Before you make an appointment, drive to the mall, find a parking spot, and then lug your Mac through the Annapolis Mall to get to the Apple Store, please consider supporting your local neighborhood Mac shop! Visit MacMedics in Millersville (near BWI airport) or Lanham, Maryland (near RT 50 & I-495) the next time you need Mac sales or service.

See our Blog post with all the details on why to come see MacMedics instead of trekking to the Apple Store. Clients that come to see us, often tell us they will never go back to the Apple Store for Macintosh sales OR service!

Or review this quick top 11 reasons here:

1. No appointment is needed: No need to call ahead when you’re ready to come visit MacMedics! Just walk in and our Apple Certified Techs will take great care of you.

Trying to catch up on all the latest MacMedics and Macintosh service news just got a little easier. The MacMedics Blog is now formatted for easy reading on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Some of the other Internet based firms that offer iPhone service and repair are now making a big deal out of how they now accept walk-in repairs, and that they also same day iPhone service. MacMedics has always offered same day iPhone and iPod service. Drop your sick iPhone or iPod off in the morning, and we’ll have it done by the end of the day (in almost every case).

Even if you send us your iPhone or iPod, we normally have it fixed and back on the FedEx truck the same day it arrives. If you need us to send you a pre-paid FedEx label, just e-mail us your name, address, and phone number, and we’ll e-mail you back a PDF of a label. We just add $10 onto your repair for this service.

Do you have a 3G iPhone and you’re in an extreme hurry? Well, MacMedics does offer the iPhone 3G “Apple” broken glass or LCD repair solution. We can replace the entire top half of your iPhone 3G while-you-wait in about 5 minutes. Same price as Apple, $199. If you become a MacMedics “fan” on Facebook, and we’ll knock $10 of any iPhone or iPod repair!

I recently updated my Blog post warning against Do-It-Yourself iPhone repairs. I’ve copied-n-pasted a teaser below for your reading enjoyment. If you care to read the updated post, you can find it here!

We are seeing more and more iPhones that have been damaged during do-it-yourself repairs. Folks, the videos you see on-line make it look very easy. There’s a reason for that, the companies that make these step-by-step videos on iPhone and iPod disassembly and repair are the same people that are selling all of the parts, tools, and supplies you need to perform the repairs. They want it to look as easy as possible and they often edit the video in their favor making it look like it’s easier then it really is and that it takes less time then it will take you. I can guarantee you that guy/gal in the video is NOT performing the repair you are watching for the FIRST time.

This blog post is a bit of rant, so if you’re already on the same page as me, and you think paying $20 to $30 plus parts cost, and getting FREE return shipping via FedEx to have my guys fix your iPhone right the first time, and you want to avoid the risk of trying it yourself then, just use this form. If you need us to e-mail you a pre-paid FedEx Express label we can do that too, and we’ll just add $10 onto your total repair. Questions? Just call us 1-866-MAC-MEDICS or Email us. 99% of the iPhones that reach us are fixed the same day the arrive, and we pack them back up and ship them back for next day FedEx delivery. If you’re local to the Baltimore-Washington DC area, then just drop your iPhone off in the morning, and we’ll have it done by the end of the day!

If you need more convincing, then keep reading. I love to talk shop!

Update: 1/5/10

See all of our iPhone “Do-It-Yourself” warnings posts at this link. They have become some of the most popular posts on the MacMedics Blog because they are true. Check’ em out!

So we’ve been over this before, but well meaning folks are still trying the Do-It-Yourself route on iPhones.

By our calculations you might save about $40 by doing the repair on your own, when trying to fix an iPhone 3G. If you make a mistake it’s going to be more. Also, if you’re considering this route, be sure to factor in all the costs.

1. Parts (are they real or copies?)

7. What’s the risk factor of doing a complex iPhone repair you’ve never done before.

The people that sell the parts are often the same people that make the step-by-step videos. Yes! it looks easy on video, because they edit out all the re-tries to remove the broken glass, the part where they get cut, and where they crack the LCD and/or destroy the iPhone’s frame.

When you take apart an iPhone the first few times, you’re going to mess something up. We know because we’ve seen the end results. Even if you bail on your DIY repair and come to us, our service might end up costing more if we have to un-do a previous repair attempt. MacMedics has performed the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S screen/lens/glass/digitizer repair hundreds of times, so we know what we’re doing, and we can do it fast!

We had to share this e-mail and photos with you. The names have been removed to protect the innocent.

“Hi, I wanted to contact you to find out if you can help me fix my iPhone 2g.

Thank you.”

See this photo in a large size

Needless to say, this iPhone is likely beyond our help. As this is really bad and it does not appear to be disassembled in a static safe workspace to boot.

Thank you to our loyal MacMedics clients, who keep bringing us more iPhones to fix AND for telling their friends about us.

