Justin, a new MacMedics client who came to us from the Apple Store wrote the following about us on Google on 8/5/11.

The employees at Mac Medics were so helpful and polite. When me and my girlfriend went to the Apple Store they belittled her, talked down to her, and made her feel even worse about the problems she was already having with her MacBook. Mac Medics took the time to explain what the problems might be, how they may be resolved, and the different levels of pricing that may result from the work. I would recommend for any Mac owner to use the services that Mac Medics provides. I know that in the future if I have any problems or when I need to replace my old MacBook, I will be returning to Mac Medics.

Apple Announces iPad 2

iPad 2 is the next generation of Apple’s magical device for browsing the web, doing email, enjoying photos, watching videos, and more. It comes in three models: iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G for Verizon (U.S. only).

Key features:

-All-new design—iPad 2 comes in black or white and is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter.

-Dual-core A5 chip—The Apple-designed chip features two cores for faster performance and up to nine times the graphics horsepower.

-Two cameras—Make FaceTime video calls, record HD video, or create fun snapshots with Photo Booth. Switch between front and back cameras with just a tap.

-10-hour battery—Same great battery life for browsing the web, watching videos, and listening to music.

-Smart Covers—Innovative, thin, durable covers that magnetically attach to iPad 2 for a perfect fit. Available in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich, aniline-dyed leather colors (sold separately).

MacMedics is an Official Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller that is authorized to resell the Apple iPad 1 and iPad 2. Call us to reserve your iPad 2 for pick up in our Millersville office (Near BWI off I-97 or our Lanham office (Just off MLK near RT-50 & I-95/I-495). MacMedics is the only independant Apple Authorized Reseller in Anne Arundel or Prince Georges counties. If you’re looking for a fast and friendly place to buy a new iPad, trade in your old one, or to buy Apple iPad accessories like the Applw Smart Cover or iPad or iPhone power adapter, come us us! No lines, no appointments, and no parking hassles!

P.S. We’re the closest Apple Authorized Reseller to Arundel Mills, plus we right off of I-97 in Millersville, just west of Severna Park and south of Glen Gurnie.

MacMedics also accepts working, broken or damaged iPad 1′s or iPads 2′s for trade-in credit towards a new Apple iPad, iPod, New or used Macintosh, or even towards a Mac repair or upgrade and data recovery cases.

We also stock a wide array of iPad cases, Smart Covers, accessories, cables, power adapters, and carrying bags.

MacMedics is the ONLY Apple Authorized Service Provider and the only independent Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller In Prince George’s County, Maryland. MacMedics’ office in Lanham is also one of the closest Apple Authorized Service Providers to the Annapolis Apple Store. (The other being the MacMedics office in Millersville, MD.) So if you’ve got a tough Macintosh repair problem that the Apple Store could not solve, then we are one of the closest places to come get a second opinion.

(The only other Apple Reseller in PG county, other than MacMedics is Best Buy in College Park, MD.)

If you need Macintosh help, training, Apple Authorized Service, or Apple Authorized Sales assistance without the hassle of:

D. Trying to first get an appointment with an Apple Genius, and then not really getting enough time to really pick their brains for expert Macintosh advice.

It’s also important to know that the Apple Store does not perform data recovery. If you think your data is at risk, setting up your computer on the Genius Bar to copy your data, is not a good idea. As hard drives fail, they generate heat, and as the generate heat they fail more. We’ll remove the drive from your computer and put it right on our data recovery equipment to try and rescue your data. Our fee for this type of recovery is only $199. Read more here.

