I didn't make the statistic up, it is based on the poll of MacRumors users that I linked to in this thread. Now, how accurate that statistic is to the user base at large is certainly a matter of speculation. I would say that it's more than likely even less than that 7-8% of people in the community at large,that have spare batteries that they have and use. But that is my opinion.
I think your speculation is off by quite a lot. The simple reason being that most of the people frequenting this forums likes what apple puts out. I'm wiling to bet that most of the people on this forum –*before the macbook came out – would have said that they would never touch a battery with in-built battery, had it been on a non-Apple.
Further, I believe this is a real oversight, you miss my point: Whether it truly
is 7-8 percent that are worried (if we assume that poll extrapolates properly) now – before any problems surface, doesn't say anything about how many it will become a major inconvenience down the line.
It's true that it is an inconvenience to replace the internal battery, but I would stress to you as someone that has opened up MacBooks and MacBook Pros, as well as older Apple Laptops, that they are not that hard to open up--the difficulty does not even register on the scale for replacing an iPhone/iPod battery, where you have to pry it open delicately with a knife/spudger.
Sorry, but I know quite a lot of people who wouldn't even dare putting extra ram into their machine (by themselves, that is) – don't tell me that Airbook buyers on average are more savvy with that sort of thing than the average MB-buyer. In all honesty, I think they're even less savvy (just like the average Audi A2 and VW Lupo buyer is less tech savvy than the average car-owner. And they're happy that they cannot do anything with their car without getting it to a garage and plugging it into a computer to diagnose it. Hell, many would prefer it, if they couldn't get at the oil or sprinkler "containers").
People who are unwilling to send their unit into Apple will be able to open it fairly easily if they desire to.
Say you – a fellow geek.
A laptop battery death is a serious inconvenience, whether or not you can pop it out. I can say this as a person who has experienced the death of his power adaptor (when every store in the city was out of stock of them for over a week), as well as the deaths of multiple batteries. I will admit that it is certainly more trouble to replace the battery in the MBA. My perspective is that it's actually not that much more trouble.
Imagine there being yet another battery recall – how long do you think you have to wait before your computer comes back? Not to mention: Are you even certain it will not be another computer coming back? That downtime, and in case of yet another recall, will be a major inconvenience compared to the nuisanse it will be to send in your battery and get another (and perhaps buy one in five minutes at a store), resulting in close to zero downtime. Don't try to argue that it's even in the same league of annoyances/nuisances/inconveniences (whatever). It will result in at least the same downtime as if the logic board went. And that can take a very, very long time.
What are the chances of your battery dying an untimely death?
Way too big. I'm not talking just Apple-products, but the chance is higher than I like. I have had way too many battery failures in all sorts of equipment than I care to mention. Luckily I just bought/received another quickly and easily (well, except for the iPods, which took from around a fortnight to five or six weeks –*yes, I deal with Apple Europe).
If there is a recall, what are the chances that you will be able to get a replacement battery, even if it were replaceable? Oftentimes during recalls the stock of replacement batteries is eliminated and they are out for a long time (I have seen this happen before--even with my power adapter, which I would argue is a much worse thing to not have than a battery).
Very true. In Apple's case they deal with two numbers: There's one for the "repair battery" and another for the "retail battery". When Apple had the latest battery exchange program, it took several weeks for them to ship me a battery because "stock was down". But the stores were selling them and had plenty in the back. I called Apple to see if I could just get one of those, which they denied in a tone not to be misunderstood. Of course I bought one, and waited for the extra.
But the reality is, in case of a battery recall, it will be hard to get anything from Apple if it's a huge recall, just as you say.
However, this applies to replacement parts for the Airbook as well. Only, with the Airbook they have to do more work, which takes longer, and that is my point exactly: Here, they have to have your computer (or in case of a "normal" battery: just the battery) before ordering the spare part. That means that in case the "repair battery" is back ordered, they will sit on your computer for a very long time.