We’re finding that more and more iPhone users are just super, super dependent on their iPhones. Heavy duty users can’t even stand to leave their iPhone for same-day service (Usually only a few hours). So, to help the people that need a repaired iPhone 3G right now, we now offer Emergency While-You-Wait glass/digitizer service for the iPhone 3G (iPhone 3G S Emergency service is coming soon!)

Just bring your broken iPhone 3G into our Millersville Mac Lab and we’ll just install a new iPhone 3G top glass, digitizer, home button, and frame (all at once) for you in about 5 minutes. Maybe you’re catching a flight out of town (at nearby BWI), or you just need to get back to work right away, we’ll do it on the spot for you.

A nice side benefit, is folks that have both the common broken glass (the iPhone 3G lens) AND a broken LCD (the screen under the glass) and want their iPhone fixed on the spot can also have the repair done in about 5 minutes.

The price for this service is $199. with a 1-year warranty on the new part. Show us that you’re following MacMedics on Twitter or sign up for the MacMedics e-mail newsletter and we’ll knock off $10 this or any other iPhone, iPod, or Macintosh service!

Just give us a call at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS for more details.

While in downtown Annapolis, the brother of one of our employees was approached by a few guys who asked him if he wanted to buy some drugs. Of course he said “NO!” and left the area. Soon after he told some Maryland State Police who were also in the area about the guys selling drugs. The police found the guys and searched them, but found no drugs. They did find this weird iPhone drug scale, which they thought was suspicious. The cops saw that it was some kinds of a fake iPhone, and managed to open it an see that it was a drug scale and not an iPhone. Later, the cops showed the device to our employee’s brother and allowed him to take some pictures of it.

There was some Internet buzz about this device early last year (2008), but it’s kind of strange to see that it really made it out into the real world and drug dealers are using them.

See the large size version of this picture here.

See the large size version of this picture here.

One of our MacMedics Mac Techs lost his iPhone 3G in the Patapsco river while boarding a boat for a night of sailing. Not exactly the best way to start off a night of relaxing sailing near Fort McHenry in Baltimore, MD.

There are two lessons here:

1. While it might seem like a good idea to carry your iPhone, Blackberry, or other cellphone/iPod type device clipped to your pocket or belt for easy access, it’s not the safest place. I speak from personal experience, as my horse sort of ran into me (you other horse people know what I’m talking about), knocked my Nextel cell phone off my belt holster, then promptly stepped on it. 1200 pound horse vs. little flip phone, I don’t think I have to revel the winner of that battle here.

The MacMedic who lost his phone overboard (we won’t name names to protect the innocent) was carrying his iPhone on a belt clip. I think the wisest thing it not to clip on, but to carry your iPhone in your pocket. I use a Griffin hard plastic case that (does have clip, but I don’t use the clip to attach it to my belt) and it has saved my phone at least three times. The iPhone is so slim and sleek, my semi-bulky plastic case keeps my iPhone from sliding out of my pocket, and when I go to answer the phone I can locate it quickly and use the case to hold onto the phone as I goto answer a call.

2. The other thing to know here is how Apple treats a lost 3G iPhone. They charged our Tech $400. and forced him to extend his contract with AT&T for an additional two years.

I highly recommend this case, it’s the one I use.

We’ve checked with our friends at Apple and MacMedics has learned that Apple will replace a water damaged iPhone at the Apple store for $199. Customers will most likely end up with a refurbished replacement unit and best of all, your current ATT contract will not get extended in order to obtain a working iPhone.

Here at MacMedics most of the wet iPhones we see are ones with multiple part failures that make a full scale repair NOT feasible. Our Apple Certified techs are still in standby mode, ready to replace your broken screen overnight for $109.99 (includes 1-way FedEx EXPRESS shipping), repair your iPhone’s LCD, battery, headphone jack, volume control, on/off switch, or ringer mute switch.

We’re also offering a new service for removing any dust that has worked it’s way under your iPhone’s lens. $10 gets you while-you-wait service and you’ll be on you’re way, dust free. Since the iPhone 3G has openings for pocket lint to work it’s way inside the phone, this is becoming more of a problem as folks have iPhones long enough for the dust to find a way in. Call us for details.

Our advice on ANY iPhone. iPod, or Mac repair is always free, and we love to talk shop! Pick up that iPhone, and give us a call toll free at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS. If our repair or refurbishment services are NOT right for your situation, we’ll be delighted to send you back to Apple or to the place that can best help you.

Looking for good deals and better Mac advice? subscribe to our newsletter, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. New or existing MacMedics newsletter subscribers get our comprehensive 5-page Time Machine white paper for free.

MacMedics is pleased to announce that we are now performing all iPhone (first & second generation) and iPod touch repairs.

MacMedics will repair your 3G iPhone’s digitizer (the glass on the front of the unit) for $109.99.

