The buzz about Apple's new batteries
There's a surprising level of awe and wonder in the tech press about the batteries in the MacBook Pro computers that Apple (AAPL) unveiled last week — especially since they've been around for more than a year.
"Battery life to die for," was the headline of a widely quoted review in AnandTech.
"Battery technology simply doesn't advance this fast," wrote Computerworld's Seth Weintraub.
"This kind of battery life is reserved for iPods and mobile phones, not laptops," gushed Leander Kahney in Wired's Cult of Mac. "Who cares if the battery is sealed in?"
That last remark is especially surprising given that one of the knocks against the first Apple computer to deploy the new battery technology — the MacBook Air that Steve Jobs introduced in January 2008 — was that its battery couldn't be replaced with a fresh one if it ran out of juice in mid-flight over the Atlantic.
But the first MacBook Air only promised 5 hours of computer power. Apple claims the new MacBooks will deliver 7 or 8 hours on a single charge and last up to 5 years — longer than the expected life of the average laptop.
AnandTech tested the first claim in a series of benchmarks reproduced below the fold. Bottom line: the new MacBook Pro delivered …
- 8.13 hours of light wireless Web browsing, and
- 4.92 hours of heavy downloading.
According to Anand Lal Shimpi, who ran the tests, he saw 50% to 100% improvement in battery life over the old MacBook Pros — considerably better than the 46% theoretical improvement he expected based on the new battery's capacity.
His review offers several explanations for the improvement:
- new battery technology (lithium polymer vs. lithium ion)
- new form factor (rectangles vs. cylinders)
- better battery management (adaptive charging that senses the power needs of each cell).
Whether Apple can deliver on its promise of five years of battery life (based on 1,000 recharges vs. 300) remains to be seen. If the battery does need replacing before the computer dies of natural causes, Apple technicians will do the job (and dispose of the old one) for $120 a pop.
You'll might be able to get an independent technician to do it for less, but probably not without voiding your warranty.
Below the fold: AnandTech's benchmarks. To view an Apple promotional video about the new batteries, click here.
Battery graphics courtesy of Apple Inc.
Benchmark graphics courtesy of AnandTech.
@Bill
Read your response. Sorry. Still enjoying my virus-free experience on the Mac.
I'm well aware that no computer system is immune from viruses. Virus-free doesn't mean virus-proof. Yes, viruses can be written for any platform, including the mac. Yes, there may be a day when enough viruses exist for the Mac that they spread and become a threat.
That day has not yet arrived. The practical matter is that I do not need to run antivirus software at this time. There are no credible threats out there in the wild for OS X, sensationalist journalism (and antivirus company PR departments) notwithstanding. And that makes me happy.
I'm sorry that seems to make so many other people upset.
@Truth
Despite what is a blatant display of trolling, I will respond with some facts as compared to generalities.
My mistake, the Acer Canada website was not updated with the latest product.
How Acer achieves up to 8 hours battery life.
Ultra Low Voltage Processors
SU9400 – Dual Core 1.4 GHz/800 MHz FSB
SU3500 – Single Core 1.4 GHz/800 MHz FSB
Integrated GMA 4500MHD Video
6-Cell Battery (estimated 53 WHr)
Standard caveats for manufacturer claimed "up to" figures. No WiFi, low screen brightness, no optical or HD access. Basically it's "on" but not in use.
There is no innovation in battery technology, and has not been shown in testing to achieve anywhere close to the quoted figure under typical use.
Compare against the 15" Macbook Pro
Dual Core 2.53 GHz/1066 MHz FSB
nVidia 9400M Video
73 WHr Battery
Nominally the same size and weight for the two.
Last nit to pick, according the the ATSC standard 720p is considered HD. Commonly though, 1366×768 is not considered to be an HD display. Think 1080p.
IT Professional, MN;
"Macs are great for video editing and graphics design. If you need a computer for something different, the cost/benefit analysis is very heavily skewed in favor of PCs."
