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anyone else bothered by not being able to replace your own battery?

I

ImmaGhost

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 11, 2014
18
0
I have to say, I am very disappointed to find out that you can't change the battery out yourself for the newer MBP lineups. I came from a 2008 MBP which allowed me to change batteries when needed. I can not stand that you have to have the apple technicians replace the batteries for you. I honestly don't trust them because I don't know how much of a sloppy job they would do or if they would accidentally damage hardware in my computer. Other than that I have to say I love this laptop. It is a beast and the display is very beautiful. Does anyone else feel the same way?
 
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None of the retina MacBooks have had user replaceable batteries since they were first released. It's just one of the sacrifices you have to make to have something that thin. Other manufacturers do the same thing with their ultrabooks as well.

Also I think since the battery is attached to the casing when they replace it you also receive new casing.
 
blooperz said:
None of the retina MacBooks have had user replaceable batteries since they were first released. It's just one of the sacrifices you have to make to have something that thin. Other manufacturers do the same thing with their ultrabooks as well.

Also I think since the battery is attached to the casing when they replace it you also receive new casing.
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ahh...can't believe I never knew that LOL. Sorry I am sort of noob with this topic. Do you personally like non-retina or retina better?
 
The very first unibody Macbook Pros had replaceable battery, but didn't when the 2009 versions came out. MacBooks haven't had user replaceable batteries since 2009, or more than a half a decade now.

It has never bothered me. The batteries are resilient and reliable enough nowadays to the point that vast majority of people never have to worry about it for the life of the machine. Most modern personal computer come with non user-replaceable batteries.
 
It doesn't bother me, I have a 2010 mbp, and the battery is still at ~81%. That's four years later with about 800 cycles on it. I don't plan on ever replacing it.
 
I'll never be able to go back to non retina. The difference in screen quality is like night and day. Plus the batteries today last so long it's not really an issue..I'm at 300 cycles in ~ 1 year with the laptop plugged in 90% of the time it's used and my capacity dropped from 8400mAh to 8000mAh.
 
wow that's great to hear! I was just wondering if you guys do anything intensive though like gaming or video editing which pushes your MBP to the limits sometimes? I really want to continue playing small games like counter strike, etc on mine but am afraid of the battery life shortening faster. I would also like to mention that this is my only computer that I use so I do put lots of hours into it.
 
My rMBP is extremely mobile, is among the top laptops of its class in respect to the battery life, the battery can take a lot of abuse and still maintain excellent performance, and it will last years before it needs a replacement. These features are in part because of the non-user replaceable battery, which allows Apple to pack a bigger, lighter, more space-efficient battery into the laptop.

The only benefit of a user-replaceable batteries that I can see is that one can carry multiple charged batteries to get very long battery running times. However, given that a rMBP can easily last a day on a single charge, this is becoming less necessary. And if one really needs it, an external battery back is always an option.
 
Not in the slightest.

These batteries last 3-4 times longer (holding-a-charge-wise) than the ones you could replace yourself in the 2008 ones.

So instead of paying $100 every year, I'll have to pay $199 every 4.
 
TechZeke said:
The very first unibody Macbook Pros had replaceable battery, but didn't when the 2009 versions came out. MacBooks haven't had user replaceable batteries since 2009, or more than a half a decade now.

It has never bothered me. The batteries are resilient and reliable enough nowadays to the point that vast majority of people never have to worry about it for the life of the machine. Most modern personal computer come with non user-replaceable batteries.
Click to expand...

The non-Retinas have always had user replaceable batteries. I replaced mine in my 2011 a couple months ago.

The lack of a user replaceable battery was one of the main reasons why I didn't get a Retina.
 
My computer is 2.5 years old, so the life span of the battery should be coming to an end soon. Yes, I do have an issue of spending 200 bucks to replace the battery, but I knew that when I purchased the computer in the first place.
 
556fmjoe said:
The non-Retinas have always had user replaceable batteries. I replaced mine in my 2011 a couple months ago.

The lack of a user replaceable battery was one of the main reasons why I didn't get a Retina.
Click to expand...

