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Apple Said To Plan First Pro Laptop Overhaul in Four Years (bloomberg.com)
It's been a while since Apple upgraded most of its computer lineups. It has come to a point, where it's being advised that the Cupertino-based company should stop selling the dated inventories. But the wait will be over later this year, says Mark Gurman, the reporter with the best track record in Apple's ecosystem. Reporting for Bloomberg, Gurman says that the company will be overhauling its MacBook Pro laptop line for the first time in over four years, packing it with a range of interesting features. From the report: The updated notebooks will be thinner, include a touch screen strip for function keys, and will be offered with more powerful and efficient graphics processors for expert users such as video gamers, said the people, who asked not to be named. The most significant addition to the new MacBook Pro is a secondary display above the keyboard that replaces the standard function key row. Instead of physical keys, a strip-like screen will present functions on an as-needed basis that fit the current task or application. The smaller display will use Organic Light-Emitting Diodes, a thinner, lighter and sharper screen technology, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier this year. Apple's goal with the dedicated function display is to simplify keyboard shortcuts traditionally used by experienced users. The panel will theoretically display media playback controls when iTunes is open, while it could display editing commands like cut and paste during word processing tasks, the people said. The display also allows Apple to add new buttons via software updates rather than through more expensive, slower hardware refreshes. [...] Apple is using one of AMD's "Polaris" graphics chips because the design offers the power efficiency and thinness necessary to fit inside the slimmer Apple notebook, the person said.
Removable batteries can be inspected visually for defects that generally precede failure.
Typically, this means bulging, but unusual hot spots are also good indicators (assuming you've handled the battery enough to know how it feels normally).
It is also very easy to hard reboot a device with a removable battery and to ensure it is unpowered when opening it up to troubleshoot or upgrade.
Laptop batteries are capable of producing dangerous electric shocks, and it is the most basic safety measure to isolate all sources of energy before working on any equipment.
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According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
I own a 2012 rMBP, use it 50 hours a week for 4 years, and have never needed to think about replacing the batteries. It's not an issue.
i vote for getting rid of the sharp edge that's grating the skin off my wrists.
I bought a nail file, one with two different grits.
I filed down the case-edges where it hits the wrists. Also the two sharp edges of the "case-opener" indent. Problem solved.
Lenovo tried this already with the [url='http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-2014']2014 ThinkPad X1 Carbon[/url]. Granted, the touch strip had fixed indicators instead of a full OLED screen, but it was garbage. (Never mind the other keyboard brain damage like replacing Caps Lock with Home/End and tacking on a Delete key to the right of Backspace.)
Thankfully, they reverted this with the 2015 model.