That is SO 20th century! You need to upgrade your knowledge base.
@IT Professional
Thanks for validating my "IT fears the unknown" comment.
Is it the Mac that is "dumbed down", or are you just too afraid to dig beneath the surface? How familiar are you with UNIX? And were you sleeping during the whole "Macs can run ANY x86 software" statement?
There have been numerous TCO and productivity studies done over the years that override your cost/benefit conclusions. Unless the "costs" are your IT budget and the "benefits" are your employment. In that case, you are absolutely correct, PCs will definitely come out ahead in that case.
Sadly, neither side is going to argue the other into submission. Excuse me, I have an image to polish and a coffee that is getting cold.
@Sacto Joe
Double check your quotes next time. 
But using that mentality why not just buy OSX and create a Hackintosh? Best of both worlds as you say and still much CHEAPER.
Because honestly name one piece of software outside of Final Cut (amazing program) that is actually better then a Windows variant.
I don't have a problem with Macs or Apple. I just hate their prices. I love the new battery tech. It will force all vendors to rethink and competition is a good thing. I love my iPhone.
The Apple Tax (yes it exists) is just something I can't swallow. Underneath the hardware is all the same. But Apple slaps a pretty body on it and jacks the price through the roof.
Macs are great for video editing and graphics design. If you need a computer for something different, the cost/benefit analysis is very heavily skewed in favor of PCs.
Well, that's not entirely true. Macs are dumbed down quite a bit, so I guess if you can't follow the tried and true rule of "If you don't know what it does, don't mess with it," Macs will be more to your liking.
Additionally, you won't have to worry about your wallet getting too bloated.
@Bill
You were managing a reasonable argument until you got the part about Starbucks.
Is it SO inconceivable for you to consider that perhaps some people just like to use a Mac? That it might not be about the image? Also, what are you doing in Starbucks, if not promoting some image of your own?
Simple fact is, there are no viruses or worms (self replicating malicious software) in the wild that affect Mac OS X. There are Trojans, but they require user input and authorization to deliver their payloads. And the user would have to engage in dubious software acquisition practices to be at risk. Security is the responsibility of the end user, no matter the platform. Security through obscurity is a facetious argument on both sides.
Your 20% argument is convoluted and makes no sense. All the Macs in my home can run ANY software that is written for x86, in any number of ways I choose. But hankering back to a previous statement, what is the point of all the software choice on Windows when you are still forced to choose amongst pieces of trash? That is not to say that there are not easy to use, best of breed software available to Windows users, there are. But the chances of finding, and choosing those software are diminished by all the noise.
As for the "governor" I infer that you mean Mac OS X? Have you even used it? I use both Windows and OS X proficiently, on modern hardware, everyday. Unless you do as well, you are unqualified to make such statements. Otherwise you are speaking from ignorance. I spend far more time waiting on Windows to get out of my way so that I may conduct my business, than I do actually getting work done on my Macs. This may all be anecdotal, but it is my everyday experience.
BTW, I own a KIA.
Jim, CA and Jason, VA;
Jim: “Why buy a Mac only to install Windows?”
Jason: “I do not consider dual booting…as a valid form of access to software. The only thing you are doing is adding costs….”
(sigh) I’ll try to put this in terms even you might be able to understand:
It’s worth it because you get the best of both worlds. You can use those Mac programs which are superior to PC programs AND use those PC programs which are superior to Mac programs. Or are you going to try to convince us that ALL Mac programs are inferior? If so, then you really are a hopeless PC fanatic – or a paid troll.
Mac vs. PC is a useless debate. As long as it works for the consumer who wants to buy it at a price they feel is reasonable, they should buy whichever one they prefer.
As for the article, incredible work on the battery technology. Hopefully we can keep moving in the right direction on this to help keep our landfills devoid of harmful chemicals.
@Tim
I am enjoying my virus free Windows lifestyle. Common sense will stop nearly every virus out there, and a $30 antivirus will stop the rest.
