Posted on 07/01/2009 11:36:55 AM PDT by Blue Highway
The new MacBook Pro family has a breakthrough battery that runs for up to 7 hours on a single charge (8 hours on the 17-inch MacBook Pro).1 And thanks to advanced chemistry and an innovative new charging method, it can be recharged up to 1000 times — nearly three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries.2 All in a notebook that’s as thin and light as ever....
(Excerpt) Read more at apple.com ...
Relax, man. They’re not out to get you.
Yes, Li-poly may not be “new”, but it’s new to this industry. Close enough.
Apple has discovered that most customers will chuck the device (notebook, iPod, whatever) before the battery irrevocably dies. Most of those customers would rather trade away battery replacability for thinner/lighter/longer. Given that we’re talking YEARS to replacement, not days/hours, most people who do get the battery replaced will do so only once or twice, warranting the hassle of in-store servicing. Personally I’ve found that a dying battery is a pretty good sign (to sum up many factors) to just chuck the device.
Be aware too that high-capacity high-tech battery prices tend to be hideous anyway. By the time you truly need to replace the battery, it’s almost cheaper to just buy another better device anyway. My subnotebook’s standard replacement (non-el-cheapo-knockoff) battery runs about $400 - heck, I can get a superior laptop for that price.
Sure it’s proprietary. So? That’s the kind of attention to detail that makes Apple products appeal to me.
Nothing wrong with the warranty. Nobody warranties their notebook’s batteries for more than 1 year. It’s too subject to usage patterns and manufacturing variations. Yes it “may” need to be replaced; the “may” depends on whether the user just chucks the whole thing first.
My iPod Touch has a non-user-replaceable battery. I like it that way, given the tradeoffs. The device is thinner/lighter for it, and I’ll replace the device before the battery croaks. The thought of the Air featuring the same thin/light benefit, boosted by Li-poly, makes me smile; that a battery swap may mean going to a local mall once or twice doesn’t bother me.
You said — If they don’t you are basically left with a $2500-$3000 boat anchor. I say that is proprietary no matter how you slice it.
—
Well, you’ll never be left with a so-called “boat anchor” — basically because Apple products have a vibrant after-market network of suppliers. Believe me, what users want, there will be suppliers who will give them that exact thing... :-)
well thats a pretty silly business option.
Li-Ion batteries have a chemically inherent 2-year lifespan (roughly speaking). Being a different chemistry, you might not make that bet regarding Li-poly cells.
anyone with helicopter RC experience will tell you some great stories about those batteries and what happens when they crack
have your fire insurance up to date
Please explain. Are you suggesting there will be an aftermarket company that will buy this 2 year old useless laptop for scrap? How much will they pay for this once $3000 laptop? $50? $100 tops?
To those that have this disposable mentality, it is no wonder you support and rally around Apple's marketing strategy. They have trained you well.
I am from the opposite spectrum. I expect something to last forever as long as it has not become technologically obsolete.
My sister has a 7 year old Compaq laptop she originally bought for $700 and it's still running strong. I have a 2-3 year old Compaq laptop still running strong except for the non charging battery.
If you guys have no problem with "chucking" a 2 year old computer then you should probably ask yourself, "How green or environmentally conscious and responsible AM I really?"
Class Envy is an awful thing. :)
I am sorry but I fail to see how one would envy a substandard product with a shorter useful lifespan that will cost more over per user hour.
And these conclusions come after a controlled study of your very own MacBook, thanks. Or are you just making it up?
Blah, blah, blah blah freaking blah.
Boring.
Your $3000 laptop is a "boat anchor" if you have to pay for a $129 battery for it? I'd love to see how you maintain your cars.
In other words, by your own standards, you have a boat anchor.
My professional recommendation to you would be to NOT buy an Apple MacBook Pro or MacBook.
My consulting fee is $600. Please remit to . . . .
Nice intelligent reply from you Mr. Valentine. I hope you don’t represent most Mac users.
And you blue, have a vivid imagination. PC Labs, computer that are actually used rarely have more than a three year life span, even then then, only with considerable maintenance.
There will be an aftermarket company making replacement batteries. Assuming Apple stops making them, which is unlikely for at least 5 years.
I have a 2-3 year old Compaq laptop still running strong except for the non charging battery.
So your Compaq with a non-charging battery is "still running strong" after two years, but a Mac with a non-charging battery is "useless" and a "boat anchor"? WHY does your Compaq have a non-charging battery? Wasn't it covered by warranty? Aren't they incredibly cheap and easy to replace?
I’ll be damned if I am going to have to pay $119 for a battery after 1 year of service after spending $3000 on a laptop. First off an Apple replacement battery is more than likely over $200, probably much higher than that even. Secondly cars are more user serviceable even with newer cars.
a 2-3 year old Compaq is a boat anchor? It works well, not sure how it is considered a boat anchor.
I maintain her computer for the most part and yes she bought it in the summer of 2002. She uses it daily. Thanks for trying to suggest I am a liar.
The Li-Poly batteries that have been used in RC models are not the same. They are basic batteries. You charge them with a dumb charger, you discharge them in use. The ones that Apple DID develop are smart batteries with controlling circuitry to manage their condition and charging.
"The battery in the new MacBook Pro notebooks is made to be smart. It’s built with a chip that talks to each of its cells to determine their precise condition. The chip shares this information with the computer. And the computer uses an advanced algorithm to make delicate adjustments to the charging current, varying it to suit the changing conditions inside the cells. This Adaptive Charging reduces the wear and tear on the battery and gives it a much longer lifespan than ever before — up to five years.—Apple
That is a new technology and patented by Apple. If this is not new technology in notebook computers, where are the other notebooks using similar technology?
If I understand correctly they did proprietary square size lipo batteries that CANNOT be removed unless you send it to an Apple Service Provider. Yes, a great leap forward... for Apple
They designed batteries that fit in the multiple unused spaces inside the smaller, thinner cases of the Apple notebook line. This approach allows 40% more battery inside the computer case compared to those designs using a unitary, removable battery.
". . . removable batteries require a lot of space for connectors, latches and support. Lose the support bits - build a bigger battery."—ZDNet review of Apple's batteriesNow for Swordmaker to come here and school us on how it is not proprietary and try to convince all Apple does not nor has ever been a company to use proprietary parts.
Gee, where are the non-proprietary batteries for all those Dell, HP, and Lenovo notebooks when they first come out. What notebook manufacturer buys their notebook batteries from off the shelf offerings? Aren't they all essentially custom designed for each notebook case? After market batteries will most likely be available for Apple's MacBooks, just as third parties came out with replaceable batteries for the iPod's supposedly non-replaceable batteries, I think third parties will do the same for the Apple notebook's batteries... if they do not last the five years Apple is claiming.
Does that meet your expectations?
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