Emailing "About That Battery... Apple's New 17-inch MacBook Pro"

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Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch - 2009
No surprise here, Apple unveiled the newest version of its flagship laptop, the 2009 17-inch MacBook Pro (now with a matte screen option). It's as sleek and technologically interesting as the rest of their recently-refreshed notebook slate. But what eco-techies really want to know about are its green credentials. Build-wise, it's in line with the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros, meaning there's an LED backlight, solid (and recyclable) aluminum unibody construction and a lack of environmentally harmful materials. There is, however, one aspect of the machine that's proving controversial: the battery. The rumored non-removable battery is confirmed. There's even an entire multimedia festooned Web page dedicated to the battery. One the upside, Apple says that the new battery can take up to 1,000 charges and power the unit up to 8 hours (7 using discrete graphics). Apple credits new battery chemistry and smarter charging and power management electronics. Stretching the green claims a bit, they point out that this design results in fewer batteries in landfills. Perhaps, but non-replaceable batteries, even if they are of the advanced, longer-life variety, are not automatically greener just because the landfill will see fewer of them. First, user serviceable parts extend the life of electronics. If the battery goes south, it's generally easy to find and order a replacement. At 1,000 charges, we're talking 2-3 years of daily charging, at which time the 2012 Pros start looking mighty tempting especially if you're forced to carry around your power adapter everywhere. Which brings me to my second point... A pricey repair is assured. Replacing an out-of-warranty iPhone battery costs $86. iPod batteries run $50 to $80. And those are mere wafers compared to the battery in the new MacBook Pro, which is 40 percent bigger than the previous generation. Then there's the cost in time. An iPod you can live without for a few days while it's being repaired and shipped back-and-forth, but your $2,800 MacBook Pro? What do you think of the decision? Sound off in the comments.