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I have a new unibody MacBook Pro and I have been interested in upgrading the hard drive to an SSD.

This may have put me over the edge into doing so.

I'm trying to find out if anyone knows for sure if upgrading the HD on my own voids my warranty. I'm still in the initial 1 year covered by Apple. I have not yet bought AppleCare for this system.

I have read http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/cpuwarranty.pdf but I'm not a legal type and I'm not 100% sure I understand it correctly.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge or experience of this?

And, if it does void the warranty, does anyone know if an Apple Genius can do it for me?

UPDATE:
I started a chat on apple.com and got this information:

 
Grace G:Hi, my name is Grace G. Welcome to Apple!  
  You: Hi there    
Grace G: How are you?  
  You: Good, you?  
  You: Curious...I just bought a MBP a few months ago.  
Grace G: Great, thanks!  
Grace G: Okay.  
  You: Does it void my warranty if I upgrade the internal harddrive?  
Grace G: It is not supported and may void your warranty, yes.  
  You: May void?  
  You: Is there somewhere on the apple site that explains this in plain english?  
Grace G: One moment while I research that for you.  
Grace G: Thank you for your patience. I'll be right with you.  
Grace G: Thanks again for waiting. I'm not seeing that anywhere on our site. Let me refer you to the people who can best assist you. . .  
Grace G: Our AppleCare Department is available at 1-800-275-2273.  
Grace G: They will be able to give you the details on that.  

Looks like another call may be in order.

UPDATE #2:
From an online chat with the folks at OWC:

Scott Smith: Hello, Jason
Jason: Hi there
Scott Smith: Warranty is not voided
Scott Smith: However, if were to damage or impair any external or internal components it would would not be covered in said warranty
Jason: So, if I install it and have other problems...say bad monitor, I'd still be covered?
Scott Smith: Correct

UPDATE #3: From another online chat with Apple:

Hi, my name is Andrew P. Welcome to Apple!
    You: Hi Andrew
Andrew P: How are you?
    You: Good, you?
Andrew P: I'm doing great.
    You: Question: I have a new MBP 15" Does it void my warranty if I install a new hard drive into it?
Andrew P: Great question.
Andrew P: It wont void the warranty of the Mac, but the replaced hard drive wont be covered.
    You: So, I can upgrade on my own and if the screen breaks for some reason I'm still covered?
    You: (The screen has not broken...just an example)
Andrew P: If there is a manufacturer defect of a hardware component, that would be covered.
    You: That's what I was looking for...thanks
Andrew P: You're welcome.
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  • What size is it? The guides are different based on size.
    – MDMarra
    Oct 14, 2009 at 18:14
  • I currently have a 320GB drive, I was looking at putting a 256GB SSD in its place
    – Jason
    Oct 14, 2009 at 18:55
  • The size of the notebook. 13", 15", 17"
    – MDMarra
    Oct 14, 2009 at 19:03
  • Sorry, it's a 15"
    – Jason
    Oct 14, 2009 at 19:39

1 Answer 1

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From the warranty document you linked:

This warranty does not apply: [sic] to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”); (g) to a product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; or (h) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced.

In other words, unless you work for Apple, or are Authorized by Apple to make changes, you cannot do so without voiding the warranty.

Of course, what Apple doesn't know won't hurt them. Keep the original drive for warranty purposes.

Edit: The extra points (g, h) also would seem to point to custom upgrades irrespective of if they are damaging to the computer.

I believe that the point is Apple doesn't cover any of this under warranty, so users can't come back and say "I upgraded my hard drive, and now my computer doesn't boot" and complain to Apple. Your best bet is to do the upgrade carefully, and keep the hard drive for warranty purposes.

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  • It says the warranty doesn't cover damage caused. I interpret that to mean that the drive can be swapped out without voiding the warranty, as long as you don't damage the macbook in the process?
    – Jasarien
    Oct 14, 2009 at 19:54
  • There are also other conditions, see my edit. Oct 14, 2009 at 20:11

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