MacBook strips off its polycarbonate unibody shell for the expected teardown
By Ross Miller 
posted October 20th 2009 6:34PM
posted October 20th 2009 6:34PM
posted October 20th 2009 6:34PM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Wow very compact sucks the battery cant be removed though..
Isn't the battery removed in the pic?
@teerim
Yes by violating the warranty.
No i mean besides opening it and taking it out i dont know how to use tools..
@kris
So you can't open it up to upgrad RAM or your HDD without violating your warranty? If that's the case, then oh. If not, you can just replace it with a new one, then if you ever need to use your warranty, drop the original one back in and they won't notice.
@Teerim: In the read link they say one of the screws for the battery is under one of those "do not remove or you will void your warranty" stickers.
You don't know how to use tools? You mean, like a screwdriver? Because that's all that's needed.
Even if it's easy, Apple may claim it's a violation of warantee. But in any case, RAM and HD are user-upgradeable, just like before.
Those iFixit boys don't mess around that's for sure.
Why would you want to remove the battery?
Seriously, if somehow your battery goes bad during the warranty, they will replace it.
If the warranty is expired, how could you void the warranty?
Other than that... why?
You would want to replace the battery if you where somehere you couldn't plug in for any extended period of time.
The bottom of the case opens in a snap, maybe the best design for user accessability apple has done...
Oh and pray tell where are these places where you have no access to a power source for extended periods and yet need to use things that need power extensively? No power as in no car or other powered transport device (via inverter), no grid, no generator, no solar and not even a deep cycle battery with an inverter that you might carry. Said place would therefore have no network or mobile cause both need power and even a satphone/net will die pretty quick without power.
Such places that need tech (work related) use very specialized pieces, not con/prosumer laptops and you still need to charge them, so there must still be a generator or something. Your supplied work 4wd in such a "harsh" environment would surely be dual battery minimum.
Hiking might be an example if you went for a few days, but those who hike for work or fun are very weight aware. That you would elect to take a laptop is pretty odd, the extra 5L of water would be more important.
Maybe the beach? Surely there are better things to look at than a laptop. If for work, well you'd bring a rig to power your kit which would have heaps more power sapping things in it than a laptop.
Which leaves us with the plane. Power jacks for planes are available for this laptop but maybe your carrier doesn't have a plug point. So it's a small plane or a budget airline. If it's purely entertainment why use a laptop, a zune HD or iPod will go longer and cheap battery extenders are available. If it's work, well charge more so you can take a decent airline and if you can't the client will understand cause they would also know about the issue. A +5hr flight isn't impossible but must be a large plane due to fuel needs, if there are no carrier options well maybe u luck out for a few harrowing hours without a screen to stare at
If you really have a problem with not having a place to plug in, an external battery would be a better idea anyway.
http://www.hypershop.com/HyperMac-External-MacBook-Battery-and-Car-Charger-s/91.htm
@RJMagestic
Thank you for that link, it's gold mate, gold. Hadn't found those suckers, I will be buying one in the next month.
The Gestalt Continues!
@RJ
so is that what they resort to now a days? says a lot about apples internal batteries now doesnt it.
hold it, if I can remove the battery (as in the pic), and I can see the whole freakin bottom of that macBook--that's not technically a UNIBODY? I thought unibody's where enclosed shells, not a cover (or an old MacBook with its shell design reversed.... as it appears in the pic).
I want a macbook!
My 3 year old 2.0 C2D still works as good as it did, the day I bought it. Granted, maxing out the RAM and adding a 500GB hdd have certainly served it well. Macbooks are the shit. Recently my touch pad shit the bed, and the whole part got replaced for free when I showed up, even though it was out of warranty, as it is apparently a "known issue". How many other companies have a local B&M store you can show up to, 2 years out of warranty, to get your $200 part replaced and installed for free?
That said, I can't believe that this thing is still $999. Apple's OS runs EXTREMELY WELL on a 2.0ghz C2D. Why can't they have a $699 model? Are they really that worried about preserving their image as a luxury brand?
>That said, I can't believe that this thing is still $999. Apple's OS runs EXTREMELY WELL on a 2.0ghz C2D. Why >can't they have a $699 model?
*This* should be the $699 model. 13", all plastic, middle of the road specs, this is a $400-$500 unit from any other manufacturer.
@i.am.joes.liver
I request links.
>I request links.
Honestly I'm having trouble finding a 13" that meets the following criteria: all plastic, 250 gig hard drive, 2 gigs RAM. I did manage to configure a Dell Inspiron 13 for $574. I also found several MSI. Lenovo, Dell and Toshiba models for $549 @ Newegg. Apparently 13" is not the most popular size. OTHO everybody seems to have 15.6" models under $500.
@ i.am.joes.liver
Apple should have slogan like this : Think Simplicty, Think Minimalism, Think Overpriced Think again!
sad day when you can't even swap your battery out of your own laptop.
how much weight do you really add to a laptop to put in a door? Come on APPLE!!
I don't know anyone who swaps out their battery for a fresh one. EVER.
How few people seriously carry around a spare battery for swapping? It seriously has to be about 1 in about 10,000 laptop users. I've never met a SINGLE person that does this (granted, I'm no Joshua Topolsky). Just sayin'.
