No doubt, you’ve heard that the Apple Store has announced a new program for business called Joint Venture. Apple has priced Joint Venture at $500.

Apple says they will “Set You Up” and work with you from beginning to end to set up new computers so that they are ready within 24-hours. Generally speaking, the same service from MacMedics can be obtained in the same amount of time, plus we offer either in-lab data transfer and set up or we can do the same at your home or office. There’s no reason to pay a premium to quickly get a new computer set up.

The $500 fee that Apple charges is for only five computers, so if you have more than five computers you’ll need to pay more. Also, many Apple customers have fewer than 5 Macs, so by paying for a subscription to support for more, you’re likely wasting money. At MacMedics we can design a Mac service and support program that’s right for your situation and at a price that’s affordable for you!

Apple’s Joint Venture program also has a training aspect, which is great in theory, but will you ever use it? Have you ever been to the Apple Store? It’s not usually well suited for corporate training.

MacMedics can also perform training for you and your staff at our office or yours. If you need us to train you or your staff, you can be sure that you’re getting the very best in real-world Macintosh experience and that the information we convey will be custom tailored to your needs and not “cookie cutter” general knowledge training. Pay for the training to you need when you need it, and if you need it. There’s a reason why we’ve provided training for organizations like Network Solutions, Under Armour, and the Salvation Army.

Apple says “For the first time ever, you can speak to an Apple Genius over the phone”. Well, this is nothing new to us. You’ve always been able to call MacMedics and speak to a Macintosh Certified Expert over the phone. To us, it appears that Joint Venture is primarily designed to give you “paid access” to your local Apple Store. At MacMedics, we love to talk shop and if you need basic support, advice, or guidance, just pick up the phone and give us a call. There’s never a charge to speak to technician. If you need advanced support and/or remote desktop support you can pay for just what you need and you don’t need a contract or a subscription to call. In fact you don’t even need to be a MacMedics client to pick up the phone and call us!

The Joint Venture program also offers a loaner MacBook Pro or MacBook Air that you can use if you computer is in for repair. We have two thoughts on this topic:

1. If you really need loaner protection, why not enroll your Macintosh in our Service Partner Program. With this program we’ll come to your office, loan you a computer (if needed) and fix any hardware issue for free. Our program offers more valuable benefits (like free covered repairs) then Apple’s Joint Venture and if you only have 2 or 3 computers our Service Partner Program can cost less then Joint Venture!

2. If you need a rental unit while your computer is in for service, we can supply a low-cost rental (if you enroll in Service Partner then this is free). The other thing to remember that is that A. we never send computers out to Apple Depot Service so our repairs are usually much, much quicker than the Apple Store Genius Bar, and B. MacMedics is so fast, you may not even need a rental computer.

MacMedics has two very affordable service programs for our clients to use.

MacMedics Walk-In Service Plan:

This ultra-affordable service plan is designed for clients who want to come to us and have one or a small group of computers they want to have protected.

There are several great benefits:

1. Low Cost – It’s priced at $99 or $149 depending on your computer
2. Priority Service – If you’re a WISP member, your repair moves to the front of the line!
3. Covered Hardware Repairs – Any part that fails on your computer (minus the battery), we replace it for free! No Part cost AND No Labor cost.
4. Free Technical Support – With the WISP program you get three 15-minute technical support incidents per year. On the phone, in person or via remote desktop support.
5. Free Data Migration – If you buy a new Mac or your want to move your data to a new computer while enrolled. We’ll transfer your data for free. (Limit 1 time per year)

Pricing:

$99 for MacBooks, Mac Minis, and iMacs
$149 for MacBook Pros, and Mac Pros

MacMedics Service Partner Program:

For MacMedics clients that need Advanced On-Site Mac Support, we proudly offer the MacMedics Service Partner Program.

There are three main benefits:

1. 6-Hour On-site Response – Got a problem? Hardware or software, we come to you and in no less then 6-hours.
2. Free Loaner Equipment – If we cannot fix your computer on-site, we’ll supply a free loaner Mac while we get yours all fixed up.
3. Free Parts & Labor – All hardware repairs are covered. All parts and all labor

Pricing:

$99 for Mac Minis
$199 for MacBooks and iMacs
$249 for MacBook Pros, and Mac Pros

Plus if your Mac is still under AppleCare or under Apple’s Warranty, and you want to enroll is our Service Partner Program, we do offer a discount.

Here’s a Blog post from Fortune by Philip Elmer-DeWitt that seems to call Apple’s new Joint Venture program out a bit.

Our new generation MacBook Air 13″ arrived today at MacMedics headquarters. One of our corporate clients has already laid claim to this unit.

If you’d like to get your new MacBook Air on order, just call your local MacMedics office.

