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You see, 99% of all laptop user do not buy a second battery.
Is this one of those Internet statistics that's made up on the spot? I'll throw one out: 90% of computer purchases aren't for Macs, so why are we bothering with the interests of the remaining 10%?

They all profit from the built-in battery.
Only those who use their laptop on battery for more than n but less than n+m minutes, and have owned the laptop for less than q months - where n, m and q are nebulous naturals which salesmen, reviewers and users will each estimate differently - will benefit from the built-in battery. I and others have long stretches of life with laptop unplugged for not more than a couple of hours at a time; an 8 hour battery life is an irrelevance then. What is more important is a guaranteed minimum, not a huge maximum.

Those 1% who do have additional batteries suffer from having to use an external battery pack in some of the situations where they today need a second or third battery.
I know, it sucks, and we'll have to continue avoiding Mac laptops.

But since it is apparently an impairment of the vested rights of those 1% it must be a stupid selfish move by the CEO.
Of course it's a (financially) selfish move by the CEO. If the CEO of a publicly traded company ever did something that wasn't (financially) selfish then I'd be rather worried for the future of that company. It's certainly not stupid, though. Jobs rarely does *stupid* things - what's dumb about making it hard to replace the most consumable part of a device intended to be turned into a consumable? Sounds lucrative, if you can keep people from whining too loudly. OK, the straw man is defeated.
 
Maybe monetarily.

I think users like how simple it is to buy a new battery and pop it in themselves, as opposed to handing it over to a sales person for....and this is the other issue...does anyone know how long it takes to replace these? I had one rep tell me 'a few days' and another one at a different store say 'a few minutes'.

If you have to give up your computer for a few days to replace a battery that in the past has been a 2 minute ordeal on your desk, that isn't the same price, and it's ridiculous. However if it is true that they can be replaced in a matter of minutes at the store it seems reasonable, especially since they need to be replaced MUCH less often.

I would guess that it would only take between a few minutes and a few hours to take it in and have it changed. I am sure Apple looked ahead and that they realize many people can't afford to be without their computer for a day or more at a time. I wouldn't have a problem being able to drop it off at the Apple store and pick it up an hour or two later. 10-20 minutes would be really nice though.
 
This is some very good news indeed. I only hope that the batteries last the number of cycles Apple claims it does - I have been through 3 Macbook Pros and never got > 3hr battery but that is not so much of a problem. The problem I have had is how quickly the batteries deteriorate - the MBP I am typing this on has done 153 cycles and it already does not charge beyond 93% and System Profiler says check battery.

If the new batteries truly last for 1000 cycles and give 8hr per charge ( as I am willing to believe they do) - that is one heck of a reason to upgrade. Real value as opposed to the SD card saga ;) With this kind of battery life and capacity I don't mind that it isn't replaceable - doubt many have a reason to.
 
The problem I have had is how quickly the batteries deteriorate - the MBP I am typing this on has done 153 cycles and it already does not charge beyond 93% and System Profiler says check battery.

poor you. as i already said: i own a late07 macbook 2,1 which is on its 586 loadcycle. it still has 99% capacity and i get around 3-4hrs productivity :)
 
poor you. as i already said: i own a late07 macbook 2,1 which is on its 586 loadcycle. it still has 99% capacity and i get around 3-4hrs productivity :)
This is well illustrating the problem. Most parts in a laptop, treated well and past the first few months, will last for years: indeed, it's very rare for me to find my equipment failing in between years 2 and 6 of usage, with the exception of moving parts (rarely) and (always) the battery. They seem to have wildly different longevities even when supposedly the same part. You might have a very similar usage pattern to your neighbour, but slight differences in ambient temperature or manufacture of battery will make a huge difference to lifespan.
 
poor you. as i already said: i own a late07 macbook 2,1 which is on its 586 loadcycle. it still has 99% capacity and i get around 3-4hrs productivity :)

That would be outstanding [*] - at that rate I don't see how it could drop to 80% capacity in another 1500 cycles. Have you ever opened the battery compartment? May be you will find Apple sneaked in a R&D prototype there - future batteries are supposed to last long enough to serve a person his/her lifetime ;)

[*] Apple Says 80% at 300 cycles
 
This is some very good news indeed. I only hope that the batteries last the number of cycles Apple claims it does - I have been through 3 Macbook Pros and never got > 3hr battery but that is not so much of a problem. The problem I have had is how quickly the batteries deteriorate - the MBP I am typing this on has done 153 cycles and it already does not charge beyond 93% and System Profiler says check battery.

If the new batteries truly last for 1000 cycles and give 8hr per charge ( as I am willing to believe they do) - that is one heck of a reason to upgrade. Real value as opposed to the SD card saga ;) With this kind of battery life and capacity I don't mind that it isn't replaceable - doubt many have a reason to.

you wont get 8hours. You will only get between 5 to 6hous on real usage.
 
I would guess that it would only take between a few minutes and a few hours to take it in and have it changed. I am sure Apple looked ahead and that they realize many people can't afford to be without their computer for a day or more at a time. I wouldn't have a problem being able to drop it off at the Apple store and pick it up an hour or two later. 10-20 minutes would be really nice though.

