[SOLVED] Can I Fix Macs Without Owning a Mac?

[Appletax]

Solution: yes. But, you should have your own Mac if you can afford one.


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Got a mid-2014 MacBook Pro that's in pristine condition. Would love to sell it as I hardly ever use it - just got myself a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro beast gaming laptop. Would love to sell the Mac.

But, it appears that I need it for the sole purpose of downloading macOS for when I re-install macOS on a client's computer (only done so a few times)! I can't download macOS on Windows unless I did a VM hackintosh (guessing).

macOS Monterey (the next version of macOS) supports Early 2015 and newer MacBook Pros. That means my Mac can no longer be used to obtain the latest version of macOS, so I can't put that on a customer's computer in the future.

What to do?

 

[carmen617]

I would say keep it - other reasons to have a Mac in house beyond making OS usbs. I support Macs and my current devices are a 2010 MacBook pro (practically dead) and a 2012 iMac that was donated to me. I can use those for jobs like starting a dead Mac in target disk mode for recovery, or downloading the contents of iCloud for someone who wants to remove all their photos, etc - typically I wipe and reinstall the iMac a few times a year so I can set it up for projects of that sort.

I keep USBs of all the MacOS versions. The last two (Catalina and Big Sur) I have created from newer client's systems that were dropped off for other reasons. I actually think it's time to upgrade my bench Mac situation, and am shopping for a sale on an M1 MacBook Air to travel with, but not in a rush - working with an older set of Macs has been sufficient for a long time.

 

[Markverhyden]

Yes, you can do a VM for macOS but it's not the same as actual hardware. Plus you'll never know when Apple decides to drop the hammer and completely block VM's unless it detects underlying Apple hardware, a licensing requirement for running any Apple computer OS on a VM.

In addition to @carmen617's observations it's great for testing/trialing applications if customers are having those kinds of issues. As far as downloading future OS's. I've yet to see that being blocked because the machine won't support it. It'll download. If you run it you'll get the not supported picture.

 

[Appletax]

I could probably get, if I am lucky, $500 or so for my laptop. A new laptop w/ M1 would run me $400 or so extra. It would take me years just to get that $400 back - that's how little I work on Apple computers. I'd be better off, if purchasing brand new, getting a Mac Mini.

Or, I could download all the possible various macOS and put them on flash drives and not worry about needing the latest version of macOS.

Would be nice if I could just purchase the latest version on a flash drive off eBay as needed!

 

[Appletax]

May I be blunt? If you can't make $400 out of your Mac customers in a few months (not years) then you'd probably be doing yourself and your customers a service either by not working on Macs at all or by bumping up your rates for anything Apple. I won't say that Mac owners are insensitive to price but they certainly have raised expectations for what'll need to pay to keep their shiny toys running.

You, too, can charge the Apple Tax.

May I be even blunter? Do it properly or don't do it at all.

Love it. On point.

 

[sapphirescales]

Sell the 2014 MacBook Pro. The 15" 2014/2015 MacBook Pro are my favorite computers, but they're 6-7 years old now, an eternity in the Apple ecosystem. Macs aren't like PCs. They become obsolete extremely quickly. You can get an M1 Mac Mini for $659 on Amazon or a MacBook Air for $899. Apple is going to dump support for Intel Macs as quickly as possible so you should sell any Intel Macs you have ASAP before they lose all their value. I personally sell 2014/2015 MacBook Pros for $1,200 or so through my business, but if you just list it on Craigslist and sit in it for a month or two you'll easily be able to get $900 as a regular person. Take that money and get something 7 years newer. It's a no-brainer.

 

[timeshifter]

It would take me years just to get that $400 back - that's how little I work on Apple computers.

Agree with @Computer Bloke

I wouldn't shoehorn yourself more into being a Windows only guy, the trend is more toward platform not mattering. Windows only support people are a dime a dozen. I'd recommend anyone in the business broaden their horizons. I'd also recommend people in the business drop the disdain for customers who select certain platforms. It's pretty evident here and elsewhere. Heck, some people even show their disdain in the usernames they pick for tech forums

 

[sapphirescales]

Windows only support people are a dime a dozen. I'd recommend anyone in the business broaden their horizons.

Agreed, but if you want to get into servicing Macs then I hope you have the capital to invest in buying machines for resale because 99.999% of the time a modern Mac comes in for repair, it's completely totaled. Apple has successfully killed repair when it comes to their computers. The best you can hope for is an OS reinstall or data recovery. A battery replacement if it's worth the risk of starting a fire to you. I personally quote entire upper assembly replacements rather than trying to get the batteries out with chemical adhesive removers, heat guns, or dental floss. That's what Apple themselves do. It's still a lot of work though, the parts are expensive, and they're going to be used or counterfeit.

I'd also recommend people in the business drop the disdain for customers who select certain platforms.

No. Apple deserves all the bad press they get from people who actually know what they're doing. It's your responsibility to educate your clients on why they shouldn't buy a 100% disposable $2,000 paper bag. If they choose to go that route knowing what they're buying, that's fine, but I won't have any respect for them. Only an idiot is so influenced by marketing that they'll buy a piece of garbage even when they know better.