Macs are not immune to viruses. That commercial is a blatent lie by Apple. Don't believe me? I'm sure you don't – afterall, Apple wouldn't lie, would they? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12537279/
Truth: Any computer program can be hacked or manipulated. If this wasn't true, the military, financial institutions, and anyone carrying incredibly sensitive data would use only Macs, which they do not. The only thing it takes is time and desire by a competent hacker/virus writer.
Many hackers/virus writers write them to cause chaos and/or destruction. If these were your motives, would you target 9% of the market place, or 89% of the market share? The second Macs are used more than just people trying to look cool and different while they sip their $8 coffee at Starbucks, then hackers will target Macs.
I love how Mac users compare Macs to Porsches and PCs to Kias. Macs are more likee a Porsche with a governer limiting their speed to 60 mph and they could only use gas from 20% of the gas stations, none of which are necessarily where you want to be. PCs are more like a KIA with a Porsche engine – not as cool looking, not as aero-dynamic, but you can use all the gas stations and don't have the governer.
@Brian in London
Yeah, having UNIX as my underlying OS is severely limiting. I can't do anything! Do you know what UNIX is? Do you know what sarcasm is?
And since when has IT considered the needs or wants of the user? IT is out to protect IT and that is it. They fear the unknown, and Apple is an unknown. I know, I've been in IT for over 10yrs. I have been an integrations expert at a Fortune 500 retailer, so I know the corporate environment.
Your inability to understand why someone else would choose an alternative does not make that person illiterate. I know how to build a PC, install and configure Windows and any number of hardware add-ons. I choose to use a Mac and Apple products because my experience has been that they typically set up faster, run more reliably, and allow me to get more work done by staying out of my way. When I need the command line, it's there. When I want to hack the system, I can. When I need to add on a peripheral, it just works.
It has been my experience that most people who rage against Apple, the Mac or Mac users have never bothered to use the platform. Or truly understand how it works. I, OTOH, can competently and professionally use both in server and desktop environments. I most certainly am not illiterate in computers or otherwise.
Again, by choosing the alternative, Mac users have somehow been duped into using what's "cool" and "hip", but you all are so different because you use Windows? How's that? My feeble intellect must not be capable of grasping the grand scheme of it.
@Jim
If you even see this…
No, name calling gives me the win because it removes any intellectual credibility from your arguments.
Furthermore, I never compared a Mac to any kind of car, you did that, in your last comment.
To address "what I do", professionally, I am the Archivist and Digital Media Manager for state wide PBS affiliate network for the State of Arkansas. I am also a web applications developer and am quite proficient in PHP/MySQL, HTML, and CSS, thank you very much.
And yes, my emails do look prettier, my docs load faster and I get more work done because I use my computer to work, not work on my computer.
So far your arguments have also been of the "nuh uh" variety.
You all carry the banner of "choice", yet criticize those of us who actually, consciously, made a choice to use an alternative? Rather than take whatever came with the computer? Nice. Being able to "choose" Windows from any number of manufacturers is not choice. It's still Windows.
To be clear: the devolution into name calling, without bringing a more credible argument, without using intelligent words and ideas, is what gives me the win. I could have chosen to go with "Shut up, you ninny head" but I have managed to keep it above the belt and address you with respect.
So now the conversation has come back around to the battery that started this thread which has shown without a doubt that Apple has done only one thing and that is to convince children that Apple has a better toy. Early in this thread it was shown beyond any doubt that Apple didn't invent the battery, that Acer has a whole line of computers with 8 hour batteries and many of them are high powered models, not netbooks, and that people who know anything about computers and have to get work done will not waste their money on Macs that cost a lot more, do a lot less, and are in fact harder not easier to use for anyone who wants to get work done. The IT professional is exactly right. Macs are toys not computers. And Apple pioneered nothing. They stole from Xerox the GUI interface and the original Apple was an Altair with a monitor.
