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MacBook Air's Battery is Actually Easy to Replace
pizzach noted that the MacBook Air battery is actually fairly easy to replace.
"All it requires is a philips screwdriver. Unlike some of Apple's other products, the battery is not so soldered in which should make a lot of people at least a little bit happier." I think I'll have to wait for something with a bigger screen and a faster clock speed.
$29 buys you a tiny usb dongle with an RJ-45 port for wired lan. It's listed on the accessories section of store.apple.com.
As for the battery needs, I'm a business user and while I do agree that extended batteries are nice, I don't think it's the norm that you need 8 hours of battery life without a single power outlet nearby. Where are you using your computer for that long that you're not near an outlet once in a while? I typically need stretches of several hours, possibly as much as 4 hours from time to time, but never much more than that. The people I know who have the extended battery packs seem to use them just because they can, not because they need to.
I think the integrated battery decision is possibly market-limiting to the users who really do (for some reason) need 8 hours of battery life, but not nearly as limiting as you suggest. Overall, a simpler design has positive aspects in that Apple can spend time making features that most of their target users will benefit from, they can also get the product to market faster and lower R&D costs building it.
This reminds me a lot when the iPod first came out. Most people just couldn't say enough bad things about it. Too simple. No features. No replaceable battery. Too expensive. But the core comptency of the iPod hasn't really changed that much over the years: it lets you organize your music in a really simple way, and find any song fast. When it comes down to it, if you can't find your music easily, you're far less likely to use the device. And if you don't use it, every other "neato" feature is irrelevant because it'll be sitting in your desk drawer.
This is the best explanation of why the MacBook Air doesn't have $yourFavoriteFeature I've read so far.
http://wilshipley.com/blog/
Is it really that hard to use a site like SeatGuru to figure out in advance which seats have power, and choose only from those seats?
What sound do people on rollercoasters make? Hint: it's not Xbox 360.
You can actually configure an Air with either SSD, faster processor, or both. The SSD drive costs $999, and the faster processor costs $300.
>I'd much rather have a slightly larger laptop (like a thinkpad X61) with the oversized battery giving 10 hours of juice and keep the original 5 hour battery in my bag for emergencies.
guess it sucks for you that Jobs is holding a gun to your head to buy an Air then isn't it. oh, wait...
on the battery life quote of 5 hours: this is different from other quotes. it is not a maximum, but a "productive" quote. Jobs pointed out that this is with wireless services turned on and not the usual turn-everything-off maximum life quote.
Which is why you can probably take it in to the Apple Store and they'll replace it for you.
Actually, I have many complaints about the Apple Store service, but just last week they fixed a keyboard problem on the spot by replacing a few keys and didn't charge me anything. So I wouldn't be surprised if they would install a battery you bought.
Cheers.
The View that's just a *little* thicker than a Nano doesn't have a user-replaceable battery ;)
In fact, it's not replaceable at all. Sansa has no battery replacement program whatsoever for the View.
Clearly you are right, but it is odd that Apple didn't announce that product at launch to just shut people up. Since Apple doesn't license the mag-safe connector to anybody, it makes it much harder to get a third-party battery pack.
The Air is about 2" wider than the 12" PowerBook, but almost the same depth... and then there's the thickness (thinness?). Do the math, and you'll see that the Air is about 52 cubic inches in volume, while your "smaller" PowerBook comes in at a whopping 110 cubic inches.
Or to put it another way, the Air is 50% smaller than the PowerBook. Important when putting it into a briefcase or backpack. Heck, it's even 20% smaller than the Asus Eee.
Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
I see it mostly for the people who plan on using their laptop sitting at their desk almost all of the time, but still want the capability to grab it and go if they need to. It would also make a great system for LAN parties and such.
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
Battery compartments are NEVER 'simple engineering' for anything more complex than a flashlight. It's one of the most expensive parts of enclosure design, particularly if it incorporates generic batteries like an AA cell, where you have to accommodate any kind of battery someone picks up when traveling somewhere.
I have maintained for some time that Apple's designers just aren't capable enough to design enclosures with removable batteries. Good camera companies, who've been in the business since Apple was producing the Apple 1 (which was sold just as a bare circuit board) have got it right. Apple focuses instead on sleek and chic.