MacMedics will accept your working, non-working, or damaged Apple hardware as a trade in credit towards a new Apple Macintosh computer, Apple iPad, and Apple iPod. You can also apply a trade in credit towards service on your existing Mac that might be in need of repairs or data recovery.

If you have broken or outdated gear just lying around, MacMedics will even purchase some broken, liquid damaged, or outdated Apple Computers, iPads, or iPods for cash. Older equipment, or units with extreme damage can be dropped off at either Millersville or Lanham for free e-waste recycling.

Both our Millersville and Lanham offices can accept stuff for trade. Call us at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS to discuss what you have and how it can be valued.

Here is a MacBook Pro that was thrown down a hallway. Thankfully MacMedics was able to save the data. Other than the data, the machine is a total loss. The SuperDrive is bent, the case is heavily damaged, the glass is broken and the LCD is also cracked.

While we were able to save the data, this is an extra expense for our client. A better solution would be to have your data fully backed up. If you need help setting up the “Golden Triangle” of backups, talk to your local MacMedics office. We have backup solutions starting at $89 for 320 GBs.

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This MacBook Pro Unibody came into our Washington DC office. The story is that the unit was destroyed by an angry child. This unit was purchased new on March 25, 2011. Our techs checked this unit out and it’s totaled, so it will need to be replaced. Let’s hope the client can claim this on his credit card Buyer Protection or insurance!

Apple Updates MacBook Pro Family

The MacBook Pro family has been updated with next-generation processors and graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, and a new FaceTime HD camera. It delivers unprecedented performance in a patented aluminum unibody design that is as thin and light as ever.

Key features:

-Dual-core and quad-core processors—The latest Intel Core i5 and i7 dual-core and quad-core processors provide up to twice the performance compared to previous generations.

-High-performance graphics—Integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 are part of every MacBook Pro model. 15- and 17-inch models also include AMD Radeon HD graphics and up to 1GB of video memory, delivering up to three times the performance over previous MacBook Pro models.

-Thunderbolt port—This groundbreaking I/O technology allows you to connect up to six high-speed peripherals, including a high-resolution display.

-FaceTime HD camera—Make widescreen video calls with three times the resolution of the previous MacBook Pro camera. The FaceTime for Mac App comes on all new MacBook Pro models and is also available for Intel-based Macs from the Mac App Store.

If you’ve been waiting for the new MacBook to hit the streets, MacMedics will gladly take your old MacBook (working or not) in trade for a new one. In fact, MacMedics will accept any Intel based Macintosh as a trade in. Even if you’ve got a major issue, liquid damage, or a cracked LCD, we’ll still consider it. Don’t forget that the longer your “dead” or unused Mac sits the less it’s worth. We can also accept broken iPhones and sometime even iPods as well in trade. Don’t let your old stuff sit around and lose value.

So you have an Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro that needs a larger hard drive. Not an uncommon problem.

Maybe someone in your family decided to give you the gift of a bare hard drive, or maybe you have another 2.5” drive that is kicking around. In either case you decide that you don’t have the time, knowledge, or tools to install the drive into your Mac computer. Also, if your Apple laptop is under warranty, the hard drive is NOT a user installable part, so if you install it yourself, you’ll void your Apple warranty. Thankfully, MacMedics is an Apple Authorized Service Provider who employs Apple Certified Technicians.

MacMedics to the rescue! We’ve installed thousands of hard drives in Apple laptops, so we can install yours as well. For $150 we’ll install your new hard drive and perform a bit-by-bit clone of your data from your old drive to your new hard drive. As long as your old drive is healthy enough to copy, $150 is all you pay. In most cases this service can be performed same day, if you bring in your Apple laptop in the morning.

Don’t have your own hard drive and you don’t trust Best Buy to sell you the right speed, brand, or size of hard drive? Don’t worry as both MacMedics service locations in Millersville and Lanham, Maryland stock all sizes, speeds, and types of drives.

So from 160 GB all the way up to 1 TB (depending on your model of laptop), we can help!

We thought our readers would enjoy this take on Iron Man as Mac Man. We’re not 100% sure if this is commercial or not. It looks home made. We like how the Apple logo was styled to fit the art work.

After seeing the above picture, one of our clients sent a picture of his Mac in:

This MacBook Pro Batman was spotted at Create Baltimore conference.

