Updated 14-Sep-2023
It cost me 3,300 THB for a new battery array for my 5 year old MacBook Air (2011).
Bought new, the system is not often used on battery, but almost daily as my primary computer.
> Why replace a battery in a five year old computer? Just buy new.
Sure, it only has 4gb of ram, and that is a problem, but otherwise it is a very effective tool for many tasks.
Great Hardware, Adequate Software
I spend perhaps 50 hours per week. It simply works. Even with the meagre ram, the solidity is palpable. Even at 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, we are talking about 100 hours per month at 1,000 THB = 10 THB per hour for this machine that cost a bit over 53,000 THB new. Let's just say 15 THB as there are other expenses such as mice, cables, etc.
> 15 THB/hr ($ 0.50 USD), 200hr/month on average, capital expense over 5 years.
Sure some part of the time spend on the computer is frustration, maintenance tasks, and the like, but there are no systems that have any less. I've tried and still use such systems (Windows, Linux) and they fall short. The hardware is where the system shines, while the operating system less so.
Magic Com - Magical Apple Repair - Chiang Mai
My Mac guy -- Magic Com in Pantip Plaza -- took a while to get the part (about 6 weeks which was fine, as I wanted a replacement as a preemptive measure).
It took another 10 minutes to swap out the battery array (4 screws and one connector) and get rid of an amazing amount of dust inside (the system hadn't been opened since birth).
Can't say enough good stuff about the service, professional, fast, good prices, with a smile, English and Thai, responds to text messages.