(Plus as an added bonus ALL Macintosh laptop repairs are performed locally right here in or shop. The Apple Store will often send your laptop away for Apple Depot Service)

Our expert Apple Certified employees stand ready to help at anytime. We are super proud to be an award-winning Apple Authorized Service Provider and Authorized Apple Reseller AND Certified Members of the Apple Consultants Network (and MacMedics is the ONLY ACN member located in Prince Georges County, Maryand. We’re a great alternative to either buying a new Mac or bringing a sick Mac computer to the Mall. MacMedics is also a multiple repeat winner of Apple’s “Commitment To Excellence Award”. In fact, we’re the only Apple Authorized Service Provider In Anne Arundel or Prince Georges counties to win this award according to Apple. This award recognizes us for several things, but most importantly for accuracy and speed of Macintosh repairs. There’s a reason that MacMedics is the most frequently referred service firm for tough Mac service cases, like LCD replacements, liquid damage, vintage or obsolete Mac equipment, and Macintosh data recovery. With well over 50,000 in-lab and on-site service cases and our staff’s combined Mac experience of over 200 years, MacMedics IS the place to bring your sick Mac!

We also perform Hard Drive Upgrades (under warranty or not) and expert Macintosh Data Recovery, two things you simply can’t get at ANY Apple Store. Plus, if you do need a new hard drive, we can upgrade the size, speed, and you get a 3-year warranty, compared to like-for-like hard drive swap at the Apple Store, plus there you only get a 90 day warranty.

Come visit either of our TWO fully-staffed and stocked Macintosh Service & Sales locations in Lanham, MD (1 Mile from I-495/I-95 just inside the Beltway of off Rt 50 and Martin Luther King Hwy.) or in Millersville, MD (near BWI Airport 1/10 of a mile from I-97).

For folks that live in Anne Arundel County or more specifically, Annapolis, Davidsonville, or Bowie and work in the Washington DC metro area, MacMedics in Lanham, Maryland IS the most convenient option for Apple sales and service. We stock all of the most common Apple, computers, iPads, iPods, and Apple accessories, like MacBook & MacBook Pro batteries, G4 and MagSafe power adapters, back up hard drives, and FireWire & USB cables. Also, in comparison to the Apple Store, our Apple Warranty and AppleCare service is the fastest. Most Apple warranty repairs are generally complete within 24 hours. With our Lanham office being 1 minute from RT 50, it’s super easy to get to us and drop off your repairs quickly. Pull up right at our office door and you can be inside in 10 steps.

Got a problem? Wanna’ talk about it? Just pick up the phone and call your nearest MacMedics office. It’s unlikely that you can get anyone at the Apple Store on the phone, and most other places just send you to voicemail. You will only get voicemail here if everysing phone line we have is tied up (and that does happen).

MacMedics has been in business and fixing Macs all over town since before the Apple Store or anyone else. We are very proud to have just celebrated our 21st anniversary servicing the Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington DC areas.

One other great thing about coming to visit us, is the fact that parking is here is not an issue, and it’s free and 10 easy steps right into our office. So, avoid the time consuming search for parking when you’re trying to find someplace to park the Mall.

Be sure to read one of our most popular Blog posts about why coming to MacMedics makes so much sense at http://www.NOappointments.com.

Our customers continue to be impressed with our level of dedication to the Apple Macintosh platform. This is a comment from one of our clients, who we helped recently:

I’ve been a customer of Mac Medics for 15 years. You will not find a more honest, helpful Mac repair shop. They have been there for every Mac emergency I’ve had, from the minor keyboard repair to major data recovery. They are proactive on every level, asking the right questions to make your data is safe and your computer is running at top speed. Trust me when I say take it to MacMedics instead of standing in line for a “genius”!

Another 5 Star Macintosh Service Review For Mac Medics Baltimore From Yelp.

One of the things that we’re famous for is taking care of older Macintosh hardware. In the case below, the client had a dead G4 iMac, and it was obviously beyond repair. She ended up making a visit to the Annapolis Apple Store, and it was too old for them to work on. So while cracking open a dead iMac is not super advanced “data recovery”, we still could do it, and we knew how to do perform that particular operation. This is where the 50,000 plus Mac service work orders we’ve logged since 1989 come into play. Add that to our Apple Certified employees who have well over 200 combined years of Macintosh experience, and well, we can take care of just about anything!

Come visit our fully stocked and staffed service center in either Millersville or Lanham, Maryland, where our square footage dedicated to Apple Authorized Service is larger then most Apple Stores you find in the mall.