About 95% of the population WELCOMES a non-user-replacable battery, if it's going to lead to a slimmer machine, with a battery that lasts longer, at the same price point.
if apple can get away with the iphone, then they are gonna do it. sux u cant replace the batteries yourself. really sleazy how apple tries to squeeze every nickels n dimes people have.
please dont tell me non-swappable battery design leads to slimmer and lighter chassis. other manufacturers can do it. y cant apple?
crawdad689, meet me. I carry my laptop in a backpack with anywhere from one notebook to crush load of textbooks, and keeping a second battery in there is zero problem. I don't even remember about it most of the time, but in case I do run out, instant 80% life boost from an older but still pretty good battery.
The funny thing is you just know a couple of years down the line Apple is going to design a super user friendly way to swap batteries (maybe using a secondary battery in the laptop so you can do it in standby-to-RAM and not hibernate), make it shiny and rounded, and market the hell out of it like it's a world first.
Darkstar, how is it nickle-and-diming when they only charge you for the cost of the battery, not the labour?
@ crawdad689
I disagree.
I'm a long time Apple user, and I've owned two Apple laptops as desktop replacements (Powerbook G4 800 and currently a MBP 2.x Core2 Duo.) I went through 4 batteries on the G4 in about 4 years and currently on my third and fourth for the MBP. I swap the batteries so that I can deplete both before I need to tether to a power cord.
I use them daily, 8+ hours a day. That's a lot of battery cycles. Leaving them plugged in will improve run time, but doesn't help the battery life or mobility factor. The batteries weren't that good to begin with, and the price was too high for replacements, but at least there was a convenience factor.
Why should a user have to go to the vendor to have them handle a simple battery swap? On my systems I just ordered replacements and swapped out as needed. If traveling, I can just exchange batteries until I get to plug in. (Why Apple didn't have a separate battery recharging station for these units is still beyond me.) I live within 5 miles of 2 stores, but what about those outside of major metro areas? As I understand it they don't even swap it out in the Apple store. WTF? I have to turn my computer in for how long?
I love a lot about my iPhone 3GS but the undersized and non-swappable battery isn't one of them. I hate that conundrum that requires you to deplete your battery to ensure sustained long battery cycles, but then ties you to a power cord to recharge it. Why would I want that in my primary computing device? I'm not looking forward to replacing my current MBP for one of these unibodies precisely because of the battery issue. In the past is was also due to the lack of a matte display on the 15" MBP, but at least they resolved that.
My perception is that Apple is looking at enticing people into upgrading when the battery is dead, more than improving run time. Going back the iPhone analogy, maybe people are apt to trade in their iPhone every 2-3 years, but I haven't found it to be necessary for my computer. I only upgraded from the Powerbook because of the processor change and subsequent interest in using bootcamp to eliminate the need for my WinXP Dell laptop.
@darkstar
It is because iPhone doesn't have a close to decent battery life, which prone to fail after lunch.
@crawdad
i think shes talking about replacing the battery after its overall life cycle, but still it stands to reason from apple, their batteries suck!
crawdad689: that's why 95% of the world believes in disposable products. Hence why we have huge environmental problems.
Why maintain and replace when you can just throw it away when its use is up? (instead of build new XO's, why can't all you Apple owners donate your old MacBooks to 3rd world countries--then they can see the way).
Quick question:
Apart from metal and an SD slot, what does the 13" macbook pro have that this doesn't?
it seemingly has the same spec but with a SMALLER HDD, but it's £100 more!!
it's the old "Black paint tax"... now the new "metal-tax"
Have you seen the prices of aluminum lately? The 1 whole pound of it that Apple used to make this thing must cost a fortune!
Actually, they probably carve it out of a few pounds, since it's unibody One pound is all that's left in the finished product, but the unprocessed slabs are probably a few pounds.
The Pro model comes with Firewire 800. But you're right. The lower end white MacBook specwise has matched the low end Pro.
This happens from time to time when Apple doesn't refresh their whole product line at once. I expect that the Pro notebooks are due (in the next couple of months) for an upgrade to Core i5 or Core i7.
lol@jol.
They obviously recycle the remnant aluminum. Jesus.
The price remains that it's $200 more, for basically the same computer. Both models are overpriced.
Macbook Pro can be upgraded to 8GB RAM.
I think that is all - aside from looks and three letters...
Also, a backlit keyboard and dedicated microphone input.
So:
*More expensive materials (aluminum vs. polycarbonate)
*SD slot
*Able to address more RAM
*Firewire 800
*Backlit Keyboard
*Microphone
There are three on that list I would pay $200 more for: Firewire, RAM, and a Dedicated Mic Port. Those things alone are worth more then $200 to me.
god damn apple is heinous about those batteries.
Awesome Pirates of the Caribbean reference Engadget!
I don't see it. What are you talking about?
I think he means "...is more of a guideline than an actual set of rules," but this isn't the exact line from Pirates, and I certainly wouldn't attribute it to Pirates anyway.
I certainly thought Pirates when I read it as well :)
To be fair...
The non removable batteries are necessary to include a bigger and longer lasting battery. With macbooks only being .95" thick, space is VERY limiting.
.95", yet still has longer battery than laptops that are 1.5" to 2" thick.
Sometimes everyone wants to have one's cake and eat it too. You have to draw the line somewhere, heck why doesn't it make me eggs and toast? What a POS.
So they had to put a screw under a warranty voiding sticker in order to make it thinner? Makes sense.
Then perhaps you'd like to tell me why my new laptop lasts for 3 hours off it's (large) battery, and this macbook lasts 7 hours?
Oops misread, my apologies.
The new Macbooks are a cock hair under 1.10 inches thick.
It's 1.08".
and yet... if I rather want a slightly thicker laptop for Apple with removable battery can I have it?
it's more like "have your cake SHOVE down your throat"