Apple updated the 17-inch MacBook Pro today, bringing it in line with the “unibody” notebooks first unveiled in the fall. With one twist:
Apple engineers custom-designed lithium-polymer cells to create the largest possible battery, then they went even further: They built the battery right into the computer, eliminating the space-consuming mechanisms and housings that standard removable batteries require. The result is a battery that’s 40 percent bigger than the previous generation and offers up to 8 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge — all in a notebook that’s less than an inch thin, weighs just 6.6 pounds, and remains the same price as the previous-generation model.
Yup. The biggest MacBook Pro takes a cue from it’s anemic cousin, the MacBook Air: the battery is bolted inside the machine. Apple claims 8 hours of battery life, with a lifespan of 1,000 charge cycles with these new batteries – numbers previously only dreamed about. I guess Apple figures that with that dramatic of an increase, people won’t need to pack a spare battery. Time will tell how well that works out.
At this time, it’s unclear if the hard drive and RAM can be upgraded in the 17-inch MacBook Pro as easily as they can be in the 13-inch and 15-inch models. Eyeing a photo of the bottom of the new machine, I’d say they can be, but Apple hasn’t posted any support documents on the new machines.
If I were a betting man, I’d say the smaller notebooks will get these batteries at some point in the next 18 months, but hopefully not at the expense of losing the easy upgradability currently offered to customers.
The one thing few will argue with – the new beast comes with an optional matte screen. If that ever filters down to the 15-inch models, I’d be thrilled. That would be enough for me to upgrade from my 12-inch PowerBook.