MacMedics is terrific. All the staff: Dana-Jason-Tinika are really helpful/knowledgeable/patient. They can do anything/all that an Apple Store can do, but they know so much more. I took in my ancient-one of the first iMacs and they removed the old drive/loaded that plus all what I wanted into my new iMac. I even purchased AppleCare. I can’t say enough about how good the customer service is. Grade? A+.

C.C.
Annapolis, MD

MacMedics is Washington, DC & Baltimore’s Original, Independent Mac Shop Since 1989 and we just expanded by buying one of our former competitors, Apple Specialist, macUpgrades of Bethesda, Maryland. Like MacMedics, macUpgrades was also founded in 1989. You can read more about this purchase on our website at http://www.macmedics.com/macupgrades.

Our purchase of macUpgrades now makes MacMedics the oldest Macintosh service and consulting firm in Maryland. MacMedics are Apple Authorized Value Added Resellers and Apple Authorized Service Providers, as well as Certified Members of The Apple Consultants Network. MacMedics has been in business and fixing Macs all over Maryland since way, way before the Apple Store or anyone else. In fact, our headquarters in Millersville AND our location in Lanham are larger than most Apple Stores, and our Mac Service Lab has over 100 feet of bench space.

MacMedics was founded in the Annapolis, Maryland area in 1989 by Dana Stibolt during a time when Apple Service was kind of a side business for Apple Dealers. MacMedics began offering an alternative to the stuffy Apple Dealer mentality of the “Service Department”.

Two things:

1. All Apple service was carry-in only, and generally pretty slow. Plus, it was a burden to our clients to be without a computer for a week, so MacMedics came to you and performed your Macintosh service both quickly and inexpensively.

2. The Apple service warranty then AND now is only 90 days. Nobody else offers a full one year warranty on out of warranty Apple repairs. When you choose MacMedics over the Apple store and other Apple Service locations for your broken Macintosh, you get a 1-year warranty parts and labor on whatever repair you had performed.

MacMedics is the only Mac shop that offers a low-cost extended warranty that includes ALL parts AND labor (for replacing bad parts). For MacBooks, Mac minis, and iMacs, pay just $99 for our Walk In Service Plan and your entire Mac is covered for a year (MacBook Pros and Mac Pros are $149). Also, with WISP, you get two free check ups per year and three phone or remote support incidents. Plus, if your Mac needs service down the road, your repair will be moved to the top of our repair queue for FREE priority Mac service.

With our army of Apple Certified Technicians and Consultants, MacMedics serves the entire Mid-Atlantic region with the area’s largest fleet of Apple loaner/rental hardware. MacMedics also stocks an amazing array of Apple Service parts, new and used Macintosh computers, hard drives, computer memory modules, software, and a TON of other accessories and Apple related items. Plus, with our purchase of macUpgrades we now also have all of their retail inventory at Millersville and Lanham, as well as their own massive collection of Apple Service parts which when combined with our collection, might be the Mid-Atlantic’s largest and most complete Apple Service part inventory. Also, with our combined inventories and stockpile of junked Macintosh computers of all types, we have an enormous collection of obsolete and vintage parts that can be harvested and used to repair a Mac that is too old for the Apple Store to even check in for service.

It’s also important to note that MacMedics is a Maryland based and locally owned company. When you’re working to support locally owned businesses in your community and keeping the dollars in the local economy, don’t forget about MacMedics. There are other Mac companies operating in Maryland that are not based in this state (for instance, the Apple Store is not a locally owned company). It’s also important to note, that MacMedics has had only one owner in it’s history (Dana Stibolt), so unlike some firms, our roots are deep in both the Macintosh community and in Maryland.

If you need Macintosh assistance, help, training, Apple Authorized Service, Apple Authorized Sales, iPhone, iPod, or iPad repairs without the hassle of:

D. Trying to first get an appointment with an Apple Genius, and then not really getting enough time to really pick their brains for expert Macintosh advice.

