Comments on: Unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro reportedly in works

Apple also expected to announce a makeover for the Mac Mini, possibly has early as this week's Macworld Expo.

[Mark_Anderson]

Sorry, for a minute there I thought you said it had a fixed internal battery.

I mean seriou-

Oh? You did?

Oh my.

[AppleProLeo]

What this article forgets to mention is this 'rumor/report' also reports that this fixed internal battery will be of a new Silver Zinc technology that will last almost twice as long as the current models to make up for all you "I need the ability of a backup battery"

[Goodbye Helicopter]

doubt the part about the battery.
That would cause people to only buy the 15

[Perry_Clease]

Not necessarily. With a fixed battery the MacBook could be thinner, and some people want that while others need to swap batteries frequently. Whatever, we soon find out.

[pithenumber]

@perry
what's with "thin" and "desktop replacement" they don't go together, I don't need a travel notebook if its going to sit on my desk 90%of the time.

[SpiritWater]

That 17" Macbook will probably cost a good $2999 and more like $3999 when you get all the basics selected (i.e. a maintenance package and productivity software.)



A fixed battery will not work for many pros. I hope this rumor is incorrect. We'll see soon.



Here's hoping the entry level Mac Mini is $499 with an Nvidia GPU.


[Edited to remove prohibited spam.]

[ckurowic]

Who cares if the battery is fixed honestly. Whine whine whine.

[bakedpatato]

Um...who cares?
How about if you need to use the laptop, you drain the battery and you need the laptop again(on the go pros, for example)?
Or if you're like me and you use your laptop as a desktop replacement with occasinal battery usage and the battery dies on you and you don't want to pay Apple outrageous prices to get the battery replaced?
etc...

[Penguinisto]

*shrug* - most airports have charging areas nowadays. Come to think of it, most airplanes allow you to charge your battery right there at the seat. Most hotels have means to charge your laptop, and etc etc etc... Otherwise, if you need to spend more than four hours on-battery, odds are very good you're either in a very undeveloped area without power of any kind (not exactly road-warrior territory), or you're on Mars.

The funny thing is, a typical laptop user never buys a new or second battery - in fact the majority never do. I'll even go further and say that for most users, once the typical cheap PC/laptop battery goes to crap (where you only get 20 minutes' power), it rarely if ever gets replaced.

Even on my end, I find myself driving 15-hour road trips to Southern California once in awhile... but it's cheaper to buy a small inverter that converts power from the cigarette lighter (about $25 for one), than it is to buy a 2nd laptop battery.

Now, all this said, the whole thing is rumor anyway. But if it's fixed, BFD - the percentage of folks who require swappable batteries --no matter what, and in spite of 4-hour-plus battery life-- likely bought the wrong form factor in the first place.

[AppleProLeo]

@bakedpatato

What this article forgets to mention is this 'rumor/report' also reports that this fixed internal battery will be of a new Silver Zinc technology that will last almost twice as long as the current models to make up for all you "I need the ability of a backup battery"

[random truth]

You missed the other part of the rumour. It said the batteries would use a different technology than lithium-ion. A different tech would be silver zinc, fuel cells, or super capacitors. All of which last significantly longer than lithium-ion batteries. Silver zinc lasts at least 5 years, fuel cells last indefinitely (until mechanical failure), and super capacitors generaly will outlast the computer.

[random truth]

P.S. If it is only a lithium-ion battery and it is non-removable. Steve jobs must have brain cancer.

[toddsellers]

I personally couldn't care less. In my opinion, a 17" laptop makes no sense.

[Perry_Clease]

I have a 17" HP Pavilion. I don't take with me when I travel the way I do my MacBook, it stays in the office. But, yes it is almost too big, and it is heavy. If Apple can get a thin, read light, 17" MacBook then I would consider it when it is time to replace the MacBook. It is all speculation at this point anyway.

[pithenumber]

I would never travel with a 17 inch notebook, it can't open up fully most of the time in economy class on flights

[blinkdt]

" . . . a 17" laptop makes no sense."

How very wrong you are, my friend. My lightweight 17" (Dell studio 1735) is a true desktop replacement system, sporting a beautiful screen, full keyboard, and space for two internal hard drives. Mmmmm, how sweet it is!

[Perry_Clease]

The big screen it a plus when you do graphics.

[bakedpatato]

agreed. bigger screens are a plus for anything from word processing to Photoshop:I would hate to have a 1920x1200 15inch panel. I'm young,but a 17 inch 1920x1200 panel is painful enough(I have a old Dell Inspiron e1705, and I still like it, toddsellers must not need much power for whatever he does with a computer as the 17 inchers get all the goodies like SLi and the Quad Penryn)

[Penguinisto]

I agree on the screen size - it makes graphics quite nice.

[AppleProLeo]

17" is a stupid idea.

Too big for one the go.

