MacBook owners who use their notebooks intensively will notice that their battery life is decreasing over time, and might consider replacing the power source.
The good news is that Apple provides battery replacement services for all MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks that pack internal batteries.
A member of MacRumors' forum enquired on the matter, asking about the conditions for his 2014 MacBook Pro's battery replacement. He notes that he purchased AppleCare with the battery life span in mind and that he is curious when the service can come into effect.
It is natural for the MacBook Pro's battery to lose some capacity over time, especially if the device is charged and depleted on a regular basis. Checking your power source's status is easy: simply click on the Apple logo in the upper left menu bar and select "About This Mac." Clicking the "System Report" tab and choosing "Power" from the left-hand menu should provide an exhaustive look at your battery.
On the information page, you get to see the maximum capacity and number of expected remaining charges. An essential tidbit of data is the cycle count and condition of the battery, namely "Normal," "Replace Soon," "Replace Now" and "Service Battery."
The AppleCare Protection Plan of MacBooks was modified in June 2015, making sure that all batteries that hold under 80 percent of their initial capacity get replaced.
Apple says it charges nothing extra for the replacement of batteries that fall under that threshold. The only caveat is that the notebooks should be covered by AppleCare. Just as a reminder, the extended warranty service costs between $249 and $349, with more expensive MacBook models asking you to shell more.
Just as with Apple Watch and iPad batteries, the power source in MacBooks is built to keep a minimum of 80 percent of their juice after 1,000 complete charge cycles.
Should you have no AppleCare and still need to replace your battery, a fee between $129 and $199 applies, with potentially additional costs.
Those who get AppleCare for Mac receive an extension to MacBook's warranty lasting three years after the date of purchase. Sans the AppleCare Protection Plan, Mac owners have only a one-year warranty, paired with 90 days of technical support by phone support.