Update 9/4/09: MacMedics is now also offering iPhone 3G S glass/digitizer repairs. Same deal as below for $129.99. Show us that you follow us on Twitter or Facebook and get $10 off (for a limited time).

Here’s what our service includes:

1. Same day service. Drop it off in the morning, and pick it up in the afternoon!

3. FREE One-way FedEx Express shipping. Send your broken or sick iPhone to us and we’ll repair it and pick up the return FedEx Overnight shipping. If needed, we can arrange to send you a pre-paid FedEx label as a PDF via e-mail, and you can securely pack and ship your phone to us for $10 extra. If you live or work near our shop in Millersville, MD (5 minutes from BWI airport) you can drop it off in the morning and in most cases pick it up in the afternoon.

Having your iPhone repaired locally makes good sense, as you don’t have to worry about shipping it to the West Coast (or who knows where!) or when you’ll get your iPhone back. All MacMedics iPod & iPhone repairs are performed only in our Millersville, MD office. Of course, if you’re a MacMedics client or just someone that wants to ensure that your iPhone is being handled by a reputable Mac service firm, we are happy to accept iPhones that are mailed into our repair center. If you’d like us to e-mail you a FedEx label, just get in touch, and we’ll send one right over. We are going to be shooting for same day turn around for all iPhone glass repairs. You can drop your iPhone off in the morning, and we will likely have it done later that same day.

Apple iPhone 3G with cracked/shattered glass (digitizer)

Don’t forget that MacMedics also fixes all other types of iPods (including) the 4th gen Nano. We also specialize in difficult Macintosh repairs, like LCD replacements, hard drive upgrades (to 500 GB), liquid spill rescues, Mac & iPod data recovery, and logic board repairs at very competitive prices. All MacMedics hardware repairs are backed by our “no-hassle” 1-year MacMedics warranty. The Apple Store and most other service providers only offer a 90-day warranty.

As always, no appointments are necessary for all iPods, iPhone, and Macintosh repairs. Just walk in to speak to any of our expert Mac techs.

A number of MacMedics clients have asked if the Apple warranty or AppleCare will cover a broken iPhone screen. Sadly, no the Apple warranty is null and void if you drop the phone and break the digitizer or LCD. Same holds true for iPhones that have water damage. There are detectors inside the phone at both the top and the bottom that will indicate when water has been present.

There are also a number of 3G iPhone “glass” parts for sale on eBay and the Internet. They usually sell for about $20 or so. This part IS the glass for the front of the iPhone. The only problem is that there is no practical way to separate the working digitizer from the broken iPhone glass. The part we use is the glass with the digitizer already attached. This is really the best way to do this repair. Also, as a side note, all iPhones are very difficult to open without causing damage and the iPhone’s cables, screws, and parts inside the iPhone are TINY. We’ve already seen a number of phones that people have tried to fix on their own with unhappy results. Even if you can find the right part, that’s not counterfeit, or has flaws in the glass, you’re only going to save about $40 by doing the repair yourself. Bring it to us and let us take care of it for you. Don’t take my word for it, read this posting from Jay Garmon from TechRepublic. He did his own repair, and said he’d not do it again.

There’s a flurry of people all over the Internet offering iPhone and iPod repair services. We hear about them all the time, and we often have to “re-fix” items that have ALREADY been repaired once. We only use the parts we’d use for ourselves in our own repairs. We also are not afraid to spend an extra few dollars to get a iPod battery that’s actually pretty decent. Many of our iPod repairs include a free battery and all include free ground return shipping. Don’t get the run around from a guy that has to do his REAL job first, then work on your iPhone at night to make extra money. This IS what we do, and we love it! We’re also a REAL Mac repair shop, so come visit our Apple Certified technicians and we’ll help you figure out the best way to to get your Mac. iPhone, or iPod fixed for you.

Here's what the shop floor at MacMedics looks like.

About MacMedics:

Since 1989, MacMedics has offered its clients award-winning Apple sales, support and consulting to business, education and residential customers. The company offers a broad range of services including desktop computer set-up, maintenance and administration, system and network administration, consulting and technology planning, Internet service and hardware set-up and troubleshooting, onsite and in-store training, emergency response and preventative maintenance. MacMedics provides Apple Authorized sales and service to over 8500 clients from their three offices in Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia.

MacMedics is the oldest and largest Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller and Apple Authorized Service Provider in the Mid-Maryland area. Our headquarters in Millersville, MD is home to our award-winning Mac service center.

MacMedics’ Millersville, Maryland Apple Service Center is 5 minutes south of Baltimore-Washington International airport (BWI) and 1/10 of a mile from I-97. We are only 10 miles from Ft. Meade/NSA and just 1 mile from Severna Park and about 5 miles from Arnold.

