When I took out the contents of a box sent to me by Pulse Communications, I got a surprise. I didn't understand why they had sent me another MacBook Pro to review. I remembered reviewing a MacBook Pro and a Unibody MacBook not too long ago, so what else was there for me to comment on?
Your comments:
My friends, I am here in Rio Frio, US. Oh my God, I need to pay $75 plus tax to change a battery. That is a lot of money. It is better to plug in.
Rafael Mattos
Rio Frio, US
Rafael, the point is that the battery is likely to outlast the computer. As a former Mac tech who was responsible for maintaining close to 100 Apple laptops (G4 to MacBook Pro), I replaced exactly two batteries within five years. Yep, two batteries.
Most of those machines were used on road trips extensively, so the batteries were well-used. After 3+ years (roughly their expected length of service) of daily business use, some of the G4 Powerbook batteries began to give up.
The only reason I needed to remove a battery from a Mac Laptop was to add more RAM, or read the serial * without turning on the machine. Most laptop batteries are round, bunches of AA-sized batteries ganged together.
The new Apple batteries are square in section (see the interesting video on their site), thus using the available space more efficiently. I see no problem at all with a sealed battery, especially given the added benefits it provides.
iFixit and other sites will be more than happy to provide you with free instructions on how to replace the battery yourself, in case you need that reassurance and the extra $75.
Better yet, buy Applecare, and in the unlikely event that the battery fails before its time, Apple will replace it at no charge for parts or labor. I brought a friend's white MacBook, which was two months short of its AppleCare expiring, to the Apple store for a different issue.
The Genius who looked at it made a quick repair; then booted the machine from his iPod, which contained hardware test software. "It looks like you have a bad battery; I'll put in a new one for you," he said. Repair, advice, battery.
All at no cost to me or my friend, as the previous owner had paid for the AppleCare, which had also provided a new display.
Net result: positive cash flow and happy customers.
I left the store with three accessories I would have otherwise purchased online (and waited for). I strongly recommend AppleCare for all Apple MacBooks! It's not a bad idea for desktop machines either, especially those with built-in (very expensive to replace) displays.
Mac Guy
Indonesia
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