So the Apple children wants to know what all the fuss is about? Well the real world is sick and tired of you whining children scraming goo goo gah gah everytime Apple takes credit for something that PC's could do for years and was never invented by Apple in the first place.
Ah so this became the PCs vs Macs debate topic, instead of about the battery life like the article describes. Nonetheless, I have been a PC user most of my life, but changed to use Macs for the last two years. Apple is a premium brand with premium quality products. Hence they charge more. It's like, what makes people think having a Lexus or BMW better than a Ford or Dodge? not just that they are imported, but they charge base on the quality of products and services. I think it's about time a big corporation started to us these advanced of technology in their products. Apple has alway been a pioneer for that. Over the years, I have seen people's lack of effort in using the batteries in their laptop. And they complain how their battery dies so fast in such amount of time because they have it plugged in all the time. It is a known fact overcharging it will lower its life. Now Apple has made the effort of letting their product take care of that for us. How is that bad? Making their product last longer, help out the environment, and keep the lazy you, still lazy. Everyone should be thanking them. Because now, I bet, most of the electronics makers will model Apple's technology in their products.
I've always thought that the Mac/wintel argument is hiding a larger truth. One brand isn't intrinsically better than another. Truth is, ALL computers stink
The reason Mac is slowly rising in popularity is because it's users tend to be somewhat computer illiterate or easily manipulated by intriguing Mac advertisements and media… you can sort of tell from reading this thread actually! Many IT professionals see through the propoganda and realize that Apple simply sells over-priced, over-stated hardware with an OS that enjoys its ability to limit what a user can do with their system… but provides a nice GUI to make it look like it does something useful and fast. This IT professional won't be jumping on the Apple-bandwagon until I can do everything I do on my PC on a Mac without hassle.
Sheesh. There are some serious trolls on this board. Gentleman, go out and find your entertainment someplace else. It's summertime. The sun is out and I am guessing you could use the Vitamin D. Go find some people of the opposite gender (or same, that's ok too) to play with.
I'm thrilled with Apple's new battery life (in case you forgot, the subject of this article) and am happy it will enhance my virus-free, registry-less, productive computing life.
Gotta go. I have work to do.
@Dan Small
Why are PC users dead wrong?
The only thing I've read from Mac users is "No, Macs Rule!"
Processing difference is the same/similar across most tests. Macs do marginally better in a handful of applications – applications to which 99% of people do not use.
But hey, this is the internet "Because I said so" and "U R RONG" is a perfectly acceptable answer. However, it just means that your ego is too fragile to admit being wrong and your logic isn't strong enough to come up with a rebuttal.
@Dan
Are you serious? You think "you win" because people call you a fanboy?
Do you know what one is?
The only thing you've said is "Nuh-uh" from the start of this conversation. Somehow, I don't believe that constitutes "a win," even by the most liberal of internet argument moderators.
Please, inform us what you use your Mac for. I'm sure that extra $1500 helps your e-mails load faster and your web-browsing and text documents prettier!
Comparing a Mac to a Porshe and a PC to a scooter isn't even close to accurate. A more accurate comparison would be a Camry with Navigation System or a Camry without a Navigation system. The Nav system is completely useless 99% of the time you drive the car, but that 1% it's useful, you won't have to use google-maps to print directions beforehand ever again! All this for only 4x the price!
@iphonerulez
Nice made-up statistics. "Well, I'm sure every study will say that Mac users are smarter!" Your clever use of a Z at the end of your name clearly shows how much more intelligent and "1337" Mac users are. You are a unique and special snowflake, just like everyone else.
I can honestly say, it's completely mind boggling on how much crap people spout when they want to justify an idiotic decision like purchasing a Mac.
The funny thing is that most people I know don't have any issues with Windows, it's just the completely incompetent morons that have that many troubles. Those are the ones that Macs are great for.
Please, give us some of these imaginary studies.
