who thinks the non user replaceable battery is a dumb idea?

[sockeye]

I have been planning on buying macbook#2 and now find out the battery is not user replaceable; OR is it? I understand this is the same situation on the pros as well. BTW I love LOVE My macbook and imac but question the logic. so dont flame me bro!

 

[BadApple]

I like it longer battery life, how often do you need to change a battery?

 

[sockeye]

I have not had to swap a battery out that often but on a long plane trip, being able to swap would be helpfull. (dvds shorten the run time) also I know this is unorthodox but I had the spinning wheel of death and the last soulution was the removal of the battery. It solved the problem. I'm ready for My beating on that one! lol

 

[Kevin6432]

I really like it. I've never swapped out the battery in my computer. Ever. I would really like the extra the extra battery life.

 

[Kash]

I've had my battery swapped twice, both by Apple and both covered by AppleCare. If Apple is going to be replacing my batteries, I have no problem with it being integrated.

 

[CrimsonRequiem]

"Not aye," said the Dog.
"Not aye," said the Cat.
"Not aye," said the Mouse.

Seriously I think it's one less thing to worry about.

 

[ImageX]

...the battery is not user replaceable; OR is it?...

The battery is user replaceable by opening the bottom of the case. They don't currently have these type of batteries available to buy and Apple will replace them, but in theory if you had 2 of the batteries, you could open the bottom and swap them. This only needs to be done when the battery dies though and shouldn't be considered as a backup battery plan.

 

[Eric559]

Not user replaceable = voiding warranty if replaced by user.

I have a Macbook with a replaceable battery but if it was non-user replaceable I don't think it would matter. I don't really swap my battery out anyways.

 

[D3v1L80Y]

Allowing a user to easily remove the battery is a beneficial feature.
In my opinion, built in batteries are a step in the wrong direction.

Some people do go on long flights/trips and having an extra battery to swap out is a life-saver for some.
Increased battery charge (as we all know) isn't always what it's hyped up to be.
Taking the ability to change out a battery from the user is not a welcome change.

What if the battery just plain goes bad?
Granted I haven't looked to see if Apple has altered its Warranty, but they have never covered batteries in the past.
They have always labeled them as 'consumables' and not eligible for warranty coverage.
If you had a bad battery in the past and Apple wouldn't cover the repair, you could purchase a third party one to replace it and save a ton of cash.
Now, you can't.

What about times when the computer locks up and the only way to unfreeze it is to cut all power to the machine?
I have had this situation many times with various Mac notebooks (PB G3s, PB G4s, iBooks, PB 1400s, etc) over the years.
If I wasn't able to kill all power by unplugging and removing the battery and do a HARD reset, I would have been in a jam and would have to wait for the OS to make up its mind and do something.


There are several other reasons why it's a bad idea, but I won't prattle on any longer.
Personally, I think the built in battery needs to go away.
I am in the market for a new notebook, but for now I will be staying away from any notebook that has an integrated battery.

 

[Dysfunction]

I've cracked open a new macbook, there are 8 screws and at that point one can easily swap the memory, hard drive and amazingly enough the battery.

 

[pigoo3]

Allowing a user to easily remove the battery is a beneficial feature.
In my opinion, built in batteries are a step in the wrong direction.

Some people do go on long flights/trips and having an extra battery to swap out is a life-saver for some.

Great post D3v1L80Y...I feel exactly the same!

From a very fundamental angle...I don't like the idea just because it takes away your freedom of choice (to easily & quickly replace or swap the battery when you choose to "on the fly").

I always liked the idea of having a 2nd or even 3rd battery for long plane flights (from the US to Asia for example)...or maybe even for a long family vacation in the car.

Lastly...we all know that laptop batteries age...and as they age, the total amount of hours & minutes on a full charge will slowly decrease. Depending on how available replacement batteries become & how user friendly the replacement process is (user replaceable or Apple only replacement)...someone may (because of battery replacement "inconvenience") be forced to run around with a laptop that only gets 45 minutes or less total runtime.

In the past this person would simply purchase a new battery online, wait for the delivery, and once received...pop it in.

- Nick

 

[XJ-linux]

Doesn't bother me too much. Spare batteries are pricey anyhow.