It’s also important to know that the Apple Store does not perform data recovery. If you think your data is at risk, setting up your computer on the Genius Bar to copy your data, is generally not a good idea. As hard drives fail, they generate heat, and as they generate heat they fail more. We’ll remove the drive from your computer and put it right on our data recovery equipment to try and rescue your data. Our fee for this type of recovery is only $199, for any size, single hard drive. Read more here.

(Plus, as an added bonus ALL Macintosh laptop repairs are performed locally right here at MacMedics. The Apple Store will often send your laptop away for Apple Depot Service where it’s out of your control and their’s)

Our expert Apple Certified employees stand ready to help at anytime. As a two time “Best of Baltimore” designated Mac Repair Shop, we are super proud to be an award-winning Apple Authorized Service Provider and Authorized Apple Value Added Reseller. We’re a great alternative to either buying a new Mac or bringing a sick Mac computer to the Mall. We’re famous for our “Computer Store on the corner” personal service.

MacMedics is also a multiple repeat winner of Apple’s “Commitment To Excellence Award”. In fact, we’re the only Apple Authorized Service Provider In Anne Arundel or Prince Georges counties to win this award according to Apple. MacMedics IS the ONLY Apple Authorized Service Provider and the only independent Apple Authorized Reseller in all of Prince George’s county in Maryland.

The Commitment To Excellence Award recognizes MacMedics for several things, but most importantly for accuracy and speed of Macintosh repairs. There’s a reason that MacMedics is the most frequently referred service firm for tough Mac service cases, like LCD replacements, liquid damage, vintage or obsolete Mac equipment, and Macintosh data recovery. With well over 60,000 in-lab and on-site service cases and our staff’s combined Mac experience of over 200 years, MacMedics IS the place to bring your sick Mac!

Speaking of speed of Apple repairs, nobody is FASTER than MacMedics. In 90% of Apple Warranty or AppleCare repairs that come in for service, we have the repair complete and back in the customer’s hands in less than 24 hours. Not fast enough for you? We have a number of rental computers of all Apple models, so if you’re having a Macintosh Emergency, we have a way to keep things running for you.

We also perform Hard Drive Upgrades (under warranty or not) and expert Macintosh Data Recovery, two things you simply can’t get at ANY Apple Store. Plus, if you do need a new hard drive, we can upgrade the size, speed, and you get a 3-year warranty, compared to like-for-like hard drive swap at the Apple Store, plus there you only get a 90 day warranty.

Come visit either of our TWO fully-staffed and stocked Macintosh Service & Sales locations in Millersville, MD (near BWI Airport 1/10 of a mile from I-97) or in Lanham, MD (1 Mile from I-495/I-95 just inside the Beltway of off Rt 50 and Martin Luther King Hwy.)

Got a problem? Wanna’ talk about it? Just pick up the phone and call your nearest MacMedics office. It’s unlikely that you can get anyone at the Apple Store on the phone, and most other places just send you to voicemail. You will only get voicemail here if everysing phone line we have is tied up (and that does happen).

One other great thing about coming to visit us, is the fact that parking is here is not an issue, and it’s free and 10 easy steps right into our office. So, avoid the soul-sapping search for parking when you’re trying to find someplace to park in Bethesda, Hampden, Fells Point, or at the Mall.

We are pleased to announce that MacMedics has once again been awarded the Apple Service Commitment To Excellence award for Apple Service.

The Apple Service Commitment To Excellence Program recognizes the top 5 percent of all Apple Authorized Service Providers in the U.S. and Canada who have implemented and utilize best practices to maximize their Apple Warranty Service offerings. Only 248 Apple Authorized Service Providers earned this award this quarter.

The Apple Service Excellence (ACSE) scores measure two items that directly impact consumers who are seeking Apple Service.

1. Repair turn around time.
2. First-Time fix.

As one of the oldest and largest Apple Authorized Service Providers in Maryland (and the only company with two full-service locations), MacMedics strives to repair Apple computer quickly and accurately.

Most Apple repairs can be completed at MacMedics in about 1-day. Consider that you don’t need an appointment; you don’t need to carry your Mac gear thru the Mall, and that you don’t have to wait in line or fight the crowds at the Apple Store.