 

[carmen617]

I don't do any physical work on Apple iMacs, or on Macbooks that are too old to just swap out sata spinners for SSD's (that lucrative upgrade is about gone). Just like with data recovery, I refer those clients to a specialty shop which charges a lot more than I charge. However, no matter what Apple might advertise, there is a ton of software work to be done on Macs. Just this week I had 2 128GB MacBook Airs stuck on an older OS without enough space to upgrade to Big Sur - that's a money maker I expect to see more of, since Apple requires 35GB of free space for the Big Sur upgrade, and the typical Apple user has no idea what the hell is taking up their minuscule SSD. That, syncing issues, spyware up the wazoo, "slow" systems, system migrations, etc - plenty of business to be had if you will take in Macs, even if you refuse to do any hardware stuff.

 

[Markverhyden]

You won't like this: my vote is for selling it and buying the cheapest M1 Mac you can find to replace it. If you're supporting Macs then you need to be confident and fluent in handling them, and the best way to do that is to use an up-to-date one on a daily basis.

For years I've been using mostly Windows in the office and MacBooks (not VMs or Hackintoshes!) at home and can now legitimately present myself as bilingual and platform-agnostic. As unique selling points go, it's a good one.

(And the M1 MacBooks are gorgeous - you deserve one. Now that I've retired I'm not allowed to buy nice things, but that doesn't mean that you can't.)

I've always commented that getting a Macmini is a very economical way to get into the Apple ecosystem. The problem with only having the newest is it limits flexibility with legacy devices using legacy OS's. Here in the US there're plenty of people using 6, 7, years old and even older Macs. Another problem with the latest generations of their laptops. Expansion ports. Everything is USB-C. Which means you have to buy adapters to tie into other interfaces. And I'm not going to bother commenting about the disposable nature of their devices as it's a problem that just keeps on spreading, like a cancer.

 

[carmen617]

I've always commented that getting a Macmini is a very economical way to get into the Apple ecosystem. The problem with only having the newest is it limits flexibility with legacy devices using legacy OS's. Here in the US there're plenty of people using 6, 7, years old and even older Macs. Another problem with the latest generations of their laptops. Expansion ports. Everything is USB-C. Which means you have to buy adapters to tie into other interfaces. And I'm not going to bother commenting about the disposable nature of their devices as it's a problem that just keeps on spreading, like a cancer.

I agree - having older systems around is key to a lot of what I do. Hell, every so often someone wants me to pull some data off a pile of floppy disks. Right now I am dealing with a guy who has a 2011 copy of Quickbooks running in an XP virtual machine on a Windows 7 system who needs to finally join the 21st century - thank goodness I have some older copies of Quickbooks floating around so I can do some intermediary company file upgrades.

It's not my job to tell someone they are wasting their money on disposable tech - it's my job to have them waste their money on me supporting it. However, I really do wonder when the hip young kids who just have to have Apple vs. anything else will finally start to rebel against the unsustainability of it all.

 

[Big Jim]

Our Mac in our office up until recently was a 2010 macbook pro, then someone gave me a beat up 2012 macbook pro, I changed the lower chassis (Palm rest bit) and that is now what we will be using.
Both perfectly serviceable to use in supporting mac repairs when needed.

As for not having much Apple business, it helped us hugely to change our signage on the outside of the shop and made it a lot more obvious that we repair macs, we used to only "dabble" in Mac repairs, now they are probably 25% of our computer business

 

[gadgetfixup]

When corrupt T2 Macbooks start hitting your doors you'll have a valid reason to invest in a newer MacBook. We just had our first last week. Minor liquid damage, the Macbook stuck in DFU mode. No sign of life at all. Using an ammeter on the USB port we could see the voltage was correct and the machine shutting off and back on when holding down the power button but touchbar was black, backlight kb black, screen black, and only a short fan spin were all symptoms of a new Macbook stuck in DFU mode because of a corrupt T2. Corrupt T2 programming is sometimes happening from just a bad update, with no physical damage at all.

 

[Big Jim]

When corrupt T2 Macbooks start hitting your doors you'll have a valid reason to invest in a newer MacBook. We just had our first last week. Minor liquid damage, the Macbook stuck in DFU mode. No sign of life at all. Using an ammeter on the USB port we could see the voltage was correct and the machine shutting off and back on when holding down the power button but touchbar was black, backlight kb black, screen black, and only a short fan spin were all symptoms of a new Macbook stuck in DFU mode because of a corrupt T2. Corrupt T2 programming is sometimes happening from just a bad update, with no physical damage at all.

interesting.

What was the fix in this case ?

 

[gadgetfixup]

interesting.

What was the fix in this case ?

You must have a working Mac running the same MacOS as corrupt Mac, download Apple Configurator 2 app from AppStore on good Mac, use Thunderbolt cable from good Mac to the Master USB C port on corrupt Mac (typically the left front one, closest to trackpad), run restore from Apple configurator and it will rewrite the corrupt T2. The corrupt Macbook will reboot twice and correct itself after you repair the corrupt T2.

 

[gadgetfixup]

And what's "minor" liquid damage? Is it like being a little bit pregnant?

You must not do much board-level work on Macs. I do it almost daily and yes most Macbooks often suffer minor liquid damage which kills them. The 2017 A1708 I fixed yesterday took liquid in at the charging ports, completely dead, not charging, no signs of life. Pulled the board, cleaned the connectors, and replaced one filter on the board. Apple quoted her a new Macbook to repair it, eBay wanted almost $800 for a used A1708 MBP, we fixed it for $300. Not a spec of liquid damage anywhere else on the board.

Most liquid-damaged boards we fix have 2-3 problem areas with more than 90% of the board unaffected.