We Don’t Need No Stinking Replaceable Laptop Batteries!
One of the more provocative news items to come out of Macworld this week was the retooling of the MacBook Pro 17” to no longer house a removable lithium ion battery. Instead, Apple engineers custom-designed a lithium-polymer cell battery and essentially built the battery in to the laptops under-carriage. According to Apple, doing so has eliminated the huge space requirements standard removable batteries normally require:
They built the battery right into the computer, eliminating the space-consuming mechanisms and housings that standard removable batteries require. The result is a battery that’s 40 percent bigger than the previous generation and offers up to 8 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge — all in a notebook that’s less than an inch thin, weighs just 6.6 pounds, 3 and remains the same price as the previous-generation model.
This is certain to be the major talking point for the foreseeable future – people will most definitely complain about how Apple is increasingly making it more difficult to self-service your gear. iPod batteries are not changeable and are perceived to have a short lifespan, so consumers will likely have similar feelings about this transformation.
But the real question is this: how many times have you ever used a second battery? How many people even own a second battery? I bet the answer is inconsequential, hence why we are where we are today.
Think about it – Apple probably has a large number of metrics on the number of second lithium ion batteries purchased for the previous MacBook Pro 17” generation (presumably for all their laptops). Apple obviously crunched numbers and came to the conclusion that, yes, the number of laptops sold vs. the number of ala carte batteries sold is trivial and not worth sustaining. Thus their decision to modify the design and use a non-removable battery.
If you have previously purchased an Apple laptop but not a secondary battery, guess who’s to blame? Yup, you! You have nobody to blame but yourself for this situation.
I firmly believe the existing MacBook Pro 15” product line will be modified to house a non-removable battery in the near future as well. It only makes sense for Apple to migrate their entire laptop strategy to this design paradigm.
This transformation is great for the industry overall too. Expect non-removable batteries to become the norm rather than the exception. Most other computer manufacturers take their design cues from Apple – this one is sure to become the new standard.
What I like best about the new battery is that on a full charge Apple says it will last up to 8 hours without requiring a recharge. The lithium-polymer cell battery is capable of withstanding over 1000 charges throughout it’s lifecycle before requiring replacement. I am curious to see the results of independent tests to verify the accuracy of this claim – that will go a long way in silencing the critics of this move.
To put the charge time in to perspective, with WiFi enabled, my current, 1.5 year old 2.4Ghz MacBook Pro 15 can last roughly 2.5-3 hours on a single full charge. Watching multimedia files drops the time down to about 2-2.5 hours. Normal usage is roughly 3-4 hours, depending on what I am doing.
Frequent flyers should love the new battery specs. Magsafe Airline Adapters are no longer a requirement when travelling. Hell, it is painful to try and find an open seat in coach equipped with a plug. The new battery specs all but eliminate the need for an adapter, and should work perfectly for even international flights. Imagine being able to watch movies all throughout your flight without worrying about running out of battery!
What do you think? Smart, revolutionary move by Apple? Or is this decidedly consumer-unfriendly?
You mean to tell me that Apple is using ACTUAL consumer data to shape their product line and innovate the market? Shocker!
I for one welcome our MBP 17-w/-no-removable-battery-and-8GB(!!!)-RAM-limit overlords. That being said, seriously, 8 hours of charge but no option to remove; what are people up in arms about? This is great!
Completely agreed. I have no clue why anyone would get so upset over the new features. This is great news, especially with the 8 hour charge time!
I'm not convinced this is a Good Thing. So, what is going to happen after a year (or two), when users need a new battery, because the one that came with the computer is no longer charging fully, or losing its charge faster as it degrades? Hopefully they will do this @ apple stores, because having to send my laptop in to replace the battery seems decidedly anti-consumer-friendly.
I'm fairly certain you will be able to take your laptop to an Apple Store for a battery replacement, more than likely for a nominal fee, assuming it's actually, truly in need of replacement.
I'm not convinced either that Apple made the right move with making the battery inaccessible. Though, if Apple's words are true, then specs like will have you upgrading to a new laptop before the battery dies — — roughly 3 years if you run daily on battery-only for 8 hours.
I'm not convinced either that Apple made the right move with making the battery inaccessible. Though, if Apple's words are true, then specs likely will have you upgrading to a new laptop before the battery dies — — roughly 3 years if you run daily on battery-only for 8 hours.
I'm not convinced either that Apple made the right move with making the battery inaccessible. Though, if Apple's words are true, then these specs will likely have you upgrading to a new laptop before the battery dies — — roughly 3 years if you run daily on battery-only for 8 hours.
Sounds like a pain if you're not located near an Apple Store and expensive: "Depleted batteries can be replaced for $179 which includes installation and disposal of your old battery in an environmentally responsible manner."
It might very well be a pain. That is if it even becomes an issue. Likely, power users will experience issues before anyone else. I find it hard to believe your average everyday user will even run in to this being a problem. And if it is just the savvy users running in to these problems, they are surely close enough to an Apple Store so their laptop can be repaired.
Why are you not convinced. What argument do you feel supports your opinion that this was a bad direction for Apple?
Based on experience, my gut instinct tells me Apple is correct – you will reach a point where upgrading is required *before* your battery gets so depleted that it needs replacing. If that is the case then surely this was a good move by Apple, no?
I'm not a big fan of hiding replaceable components away and out of user reach. Is it because of the aluminum unibody design? What was the drive behind doing it?
They can run but not hide. I suspect an aftermarket case cracker/battery kit like they selll for ipods will allow the solder-savvy to swap out their batteries
By making the battery non-removable Apple states they are able to save a lot of space which would otherwise be used to create a battery compartment. Since this design is only in the 17" it is not a unibody issue but something the actively pursued for the highest end laptop they sell.
Apple just posted their battery replacement costs: http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/service/b...
$179USD really isn't terrible for for something that gives you 8 hours of life and IS a consumable. We haven't perfected battery technology yet. At least not for 6.6 lb behemoths ;)
Agreed, apple is doing the right choice. I have owned numourus laptops and never once had to replace the battery. When the lifetime of the battery lasts as long as the laptop will be useful for then there is no need to purchase a replacement. I had my last laptop for 3 years, used it on and off grid and never once needed to replace the battery.
Completely agreed. Over the years, I've owned numerous laptops and all their batteries have never needed replacing. So methinks this should be seen as nothing but a good thing(tm) overall.
You are absolutely right – the price point is entirely reasonable, especially for a battery which, when fully charged, lasts almost twice as long as current batteries and with an overall longer lifetime.
I suspect you're right. After all, there is an aftermarket for colored Mac's and other crazy stuff. So why not for battery replacement?
Today we are talking about the posbility of having digital quantum batteries on the market soon. Those batteries will surely not need any replacements because such a battery could last for years. It is very similar to a nuclear battery, but no radioactivity.
Great idea.Thank you
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