MacBook Air with exploded battery

Opening and repairing the machine

Sep. 14, 2017 - Willem L. Middelkoop

Last night I had a nasty surprise: my original MacBook Air was swollen due to an exploded battery. I immediately had to take action, for reasons of safety and to preserve this piece of modern computer history. Don’t try this at home, but if you do... read along for some practical tips.

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Once removed the deformation in the battery pack is clearly visible

Opening the MacBook Air is possible by removing the bottom lid.

Swollen and cracked. I carefully looked for any leaks.

Steve Jobs unveiling the MacBook Air in 2008 from a vanilla envelope

This battery is dead.

The original MacBook Air: Groundbreaking due to its thinness and lack of ports

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