My daughter is in third grade now, and her school assignments require a computer. Normally, she uses a tablet, but I suddenly remembered we still had an old laptop — a second-generation MacBook Air, model A1369, with 1GB of memory and a 256GB hard drive. This ancient relic from 2011 😅 hadn’t been used for years. When I pressed the power button, there was no response. My first reaction was to charge it, but when I plugged in the MagSafe adapter, the green light didn’t come on. My heart sank — such a beautiful laptop!
I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. After doing some research online, I found out that the battery might have failed from sitting unused for so long. So, I opened up the back cover and removed the original battery. The next day, I ordered a 50-euro replacement battery (non-original) from Amazon. After installing it, the laptop could at least power on, but the MagSafe adapter still wasn’t working. I continued troubleshooting, even removing and cleaning the small magnetic charging board inside the MacBook, but I still couldn’t find the issue.
Then, I decided to order a 39-euro battery from PowerSmart, which finally arrived today. With nervous anticipation, I plugged it in — the green light came on! The machine revived! 🎉
First of all, I want to thank the reliable and affordable replacement parts made in China. Although they’re not original, they’re inexpensive, decent in quality, and great for backup use.
Secondly, Apple’s craftsmanship is truly unmatched. I didn’t notice this as much when disassembling iPhones, but this time, while working on the Air, I was amazed. The machine is so thin, it feels like a piece of metal turned into a work of art. While waiting for the parts, I also opened up my Dell XPS for a cleaning. The XPS is neatly built, but the Air feels like an industrial product transformed into a masterpiece. And this is a 13-year-old laptop! 😂
Finally, it’s been 16 years since Steve Jobs pulled the first-generation MacBook Air out of an envelope in 2008. I hope Steve is doing well in heaven! 🕊️
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