Nor to I understand this desktop replacement business - so you brought a LAPtop to use only on your DESKtop. What's was wrong a freaking iMac, it uses up virtually the same surface area on the desk as a 17" laptop while still giving you better performance and an even bigger screen - oh and not mention costs far less, use the money saved to buy a MacBook as a backup on the go, kitchen, garden (do Americans have gardens?) computer.

[Perry_Clease]

"Nor to I understand this desktop replacement business - so you brought a LAPtop to use only on your DESKtop. What's was wrong a freaking iMac, it uses up virtually the same surface area on the desk as a 17" laptop while still giving you better performance and an even bigger screen - oh and not mention costs far less, use the money saved to buy a MacBook as a backup on the go, kitchen, garden (do Americans have gardens?) computer."

I bought a new iMac a few months ago. I seriously thought about getting a new MacBook Pro and use that as a desktop Mac replacement. However, even though I still travel several times a year it is not as much and for as long as I used to. Furthermore, my "old" MacBook is still fills the bill. Now all of that being said my iMac, and the one it replaced, are luggable around the house/home office; I frequently take them out back and work on the patio. Eventually I will need to replace my MacBook and the new models will almost certainly be lighter, more powerful, yet a bigger screen.

As to cooking and gardening, I do both which is one of the benefits of working at home. I am still harvesting tomatoes and chilies, but we had a frost last night so I will probably pull the plants today or tomorrow and get the plot ready for spring.

[Penguinisto]

@AppleProLeo:

For work reasons, yeah - too big unless you do graphics for a living. OTOH, when I travel, I like to have a nice fat screen size to keep entertained with on the plane, mess with graphics/CG artwork to while away spare time at the hotel room/lobby/coffee-shop, etc. Kinda fun to fire up a movie without having to flip through the (usually crap) hotel cable channel lineup, etc.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Yawn...

[AppleProLeo]

5:22 PM yep SuxLeo it getting quite late for you - isn't it.

Come to think of it, it's way past your bed time.

[websterphreaky]

Rumor - Steve Jobs is actually dead ... there has been an impersonator pretending to be him, just listen to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club album backwards 5 times.

About as valid as your stupid rumors.

But here's a fact - what ever crApple does release, it will be Buggy, Flawed and will die one month after the warranty ends, and when ever you buy it for the usual "Mac Premium", crApple will release a newer model a month later.

[AppleProLeo]

Can't wait - need some way to use up all those ridicules digits in my bank account before I die.

Bring on more Premium crap Apple. If I have to eat crap, rather eat crap that looks good I say.

[random truth]

Wow, now it is the average cnet article about apple. Theirs the negative comment by applesuxleo. Seriously, get a life. Do you have confidence issues? You go into threads that you obviously have no interest in, then you comment negatively on them. Once again, people read/buy about things they like.

[Perry_Clease]

Add Webster to that comment.

[iBuzz]

The battery on my 14-month old MacBook Pro just died last week. Seriously... it just gave up the ghost. If I remove the power cable while the laptop is on, the laptop shuts off immediately. Luckily, the battery is removable so I ordered a replacement online and continue to use my laptop with the power cable until the replacement arrives. What would've happened if I couldn't remove the battery? Would I have to FedEx my laptop to be repaired? The closest Apple store is about a two-hour drive for me. A non-removable battery is simply a stupid idea. Come on, Apple. You are smarter than that!

[chabig83]

The battery would be no more difficult to replace that the Air's battery. I'm sure you can do it yourself in just a few minutes.

[myles taylor]

Since the 17" is usually a desktop replacement, I don't think a removable battery is all that important. Not like the Air where it's made for being mobile and was therefore a bigger issue.

I hope they redesign the Mini casing completely. Make it look flatter or something, kind of like a larger version of the Apple TV or the Time Capsule. They have the technology and the Mini is just outdated as it is right now.

I think this will be an update Macworld and I'm actually looking forward to that. Instead of trying a new product, I'm glad to see all the current products updated.

[3rdalbum]

Why is a fixed internal battery so desirable for Apple? It can't be cheaper, as my $478 Aspire One has an external replaceable battery. It's not more convenient. It's not safer - imagine having to send back your whole computer when the batteries start exploding again. It might make the machine a little thinner. That's it.

Yes there's a price premium for buying a Macintosh, but you also pay a price in terms of features.

[gmclean0402]

Fixed battery? Ugh.
I can live with that, but if it has a glossy screen and no matte option, no market here :-(

I'm going to buy up an old model and upgrade the crap out of it.. that should tide me over until Apple gets inundated with glossy screen complaints and sees the light rather than the reflection...

[seven7dust]

mac mini with 9400m + dual display = Mouthwatering Awesome

[botscop]

this lowlife fixed battery gimmick is starting to show apples greed. the design is either with or without. so they either intend for you to be enslaved by the dang battery or not.