Just a mini Apple rant Re: Magic Trackpad 2 Battery Replacement

Hardware
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This is a medium-length rant.

I wanted to get the battery swapped on my Magic Trackpad 2 since it’s old and dies all the time.

A few days ago I went on Apple’s website, to the support section, and did the “get an estimate” thing. Told it I needed a battery for a Magic Trackpad. It told me that it estimated $29 for the cost. I’ve seen charts in the past with the costs (Magic Keyboard battery replacement costs $29 ⌚️ 🖥 📱 mac&egg has a screenshot of the chart that used to be on Apple’s site!), so this made sense. They said I could schedule an appointment at my local Apple store, which I didn’t do because this next week is chaotic and I don’t know when I’ll be able to bring it in.

Anyway, I didn’t have the trackpad with me today, but I was out in the area - so I stopped into the local Apple store. I figured I could verify whether they had a battery in stock, make an appointment and get it ordered if they didn’t, etc.

I told them I needed a battery replacement for my Magic Trackpad 2, and wanted to verify whether they had any in stock. I figured I’d schedule it a week or so out.

They said they NEVER verify stock before appointments. The policy is that you come out, the Genius person figures out what, if anything, they think is wrong, and only then do they see if they have the parts/items/whatever in stock. I told them I didn’t need a diagnostic - I just wanted to purchase the battery replacement service. They STILL said they wouldn’t check stock before an appointment.

Then they asked me again what device it was I was talking about. I told them it was a Magic Trackpad 2. So they went and asked a couple of guys that were standing on the other side of the store. According to them (a couple of self-proclaimed “long time Geniuses”), Magic Trackpad 2 batteries can’t be replaced. It’s not a thing that Apple does. If it’s in-warranty they replace the trackpad under warranty, otherwise I have to buy a new one. And of course I couldn’t find the proper Apple website showing the info when I was in the store, so I just had to leave.

Got home, and arranged a phone callback from Apple Support, or should I say FIVE callbacks. Got disconnected while being transferred/placed on hold FOUR TIMES. The fifth lady I got to write down my phone number in case we got disconnected.

Eventually the fifth person at Apple was able to determine that they USED TO do some sort of swap/battery service/whatever for out-of-warranty trackpads (i.e. I send them back the old trackpad, and they just send out another one for a fee), but they no longer do that because it’s too old.

So my only option is to order a different one.

And if that’s the final answer, I guess I get it. I would’ve been disappointed if the person at the store had been able to get me the final answer I eventually got, but I wouldn’t have been cranky.

But the fact that the “authoritative answer” at the store was clearly and obviously wrong and Apple made me jump through the “call me” hoop five times because the agents kept transferring me, putting me on hold and losing me, etc…that makes me cranky.

And of course it’s the time when my girlfriend is reconsidering getting a MacBook, and she gets to see this whole mess. Last time she was considering a MacBook (when the M1 was first coming out), she got to watch as Apple flubbed the customer service on my PowerBeats Pro earbuds.

I just wish Apple would get it together in terms of customer service.

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I had a similar experience with customer service, geniuses, and repair inventory management (it looks like they just can’t be bothered, regardless of how much this impacts their customers) half a dozen years ago. I’m sorry to hear that it hasn’t improved.

I’m also sorry to hear that there is no battery replacement option for the Magic Trackpad 2. Mine is dying too. That’s kind of surprising given how little I use it.

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Related: the repair cost for my full-size HomePod that died is listed at $249. I didn’t look into it further.

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It still baffles me how they can be a “green” company with so much obvious wastage? Let’s replace the whole trackpad rather than the battery because that’s better for the environment.

Government really should tax such wastage heavily.

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I could see if they’d determined that it wasn’t a field-replaceable unit (i.e. “we have one guy at a depot that handles these, so you have to mail it in”), but yeah - it’s kind of crazy.

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Scale matters here too.
How many trackpads have to die, and how many people want them to be repaired, to justify having a repair person?
With Apple’s glued-together designs of trackpads, HomePods, etc. how much time does it take to repair?
What is the salary+benefits for the highly-skilled repair person?
How many are destroyed (glass breakage, etc.) in the process?
How many people will just buy another (with a margin that’s probably $125)?

The environmental impact of this probably pales in comparison to, say, planned obsolescence for items like literal tons of cheap clothing that only lasts six months.

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I imagine everyone would want them repaired if it was possible and cost effective. Apple don’t need to be the ones repairing them. There are plenty of local repair shops who could do with the business, if the parts where available.

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That said though, the fact that their website gives a price for the service logically means they should have at least one person, somewhere, who can do it. :slight_smile:

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Or better, make the batteries AA changeable like they used to be.

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That’s actually my main frustration trying to find help and documentation about my issue - I keep getting the directions for how to replace the batteries on the 1st generation trackpad.

How many people need directions to open that battery compartment and swap AA batteries?

Although, want to see something hilarious?

Just in case you need a quarter to open your original Magic Trackpad, iFixIt will sell you one for $3. And they have fun with it in the description as well. :smiley:

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Ugh, no. The fact that can just plug in the Magic Trackpad 2 and keep using it rather than have to hunt down a pair of AAs is by far the biggest quality of life benefit of the newer model.

This does bring up a question. Can you keep using the Magic Trackpad 2 as a wired trackpad even when the battery’s dead? If so, that mitigates the e-waste issue.

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Yes, you can - but depending on your workspace that might not be horribly useful, and it definitely makes it much less “magic”. :slight_smile:

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I’m okay with that so long as companies are also taxed for the extra material needed to make devices serviceable when the failure rates are too low to warrant it. :stuck_out_tongue:

Now I’m sad again. Service is listed as $279 now, too. I suppose they’re not competing with discounted new HomePods anymore.

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16

I wouldn’t recommend this. I had the original and it ate batteries for fun, wasn’t as good to use and only worked on a desk surface. I tried Rechargeable batteries, but they wore out.

The newer models are far superior, but of course Apple should make them serviceable by someone.

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I use two of these AA powered pads. Batteries last a few months with 3-4 hours continuous use a day. I cannot remember when i last changed the batteries.

As long as they work I will not be liable for an expensive replacement.

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Been wanting to replaced my old Magic Trackpad but decided to just buy rechargeable AA batteries. Reading this made me re-think about buying a new one and continue using my old trackpad.

I’m at the point that I started to look at devices that is battery-operated (coin, AA, AAA) since most of this Li-on rechargeable devices are slowly dying on me as their batteries get spent over time.

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19

I’d hate to see your full length rants ;).

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Yes, that might be true, but how many of those Trackpads really need a repair?
My one has more than 5 years now, with daily use over several hours, and still is running fine. And I know not a single one from friends and family with problems.
I do not say, that there are no reasons, to replace or repair Trackpads, but I wonder how many would have been sold, and how many are actually are in need of an repair?
Is it really worth to have personal and technic available, to justify that?

Apple is doing a lot, to keep the good quality of its devices, and there had been several occurrences, where Apple Devices had been repaired by those “local repair shops” with material that had not met the quality Apple is looking for, and had the potential to damage the quality image Apple is trying to upheld.

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It is if you have a price for the service on your website. :slight_smile:

If they didn’t do it at all, and the trackpads were always just known to be disposable, I’d be far less cranky. But it’s clearly a service that they’ve offered in the past, and that they continue to give a price for on their website. So somebody should be able to do it.

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