 

[southchatham]

I don't like it. You guys say you like it because of the long life; they could make a removable 7 hour battery. I think when all these batteries wear out and you have to either send your computer to Apple or drive to a store and wait just to get a battery replaced ( maybe be without a computer for a couple of days) you may change your opinion. I would still buy a new mac; Its not a deal breaker.

 

[Jaygray]

I had the spinning wheel of death and the last soulution was the removal of the battery. It solved the problem. I'm ready for My beating on that one! lol

If you hold down the power button for 10 seconds, it physically kills the power to the computer. I don't think there is a scenario where a beach ball would prevent this from working. (also works on most other PCs)

I've cracked open a new macbook, there are 8 screws and at that point one can easily swap the memory, hard drive and amazingly enough the battery.

You are correct. It's not that the user can't replace the battery. It's just that you can't change it on the fly while on an airplane. The battery can easily be physically removed and reinstalled in a couple minutes with a small screwdriver.

I do see how this could be inconvenient for someone who is in the habit of swapping out their battery regularly. However, personally, I'll take the extra couple hours of charge over the ability to swap the battery on the fly. I've been using laptops daily for 10 years and never once swapped a battery.

 

[chscag]

I've cracked open a new macbook, there are 8 screws and at that point one can easily swap the memory, hard drive and amazingly enough the battery.

Thanks Mike. I guess the non-replaceable battery is in fact replaceable. Now, the big question - how much would a replacement for that particular battery cost? ;D

Regards.

 

[iggibar]

I don't like the new built in feature, my current mbp is a uni 15 with the bottom bay, and my second mbp is also going to be the same. I just like having access to it if I needed it.

 

[cwa107]

I don't have a problem with it since it's easily accessed. I didn't think it was a great idea at first either for most of the reasons that DB has mentioned, but I think if the 6-8 hour battery life claim can be believed, and since it's not too hard to swap if it goes bad, it's not a show-stopper for me. Additionally, there are now external batteries that can be plugged into the MagSafe connector. So, if you're someone who does long travel stints, you have some options.

Oh, and I've had Apple replace defective batteries (not physically, but functionally defective - as in, short run time) replaced under warranty on two occasions now.

 

[Dysfunction]

yea, they've replaced the battery on my MBP already. As for replacement costs, I don't know... I just cracked the case to swap ram on my wifes new macbook and noticed a nice grab loop on the battery I should have taken a pic of the inside, I actually prefer it to the inside of the previous one in terms of working on it.

now, as long as there are no more 'incidents' and I don't have to replace hardware on a moments notice.. I'll be happy.

Oh and I was more disheartened about the change in the power brick... does anyone know if they're compatible with the older power bricks? I did a test on the dead macbook, and well... the green light came on (on a dead box) when it was completely dead on the old brick.. so I wonder about the logic involved..

 

[Niiro13]

I currently have a late 2008 MacBook Pro with a spare battery. Personally, I've detested a built-in battery because I wanted to be able to swap out. Unfortunately for me, I've noticed that I don't even use the second battery too often. Adding to that is the fact that each battery rated at 5 hours by apple is only like 3 maybe 4 hours. The built-in battery is rated 7 hours, but anandtech was able to get 8 hours (they also were able to get 5 hours for the late 2008 but idk about that). And since I don't think most people carry more than one spare battery, it might not be such a dumb idea after all. The batteries are really heavy so to have the power of two in one is good enough for me. (if I really needed the power of 3+ then I'd suffer through the external battery).

 

[pigoo3]

Something else to consider. We as laptop users (regardless of OS...Windows or Mac) have been used to having "swappable" batteries...so changing to a non-swappable battery is a change...and most folks don't like "change".

"Who Moved My Cheese?"

If we always had "non-swappable" batteries in our laptops, then most likely no one would be upset...in fact the contrary would probably happen. Apple & other laptop manufacturers would probably "innovate" from non-swappable batteries to "swappable batteries"...and market or advertise it as some "great" improvement to extend "unplugged-productivity" by being able to "swap" with a 2nd or even 3rd battery.

It would be interesting to know what the main motivator was to go with the "non-swappable battery".

- Was it extra revenue for Apple Stores (since there will always be users who won't want to replace the battery themselves)?
- Was going with the non-swappable battery a manufacturing cost savings?
- Or a combination of both?

Food for thought,

- Nick