MacMedics Baltimore 1-866-MAC-MEDICS

MacMedics Washington DC 1-888-4-DC-MACS

MacMedics Philadelphia 1-877-626-MEDIC

As Apple Authorized Service Providers, we perform quite a number of Macintosh warranty repairs on behalf of Apple’s customers. We also do so for many of our own customers whom have purchased their Apple gear from MacMedics.

Over the last six months or so, our Apple service business has basically doubled. The Apple Stores in the area are so overwhelmed; many Apple owners are finding out that there is an alternative to making an appointment or waiting around in the mall for a face-to-face with a Genius at the Genius Bar. See our recently updated Blog post on why it makes sense to come visit MacMedics in either Lanham (1 mile from I-495 at RT 50) or Millersville (5 minutes from BWI Airport or 10 minutes form the Annapolis Mall)

When we perform an Apple Warranty or AppleCare repair for someone, Apple sends them a survey to ask how well we performed the service on Apple’s behalf.

Apple then forwards these remarks and the accompanying scores to us with the idea that they will help improve our service.

In the latest round feedback from Apple, these anonymous comments praise MacMedics in such a level of detail it almost looks like we wrote them ourselves.

These are direct from Apple, and we’d like to thank our loyal customers for supporting us. THANKS!

-Very customer focused.

-MacMedics said it was a video card issue. Seems like they were right. So far I’ve had no black screen issues since the repair was performed.

If you spill coffee into your MacBook or MacBook Pro, the trick is to get it to MacMedics fast. Don’t try to fix it yourself, and just because it seems to be working OK, does NOT mean you’re out of the woods. Best thing to do is try to mop up excess liquid, remove the battery, then get it to us a quickly as possible.

Here are some Do-It-Yourself procedures to avoid:

1. Don’t try to turn the unit on NO MATTER WHAT. If there is liquid in the unit, and it’s making a connection between anything, then that could very well be the end of your laptop.

2. Don’t try to take the unit apart yourself. It’s not that hard to take off most MacBook’s top case, but to ensure the liquid is gone, the logic board needs to be removed in almost every case.

3. Don’t try to clean your logic board or any other part of your computer with “distilled” water. In fact, we don’t recommend you even try to clean it at all.

4. If moisture gets in, it’s usually not going to go away on it’s own. If your computer seems to be working after a spill, then that means you most likely got lucky and we might be able to fix/save your MacBook or MacBook Pro. But, in order to do so, turn the unit off and remove the battery. The liquid problem almost never goes away on it’s own.

5. If you have something like coffee, orange juice, soda, and many other type of acidic liquids, two things, 1. the acid will cause more corrosion than just water, and 2. Anything that has sugars in it won’t totally evaporate, it will just turn in a syrup which can cause it’s own set of problems. If you are growing a corrosion “science fair” project inside your laptop, you’ll end up with something that looks like mold that we call “creeping crud“. This stuff is nasty, because as long as it’s inside your unit, it can sort of “grow” and “creep” to reach other parts of your computer and cause more damage along the way. Anything it touches and then grows on will get get fried if power is applied (even well after the liquid is long gone). It’s also very brittle and it can crack off and then “float” around inside of your unit causing more issues as it “pinballs” its way around the inside of your computer.

6. Do us a big favor, don’t put your Apple laptop into an oven to dry it out. This can cause a whole new set of problems. We just wrapped up writing an estimate on a Unibody MacBook Pro that the owner tried to take it apart, then tried to clean the keyboard with water, and then baked the whole thing in the oven. Total repair $1700. New computer $1200.

One other thing to think about: Your hard drive. If your data is NOT backed up, your liquid soaked laptop could be putting your data at risk. This is the first thing we look a when working on a liquid spill case. We remove the hard drive and check to ensure that your data is safe. Most DIY repairs don’t take this into account, and most won’t take the controller off the hard drive to ensure there’s no liquid under it. When making a back up plan, you should take into account laptop damage as a possible way for your data to get in harm’s way. Please ensure you have a back up (tested and working) at all times.

Here’s a testimonial for one that we fixed a while back. This client was smart and he got the unit to us quickly, so we could get the coffee out while it was still wet.

“Well I’ve received my MacBook delivered back to me via your courier; and, I have to tell you that it was like getting a member of the family home from the hospital. Five days after buying my MacBook, I spilled coffee across the open laptop: I was certain that I had just spent $1,200 for coffee I wouldn’t get to enjoy. I never dreamed you could have saved my files– much less the entire computer. I am in awe of the dedication and skill it must have taken to disassemble my laptop, clean it piece by piece, and then return it to me as good as new. Thank you for the attention, the care, and the professionalism you demonstrated in far exceeding my expectations in quality of service and affordability. I highly recommend MacMedics, and would encourage any Mac user who drinks coffee to put your number on speed dial.”