Coming from the Apple Store in Annapolis, MD? http://tinyurl.com/cgzt4a

Coming from the Apple Store in Towson, MD? http://tinyurl.com/cbevvm

Coming from the Apple Store in Columbia, MD? http://tinyurl.com/cbftyl

Here’s an iPhone that we fixed recently. The damage is pretty bad, so look away:

After we replaced the glass and the LCD you can’t tell that this iPhone ever had a problem.

If you’re a loyal Apple hardware buyer, you most likely know about AppleCare. Chances are you’re like me and after plunking down $2000 on a new MacBook Pro, maybe you held off on also buying AppleCare. What you might not know is that you can buy AppleCare anytime within the first year of ownership and get an extra two years of Apple warranty coverage. AppleCare also entitles you to free phone support from Apple for more than just the first 90 days of ownership.

AppleCare is also available for iPods. You can double the Apple factory warranty to two years by enrolling. Considering that AppleCare is $59 for all of the more expensive iPods, it’s a good bet. Any iPod repair needed within 2 years will make your $59 investment totally worthwhile.

We commonly see MacMedics customers (and other folks from all over) who bought their Mac elsewhere, and either opted to buy AppleCare at a later date or were never informed it was an option at the time of purchase. So as long as you’ve not hit your 1-year purchase anniversary yet, you can can still enroll your computer in AppleCare. You could rush to the Apple Store or buy on-line and fuss with getting retroactively enrolled after your paperwork comes in the mail, or you can call MacMedics (or e-mail us) for the same price as Apple, we’ll enroll your Mac in AppleCare instantly and e-mail you the paperwork that contains your AppleCare number. Once you go past the 1-year warranty, there is no way to retroactively buy AppleCare. If you never registered your computer, or did so late, it’s possible that Apple has the wrong info on when you actually bought your computer. If you can prove your computer was purchased less than one year ago, you can still buy AppleCare. Apple’s serial number information uses the Mac’s “Born on date” to give pretty good guess on the Mac’s warranty. It’s very likely that your purchase date could be as mcsh as a month after this date if your Mac was in the channel for a long time, or sat on the shelf for a while before you bought it. Check your paperwork to be sure, and do so quickly before you give up on buying the extended warranty.

I recommend AppleCare for all Apple computers, Especially laptops, where the service parts are more expensive and you also have a power adaptor that can fail. If you have ANY hardware repair performed under the AppleCare warranty it’s totally worth the investment. We have it on all of our computers here at MacMedics, and it’s been worthwhile for us.

Pay on-line right here, and we’ll e-mail you to get your computer’s serial number as soon as your order reaches us. Use the coupon code “AppleCare” on Google Checkout and we’ll take $10 off your AppleCare purchase over $149.

If you’re right at the deadline to buy, please also call us at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS if you don’t hear from us via e-mail within a few minutes of your order. We’re also happy to handle your enrollment via a phone call, if you’d rather not buy on-line. Just give us a call and we’ll take care of it right on the spot.

Don’t forget that MacMedics can also honor your AppleCare warranty or your Apple factory 1-year warranty. We can offer some distinct advantages versus visiting the Apple Store.

1. No appointment is needed when you bring your computer in. Just drop it off anytime.
2. Both of our walk-in service locations (MacMedics in Lanham, MD & MacMedics in Millersville, MD) are less then 10 steps from your parking spot. This means no lugging your iMac, G5 or Mac Pro through the mall, in fact if you’ve got something that’s a bit heavy or awkward, just come get us and we’ll carry it in for you!
3. MacMedics is fast! We try to have any needed warranty parts on order the same day you check in. We also have many commonly used service parts in stock (like laptop power ports, top cases, keyboards, Superdrives, power adaptors, and all types of hard drives and memory).
4. We’re absolutely fanatical about ensuring your unit is correctly repaired and properly reassembled. See our blog post regarding service obtained elsewhere.
5. Not located near an Apple Authorized Service Provider? You can ship us your unit yourself, or get in touch with us on details on how we can pick it up from you.

1/18/09 UPDATE: We’d like to thank the hundreds of of people who have taken action based on this blog post. MacMedics recommends AppleCare for all Macs, and our new web page and instant enrollment has been super successful. If you’re still on the sidelines wondering when you should buy AppleCare, take action now! Macs are super reliable, but you never know what could happen. With logic boards and many other major parts costing hundreds of dollars, AppleCare could cover it all for you. Use it one time, and you’ve made your investment back. See our post about an $800 logic board repair. As we mentioned above, MacMedics buys AppleCare for all of our loaner, rental, and support equipment. With a laptop where you have an external power supply, you are very likely to have to replace your adaptor within three years. If you end up doing so, that’s $80 back on your investment. Wanna’ talk about AppleCare and why we recommend it more? Just give us call at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS we can enroll your Mac(s) on the spot. Again, don’t wait until your 1-year factory warranty runs out!