Ya know when that shark bites, with his teeth, babe

A couple of e-mails on my Mac battery problem.

Jack offers some solace:

I squeaked in just under the wire. My MacBook battery died just before the one-year anniversary. So I got a new one for free.

I only waited about five minutes at the Genius Bar. The replacement battery has not died yet. Is this evidence that Packer fans are God's chosen people and Vikings fans are cursed, Godless heathen? That's a tough one. I'm going to recuse myself.

At least you're using the right computer. The battery may die. But that laptop will last you five good years before you think about retiring it. The Genius guy recommended against putting the computer to sleep for long periods of time. So now I shut down the computer and start it back up a lot more.

Even after two years this computer boots up in less than a minute and shuts down in about 15 seconds. If you buy any additional chargers, get the 85 watt MacBook Pro charger. It charges your battery much quicker with no adverse effects.

While Mike channels JB by twisting the knife:

My MacBook Pro battery did the same thing after about 1.5 years. Would never fully charge and the machine would just shut down without warning. I mentioned this to a freelancer in our office who uses a Mac and she said she had the same problem. The guys at the Genius Bar gave her a free replacement.

Her husband, who works for Apple said the problem is fairly common and they should have done a recall. I took mine in after spending probably 20+ hours trying various things to charge it, downloading several patches and updates and visiting chat rooms trying to find a solution. I told the Genius that I know someone who works for Apple who told me its common and they should have done a recall. He replaced it, well after the warranty expired, no questions asked and no charge.

Learning the Elder shelled out 99 big ones for something he could have received free had he been armed with this knowledge--priceless.

No one mentioned any of this when I was debating whether to get a Mac last year and now you're all screwin' me!