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Apple Details 17" MacBook Pro Battery Replacements, Same Day Service at Apple Retail
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Get over it, they just put small form factor and long battery life ahead of a removable battery. Sorry, technology ran out of gas after two options, and one had to go - and that was a removable battery.
If they had a larger size, I'm sure we would here parallel to the bulky 17 inch Dells. If they went with a removable power pack, I'm sure we'd here parallels to the Lenovo ThinkPad W700 that has a battery life of less than two hours.
If they had a larger size, I'm sure we would here parallel to the bulky 17 inch Dells. If they went with a removable power pack, I'm sure we'd here parallels to the Lenovo ThinkPad W700 that has a battery life of less than two hours.
this is interesting, because i know two people with macbooks that got their battery replaced for free. Of course, there seemed to be an issue with them such as the laptop wouldn't charge. So hopefully, within three years, you get that issue and then get a FREE battery replacement so it lasts even longer ;-)
in 5 years time, surely you'd rather upgrade to the latest pro macbook (or whatever it is called then) rather than keep your old workhorse going
and also, in 5 years time, who's going to remember what Apple said would be available now - they'll be able to change their minds about the in-store changes
do you think they are training people on how to swap the batteries already? or wait for a couple of years before bothering? how confident are they of the lifespan?
My god you're a pessimist.
Just to point out that HP have been using the same extended life batteries since December (with the added bonus of being able to reach 80% capacity after only half an hour on charge)
But what I find fascinating, is that folk believe that a long life battery needs to be fixed, simply because Apple told them so.
You are precisely the kind of customer Apple wants ...
Just to point out that HP have been using the same extended life batteries since December (with the added bonus of being able to reach 80% capacity after only half an hour on charge)
But what I find fascinating, is that folk believe that a long life battery needs to be fixed, simply because Apple told them so.
You are precisely the kind of customer Apple wants ...
I find it ridiculous that people think they need to swap batteries - most people don't. Plus, it's a terrible mess to have to switch batteries because you have to power down the machine if you're away from an outlet, swap them, and then start back up. I have NEVER swapped my notebook batteries and I have never swapped my cell phone batteries.
Somehow the iPhone became the best-selling smartphone in spite of its sealed battery. Plenty of people (including me) were bitching about that one when the iPhone was first announced. I was wrong then just as the people who are moaning about the 17"s battery are now.
The reality is battery technology has not advanced as quickly as chips and storage. And as Apple has proven time and time again, design matters too. I think everyone would love to have a user-replaceable everything like in the current 15" MBP, but when design doesn't allow it Apple's solution is not a terrible one.
Also a 17" does not fit well in the space of a coach seating area. There is just not enough room for the screen to tilt back. Honestly, I don't see too many 17"ers (of any OS) at airports. They are not travel friendly. So I imagine the flight issue affects maybe .1% of 17" customers. Most people buy a 17" as a portable desktop substitute and are more likely to only travel with it from home to car and car to office.
The reality is battery technology has not advanced as quickly as chips and storage. And as Apple has proven time and time again, design matters too. I think everyone would love to have a user-replaceable everything like in the current 15" MBP, but when design doesn't allow it Apple's solution is not a terrible one.
Also a 17" does not fit well in the space of a coach seating area. There is just not enough room for the screen to tilt back. Honestly, I don't see too many 17"ers (of any OS) at airports. They are not travel friendly. So I imagine the flight issue affects maybe .1% of 17" customers. Most people buy a 17" as a portable desktop substitute and are more likely to only travel with it from home to car and car to office.
You are incorrect.
Batteries in ALL Apple Laptops are classed as a consumable, BUT they are still covered by AppleCare during the AppleCare lifetime.
If your non removeable battery fails in the first 3 years and you have AppleCare (extended warranty) it will be replaced by Apple. Just as they will replace it if it fails during the first year (under the standard warranty).
Not to mention that if this battery lasts as long as it is claimed, I wouldn't mind coughing up nearly 2 c's for it.
Please point out in the Apple documentation where this is stated.
My evidence is that they do cover batteries in the 2nd and 3rd years.
Ian
The USSA's prisoner ingress/egress-style system is really not comparable with most of the developed world. Or, indeed, the developing world. And where they're happy to be even more invasive (Israel etc. - and no, I'm not saying whether it's right or wrong) they're at least ruthlessly efficient.
I can't imagine comfortably doing anything in an economy seat for 6 to 7 straight hours, but I do know I do lots of things in less than ideal positions because being uncomfortably productive is better than not being productive at all. I agree that I'd hate to use a 17" notebook on a plane (or pretty much anywhere mobile), but the greater concern is that they'll infect their 13"/15" models with this misfeature.
Considering that the time you spend cruising over the American continent and Atlantic exceeds the MBA's battery life, you're not an example of someone who wants to get in as much work as possible. Moreover, once you escape the claws of INS bureaucracy, US-Western Europe is an easy, well-connected route. If you're going somewhere involving multiple longer flights and hours waiting in airports, or you elect (and why not? the nicest way to travel, imho)/require a connecting train, expect to carry a myriad of adapters and the $language for "Can I use that power point?", or carry a spare battery or two. (OK, OK, "two" is now often considered dangerous. Sigh.)
Agreed, it won't. But the louder people whine, the less likely it is that this feature will trickle down to their remaining models, and then to other firms that like to play Apple copycat. As we've seen from the iPhone, Apple listens to whining.