Shane Townsend
Baltimore, Maryland

The Apple Store won’t upgrade your hard drive for you. But, MacMedics can, and we can do so either in or out of Apple warranty.

Here’s a common hard drive scenario that we help MacMedics clients with every day.

Your hard drive has failed, but you’d like to replace with a larger hard drive.

This makes perfect sense. Your MacBook with a 120 GB hard drive kicks the bucket, and in the process of replacing it, you’d like to upgrade it. MacMedics can help!

In Warranty: If your Mac is under warranty AND it’s hard drive fails, we can upgrade you to a larger capacity hard drive “under warranty”. All you do is pay for a new hard drive in the capacity of your choice.

Here’s how it happens:

1. We diagnose your computer’s hard drive as failed.
2. We order a new hard drive from Apple.
3. We install a new third party hard drive in the capacity of your choice.
4. We will install a new operating system on your new hard drive. (good time to upgrade your OS if you wish!)
5. You pay MacMedics for the cost of the new hard drive.
6. We send your old hard drive back to Apple.
7. We give you the Apple replacement hard drive to keep.

Your total cost: Just the price of a new hard drive, assuming we don’t also have to worry about or recover any of your data.

The free “original” size hard drive is yours to keep and you can sell it, keep it as a spare part, or use it to upgrade one of your other Macintosh computers.

Installing a new, large, faster, and more robust hard drive in your Macintosh does not void your AppleCare warranty. The only caveat that you have to keep in mind is that the Apple warranty WILL NOT cover the third party hard drive under Apple’s warranty. But if it should fail it is covered by a 1-year MacMedics warranty.

Out Of Warranty: If your Mac is out of warranty, we can also replace your hard drive with any size hard you would like. Most hard drive “upgrades” or “retirements” are done for our flat fee of $150 plus the cost of the hard drive. (Black or White original MacBooks are done for $99)

Obviously, if we have to recover your data from a failing hard drive, and provide other services in order to get your computer back in shape other charges may apply.

Here’s how it happens:

1. We diagnose your computer’s hard drive as failed.
2. You choose a new hard drive size and speed.
3. We install that new hard drive for you.
4. We clone your data from old hard drive to new hard drive
5. We test and run updates on your computer.

MacMedics keeps all popular hard drive sizes and speeds in stock at all times, so we can get you back on-line as quickly as possible.

This is just one more reason that MacMedics is often a better choice than trekking to your local Apple Store and dragging your iMac or Mac Pro through the mall.

When MacMedics performs an Apple Warranty or AppleCare repair for one of our clients, Apple sends a follow up e-mail to ask how we did. These are some of the mini-reviews that we have received.

#1 The service I received at MacMedics was very good and they always called me and left messages updating the status and progress of my computer.
—–
#2 I loved being able to walk in talk to a rep and have the work started right away. They have great customer service they always keep me up to date on their progress and explain their work and my service options every step of the way.
—–
#3 They were awesome. Nuff said. Dana runs a great show there.
—–
#4 They were fantastic. The service was quick the people were friendly and willing to answer all of my questions.

These are anonymous comments, so if one of these Apple Warranty or AppleCare reviews for MacMedics is yours, thank you!

If you need Apple Macintosh please consider visiting MacMedics in Millersville or Lanham instead of trekking to your local Apple Store. You never need an appointment, we’re 10 steps from your car, We’re cheaper, we’re faster (most warranty repairs are completed in 24 hours), and above all we’re accurate! We only fix what needs fixing.

Don’t take our word for it. Here’s three recent comments from clients MacMedics has performed Apple warranty repairs for:

1. As always the people at Mac Medics were right on point and offered the best quality service. I have never been disappointed with any visit to them and would highly recommend them to anyone who needed service.

2. They went beyond just repairing the problem. They made recommendations and then provided solutions as to how I might prevent the possible consequences of the problem in the future. I am highly satisfied with every aspect of their service.

3. This MacMedics location is unbelievable….repaired in under 24 hours. Called me to come pickup and explained all repairs and warranty issues.They are definitely the hardest working group in your network. I can’t say enough abut their professionalism and attention to detail.

MacMedics is a 100% Apple Macintosh-only, award-winning consulting and service firm founded in the Annapolis area in 1989. As Apple Authorized Value Added Resellers and Apple Authorized Service Providers, MacMedics is able to provide full-spectrum Apple-centric and specialized consultation and service to wide array of industries, agencies, and organizations.

MacMedics offers their progressive style of on-site Mac service and repair to most of the Mid-Atlantic region via their three offices located in Baltimore, Washington DC, and Philadelphia, PA. MacMedics services all Macs, Macintosh servers, and Mac networks in professional, government, educational, and home environments.

