Confirmation of Fixed 17" MacBook Pro Battery, Mac Mini with Firewire

MacRumors · Jan 4, 2009

AppleInsider confirms yesterday's report that the new 17" unibody MacBook Pro will arrive with a fixed non-removable internal battery.

In what's sure to be a controversial move on the part of the Mac maker, those familiar with the new unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro confirm that it will not share the same panel-covered battery layout as its 13- and 15-inch cousins. Instead, the notebook's battery will be fixed in place and not easily removable by users, similar to the MacBook Air's.

The rumor site also believes the Mac mini is also due with the NVIDIA chipset and will include a FireWire 800 port and an additional USB port.

In addition to sporting both a Mini DisplayPort and a Mini DVI connector, it's now also rumored that the new Mac mini will see the addition of a FireWire 800 port and a fifth USB port, with the legacy FireWire 400 port going away. The Mini DVI connector will allow the mini to continue to cater to users who already own a display, while the Mini DisplayPort will offer support for customers of Apple's latest LED-backlit Cinema Display.

MacRumors had also heard that the 17" MacBook Pro will contain a non-removable battery, so we feel this information is well corroborated. In exchange for this, the new MacBook Pro's battery is said to be longer lasting. 9to5mac's Seth Weintraub it will last up to 50% longer and speculates Apple could be exploring the use of Silver-Zinc which we previously explored.

MacRumors will post a Macworld San Francisco rumor roundup shortly.

Article Link: Confirmation of Fixed 17" MacBook Pro Battery, Mac Mini with Firewire

fabian9 · Jan 4, 2009

i know some people who will not like to see/hear/read this!

kolax · Jan 4, 2009

So the Mac Mini will have FireWire 800. Awesome, I'm buying one.

Dual video out links will be interesting.

alexbates · Jan 4, 2009

Good, the 17-in needs an update. I hope its a lot thinner than the 1st Gen.

When will Apple and other companies start using USB 3.0? When this is first used in future products, I will be getting one.

sgibson · Jan 4, 2009

What if the "fixed battery" is something that hasn't been seen in a production laptop before, say a fuel cell? If that was a case they may need to keep it user inaccessible, but the ends would justify the means.

Andy Ihnatko knows something and he says he's seen *no* rumours about it, could it be something this game changing?

Spadeychops · Jan 4, 2009

From a selvish point of view, where's the news on the new iMacs!!

...anything...please!

brad.c · Jan 4, 2009

Fixed? I hope so. It would be silly if only the broken ones were non-removable.

matthewlesh · Jan 4, 2009

Looks like my chances of getting a Mac Mini are going up.. but i'd first like to see the prices and updated specs before rushing.

elppa · Jan 4, 2009

The mini is sounding quite tasty now.

All that remains to be discovered is the pricing.

zap2 · Jan 4, 2009

Hmm...FW 800, sounds good!

Sadly only one of my external HDD has a FW 800 port, the other will go to USB 2.0...not ideal, but something I can deal with, since FW 800 is so much faster

And dual display sounds great!(though a Mini DVI port doesn't have me sold, better ship with an adaptor)

But This looks to be a nice update to the Mini, hopefully we see a 599 price point still

rick3000 · Jan 4, 2009

The Mini sounds great, the 17" MBP will hopefully remedy the drawbacks of an internal battery with substantially longer battery life.

robanga · Jan 4, 2009

Can't wait to buy a new mini for a media center.

xDYLANx · Jan 4, 2009

mac mini: cool

MBP: don't really care, I don't see the appeal of having a notebook bigger than 13"

Sirobin · Jan 4, 2009

This non-removable battery is such a terrible idea. Apple, are you really saying you couldn't put in, oh I don't know, a removable Silver-zinc battery!?

DTphonehome · Jan 4, 2009

Wow, just wait until this hits Engadget! Get your flame-suits on, Apple faithful.