And from what I gathered from reading the comments, owning a Mac is like constantly wearing Beer-goggles: You go on and on about how beautiful your date is, but everyone who isn't three sheets to the wind sees the balding, 400 pound she-male with 2 teeth for what it really is.
It's supposed to last for 3 years, not 5 (please correct), but the actual warranty on the battery is only for 1 year. Go figure!
ex ped: At the WWDC, Phil Schiller said the batteries would last five years (not three) before their ability to hold a charge would diminish. Perhaps you are thinking of Apple's claim that the new batteries last three times as long as the old lithium ion batteries? In any event, you correct that the warranty is only for one year. Go figure!
Ok so how many people suddenly decided- oh look a article about a battery, and apple, let me trash apple? Well if you are one… get a life. The thing with Apple, is well it is better, flat and simple. Thats why they are priced nice and high and are getting a increased sale. Its why more and more business people are buying them, and more and more students. Windows shot itself in the foot with Vista- and knows it. It alienated its users by trying to beat out apple, it will now try to recover with windows 7, but I personally don't care, They can make windows 8, 9, 10, or name is windows whatever. I have given up on ALL WINDOWS products. I have been to frustrated. I know how to fix computers, but I shouldn't have to fix a 6 month old computer, because well thats just retarded. I don't care why it crased, and i know what you think- you went on a bad site, or downloaded a virus. NO I DIDN'T, It was a BUSINESS ONLY computer. monitored so I could not. So don't try it. Well any way, if you want to fix your computer and all and modify it easier by all means windows is for you… however please realize that Apple is for people who want a easier system, with less hassles, and something that wont give out because it is so virus susceptible. With that i bid you good night. disagree with me
TELL ME rboneillo@yahoo.com
So the teacher from El Paso uses a Mac and we still wonder why our kids have the worst math scores in the industrialized world? And he has a friend who has an Apple at home and works tech support for Microsoft. I can just imagine what kind of tech support this guy offers people when he's using Apple toys at home and how much he even understands PC's.
Here's what I do know. The company I founded has 50 computers. 35 PC's and 15 Macs. NONE of the PC's has ever had a virus, has ever had to have software reinstalled and consume less than half as much support time as the 16 darn Macs I got stuck with. But the Macs have had to have their software reinstalled all the time. That's the truth. At least once a month one of the Macs had to have a bare metal reinstall and that's why I dislike them so much: because they were costing me a small fortune. I'm just plain tired of this Mac reliability BS.
Here's the real truth about Apple. Macs cost 3 times what PC's do because 95% of the world doesn't want them. They use the exact same major parts as a PC (since they wised up and got rid of the so-called PowerPC chip)but Apple can't buy in anywhere near the quantity of HP, Dell or, Acer.
And as for reliability Panasonic makes the ToughBook PC used by the military and anyone who needs something that can't be broken. You can drop kick the ToughBook across a football field and it will still run like a clock.
But if you are silly enough to run the Mac OS you only have one choice in the world and that's to kiss the Apple Toy company's butt and empty your wallet. And when you drop that Apple toy on the floor it'll go back in your toy chest for good.
From reading these comments I think the Windows PC guys are (sort of like) having a crush on Rosie O'Donnell. The're denying that she's ugly. They're unwilling to accept that Mac users have more attractive everything. They're basically in denial (in addition to being dead wrong).
Not sure why calling a spade a spade is so hard?
Apple released a product with good battery life – Great.
Apple's product is expensive compared to other devices which achieve the same if not more – Ok Great
Apple designed their product so that a battery cannot be replaced – OK for some no problem for others it will eliminate it as a functional device.
Bottom line, it will work for some and not for others is that such a problem?
Professionaly, I work in a Windows environment. Recently purchased a Macbook Air to see where the Apples product is, in my opinion, personally I found it a bit simplistec for my tastes after working with it for about a week.
Does that mean its bad or good, no it just means it's not for me…
Facts are facts, whether they impact you in one way or another is the difference.
