Thanks to Blue Highway for the post... in spite of his FUD rant.
Macbook battery Ping!
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
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 ...
- 5 years lifespan
- 1000 cycles
- new innovative technology
Sounds great and impressive, right?
WRONG!!!
Read further into the article...
Apple claims to have developped a "new" battery technology for their notebook. In their promotion video, they say they are li-poly technology, which for start, is not even close to being a new technology. Li-poly has been used in RC models for years and there's nothing "new" in that.
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
Now 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.
Here's the ironic statement in fine print on the Apple page:
Apple does not warrant the battery beyond Apple’s one-year Limited Warranty *** (One year??? One year???? I know that is generally standard, but if they are boasting about a 5 year lifespan, How about putting their money where their mouth is. A 2 1/2 year warranty would have been a little less disingenuous). The battery has a limited number of charge cycles and may (May? There is no question a user will not be able to replace the battery without voiding said warranty) eventually need to be replaced by an Apple Service Provider. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.
*** Red text is my commentary
Ummm..., don’t forget to ping Swordmaker, as he has the ping list...
Ah, another way of slipping hidden costs in... just like congress.
Thanks to Blue Highway for the post... in spite of his FUD rant.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Your welcome Swordmaker. I threw in the rant for free! ;-)
>> Li-poly has been used in RC models for years and there’s nothing “new” in that.
I was using li-polymer batteries more than a decade ago in custom instrumentation products we built.
Not to say Apple couldn’t have made significant improvements to the technology. But they would be evolutionary, not revolutionary, improvements.
Remember though — don’t get too hung up on the nitty gritty of the technology, because Macs are all about style and “cool”. (he says, zipping up flameproof suit)
This is TYPICAL Apple with its proprietary BS components. Who wants to bet these things fail after a little more than a year (just like iPods) and then you have to not only buy a new battery but PAY Apple to put it in since you have to send the whole thing to Apple to get it installed!
I’m also skeptical of the battery life claims. Known Apple shill Walt Mossberg of the WSJ said they both lasted more than five hours for him, yet he admitted that all his “test” consisted of was cranking the screen to 100% brightness and playing music. Why didn’t he play video or use memory hog programs for an extended period of time? I’ll bet they don’t break three hours playing full-screen movies.
You said — Sounds great and impressive, right?
—
You were talking about the recharge cycles. Well, you may not know this, but it’s dramatically longer. I mean, I’ve seen the other batteries and their recharge cycles. We’re talking about maybe 200 cycles or so, and then they start dropping down fast (in charge).
So, this is quite a bit longer and that’s the nature of technology — always getting better and always improving.
You can’t fault Apple for that. It’s always pushing ahead, and usually far ahead of anyone else.
You said — Who wants to bet these things fail after a little more than a year (just like iPods) and then you have to not only buy a new battery but PAY Apple to put it in since you have to send the whole thing to Apple to get it installed!
—
Well, I’ll guarantee you from my own experience that the older style batteries do not fail in a year. They do fail, but it takes a lot longer and we’re talking about maybe 200 full cycles and then the charge starts dropping down.
SO..., when you get a battery that can do 1,000 cycles — you’ve got a *great improvement*... there’s no doubt about it.
You’re just griping so you can gripe about Apple, that’s all... LOL...
I’ll take that battery, the option being using MS O/S, give me that battery and I’m still better off.
And you’re a typical troll.
Aftermarket battery replacements have been available for iPods since a few months after the first one was introduced. And no, you can do it yourself without paying Apple.
‘If I understand correctly they did proprietary square size lipo batteries that CANNOT be removed”
And if I did remove it I would not find a replacement on www.rcworld.us!
To be fair, Apple saves weight and space using non-accessible batteries. No access hatch, hinges, screws, and they can use a thin plastic lipo since it won’t ever be handled by clueless users with screwdrivers (a LiPo can be dangerous if mishandled).
Of course they do make much more profit if they require you to send in the whole unit every now and then.
Let me be the first to say that Mac users are hip, trendy, beautiful and far, far more intelligent than the low-browed, mouth breathing, knuckle-dragging Dinosaur PC users.
ORRRRR......
Let me also be the first to say that PC users are the standard PC for grownups, and Mac are nothing but a toy.
Let's see how many other stereotypes we can get out of the way in a hurry.....
My 15” MacBook Pro has a replaceable battery. No problems after three years.
Sometimes progress is in the wrong direction.
You said — Not to say Apple couldn’t have made significant improvements to the technology. But they would be evolutionary, not revolutionary, improvements.
—
You know..., it’s interesting, but Apple has a way of taking individual components of systems that step ahead in improvements in an evolutionary way — and putting them all together into systems that are “revolutionary”...
That’s Apple’s “forte”... all right...
Actually, Apple’s pretty good about letting you replace internal components without voiding the warranty. They don’t do the Dell or HP thing and place antitamper stickers over critical screws, etc.
Here’s a little tip for those who don’t care for Apple products:
Don’t buy them. Please.
I am agreeing if they can deliver on the 1000 recharge cycles that it would be impressive. I am somewhat skeptical if only for the 1 year warranty. If one could try to get 1000 complete charge cycles before the warranty ends once the battery stops charging fully, to send it in to get a FREE replacement battery change and then get a new warranty of 1 full year on the replacement battery then I might give them some credit. I am betting they won’t fully warranty the replacement battery for an entire year again. 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.
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