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January 20, 2008

intel_macs

MacBook Air’s battery replacement is a matter of minutes

Posted Jan. 20, ’08, 11:00 AM PT by Aayush Arya
Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

MacBook Air bottomThe MacBook Air has received a lot of flak for not having a user replaceable battery and frankly, I just don’t understand it. How many times in a notebook’s lifetime does one need to get its battery changed anyway? For the average user, I doubt it would amount to more than twice in a period of several years (at least about four). What is the big deal if you have to send in your secondary notebook to have its battery changed once every couple of years?

In any case, if you’re one of those who feel that this is a serious drawback of the MacBook Air, you will probably be glad to know that swapping out its battery to replace it with a new one is a countertop procedure that can be completed within minutes by any Apple certified serviceperson. It involves the use of a single screwdriver and the battery itself is attached to the board with just a cable, unlike the batteries in the iPhone and iPods which are soldered in place.

So the day your MacBook Air’s battery starts hiccuping, you can take it to any Apple Store in the vicinity and get it replaced in a trice. Now if only we could have had one of those Apple Stores in these parts!

[Via AppleInsider]


10 Comments

Walt said:

For me, I always bought an extra battery to begin with foe those long flights that required a swap. I don't travel anymore so that wouldn't have much of an effect if I were buying one.

January 20, 2008 11:42 AM
ra said:

the issue is replacing your battery with a spare when it runs out of juice right in the middle of something.

January 20, 2008 12:36 PM
T.S. Melo said:

I think you're missing one important point, at least to me. The whole complaining about the internal battery is not only about the need to take the MBA to an Apple Store... In fact I don't even think this is such a big deal...
At least to me, the worst part is not being able to change batteries while traveling. Even if Apple's info is correct and the MBA battery lasts 5 hours, experience and common sense has taught me that any battery will loose its "power" with time, so after 6 months you might end up with a battery that is perfectly functional for no more than 3-4 hours and it's downhill from there. Oh, and let's not forget that the 5 hours life is probably a very optimistic prediction. What will be the battery life while watching movies, for example?
To me these are VERY important issues (more important than thickness). I travel a lot and most of the times it takes me more than 5-7 hours from A to B.

January 20, 2008 1:50 PM
Joseph Hershey Author Profile Page said:

you must be friends with the advanced engineer team at toyota that engineered my oid filter in such a position on my car that it requires the car to be put on a lift in order to remove and replace it. this makes it real hard for me to change my own oil. i am resigned to paying toyota 30 bucks each time. it sounds like you're saying it would be odd for me to want to do this simple task myself and save lots of money and time.

...stockholm syndrome....

January 20, 2008 4:35 PM
yash said:

I had to replace a battery on my macbook pro once within the first year of its life. And because they could send the battery to me, I didn't even have to pay about 20 dollars for a round trip to toronto and a couple hours of my time.

January 20, 2008 7:38 PM
T.S. Melo said:

@ Joseph Hershey,

Congratulations on your comment on the "Stockholm Syndrome"... Wittiest remark possible...

January 20, 2008 10:49 PM
Aayush Arya Author Profile Page said:

OK, so the major problem is that you cannot carry a spare battery along with you.

But don't airplane adapters and car chargers solve this problem? :)

January 20, 2008 10:58 PM
Erik said:

"But don't airplane adapters and car chargers solve this problem? :)"

Of all the airlines I've traveled on in the last three years, none have had power sockets in standard class.

Even if I've been traveling on business, my employers have insisted that I travel standard class. (To keep costs down.)

The issue is really that the simplest solution to keep a laptop running during long periods away from a convenient power source has been removed.

On the brighter side, I'm sure someone will come up with a 12V battery pack that piggybacks on the MacBook Air. (It would connect via Apple's MagSafe airline adapter.)

January 21, 2008 3:18 AM
krye said:

My prediction:

Like TuneJuice for iPod, they'll be a battery pack MacBooK Air version too, you'll see. And also, third party battery solutions just like iPod. My Nano battery was $6 and it works great.

January 21, 2008 5:51 AM
steve said:

well secondary notebook... at 2000 euro once u throw in applecare - since any repair on this model will be serious money.... i only wish us all could afford that price secondary laptop....

January 21, 2008 8:35 AM

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