This is why I think it's kind of strange to criticize the built-in battery as a tragic flaw.
See above.
Batteries are tragic flaws. If we didn't need them, our laptops would all be a lot lighter and more reliable.
Sorry, but you might as well be talking of how life would be in a five dimensional universe. The fact is, that anything that uses energy, needs to get energy to work (and in the end convert to heat, as all energy will eventually become heat). Since you're not plugged in, while on the move, that energy will have to be stored somehow and brought along with you. And, yes, hydrogen is just another energy carrier as well.
Battery QC is a nightmare for every manufacture out there, and it's always a big time pain in the rear when there is a significant issue, replaceable or not.
Indeed. It might however become quite a lot dearer for the company when they actually have to have their repair centres do a lot of work (all in all) than just shipping a new battery directly.
When you buy a laptop you take a gamble on that.
I prefer to minimise risks instead of taking a gamble. And especially since that gamble is only introduced because they thought up a design that is dictating the engineering to such a degree.
I can see that it is reasonable to not buy a MacBook Air because of the built in battery. But it's also not unreasonable to want one in spite of that, recognizing that it is more than likely not going to be an issue,
Up to here, I agree with you.
and if it is, it's not likely to be that much more of a pain in the butt
That is so blatantly wrong. You even mentioned a battery recall yourself, where you put forth an example, where you couldn't get a battery. Yet you utterly ignore, that had that been the airbook, you would have been without the computer, plus it will have to be the third party repair centres that has to do work on them, quite likely stretched thin in case of a big battery recall.
But people come in here and talk about how no one is going to buy one because of the stupid built-in battery, and how you would be foolish to buy one if you did, blah, blah, blah. It's senseless.
Not at all. It is foolish to buy one. And I have shown you how it's certainly not senseless to think it foolish to buy one.
You're not even making statistics up, lol. Personally, I think that you pulled that out of your rear.
How do you know that the increasing number of issues is not actually a function of Apple's dramatically increasing market share, rather than a supposed increase in lemon-rate?
No, I'm not making statistics up, nor do I extrapolate numbers about computers on a geek forum to the rest of the world.
Hmm, I base it on my own experience, the experiences of many long-time Mac-users, not on bare complaints. I don't merely "count complains", as you infer when you ask rhetorically why it couldn't just be increased sales. I go one step deeper, and actually look at the complaints, and here a picture shows up: Namely, that long time users have been experiencing more and more problems with Apple hardware than earlier. For me, it began with the TiBooks, which, at that time, was propably Apples biggest blunder (counted on how many had to get all sorts of things exchanged, not least the hinges and flaking paint).
So far, all I have been able to find searching on Google is people complaining about issues and puzzling over reports that rate Apple #1 in quality. e.g.,
this, and
this. it's quite clear that they are having more issues than they have had in the past, but how widespread these issues are with the userbase is unclear.
And I bet you will continue saying that, even when Apple themselves acknowledges publicly that they will be making an effort to better the quality.
Besides, there's a difference between an american survey about apple's customer service and how Apple's customer service is outside of the borders of the US.
Who else than (many) of the longtime users can really tell if the quality is falling? yes, Apple can, but really, they will only say something when they feel they have to do some damage control and they can say "we have switched to another company to build our computers, so the quality will be better henceforth".
You can continue saying it cannot be true that the quality is falling, because "we don't know" how many those people complaining represent. But think about: More and more longtime users seem to acknowledge there is a problem.
What's certainly true is that the MacBook Air is a Rev. A product, and even if the specs don't make you think twice, that really ought to.
But how do you
really know that it's not just a myth that Apple's rev A. products tend to be riddled with problems? How do you
really know it's not just a case of the people buying rev a products regret, or that those people buying that sort of thing, arent merely more vocal _because_ it's a rev A product?
I wouldn't touch the current MBA, but I love it, because I can't wait to see Rev. B.
Me neither. And if for nothing else, then certainly because it
is a rev. A.
