »

jbverschoor wrote: post #167
WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes... soldered RAM, hard drive and everything into a pricy motherboard so if any of the cheaper components fail, you can pay for a whole new motherboard.

Simply not true. The ssd can be removed / swapped. Only the ram is soldered.

Huh? The SSD has been soldered on the MacBook Pro since the 2018 version afaik.

Re: My MacBook Pro exploded and burst into flames

#209

Post by bishala »

whymsicalburito wrote: post #199
megous wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When I consulted the apple store (Berlin) about it they told it I need not to worry about it Those people are assholes. Literally. > Once you notice the battery is swollen or compromised in any way, you should immediately stop using the device. Turn the power off, and above all else, do not charge the device. Once the battery has reached such a point of failure that the battery is swollen, you must assume that all…

Literally?

https://www.salon.com/2013/08/22/according_to_the_dictionary...
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