Apple Makes Significant Green Move With New 17″ MacBook Pro

by David Heyerman on January 7, 2009

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  • So we all know a good amount of the green moves big companies make are just to shush the public’s concerns and to appease stockholders, however, it appears that Apple, with their new macbook pro release, is actually making a legitimate effort with this one.
  • Apple’s new 17″ unibody MacBook Pro boasts a non-removable battery, similar to the design of the iPhone, iPod, and the MacBook Air.
  • The 13″ and 15″ models both have removable battery and are significantly thicker, as you can see in the above picture.
  • But here’s the big different; the lithium-ion batteries included in the 13″ and the 15″ are said to retain at least 80% of their capacity for a total of 300 charges.  The new, thinner lithium-polymer cell kicks that number up big time to 80% retention for 1,000 charges with up to 8 hours of battery life off a single charge.  That’s nearly three times the length of the other notebooks….impressive.  Sounds like the company producing these cells is in for a bright future, but does anyone know who that company is?
  • Why this move is green comes down to future production.  Not only will the laptops last longer, less replacement batteries will have to be produced in the future.  Not to mention, you have gaps and spaces internally to make up for the size of the removeable, thicker lithium-ion cells.  With the polymer cell being thinner and non-removable, less materials all together are used to produce the new laptop.
  • All and all, I’ll tip my hat off to Apple for this effort; it’s a good move over the long run.  Only problem I can possibly forsee is that people who will buy the 17″ MacBook Pro (especially during a recession) might be the same ones that are prone to trash it once the next generation model drops.  Your thoughts….

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Tagged as: 17" macbook, appl, Apple, batteries, battery, cells, Companies, Company, concerns, Design, efficient batteries, efficient battery, Green, iPhone, iPod, lithium, lithium-ion, lithium-polymer, macbook, news, Pictures, removable battery, removeable battery, replacement, stockholder, time

  • Lancelot
    Unlike an Ipod I can't afford to have my notebook go down due to a needed recharge. That is why I always carry two fully charged batteries with me. If one goes down I can immediately put in the 2nd & go another 3.5 hrs. I'd
    hate to think that if I forgot to charge my notebook, before heading to a presentation, I'm forced to look like an idiot while I stretch my charger across the table, onto the floor so someone can trip over it all because the battery is internal & can't be changed. Considering the retail price of such
    an item I'd think/hope that there would be a little more thought process involved.
  • You both make valid points....thanks for your contributions
  • TimboM
    Troyce, you might want to look at a little device called the iPod for an example of how non-removable batteries work and how reliable they can be. Some folks may not like non-removable batteries but there are 100 million who have. Also, 20 million iPhones are in the field by now and they don't have removable batteries.

    Apple is trying to undo 100 years of customer behavior and opinions with regard to batteries and it ain't easy.

    I'm sure that Apple is quite keen on battery improvements given that it is a large - if not the largest - design constraint for products that make up 80% of their revenue. Not sure who the company is but Apple should take an ownership stake.
  • Troyce
    For the life of me, I cannot see why Apple wants to go with the sealed, non replaceable battery. Even with longer life in a charge, some folks still would like the security of a second battery to carry around. And what about when the time comes that you do need to replace the battery? First, it will be more expensive to have it replaced. Second, there's the downtime. I assume you can take it into an Apple store to have it done, but how long will they keep it? Locally, we don't have an apple store, but instead an authorized reseller that does warranty work. The catch? If you don't agree to an "expedite" fee, you may be without it for a week. Not acceptable if it's your primary, or only computer. I hope sales of the new 17" tank, and Apple gets the message and discontinues this design.
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