MBP Unibody (late 2008) battery replacement

Hi guys,

Since a few days my MBP tells me my battery needs service. I've tried recalibrating it but to no avail.

Not so long ago, my girlfriend had the same thing going on with her 2007 MBP. The Apple reseller told me the battery was EOL and so I purchased a new one.

As my current battery has a lot of charge cycles (I can't check right now but I think somewhere in the 400's) I'm guessing it needs to be replaced as well. It's a first-gen Unibody, so the battery is easily replaceable.

So now I have a few questions:

- when I take a boxed battery out of the rack in the store, is there any indication of the production date on the box (the more recent the better I presume )
- are there any 3rd party batteries available with a higher capacity than the original battery, and if so would it be okay to use it in my precious Apple (user-experiences would be welcome)

Thx in advance for any helpful replies!

 

I wouldn't trust any 3rd party batteries, they can be made cheap and hurt your Macbook.

 

Even good third party sources like NuPower and FastMac, who specialize in aftermarket higher capacity units, are still only selling Apple original batteries for the unibody models.

Apple doesn't post production dates on packaging, afaik.

 

Okay guys, thx for the replies.
I'll buy an Apple battery in that case, and just hope it's not too old

 

It is my understanding that the Unibody batteries have warranty if under 1000 cycles, or i should say the genius tech have some discretionary latitude.
The older ibook and powerbook batteries were guaranteed to hold 85% at 300 cycles.
Give apple a chance to replace free first.
Worth a shot

edit:
This is all subjective and your mileage may vary depended on the people/person you deal with.
Over the years i have had great luck pleading my case for a replacement and free out of warranty service with apple