Well, as someone that has frequented the Genius Bar - I can assure you that you cannot get anything done - not even a memory upgrade - in 1 to 2 hours - at least not at the Apple Stores in Dallas/Ft. Worth (3 of them). It took 4 DAYS to get my defective HDD replaced. Now something soldered into the unit - I wonder in a poll how many of them know what a soldering iron is ;)
 
you wont get 8hours. You will only get between 5 to 6hous on real usage.

Ok, but that is still a huge improvement over the 3hrs I get today, no? Also I thought Anand's tests were close to real life - which would mean that I should see similar (at least not far off) results?
 
Ok, but that is still a huge improvement over the 3hrs I get today, no? Also I thought Anand's tests were close to real life - which would mean that I should see similar (at least not far off) results?

100% wrong. Just common sense.
 
Is this one of those Internet statistics that's made up on the spot?
No, it is based on a not that small sample of anecdotal evidence. For once, I don't know anybody personally who owns a second battery (except myself who once owned one and used it in a grand total of two occasions).
Moreover, from the comments here is easy to see that the vast majority of posters do not own a second battery.
 
I don't understand the battery life complaints. When I'm away from my desk (and power adapter), I use Safari, Pages, and Coda. I don't need to watch movies, use my optical drive, render video, or play graphics-intensive games. With respect to the people who do, I think most people use their laptops like me. Guess what? My iBook G3 Dual USB has 58 loadcycles, 93% battery capacity, and still gets more life than advertised, even with AirPort on.

For the handful of people here who own multiple batteries, I feel for you, but I would prefer to get half again as much life out of my battery than pander to the lowest common denominator. Go on Ebay and get a previous-gen MacBook from someone who is going the other way.

Don't forget, the built-in battery will last 4x as long before it needs to be replaced. Since the replacement cost is roughly the same as as a new removable battery, you're paying 1/4 as much in the long run.
 
No. This is what I hate about Macs: plugging in a million external sticky-outy things because Jobs has a fetish for thin smooth flatness which is immediately destroyed by a million wires to make up for things that either should already be built-in or be installable within the machine. I want to have precisely [ 0 ] protruding things plugged into my laptop for the entire time I'm using it on the road.

Does anyone ever actually use a laptop on their lap while on the road any more? Or does Apple just care for college students whose idea of heavy stress is walking between dorm room and lecture hall?

What are you doing that requires a million wires? The only wire that is every connected to my unibody MacBook is the MagSafe connector.

It's unreasonable to hate an external battery pack as much as you do. External battery packs can also charge the internal battery just as well as the the power brick. So they're very useful for quick charges. Also, if you're on the road, use a car adapter to charge the internal battery. It isn't that difficult. One wire isn't going to tie you down and limit mobility... I think the 10 external batteries--that you imply you carry around--would present a much greater burden on mobility.
 
Well if it were soldered in. But is isn't. Replacing the battery is not much harder than replacing the harddrive (which is also not soldered in) as all the teardowns of the MBPs have shown.

Sure - the case is sealed - crack the case, void your warranty. The battery in the iPhone isn't soldered in, either, but I have *YET* to see one that has been opened up that you cannot see through inspection has been opened up - unless it has been SENT AWAY to Apple where they have the *magic* tools to do so - but I don't have an extra $2K sitting around to have an extra laptop for my daily work while it goes back and forth for service - explain to me how it could be gone less than 3 days sending it overnight if there is someone waiting with a catcher's mitt on the other end.

The fact is, for a tablet computer, for a Kindle or Sony eReader, or a Netbook - ok, I get it. But for something Apple bills ON THEIR WEBSITE ('Help Us Choose Your Mac') as a desktop replacement, yet MOBILE, how on earth can you restrict someone to 6 - 8 hours of use and not give them the option of plugging it in - then it takes almost 4 hours if you are using it while it is plugged in to fully recharge.

I LOVE APPLE - and their products. I have 3 Apple TV's, everyone in the house has an Apple Notebook and my 4 yr old has a new iMac & iPod Touch and I have anxiety attacks without my iPhone - but this is technology for MacBooks, or the MacBook Air. Not the MacBook Pro. Not when you are running it as a desktop replacement running Photoshop CS4, DreamWeaver CS4, Mail, iCal, Skype, iChat, Excel/Word, and Safari and hopping back and forth using the graphics adapter in high performance mode. AWESOME technology - yes, I am SURE they will have battery extension packs AT SOME DATE not made by Apple and cost a fortune. But NOW, for someone moving place to place, terminal to terminal, using wifi, opening and closing their MBP all day, and needing to meet someone without having to think about which place has a lot of power outlets and will be the least crowded - it doesn't work for ME. If I am 1%, ok, I am 1%. This was just my observation - my opinion - that until the battery can outlast my internal battery (I need to sleep/'recharge' too), it was disappointing to me that Apple made their most powerful line of laptops limited in battery life - my Mac Pro is always plugged in - so this 2009 MBP really isn't a mobile 'desktop replacement'. Look gorgeous, sleek, powerful, fast - great machine, as usual, just a shame they made this choice with this line... IMO.
 