MacMedics would like to thank Dwight Silverman’s Houston Chronicle’s TechBlog for the kind plug for MacMedics’ $150 Liquid Spill Rescue Program.

If you have just arrived from Dwight Silverman’s Houston Chronicle’s TechBlog regarding this topic. This is a delicate subject, and my comments were deemed too long (and maybe too self serving) to be posted on their Blog site. Seriously, please call us to at least chat about your issue, and $150 is a small price to pay to have ALL of the facts regarding your liquid spill case. If you don’t fully read this Blog post, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re out of the woods if your MacBook or MacBook Pro (or any other laptop) is working after you wiped it off, and dried it out. We see lots of cases where the computer will FRY it’s self after what’s left of the liquid inside starts to corrode and grows what we call creeping crud.

MacMedics does offer a $150 “liquid spill” assessment. For $150, we will have our Apple Certified techs take the unit completely apart and perform one round of electronic cleaning. The $150 will also get you a written estimate of what exactly the unit needs in terms of parts for repair, which you can in turn submit to your insurance or credit card to start a claim. Our $150 evaluation and first go-around of cleaning is a good deal, as sometime we can save the unit for $150.

See this review from DJ PHAZE We were able to save his DJ MacBook for $150.

Also, here’s our full post from the MacMedics Blog on liquid spills.

In regards to sending your unit out for repair we accept repairs from all over the world, and we are known for our quick turn around times. We will also start looking at your MacBook or MacBook Pro the day it arrives, so we do not wait around on liquid spills. Also, as this article mentioned, getting inside the UniBody MacBook and MacBook Pros are a pain. It is definitely not a repair for a beginner.

Another advantage MacMedics can offer is that we fix only what has a problem. When you compare our quote to $1200 one from Apple that uses a “tiered” repair system that favors the worst case scenario and no cleaning, our repair can be half as much, or even less depending on the problem. We only clean what needs cleaning, and we only replace what needs to be replaced. By totally talking the unit fully apart (most others do not perform this service) we have a fairly accurate view of what needs to happen. When you compare that to someone just giving a verbal estimate of $1200 without taking the unit apart, our repair is usually less. One other factor that is commonly overlooked is if Apple sends your unit away for depot service, there is a disconnect in ownership of the problem from the Genius who checked it in to the Repair Tech who handles your case in another state.

I’ll just mention one other thing here. Often someone will have a liquid spill, then clean it up, dry it out, and then use the computer. You really, really need to get inside that unit to ensure ALL of the liquid and corrosion is totally gone. We commonly see units suffer from a spill, for a few days, then totally fry, because the corrosion (creeping curb) will short out a circuit somewhere, killing the logic board or other complex electronic system.

When you are dealing with a crisis like this, it is helpful to talk to someone who has been through this process before. Feel free to call and talk to me, or any of our expert techs to get all of your repair options. 1-866-MAC-MEDICS

Also, MacMedics is an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, so even if you do have a MacBook Pro catastrophe on your hands, we can sell you a new unit, transfer your data, and give you a trade-in allowance for your damaged unit.

Sorry to ramble on, but this is a complex topic. Please check out our Blog for more details.

Dana Stibolt

Keep Your Stapler Away From Your MacBook’s MagSafe Power Connector

Don’t forget that the magnet inside the MagSafe connector on your MacBook or MacBook Pro is very strong.

It WILL pull metal objects into it, and as you can see in this picture a staple is the perfect size. This is a “used” staple, but an “unused” stable also fits into the MagSafe port perfectly.

This unit was working, but even after some other seeming unrelated damage it stopped working. We’re wondering if this staple had anything to do with it.

There have also been reports of certain type of “sand” being picked up and stuck inside the MagSafe connector. It’s a good idea to keep and eye on it, and be sure to promptly remove anything you find.

Don’t Beat Up Your MacBook Pro Unibody – Your Hard Drive Is Directly Under Your Right Hand!

A client brought us his MacBook Pro Unibody 15” yesterday. He got mad at his Mac and smashed his fist down onto the palm rest.

Sadly, this was a not a good thing for the health of the MacBook.

Here’s the carnage report:

1. Dented Palm rest (We did our best to bang the dent out)

2. Dead hard drive (It’s no longer spinning)

3. Lost hard drive data (Since the drive is not spinning, we can’t recover the data)

4. Voided Apple/AppleCare warranty. (Because the damage was due to abuse the repair could not be handled under warranty, and the client had to pay for a new hard drive)

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