Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How is this related to glueing batteries?

I was responding to this statement from the OP:

It's just that I used to think of my old MacBook pro (2006) and Mac Pros as a well-designed mechanical watch or high-end audio components where everything is tightly engineered and assembled. Apple devices nowadays just don't have that feel anymore. Feel more like a disposable gadget.
 
I am not familiar with the kind of glue used in the rMBP but read somewhere that it takes chemicals that are quite toxic to remove the batteries. If the batteries need to be replaced, do they need to replace the entire case or "just" the trackpad? Either way, environmentally speaking, this seems to be a very inelegant/un-Apple-like design.

The glue is a big reason why Apple butted heads with EPEAT. While I'm sure the chemical used is toxic, I don't think it is any more harmful than what your wife/girlfriend uses to remove her nail polish or maybe even something stronger like goof-off. Seeing how Apple would use this in what I would assume to be a more sterile work environment than wherever your lady friend does her nails, I don't think this is that big a deal.

The big problem, is not breaking the battery itself in the process. That would be a nasty chemical leak;)
 
I doubt we would even have much in the way of computers without adhesives. I mean do you think the 787 dreamliner is a clunker? the latest racing cars the latest fighter jets?
without glue I bet your great laptop would weight 30 pounds and run 10 minutes on it's lead acid battery.
 
The glue is a big reason why Apple butted heads with EPEAT. While I'm sure the chemical used is toxic, I don't think it is any more harmful than what your wife/girlfriend uses to remove her nail polish or maybe even something stronger like goof-off. Seeing how Apple would use this in what I would assume to be a more sterile work environment than wherever your lady friend does her nails, I don't think this is that big a deal.

The big problem, is not breaking the battery itself in the process. That would be a nasty chemical leak;)

You are making quite a few assumptions. :)

On a more serious note, I read that the chemicals to remove the batteries are highly toxic. I don't know if that is true but I am wondering if replacing batteries means that one needs to replace other parts as well, such as keyboard, trackpad and the upper part of the case.
 
if glue is cheap and not good to use... you might not ever want to fly in an airplane
 
There's a speck of glue right near the vent/hinge on my rmbp. Noticed it the first day I got this laptop. I did try removing it with no luck so I left it there. Looks purty. :eek:
 
I'm sure the glue that Apple has selected is the appropriate adhesive for the job. We have some very advanced adhesives to choose from and in many cases it's a solution that has more advantages than many are aware of.

I'm also glad that Apple chose to use them first, before other laptop makers.

If HP, or Dell, or some other manufacturer were the first to use adhesives in the manner that Apple is, we'd have lots of threads with various users using the use of glue to bash the competition.

It's just like the posts by the iToyz contingent, "ewe I hate plastic" to bash Android phones.

They fail to educate themselves, as to the excellence of modern materials, today. Therefore they take aim at other brands and platforms, with a vengeance that's usually reserved for jealous juveniles :)

Light and strong, modern adhesives are hard to beat.
 
I doubt we would even have much in the way of computers without adhesives. I mean do you think the 787 dreamliner is a clunker? the latest racing cars the latest fighter jets?
without glue I bet your great laptop would weight 30 pounds and run 10 minutes on it's lead acid battery.

You are right. But I just think that Mac used to be like nice mechanical watches or Goldmund Telos power amps. It's just heading into different direction. That's all.
 
if glue is cheap and not good to use... you might not ever want to fly in an airplane

Forget airplanes, you ought to reconstruct your house. There's a reason you don't see subtle nail imprints everywhere.
 
I would honestly be more disappointed if Apple didn't use the most efficient and powerful components in their machines because "it would sound too tacky on the product description".

When people talk about glue, it's not like they're buying Elmer's en masse. They're getting very specific manufacturer resins in order to build powerful machines with the maximum amount of battery in the smallest space. Something Apple should be in some senses, applauded for. :apple:

Of course, if you want to argue about the environmental effects of such a change, or the possible downsides if/when Apple stops having a battery replacement service, THEN we have something to talk about.
 
The glue is a big reason why Apple butted heads with EPEAT. While I'm sure the chemical used is toxic, I don't think it is any more harmful than what your wife/girlfriend uses to remove her nail polish or maybe even something stronger like goof-off. Seeing how Apple would use this in what I would assume to be a more sterile work environment than wherever your lady friend does her nails, I don't think this is that big a deal.

