My MacBook case is…
My MacBook case is cracked (and cracking more with every day) and my mouse click button is sticking badly. But the innards of the computer still work fine. It's out of warranty and AppleCare by now, I'm pretty sure -- does anyone know if there's a relatively inexpensive repair option for the case / mouse button? Or is it new computer time?
Did you get the 3-year AppleCare extended warranty? You appear to have bought the computer in May of 2008, so if you did, then it’s still under AppleCare. (And if you’re not sure, it’s worth calling Apple to ask; they may have records.)
But if you didn’t, then yeah, it’s out of warranty, alas.
But as I think someone noted on Twitter, there may be third-party repair shops that will fix/replace the case and mouse button. And for that matter, the Apple Store may also be able to replace it even out of warranty, but that may be more expensive than it’s worth.
Some notes in case you decide to go with a new computer:
The white plastic MacBook is probably not going to have a major new release anytime soon, so buying one now would be reasonable.
The metal unibody MacBook Pro is fairly likely to have a new version coming out sometime in the next month or two, so if you want one of these, might be worth waiting a bit.
Also, there are pervasive rumors that a new Apple tablet computer of some sort will be announced on January 26. That’s probably not what you want, but nobody really knows exactly what it’ll be like; if you’re looking for a new computer, might be worth holding off for two weeks just to see what this turns out to be.
I’ve used Blue Raven Technology a lot to repair my lab’s Macs.
http://blueraven.com/
You should call Apple first, just to make sure it’s not still in AppleCare warranty.