I'm one of those who got the MBP 15" just months before the new MBP with 8hrs of battery life.

Really didn't expect a fairly significant upgrade to the relatively new MBP lineup.


I have two questions.

1. How do you get 5hrs of web browsing with the prev MBP 15"?
After a full charge, the instant I turn on my MBP with medium to low brightness and no peripherals and wifi on, the indicator says 3hrs or 3:30hrs max.

2. Did the MBP 15 also get the 60% increase in gamut, or was it just for the 13 MB that had lower quality screens?
 
1. How do you get 5hrs of web browsing with the prev MBP 15"?
After a full charge, the instant I turn on my MBP with medium to low brightness and no peripherals and wifi on, the indicator says 3hrs or 3:30hrs max.

I've tried and failed -you cannot get more than 3hrs. Apple lies when they say 5 hr - they have invented a good way to get away with it ;)

Based on some of the responses if AnandTech is saying 8hrs it means with the new MBPs instead of 3 hrs you will get may be 4hrs or 5 if you are lucky.
 
You can go here...
http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeek_net_MacBook_MacBook_Pro_Battery_Packs_s/78.htm

The rest of us customers, will glorify in our new found battery life. As a matter of fact, there is a likely huge net gain of customers to longer and more sufficient battery life, than those that will juggle batteries in and out of the machine, (because there is no external charger), rather than use this, which is what they should have been using in the first place, if this was a problem for you, replaceable battery or not.

Simply, for people that replaced their battery ONCE during a session, they won't have two, if they did it twice, they can get the above device, and it will provide enough battery life as if they had to do replace the battery 4 times in a session before.

Simply you are complaining to complain. Your complaint really makes no sense, and no I really do not want a lesser computer to solve your truly non-existent problem.

They do and have existed...
http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeek_net_MacBook_MacBook_Pro_Battery_Packs_s/78.htm

And if you previously had to change your battery once per session, you don't anymore. If you had to replace it twice, it would have been cheaper to buy this thing than 2 extra MB batteries, and it will work as if you have to change your battery 4 times before.

It's cheaper, its better...

And you are really just making up problems to hear yourself post.

I do not want a lesser machine for your non-problem. Seriously.

Maybe monetarily.

I think users like how simple it is to buy a new battery and pop it in themselves, as opposed to handing it over to a sales person for....and this is the other issue...does anyone know how long it takes to replace these? I had one rep tell me 'a few days' and another one at a different store say 'a few minutes'.

If you have to give up your computer for a few days to replace a battery that in the past has been a 2 minute ordeal on your desk, that isn't the same price, and it's ridiculous. However if it is true that they can be replaced in a matter of minutes at the store it seems reasonable, especially since they need to be replaced MUCH less often.

Once every 5 years, and when they have been done a couple of times, I am pretty sure this will be an as you wait kinda thing, and then you have another 5 years. TEN FREAKING YEARS, with one stop at the store.

No I do not want a lesser machine to solve your non-existent problem.

Hmm Don't see my powerbook g4 with 9 minutes battery life on that list!

There is no point buying a new battery for me as a new one is half the value of the machine!

I am sure that you can buy a new battery for cheaper than that. And it is either a portable laptop or it isn't. Either you need a battery or you don't. If you don't why don't you complain about your wall color. If you do, then buy the battery.
 
They do and have existed...
http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeek_net_MacBook_MacBook_Pro_Battery_Packs_s/78.htm

And if you previously had to change your battery once per session, you don't anymore. If you had to replace it twice, it would have been cheaper to buy this thing than 2 extra MB batteries, and it will work as if you have to change your battery 4 times before.

It's cheaper, its better...

And you are really just making up problems to hear yourself post.

I do not want a lesser machine for your non-problem. Seriously.


Thanks! I am def interested in this product - I had no idea it existed.

Been a reader of the forums for over a year - just joined today - these were my first posts - didn't think I was making up a problem. Sorry you have such a miserable attitude - life's too short.

Thank you for the link - I sincerely appreciate it!
 
I have a late 2008 15" MBP.

I get about 2.5 - 3.0 hours, medium brightness, surfing the web.

This chart says 5 hours. What is wrong with my computer?
 
I have a late 2008 15" MBP.

I get about 2.5 - 3.0 hours, medium brightness, surfing the web.

This chart says 5 hours. What is wrong with my computer?

I get about 4-5 hours with mine (Early 2008 15" MBP) With low-ish screen, only Safari and Pages open.

Install Cocoabattery, charge your battery up to 100% then see what cocoa battery says your health is at.
 
No, it is based on a not that small sample of anecdotal evidence. For once, I don't know anybody personally who owns a second battery (except myself who once owned one and used it in a grand total of two occasions).
Moreover, from the comments here is easy to see that the vast majority of posters do not own a second battery.

http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=571

So like 8% of laptop owners here polled in 2008 actually had a spare battery and use them

arn
 
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