See our MacMedics Blog post on why coming to MacMedics is better then visiting the Apple Store for Apple Authorized Service at http://www.NOappointments.com.

We just had full moon, and it seems like it brought a ton of new Data Recovery jobs into the MacMedics offices. Spooky!

Now that it’s Halloween, I offer you the perfect metaphor for your Mac’s (or iPhone’s) Back Up. Don’t play “Trick Or Treat” with your valuable data.

When we have clients show up at our Mac Lab with data we can’t recover it just breaks our hearts. We’ve got a great track record for Recovering AND Rescuing data for folks, but there are cases we we can’t help with. We will refer these jobs off to Clean Room recovery firms, and often they can save your data in exchange for fees as high as $2500. But, not all data can be saved, and about 10% of the cases we refer, there’s not a positive result, and that data is gone forever.

As soon as you buy a new Mac, or get an old Mac’s hard drive repaired, you need to have a back up program running. On any Mac that is running Leopard (10.5) or Snow leopard (10.6), use Time Machine! It’s very, VERY powerful, and has been used to save lots of our client’s data.

The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD. Your back up is not complete if it’s not:

1. Automatic (Use Time Machine and this point is covered)
2. Redundant (Double your back up with a clone of your data and this point is covered)
3. Off-Site (Take your double back up off-site or get Mozy and this point is covered)

See how easy it is to be 100% covered! Now think of how much better you’ll feel knowing this little project has been taken care of and that your back up has been certified! If you need help getting a back up in place, we can help. On-site, In-lab, or even Remote Desktop Support, we’re there, and we’ll help get your back up configured and tested!

While all of us at MacMedics are HUGE fans of Time Machine, it’s not 100% infallible. MacMedics recommends that you ALSO back up your hard drive via a “clone” use Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner, as that way you can “test” your back up to insure you have a good, bootable copy. With a “clone” back up AND a Time Machine back up, you’re covered for TWO types of back ups, and you’re DOUBLING your chances for a successful recovery.

This might also be a good time to enhance your back up plan by adding an off-site back up. MacMedics is now a Mozy partner, so click here if you’d like to sign up for that (this like usually has the current Mozy discount coupon codes on it as well). You can get a free account that will back up 2 Gigabytes of data. It’s silly not to take advantage of that. We had a client in with a bad MacBook hard drive just a few days ago, and she was mostly backed up, but she was working a major project for her employer that had huge amount of Excel data in it. All she wanted was that one folder. Sadly we could not get it for her. If she had set up Mozy, even if she did not have a back up drive *a common problem for portable computers), her data would have been “automatically” backed up AND “off-site” thus completing two points of the golden triangle of data protection. Best of all, it would have been 100% free!

We also work with CrashPlan for on-line backups, so if you’d like to check out their current off-site back up plans see this link.

We have tons of posts on Time Machine and we even have a free White Paper on it If you’d like a copy, let us know. If you’re not using an automatic backup, your data is at risk!

Also, don’t forget that hard drives don’t last forever. Our rule of thumb for hard drive retirement is as follows. In Apple laptops the hard drive should be proactively replaced after 2 to 3 years years. In Apple desktops the hard drive should be proactive replaced after 3 years. You can find out more about this on our website http://www.HardDrivesDie.com.

There’s one more thing I would like to mention here. iPhones and iPod touch models also need to be backed up. All you have to do is to sync with you Mac from time to time. People are starting to treat these portable Apple products as stand alone devices, and when you think about it, many people are generating data on their iPhones and iPods just like they do on a computer.

You’ve got photos, e-mails, text documents, bookmarks, files, contacts, calendars, and videos that all can be generated or sent to your mobile device. All you have to do is connect to iTunes, and it will back up your device.

There are not too many ways to get mission critical data off a dead iPhone. We can often do it, but the data is all stored on the logic board of your iPhone or iPod touch. If it gets wet, gets dropped, or gets lost or stolen, then there goes your data. If we can’t get your logic board to fire up, then we don’t have access to your data.

