Stock MBP Question via Applecare

[Cmu93]

Hi Guys, I'm either buying a MBP or MB on or shortly after the 15th of the month, just waiting to see what happens. My concern is this... I would like to buy the standard MBP, but I would also like to upgrade to the 160 HDD. But, if I have any issues with it, and reading these boards is making me concerned... I feel maybe it'd be better to get a stock MBP with the 120 HDD, just in case I have to take it to the Apple Store (2 miles away), and need a new one. Then they can just exchange it, right?

If I buy one online with the 160 upgrade, what will the store do? Have to send it back to Apple because of the HDD upgrade? Is the chance of just getting a exchange pretty much gone if I don't go with the stock 120 drive?

Does that make sense?
Thank you!
Tom

 

[Aniej]

Uhmm your post was worded a little strangely, but I get the gist of what you are asking. By upgrading the standard MBP with a larger HDD, it becomes BTO (built to order) and thus the exchange issue develops. To be clear it is not that they will not exchange the HDD or the MBP if for some extreme reason that needs to happen, it is simply that it takes just a little bit longer and the Apple store will not have the replacement sitting in the back of the store ready to go.

On a related and quite honestly more important note, be mindful of the fact that a lot of people on these message boards who raise "issues" with their computers can tend to be people inexperienced with Apple products and/or overly picky about things which really don't exist.

Apple makes outstanding products, in my view it is the most enjoyable hardware and hands down the best software around. That's not to say there are not issues form time to time, even I have had some myself. But, I am not aware of the HDD problems you are raising, or at least such issues are not so widely reported that this issue stands out. The point is, I think you will be just fine getting the BTO model.

 

[Bearxor]

According to my local Apple store and my rep at corporate for my company, opening a MBP to upgrade the hard drive voids the warranty, regardless of if you break something or not.

The Apple store refused to make my notebook in for a repair. I shipped it off and it's due back today so we'll see if the Apple repair center follows as strict a line.

 

[Cmu93]

Thanks for the replies. I actually went up the the Apple Store yesterday and expressed all my concerns. I was told the same thing you just mentioned... if I order it online BTO, they may not have it in-stock locally, but they will simply send it out for repair.

I wasn't actually talking about HDD problems, I was talking about all the issues I read here about the MBP's. I'm still getting one next week, if for some reason it has some problems (1/3 yellowing, keyboard locking, etc)... then I'll exchange it.

Thanks again!

T.

 

[Aniej]

According to my local Apple store and my rep at corporate for my company, opening a MBP to upgrade the hard drive voids the warranty, regardless of if you break something or not.

The Apple store refused to make my notebook in for a repair. I shipped it off and it's due back today so we'll see if the Apple repair center follows as strict a line.

what are you talking about? this person is ordering a built to order MBP from apple, there is nothing about this that voids any warranty. I think you, or the people you spoke to, are thinking of opening a MBP and adding hardware yourself, which does not necessarily void the warranty depending on what it is that you are adding.