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17" Unibody MacBook Pro with Non-Removable Extended-Life Battery

I'm thinking silicon nanowires.
It's a lot more efficient than carbon-based products (even nanotech ones) and if a battery with 10x the capacity of the current ones and with a longer "health" period were to be introduced with the 17", it would be a great move by Apple. That battery, IMO, would not have to removed.

Also, "Even the SMALL talk will be big". Get it? Small... Nanotech...
Anyone? ;)
 
Jiten said:
Its almost they are doing these changes just to spite us because the know that whatever they do there will always be people who will buy their products. :p
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Exactly. That's the problem. When they started out and certainly back in the early 2000s they were still the underdog and so appeased the customer however they could.

After the iPod (where the majority of their income lies), they thought "screw it" just like any other successful corporation. Only when they see a huge slide in Mac sales will they be motivated to change, as they are there to make money.
 
This is a patently absurd rumor else why would they have designed a battery slot into the unibody form factor for MBP and MBP15...

The day when a battery that gives 10 hours runtime, lasts 5000 cycles and takes 30 mins to charge might warrant such a move.
 
djinn said:
Apple keeps on getting lamer and lamer.. shame shame.
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you are right, this is a lameass idea. anyone who believes that a laptop should have a non exchangeable battery is a moron.

laptop batteries:
1- die when away from power for a recharge, ie a plane flight or many other circumstances.
2- have lifetimes which decrease over time and frequently need replacement a year or so after purchase.

sorry, i wish the iphone could exchange batteries, and i think it is horrible Apple is potentially considering this move. it is a boneheaded idea which will lead to alot of problems.
 
I do not believe so

Well as alot of people say its a negative , I also believe it could be true and could not be Theres no telling what :apple: is going to bring on January 6th, But ive heard it is exciting !
 
Have been reading up on ZPowers statements, and their news article in the New York Times.

The way I see it is, this will be used across the range of laptops and filtering its way down to the iPods and iPhones.

The MacBook Air will get a 50-60% more battery life and still be non-replaceable, but stay the same size and weight. The MacBook will go the way of the Air and have a sealed battery compartment, eventually, though not yet. This will enable a light and longer lasting battery giving gains of 25-40% extra runtime. The McBookPro will still have a replaceable battery, but will be smaller and hence lighter. Maybe adding an extra 10-20% longer battery time. If the 17" went to the likes of OLED displays then the increase would be more like 18-30%.

This isn't going to be just a single product but a hugh announcement with regards to all products and with a 95% recycle rate.

As ZPower puts it: "The primary materials of ZPower batteries (i.e. silver and zinc) are fully recyclable. That means that the materials derived from recycling process are of the same quality as the materials that went into the initial creation of the battery." Hugh+ for Apple with Greenpeace.

Still looking forward to the Apple event, even if Jobs reality distortion field isn't on stage, I reckon his presence will still be felt.
 
Generally, in the past anyway, Apple has maintained the overall style within the line.

The unibody 15 inch MBP would be indicative of what we will see in the 17 inch MBP when it comes out. So I would expect to see the same type of cover for the battery and HD.

So this rumor does not make sense at this time.

In the future, we may very well see the MBP line being thinner with a non-removable batter. Just don't see it this time around.
 
If they can guarantee that it doesn't need replacing for 3-4 years then maybe its ok but still why should you have to pay to send it off and have a new battery put it!? The whole point of having removable batteries is you can have a spare for one the go etc.

I think this would be a foolish move unless its a fuel cell or something

guess we wait and see...
 
This is terrible. As an owner of a first gen 17" MacBook Pro I can say that I have been wondering what the new 17" would bring. I'd hoped it would be a machine that I could happily upgrade to with confidence.

But ... no removable battery is a huge sacrifice. Not being able to switch the battery once its life diminishes and not being able to switch between batteries when your far away from an electrical outlet... I feel this is a huge mistake.
 
So we get some nice desktop apps downgraded to cloud crap and a notebook with non-removable battery... can't wait... Could this be worst keynote ever?
 
sflocal said:
How is it that you have to replace your batteries in a notebook every year when most notebooks require at least 2+ years just to get the batteries to partially fade? Are you somehow powering a hairdryer through a USB port to achieve that replacement rate?