Here’s ten reasons to come see the friendly folks at the MacMedics Mac Lab in Millersville or Lanham:

1. No appointments are necessary at MacMedics: Just walk in and our Apple Certified Techs will take great care of you.

2. No lines: We’re always busy, but there’s almost never a wait to speak to a MacMedic Tech.

3. Quick Check In: Tell us what your Mac’s issue or problem is, and we’ll get right on the case! We’ll call you to talk in detail when we have an idea of what’s going on with your unit and what ALL of your options are. MacMedics offers an initial Macintosh Dialogistic for your computer at no charge. If we have to dig deep with part testing or advanced software testing our fee is only $49, and only if you choose NOT to have your machine repaired.

4. No lugging your iMac, Mac Pro, or G5 through the mall: Our front door is less then 10 steps from our parking lot. You can bring your Mac in, or come in and get us, and we’ll carry it in for you.

5. Quick Turn-Around: Our goal for in-lab service it to have it done in less then 72 hours. Many repairs take less time, and if that’s the case then your Mac will be back to you even quicker.

6. Hassle free warranty: Got a Mac that needs out of warranty service? The Apple Store only offers a 90-day service warranty. MacMedics “Hassle Free” warranty is a full 1-year!

7. Need a new Mac? We’ve got them: Come pick out what you want, and we’ll be happy to help with no sales hype! MacMedics is an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, so you can get the equipment you need coupled with the very best advice from the experts at MacMedics.

8. Full Service for iPhone & iPods: While the Apple store might do a whole unit replacement or offer a small discount for buying a new unit, MacMedics will fix just the problem your iPhone or iPod has, thus saving you money. All iPhone and iPod repairs MacMedics perform come with a full one-year parts and labor warranty.

9. Same day service for iPods & iPhones: In most cases if you drop off your iPod or iPhone in the morning, we’ll have it done later that same day!

10. Advanced, complex, or difficult repairs are performed at MacMedics every day: If you’ve been quoted an exorbitant amount of money to have your Mac fixed at the Apple Store, MacMedics can help! Liquid damage, fried logic boards, SuperDrive replacements, broken LCDs or MacBook Pro glass, and severe Macintosh case damage are all offered at MacMedics and often for hundreds of dollars less then Apple (or anywhere else!).

We would like to welcome our friends and colleagues from the Reston Town Center Apple Store to the Washington DC Macintosh community! Good luck with your grand opening today.

Need directions? Here’s the link to Google Maps.

So, you’re the manager for a rock bank on their summer tour and your MacBook’s LCD is sudden cracked. Sounds like you’ve got yourself a major problem as the going rate for such a repair is about $800, it could take a few days, and you’ve got to leave town in less then 24 hours for your next gig. Good thing your band was only as far away as Cordova (on Maryland’s Eastern Shore) from MacMedics’ Millersville H.Q.

A is for Avenue a Punk-Pop band happened to be in the area yesterday and thanks to the awesome word of mouth in the local Apple community, they found their way to MacMedics.

Turns out this particular MacBook (inside a backpack) on board the tour van got crunched. The LCD only had about two inches of readable screen that was viewable. So after making the arrangements for the next tour stop by way of moving windows around so they could see what they needed in the two inch section, they brought the unit into us.

Looks like the whole band stopped by to check us out while we checked in the MacBook for repair. They were leaving town the next morning, so we told them we would have it repaired and ready for them. Total turn around time about 2 hours.

Well, they are off to Connecticut for the next leg of their tour. Another happy customer! They tweeted about the repair on Twitter:

@BrianDollard “thank you @macmedics for hooking me up on tour, any mac problems check them out at macmedics.com”

Here is Brian’s review of our quick service on Yelp.com:

“While on tour with my band, the LCD screen on my MacBook was crushed while stowed in our van. We were only in Maryland for 48 hours, but Dana and his team showed some great hospitality by fixing the screen within a few hours, and saving me the $500 more the Apple store wanted to charge me. I am very grateful for their excellent customer service and will be sending them my machine if it has any future problems.”

If your MacBook (Polycarbonate) has a cracked or bad LCD, we’d love to help you out. Drop it off or ship it in, we’ll turn it around same day in most cases. See hour Blog post about our $349 flat rate repair. Got a major MacBook problem with multiple part failures (like a liquid spill or a bad case of a dropped MacBook)? MacMedics can help. We certainly can replace your sad MacBook or MacBook Pro (or PowerBook or iBook too!) with a brand new Apple laptop of your choice, and take your damaged unit as a trade-in. We also have done a few used MacBook whole unit replacements as well. We take your sick unit and remove it’s hard drive and pop it into a “newer” MacBook. Prices start out at about $650 with all labor and the trade-in of our sick unit. What’s the advantage? No labor, no wait, and 1-year MacMedics warranty on the whole unit.