Pretty bone-headed move imo. Pros are exactly the people who need an extra battery pack in the field. Now, if they release a universal magsafe external battery pack, all is forgiven.

alexbates · Jan 4, 2009

sgibson said:
What if the "fixed battery" is something that hasn't been seen in a production laptop before, say a fuel cell? If that was a case they may need to keep it user inaccessible, but the ends would justify the means.

Andy Ihnatko knows something and he says he's seen *no* rumours about it, could it be something this game changing?

Good idea! Maybe sense its supposed to last longer it will have some other type of battery besides Lithium Ion.

I'm sure the battery will be accessible. I actually just opened one of my old iPods to replace the battery. Its not too hard. What Apple is trying to do is make it harder for people to open so they can charge a lot to replace them. One bad thing about this is if you are on an airplane, you cant just switch out your battery. Because of this, companies will probably start making external MacBook batteries (just like iPods).

I wonder if Apple will use the liquid cooling system that was rumored?

andiwm2003 · Jan 4, 2009

seems apple is spreading random rumors to throw off all the rumor sites.

two display interfaces, non removable battery and FW800 in the mini. i believe it when i see it.

derryquinn · Jan 4, 2009

*Sigh*

I was hoping for n Air-like 17" pro model to compliment the normal one.

That would be sweet

Or even a 15 inch model

spazattack674 · Jan 4, 2009

DTphonehome said:
Pretty bone-headed move imo. Pros are exactly the people who need an extra battery pack in the field. Now, if they release a universal magsafe external battery pack, all is forgiven.

Now that's an idea.

I don't really see how portable a 17" notebook is. It seems more like something someone would use in Starbucks, or somewhere else where there is an easily accessible power outlet. So, I don't think the non-removable battery will be that horrible. Different? yes. But, Apple has always been, and continues to be, a company that tries new things that are unorthodox.

rick3000 · Jan 4, 2009

andiwm2003 said:
seems apple is spreading random rumors to throw off all the rumor sites.

Maybe this is Phil's way of getting the hype up for his keynote, since it may not have the same "boom" as a Stevenote.

MacsRgr8 · Jan 4, 2009

Great news!
Fixed battery for better life and presumably giving Apple more chance of making the 17" even thinner!

About the not being able to replace your own battery.... come on. If you have an issue with your battery just drop it @ your local Apple Store or dealer, they replace it in a few minutes.
If this decision gives you 50% more life, you'll love a fixed battery!

Mac mini with FireWire 800!

I'm ordering one...

Can't wait!

KingYaba · Jan 4, 2009

Thinner does not mean better. -100 for non-removable battery. Looks like I'm not buying an Apple portable in the future.

drexel99 · Jan 4, 2009

Sirobin said:
This non-removable battery is such a terrible idea. Apple, are you really saying you couldn't put in, oh I don't know, a removable Silver-zinc battery!?

I don't think its a big deal at all. It may piss off some of the third party resellers but thats about it. I don't really take my battery out now. If having a fixed battery impacts battery life then i'm all for a fixed battery. I'm not sure this is the reason though, more likely a business move on apples part.

brad.c · Jan 4, 2009

xDYLANx said:
mac mini: cool

Cool indeed. I love that they aren't abandoning FW and DVI technologies on desktops just yet. I'm assuming we'll get dual monitor capabilities as well.

xDYLANx said:
MBP: don't really care, I don't see the appeal of having a notebook bigger than 13"

Try working from your deck chair. It's nice to have a workable screen without space compromise, if your work demands it.

djpruitt · Jan 4, 2009

MBP 17 - Any hopes of still offering matte screen

No intent here to stir up the never ending debate of glossy vs. matte. Just wondering if there have been any new updates on whether or not matte screen will still be an option or does the new unibody mean they will definitely go to the new glossy only screen?

Confirmation of Fixed 17" MacBook Pro Battery, Mac Mini with Firewire

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