Use real metrics instead of coming up with a totally fabricated number. Most people don't purchase replacement/additional batteries for their laptops and by the time their batteries do die, they would prefer to buy a new model instead. Perhaps this would be a good way for the batteries to be reclaimed/recycled instead of being thrown in the trash.
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Normal use of several notebooks. This includes running on battery almost every day, consuming a cycle. After a year, they usually are at 80% of their initial capacity, and quickly degrade in the second year. Some batteries, depending on quality may last longer or shorter. But overall, when it reaches 80% of its initial capacity, it makes enough difference in time to justify a replacement.

And if you don't use the battery often, and is just plugged in, it tends to lose capacity even quicker.
 
PhilipOrr said:
Have been reading up on ZPowers statements, and their news article in the New York Times.

The way I see it is, this will be used across the range of laptops and filtering its way down to the iPods and iPhones.

The MacBook Air will get a 50-60% more battery life and still be non-replaceable, but stay the same size and weight. The MacBook will go the way of the Air and have a sealed battery compartment, eventually, though not yet. This will enable a light and longer lasting battery giving gains of 25-40% extra runtime. The McBookPro will still have a replaceable battery, but will be smaller and hence lighter. Maybe adding an extra 10-20% longer battery time. If the 17" went to the likes of OLED displays then the increase would be more like 18-30%.

This isn't going to be just a single product but a hugh announcement with regards to all products and with a 95% recycle rate.

As ZPower puts it: "The primary materials of ZPower batteries (i.e. silver and zinc) are fully recyclable. That means that the materials derived from recycling process are of the same quality as the materials that went into the initial creation of the battery." Hugh+ for Apple with Greenpeace.

Still looking forward to the Apple event, even if Jobs reality distortion field isn't on stage, I reckon his presence will still be felt.
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I think this is a very fair and reasonable comments. TBH, i dun think a non-removable batter y is a problem if you get 30-40% more battery life out of a single charge. I doubt people carry extra battery other than a AC adapter when they need a lot of juice.
 
Crazy hah! For what do I need a non-removable battery for a laptop! Unless it's running on ZPM (ref: Stargate Atlantis zero point module)!!!!
 
lscangus said:
I think this is a very fair and reasonable comments. TBH, i dun think a non-removable batter y is a problem if you get 30-40% more battery life out of a single charge. I doubt people carry extra battery other than a AC adapter when they need a lot of juice.
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I'm a full time programmer and my main computer is my 17" MBP which is rarely in its off state.

I've often considered getting a second battery for use in long journeys or on the plane, but still haven't actually purchased one and still get along fine.

You can find power outlets in most places now, even if some cafes charge, but I don't mind, it's their electric at the end of the day. Even on trains, you can usually find a cleaners power outlet, you do need to search though and that seat isn't always available.
 
You guys do know why the 17" was late in release, don't you? A non-removable battery is partially a solution, if they do implement it. I'd be interested in what other compromises they make.
 
... Not so exciting...

I have been hoping for a better graphics option than the 9600M GT which is pretty low end (by PC standard of-course, like comparing oranges to apples I know).

But seriously, I don't think that many people would need a secondary battery "on the go" (the only scenario I can think of is photoshooting in a jungle or at a beach). Come on, most modern fleet of planes that fly long-haul flights that are longer than 6 hours are now equip with powerpoints on every single seat anyway.
 
PhilipOrr said:
I'm a full time programmer and my main computer is my 17" MBP which is rarely in its off state.

I've often considered getting a second battery for use in long journeys or on the plane, but still haven't actually purchased one and still get along fine.

You can find power outlets in most places now, even if some cafes charge, but I don't mind, it's their electric at the end of the day. Even on trains, you can usually find a cleaners power outlet, you do need to search though and that seat isn't always available.
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thats why you have good logic. i think apple is pushing most of the consumer forward. In a world where consumer don't reli know what they reli need and want.
 
These are all joke rumors.
* Web only iWork
* Web only iMovie
* New Mini
* Non replaceable battery
* iPhone Nano

Apple just having some fun putting out joke rumors.
 
9to5 also expects that the 13" plastic MacBook will be phased out which may bring the low-end aluminum model closer to $1000.

I have been hanging out for the new Mini. But this has now got me thinking... I already have a monitor and if they were to drop the price on the alum MacBook, then I may just scratch the wait for the Mini. I guess it will depend on what actually the specs of the new mini are. :confused:
 
I don't know. It doesn't make sense to me, to have the most "pro" model not have the most options...

Not surprising that the white macbook might be EOL'd, just sooner than I had thought!
 
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