Lots of places that offer nationwide Macintosh service will try to you lure you to their website by saturating their webpage with geographic keywords that make it appear that they are “in” your area. This is kinda’ scammy and is often a turn-off anyways.

If you’re looking for “local” Macintosh service or repair that’s really “local” to the Baltimore, Maryland or Washington DC areas, then you’ve found the right place. MacMedics has been performing Macintosh service since before the Apple Store was even an idea. In fact, our headquarters in Millersville is LARGER then most Apple stores.

Our two walk-in service centers in Millersville and Lanham, Maryland are both Apple Authorized Service Providers fully staffed by Apple Certified Technicians who are ready to help you.

MacMedics has been repairing Macintosh computers in Maryland since 1989.

When you’re looking for local Mac service from a reputable service provider, come see us at MacMedics. We help Mac users from all over the Baltimore & Washington area.

Thinking about going to the Apple Store for service? Our service is faster, usually less expensive, and carries our full MacMedics 1-year service warranty. See our Blog post about that at http://www.NOappointments.com. The majority of our our Apple Warranty or AppleCare repairs are complete and ready to return to you within 24 hours. Need a rental while your unit is in the shop? We can do that too!

MacMedics is also and Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, and as such, we are authorized to resell the Macintosh computer line, the Apple iPad, iPod, and Apple TV.

My 30-second elevator pitch has evolved to include ATM repairs.

So someone in the elevator will see my MacMedics jacket, shirt, or tool bag and asks, “What exactly is MacMedics?”

I say, “MacMedics is an Apple Authorized Macintosh service and consulting business. We service and maintain Macs at ad agencies and other places where pre-press and graphic design happens on a Mac like at corporate graphics or marketing departments. We like to say we’re in the ATM repair business, because when your Mac is broken or slow, you’re not making money.”

I got a huge dose of this wisdom this recently. A guy who lives and works near our shop has a video production business. He’s been asking about maybe getting a new Mac for the last year or so.

We exchange e-mails every so often when he has a question about his Mac or to ask if we need any video production help. I saw him at Subway not too long ago and he let me know that he might be getting a new Mac soon.

He came into the shop with his older MacBook Pro that was really sick. He had tried to run a Firmware update while he was in the middle of a project and it failed, thus making the unit inoperable. It’s not a common occurrence, but we do see it from time to time. As soon as it happened he ordered a new MacBook Pro from somewhere else, and then brought that in so we could transfer his data from the old unit to the new unit. Sadly, we could have saved him even more time if he had purchased the new Mac from MacMedics.

Normally this is not a big deal. We set it up the new MacBook Pro to migrate and it failed about 75% of the way thru. We tried a few other things and tried again, and it failed a second time. We then began to suspect the drive might be failing as it was getting kind of noisy and it was getting pretty hot as well.

I decided to go ahead and clone the drive on our data recovery equipment, so I could copy the data off the drive quickly. I then had to fix that data in order to get it into to shape to migrate it. His hard drive was a huge mess. The report on the drive was seven pages long! The total process ended up taking several hours and it delayed him over 24 hours from the point where his old unit blew up.

So, he’s a professional guy who makes his living with this MacBook Pro, and he had no back up, and he’s never had the unit serviced or looked at. This MacBook Pro is really his ATM cash machine as it provides him with all of his bread and butter for his business.

This is a fantastic case study in why a little preventive maintenance goes along way. If you treat your Mac like your very own ATM machine, you’ll never have these problems. Let’s get real here? Are you going to let your ATM degrade to a point where it stops dispensing cash.

1. This client’s MacBook Pro is well over two years old, so if we had seen it at any point recently, we would have most likely replaced the unit’s hard drive proactively and serviced the unit.

4. A little bit of annual maintenance and an automatic and tested back up system pay for themselves very quickly.

We’re friendly with this fellow, so if had stopped and called us on the phone, we would have been able to tell him all of this. We love to talk shop. If you have questions about how to treat your Mac like your very own ATM machine, just pick up the phone and give us a call!