I used a MacBook Pro as a server for years. It was fine for its purpose, however the battery did swell and need replacing. It may have damaged the trackpad, and like the other comment mentioned, idk what would have happened if I had left it swelling for a couple more years. Probably not a battery fire? But the $230 or so that a massively more powerful HP USFF that I replaced it with was worth it, even versus a 0.1% chance it would burn my house down and possibly kill my whole family in the process.
replyI ended up repairing the Mac, replacing the battery, and installing Chrome OS on it. (chrome sucks though, someday I ’ll get it back out and switch to real Linux)
> I feel like The Internet has this urban myth that says keeping a charged battery plugged in all the time will eventually cause it to explode and burn your house down, guaranteed.
replyI had a MacBook Pro where the laptop worked but the battery became swollen so much that it distorted the case. If I wasn't there to notice it, it would probably burst at some point and Lithium is very flammable.
It's probably rare and overblown, but it can happen.
You work around your laptop so you'll notice an issue. A laptop in a closet is not observed.
replyYep. One of my laptop batteries had concerning swell, and I only noticed once it slightly deformed the case (and didn't sit flat on the desk).
replyIf that had been in a closet, it would have been months or years before I realized.