Seems these details are taken quite personally for some reason – funny
Being an educator I have been a Mac user for 15 years and became a Mac user and supporter at home as well because it was easier to take work home. I have tried to use PC, but it just doesn't feel right. I've had to use PC's on occasion for some specific projects and it was just plain clunky and time consuming. A lot of down-time just getting it to do what it is supposed to do. Not so on the Mac. One friend of mine has been a PC user forever and he has had to reinstall and tweak more times than I can count, but it is what he is comfortable with. He is just used to the fact that he has to reinstall regularly because of viruses, crashes, and freezes. He says its just a part of a PC user's life. He wants to get a Mac but does not because of the price point. I've explained to him that through the years he has spent as much as I have upgrading software and upgrading laptops. He is now reconsidering because for the most part 1) Macs rarely crash 2) By the time he buys a new PC, he'll make up the difference in cost buying software supplements (anti-virus software in particular, which I have never had to buy) which are already pre-installed software on the Mac and 3) his Mac will allow him to complete projects not figure out why something is not working or freezing.
Another friend, who works for Microsoft, agrees with me. He has two Macs at home and thinks that they are the best out there. And thinks they're cool. And has an iPhone and an iPod. Guess what his job is? Tech support. And he says he sees the insufficient software and integration on a daily basis.
Mac is not for everyone, and not everyone wants to spend the money… but the fact of the matter is you often get what you pay for. This is so true for Macs. They are simply a better operating system and their hardware is top notch.
There are Mac purists and PC purists. To each his own. PC users cannot deny the fact Mac is much more user friendly and quite frankly, a much more stable operating environment (even my buddy at MIcrosoft quietly agrees) Expensive…true. Do you get your money's worth? Ten fold.
So Loren can't type a sentence into a command line, Rob in France can't click on the icon in the tray to connect to a WiFi network, like everyone else does, probably because he's spent too long looking at silly Mac symbols, and iphonerulz thinks we're all jealous because he's sick at heart since the multi-tasking Pre has shown his iphone to be the silly children's toy it is.
And we can all guess what kind of a businessman the Frenchman is if thinks that only first class passengers use their laptops on a plane. I've been flying twice a month for 10 years and nearly half the people in every section of the plane are now using their laptops on both long and short flights.
I guess this tells us all what kind of judgement the people who buy Macs have. And what none of them will admit is that they bought their Mac toys with the money someone who had to get work done earned on a PC in a real place of business.
Life of a computer depends on how its used. My son, a college student, had his PC for a bit over a year before the motherboard burned out. He's also gone through the motherboard of a desktop PC as well. I've had my iMac for 7 years without a problem and my MacPro for a year and a half without a problem. The reason that I buy a Mac for me and a PC for my son is that my Mac is bought for long term use and the PC is disposable (because kids beat the hell out of a computer). My Mac I can fix if I have a problem. The PC, I pray that it doesn't get infected or that it has some software problem that can't be fixed by deinstalling and reinstalling. And forget it if I have to go into command lines or registries or anything like that. Bottom line, my Mac is easy to use, but costs more than the PC. The PC is compatible with my work world, is cheap, but if it breaks, it goes in the garbage. I think that if you ask most Mac users why they have a Mac, cool is far down on the list, and ease of use at the top. Do you know anyone who can really say a PC is easy to use (we're talking real world, not Microsoft ads)?
@Francisco in Mexico City is right but upside down. You buy a Mac and it's like trying to drive a diesel VW car in the U.S. You can't find but one out of a hundred places that have anything that will run on your your little toy. You see people zipping buy you for a lot less money at three times the speed in their Corvettes using their PC's and they didn't have to buy a trailer to tow all the extra stuff they had to buy to make sure they could go somewhere or get something done. Then the little kid who bought the diesel curses at you because you don't have any diesel to stick in his bug and hates you because the money you saved buying the PC helped you buy the Corvette that kicks his little punk butt.
Everyone talks about how Macs are more expensive, but try finding a $75 OS upgrade on a PC. Even the Mac ILife and IWork is a lot cheaper than MS.
