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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."

it should be pretty obvious for people who know about this situation that I meant you will void your warranty if you do it yourself and it is not meant for mac owners to do it themselves.
 
Thought officially, the battery is not a user-serviceable part and may void your warranty.

Surely though, if under warranty, and the battery needs replacing, it is highly likely to be covered by the warranty....so no need to be doing it yourself?
 
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...
The decline in battery health isn't a straight or predictable line. the battery could decline to 83% and remain near that level for over a year. There's no way to accurately predict what a battery health will be in 3 years.
 
The decline in battery health isn't a straight or predictable line. the battery could decline to 83% and remain near that level for over a year. There's no way to accurately predict what a battery health will be in 3 years.

Who was trying to accurately predict? He has however had nearly the same decline as mine in less than 1/3 of the time. Sure it <may> plateau but "at his rate of decline", and my "may be beneficial" etc etc
 
It doesn't bother me because of the comparatively low cost of having Apple do the replacement at $199, and by the time the battery needs replacement I'm usually ready to upgrade the whole laptop anyway.
 
When Apple introduced the non-user-replicable batteries they charged the same price for battery replacement service that the older replaceable batteries cost ($129 for most models). Additionally the battery design changed allowing much longer life (>80% capacity after 1000 cycles while older batteries were only good for about 300).

The only thing really lost is the ability to carry spare batteries for longer operation, but newer macs run longer on a charge as well!

It all seems like a win to me.
 
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?

Nope. Don't really care. Plus, if Apple is sloppy and damages my laptop, I guess they owe me a new one. Versus you replacing it and damaging something, which means time to BUY a new laptop.
 
Define "more than long enough", please.
Not sure how to qualify "more than long enough", but with Apple having started with non-user replaceable laptop batteries 6-8 years ago (early 2007 for Airs, late 2008 for MBPs) and there not being a ton of people here on MacRumors complaining about battery longevity, these batteries do seem to be lasting a reasonable amount of time for most.

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Nope. Don't really care. Plus, if Apple is sloppy and damages my laptop, I guess they owe me a new one. Versus you replacing it and damaging something, which means time to BUY a new laptop.
At one time, folks were saying that Apple battery replacements come with a new top-case for the laptop (because of how they're glue together), but I can't find that "in writing" anywhere.

If that's correct, then your laptop should actually look "more new" after a battery change.
 
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.
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Does anyone else feel the same way?

Yes. I bugs the heck out of me.

Do you personally like non-retina or retina better?

I like retina better. I would like retina even better with a matte display instead of glossy.

Three years, give or take.

I think three years qualifies as planned obsolescence. I think four years is the minimum these things should last, and, lots of batteries die in the fourth year.
 
I think three years qualifies as planned obsolescence. I think four years is the minimum these things should last, and, lots of batteries die in the fourth year.

Unfortunately, this is the limit of modern technology. Batteries deteriorate with time. An average car battery lasts under 6 years. And a laptop battery is a much more complex item. Please don't try to look for planned obsolescence where the humanity simply can't yet do any better. And yes, sure, it is likely to last four or even five years, if used sparingly and if you are lucky.

Only 3? My battery will likely last 8+ years.

Plug that thing in if you're at a desk.

See above. If you believe that you battery will still be completely ok after 8 years, you are deluding yourself. Plugging it in or not does not make any difference. After 8 years, no matter how moderate the usage, your battery will be in best case a senile old lady and in worst case swollen and maybe ruptured.
 
I think three years qualifies as planned obsolescence. I think four years is the minimum these things should last, and, lots of batteries die in the fourth year.

To some extent there is a tradeoff that can be made for lifetime versus cost. Apple has actually gone for longer life. Their batteries are good for 1000 cycles. That's about 3 years of heavy use. If you want an eight year battery it would not only cost more but in order to achieve that life time would need to be heavier. And most people don't keep their computers that long anyway, in fact most people will never need a battery replacement.
 
Unfortunately, this is the limit of modern technology. Batteries deteriorate with time. An average car battery lasts under 6 years. And a laptop battery is a much more complex item. Please don't try to look for planned obsolescence where the humanity simply can't yet do any better. And yes, sure, it is likely to last four or even five years, if used sparingly and if you are lucky.



See above. If you believe that you battery will still be completely ok after 8 years, you are deluding yourself. Plugging it in or not does not make any difference. After 8 years, no matter how moderate the usage, your battery will be in best case a senile old lady and in worst case swollen and maybe ruptured.

To some extent there is a tradeoff that can be made for lifetime versus cost. Apple has actually gone for longer life. Their batteries are good for 1000 cycles. That's about 3 years of heavy use. If you want an eight year battery it would not only cost more but in order to achieve that life time would need to be heavier. And most people don't keep their computers that long anyway, in fact most people will never need a battery replacement.

The "planned obsolescence" comes from not making the battery easily user-replaceable. I'm not asking for NASA/ESA deep-space-qualified batteries that will work while landing on a comet 10 years from now. I'm asking for easily replaceable batteries, because, I expect to keep using these devices for at least four years. Because, that is what I have observed-- typically, people want to keep using machines that long, and, typically, software allows, or would allow, them to be used that long.

And, on the subject of thin-ness:

Weight, I can understand- there is generally no need for things to weigh more. (Although, I want ATVs, Minis, and Airports to weigh more. I have suggested making high-friction attachable weights available.) Even in a laptop, it annoys me if the base doesn't weigh enough to keep the screen from flopping over. There is a screen/base ratio that must be maintained. And, I also don't like things that bend, including cell phones and laptops. :cool:

As for thin-ness: It is ridiculous to keep touting ever-more-thinness as a selling point. There is no need whatsoever for an Air to get thinner. At some point, it will turn into a giant razor. The whole thing is silly now. It made sense in 2009 when laptops could be 2 inches thick and weigh 9 pounds. Not to mention that iPads have made the point completely moot for people who just want to display web pages and app output. People who buy laptops want to be able to type into the device easily. It seems obvious.
 
The "planned obsolescence" comes from not making the battery easily user-replaceable. I'm not asking for NASA/ESA deep-space-qualified batteries that will work while landing on a comet 10 years from now. I'm asking for easily replaceable batteries, because, I expect to keep using these devices for at least four years. Because, that is what I have observed-- typically, people want to keep using machines that long, and, typically, software allows, or would allow, them to be used that long.

I would understand your arguments if the battery were not replaceable. But IT IS replaceable. The battery replacement takes an hour and costs a very reasonable $200. You will need to do the service once per 3 years if you abuse your battery or once per 5 years if you are an average user. Which probably needs that you will never need to service the battery in the first place. A Dell battery costs $120. I wonder how it will look after 900 load cycles (mine is still at very respective 85%)

As to your comments about thinnnes — laptop means mobile. The less I have to carry on my back, the better for me. The 0.5 kg weight reduction was very noticeable when I got my rMBP and I would certainly not complain if it got even lighter or thinner without sacrificing power. Of course you are right that beyond-Air thinness is getting ridiculous, but we are not talking about that. I'd be happy if the Pro were as thin as the Air. My laptop is a working tool, it has to be functional and comfortable.
 
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