On my Windows laptop, which is what I usually wander around with, hibernate -> swap battery -> wake takes about 40 seconds. Swapping my cellphone battery takes about 15 seconds. If that is a terrible mess, then removal of Firewire from the latest Macbooks is, err, a genocide.
That's what I'd like to know!
Besides what do people think that they are doing with these laptops while traveling? The last time I went through O'Hare there where thousands stranded, many with their laptops out, not a one of them appeared to be doing significant work. Some may of wanted to but the environment certainly wasn't suited to it.
Until there are real numbers offered up I'm calling BS on some of the worries expressed here.
Dave
You ask a good question and I've yet to see this addressesed by people going on theses very long trips. I've yet to see anyone in an airport carrying around 24 hours worth of batteries, even 12hours worth is not likely to be seen.
Besides what do people think that they are doing with these laptops while traveling? The last time I went through O'Hare there where thousands stranded, many with their laptops out, not a one of them appeared to be doing significant work. Some may of wanted to but the environment certainly wasn't suited to it.
Until there are real numbers offered up I'm calling BS on some of the worries expressed here.
Dave
Just to point out that HP have been using the same extended life batteries since December (with the added bonus of being able to reach 80% capacity after only half an hour on charge)
But what I find fascinating, is that folk believe that a long life battery needs to be fixed, simply because Apple told them so.
You are precisely the kind of customer Apple wants ...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the more electrons that a battery can store...the more energy it can store. Moreover, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the casing around removable batteries takes up room. So, based on logic, not what Apple says, if you remove the support for removable batteries and use the volume savings for more battery cell material, then it would stand to reason that you would get a longer time per charge.
This is not Apple Kool-Aid, its walking around sense.
What about extreme battery failures, like swelling?!?
As an owner of a 2yo Macbook 17", the original battery of my computer started swelling only 2 days ago.
I noticed that when the Macbook suddenly stopped standing flat, since it got a new fifth longer leg in it's middle bottom.
Since it's already 2 years old, I can't complain much and immediately ordered a new battery.
I wonder what will happen with a unibody mac if the battery swells.
What kind of structure failure can we expect?
Will it pop the entire screwed bottom off the mac?
Will we see pictures of popped out keyboard? Maybe cracked unibodies?
I was expecting the new 17"-er since the new 15"-ers were announced, but now I'm really not sure whether I would actually endanger my money and mental health on one.
As an owner of a 2yo Macbook 17", the original battery of my computer started swelling only 2 days ago.
I noticed that when the Macbook suddenly stopped standing flat, since it got a new fifth longer leg in it's middle bottom.
Since it's already 2 years old, I can't complain much and immediately ordered a new battery.
I wonder what will happen with a unibody mac if the battery swells.
What kind of structure failure can we expect?
Will it pop the entire screwed bottom off the mac?
Will we see pictures of popped out keyboard? Maybe cracked unibodies?
I was expecting the new 17"-er since the new 15"-ers were announced, but now I'm really not sure whether I would actually endanger my money and mental health on one.
The casing around a removable battery replaces the outside of the case, which is always going to be there. The battery doesn't need a casing if it's not replacing a section of the laptop, it could be dropped in a door on the side. Whatever the tech, the battery life is mainly going to come from an increased volume. The 17" has a pretty large footprint, and instead of multiple drives and various other features that are common on laptops of this size, I guess they've decided to use this space for a larger battery.
Apple should offer a 5 year 'free replacement' if it ever fails if they are so confident. That would put most fears to rest and stop the worrying.
Here's the page that has the terms and conditions for AppleCare:
http://www.apple.com/legal/applecare/appgeos.html
If you click on the North America English PDF, on page two, item (ix) states "Consumable parts, such as batteries, except in respect of battery coverage under APP for iPod or unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials and workmanship"; ... is not covered.
So yeah, if you can prove that your battery problem is due to a defect, you're definitely covered. If, however, your battery sucks because you've cycled it 500 times and it's just plain old, you're not covered.
As always, AppleCare (like other parts of Apple) will sometimes "surprise and delight" customers and go above the stated terms, but per the terms, a normal worn-out battery is not covered.
However, since Apple claims that it lasts 1000 charge cycles, if after 4 years and 999 charge cycles doesn't it stand to reason that Apple would still replace it?
My concern is what happens if you dent your computer, and then want the battery replaced? Will Apple force you to pay for repairing the dent before they can replace your battery like they tried to force me to pay to fix the dent before replacing the screen?
I'd like to think that Apple's new battery technology is solid and that most people won't have to replace their battery during the life of their MBP. But MacBook batteries over the past few years haven't exactly been flawless - I've had 2 fail in the past 2 years. If my previous 2 battery replacements had required sending in the whole computer for 4-5 days round trip, it would have been a total drag.
i really don't think it's that bad of a deal. granted, of course i'd like to see it cheaper, but i could say that about almost everything.
I believe your reasoning is appropriate, but do you really think you'll hit 1000 charge cycles? I would guess most would have upgraded to the next big thing over the next say ... 4 years.
I agree here. Apple is notorious for suddenly deciding their AppleCare support is voided based on certain signs of wear. I do worry about this one myself and if the unibody design will eventually have only non-user removable batteries then I am unsure how this will work in the future. I believe these batteries are the way to go, but I am not sure I trust Apple to not f**k us all over.