The big problem, is not breaking the battery itself in the process. That would be a nasty chemical leak;)

actually it had nothing to do with chemicals. It was because it makes the unit harder/impossible to take apart/repair.
 
I'm fine with it in other places that are intended to stay put, but I'd prefer to see a more elegant solution than glue for the part of the laptop that is most likely to need replacement.
 
Glue is a joke.

And to that guy who said that it's used in Aerospace. Please tell me what planes are held together with glue. I would like to take note of that for any future travel plans
 
How many times are you planning to replace the battery in your MBP?

I think the use of glue, industrial adhesive, or whatever it's called is the best solution that Apple came up with, to replace its otherwise heavier counterparts like screws. So yeah, this revelation doesn't bother me at all.
 
Glue is a joke.

And to that guy who said that it's used in Aerospace. Please tell me what planes are held together with glue. I would like to take note of that for any future travel plans

Adhesives are essential for aircraft. I guess you think that B2 Spirit Bombers just fall out of the sky every day?

www.specialchem4adhesives.com/home/editorial.aspx?id=2360

Not a commercial aircraft, you say? Well, the next time you see a Boeing 787...

RUN

www.omnexus4adhesives.com/bc/transportation-channel/index.aspx?id=aircraft
 
How many times are you planning to replace the battery in your MBP?

I suppose it depends how long you're planning on keeping it and what the general life expectancy of it is. My view is that Laptops that are even five or six years old are still perfectly capable machines for everyday tasks. My old Macbook Pro has been handed on and is still being used daily. It was bought in 2006 and has had two battery replacements.

It's no secret that without Applecare, repairs on Macs can get very expensive once Apple repair staff get involved, and after three years you're out of extended warranty. I just think a glued-in battery is potentially problematic in the future.
 
It's no secret that without Applecare, repairs on Macs can get very expensive once Apple repair staff get involved, and after three years you're out of extended warranty. I just think a glued-in battery is potentially problematic in the future.

$199 for a battery replacement. Period. Without AppleCare (or with, but not a failed battery, which ought to be rare now). Very straightforward as a customer.

jW
 
I am not familiar with the kind of glue used in the rMBP but read somewhere that it takes chemicals that are quite toxic to remove the batteries. If the batteries need to be replaced, do they need to replace the entire case or "just" the trackpad? Either way, environmentally speaking, this seems to be a very inelegant/un-Apple-like design.

Apple isn't known for their environmental record prior to being publicly called out as one of the worst in the world.
 
Glue is a joke.

And to that guy who said that it's used in Aerospace. Please tell me what planes are held together with glue. I would like to take note of that for any future travel plans
Mechanical fasteners introduce an additional vector of structural failure, one that is not easily detected. It's nothing to joke about, either:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_123

You might as well scrap all future overseas travel plans, dude.
 
I suppose it depends how long you're planning on keeping it and what the general life expectancy of it is. My view is that Laptops that are even five or six years old are still perfectly capable machines for everyday tasks. My old Macbook Pro has been handed on and is still being used daily. It was bought in 2006 and has had two battery replacements.

It's no secret that without Applecare, repairs on Macs can get very expensive once Apple repair staff get involved, and after three years you're out of extended warranty. I just think a glued-in battery is potentially problematic in the future.

not for apple though it isn't, it's more cash.:)
 
It's probably heavy duty glue made from rendering plant products.

So really there's horse in our devices...
 
I just don't like glues. Something about it in our expensive devices ticks me off. It is NOT because of user-replaceability or upgradability concerns.

So I take it you don't like the standard unibody MBP because it has glue that holds the labels on the HDD/SSD and RAM?

Just another person complaining just for the sake complaining.
 
I haven't had time to read the plethora of complaints about glue, but I will state one very good reason for using it:

glue distributes forces much more evenly over the entire area of adhesion, versus a screw, which concentrates forces in a very small area. What this means roughly, is that you can manage larger forces and impacts by quickly spreading them out. For example if you superglued the tips of your fingers together, you'd still be able to 'wiggle & pry' your way out of it, perhaps at the expense of your skin. If you glued both your palms together, there would be no way you could separate them under your own power, without a solvent.

And speaking of solvents, perhaps Apple uses an in-house solvent to manage their adhesives. So, people wanting to figure out how to pry off their batteries are better of(f) *edit* discovering the formula to the appropriate solvent, not complaining. That's like complaining that you don't have the proper screwdriver when a company uses a proprietary screw head.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.