No MBP past 2009 has a user-replaceable battery. Yeah, you can replace it yourself, but doing this is not supported, violates your warranty and they don't sell the original battery anyway. Just because you have replaced it yourself does not mean that its intended to be user-replaceable.
 
Don't know why you'd ever need to replace the battery. They last more than long enough if you don't abuse them.
 
ImmaGhost said:
wow that's great to hear! I was just wondering if you guys do anything intensive though like gaming or video editing which pushes your MBP to the limits sometimes? I really want to continue playing small games like counter strike, etc on mine but am afraid of the battery life shortening faster. I would also like to mention that this is my only computer that I use so I do put lots of hours into it.
Click to expand...
Your MBP is designed to be used, so you shouldn't be bashful about putting a workload on it. When doing intensive gaming or video editing, you may consider plugging in, to avoid draining the battery, if AC is available.

Run on battery whenever you need to and plug it in whenever you can. You can plug or unplug any time you need to, regardless of the charged percentage, and you never need to completely drain your battery.
​
The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions, including tips for maximizing battery performance. If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.
 
GGJstudios said:
Your MBP is designed to be used, so you shouldn't be bashful about putting a workload on it. When doing intensive gaming or video editing, you may consider plugging in, to avoid draining the battery, if AC is available.

Run on battery whenever you need to and plug it in whenever you can. You can plug or unplug any time you need to, regardless of the charged percentage, and you never need to completely drain your battery.
​
The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions, including tips for maximizing battery performance. If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.
Click to expand...

Keeping it plugged in won't shorten the battery life over time? I always thought it would so I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Thanks for the info! I will check it out :)
 
ImmaGhost said:
Keeping it plugged in won't shorten the battery life over time? I always thought it would so I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Thanks for the info! I will check it out :)
Click to expand...
It won't hurt it unless you always run plugged in and never run on battery. Just use it the way you normally would, if you weren't thinking about the battery. You'd plug in when convenient, and run on battery when it isn't. Don't overthink it. Just relax and enjoy your Mac.
 
ImmaGhost said:
Keeping it plugged in won't shorten the battery life over time? I always thought it would so I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Thanks for the info! I will check it out :)
Click to expand...

This used to be true....not so anymore with current battery tech. I always have mine plugged in even at 100% charge, i don't take it off until I have to take it with me somewhere...after a year I'm still at 92% of the original design capacity.
 
My battery lasted around three years, then I got a replacement from iFixit (after a false start with another dealer!). Installation was simple and I haven't had any problems.
 
blooperz said:
This used to be true....not so anymore with current battery tech. I always have mine plugged in even at 100% charge, i don't take it off until I have to take it with me somewhere...after a year I'm still at 92% of the original design capacity.
Click to expand...

that's great to hear! :)
 
blooperz said:
This used to be true....not so anymore with current battery tech. I always have mine plugged in even at 100% charge, i don't take it off until I have to take it with me somewhere...after a year I'm still at 92% of the original design capacity.
Click to expand...

I use mine quite extensively off-charger, after 3yrs 4mths (and 842 cycles), it is still at 89% of original capacity. Based on your figures I'd suggest a bit more usage off-charger might be beneficial. At your rate of decline your batt will hit 76%% at only 3yrs...
 
ImmaGhost said:
I have to say, I am very disappointed to find out that you can't change the battery out yourself for the newer MBP lineups. I came from a 2008 MBP which allowed me to change batteries when needed. I can not stand that you have to have the apple technicians replace the batteries for you. I honestly don't trust them because I don't know how much of a sloppy job they would do or if they would accidentally damage hardware in my computer. Other than that I have to say I love this laptop. It is a beast and the display is very beautiful. Does anyone else feel the same way?
Click to expand...

What do you mean "can't change the battery"? You can change the battery yourself. It's just fixated in there under the cover because they last longer; also to look nicer or whatever the point of unibody is. It's also rather easy to do. Thought officially, the battery is not a user-serviceable part and may void your warranty. But I just hate that you say "you can NOT replace it."
 
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