I began using PCs and laptops from the beginning and just spent 2 hours trying to get a laptop XP wifi to work. What a hassle to try to go through menus and configuration schemes. My Mac took about 2 minutes, just long enough to type in a WEP code.
And who besides business execs in First Class work on their laptops on an airplane. I have been a business exec for 20 years. The only time we use batteries are for short meetings or when a plug is not close. Get real people !!
Imagine this is a Forum about Porsche cars. Suddenly someone begins a rant against Porsches because the trunk is not big enough, "it’s a joke really, you call this a trunk?" later someone says he is not impressed at all, and that he always has considered Porsche drivers sissy boys; "My Pick-up Truck has more power and I can haul plenty of stuff, try to do that with your sissy German car!" Then, someone with a calculator nearby says its stupid to buy Porsches, you can buy at least three Hyundai with that kind of Money. Finally someone really smart says with authority voice, “c’mon Porsche has no innovation at all! I drive a Chinese Scooter with better mileage and I didn’t paid as much”. The fact is if you buy a Porsche you know that besides the great performance, comes also a small trunk, that the car is beautiful but certainly is not the best to haul stuff, you also are perfectly aware that there are other cheaper cars out there, and that you’ll drive around many drivers and some of them diving a Hyundai or a scooter will think you’re too stupid because you drive a Porsche.
There sure are a lot of angry and jealous Windows users here that must have fallen into a puddle of Steve Ballmer's sweat. They keep saying that Mac users are sheep, yet they never chose Windows, it just came on practically every computer whether they wanted it or not. So they just went along with the crowd. Thinking people choose Macs. Mac users would be more like wolves and Windows users are sheep.
Nearly any study would show that Mac users are more educated and have higher salaries than those uneducated and low-paid Windows users who are always crying "I'm Windows and I'm cheap." Look it's okay if you can't afford Macs, but there's no need to be jealous. Just go out and get a better job to join the "Mac Kool Bunch".
You might even get some Mac user to wave back instead of pointing at you and laughing at your cheap Windows computer. Love and peace to jealous Windows PC users and although Windows 7 ain't nothing to write home about, at least it's ten times better than Vista.
Wow folks, way to delve into name calling. A shear force of intelligence that cannot be reckoned with!
Please come back when you have an actual argument to make that doesn't use the words "fanboy", "fanboi", "Kool-aid" or "toy". Devolving into such nonsense merely illustrates your ignorance and gives me the automatic win.
Thanks!
@Sacto Joe
Add another $200 to the cost of the already overpriced Mac so you can run Windows software – that's a great idea!
I do not consider dual booting or emulating as a valid form of access to software. The only thing you are doing is adding costs to an already overprice product.
Nice try at attempting to win an argument on a technicality of a tangent subject, though.
Food for thought: Apple switched from their proprietary hardware to the vastly cheaper x86 hardware about a year and a half ago. Prices remained the same.
Apple stopped marketing computers a long time ago. They are merely marketing ideas and fads now.
Next years model will undoubtedly have a couple of flashing LEDs slapped on and Apple will call them "Speed Lights" and charge $400 more for the computer… and Apple lovers will gobble it up and think it's faster. Nothing quite like a blind following huh, "Dude"?
@Sacto Joe
Why buy a Mac only to install Windows? The hardware is no different (excluding the new battery) then a Dell or HP. If you buy a Mac only to run Windows software you were better off buying a cheaper laptop and saving money.
Yea, I'll get a MAC once they can handle an actual video game other than internet Apps…They do look nice but performace wise its horrible (Even with intel processors =\)!
@ Jim,
While I agree there is certainly a bit of "fanboy-ism" when it comes to Apple, there are plenty of reasons why Apple is a great product to own.
The main issue that comes to mind is updating applications, firmware, etc. There are many times when I run an update on a PC on say, a graphics driver, then when I jump back to my app, it suddenly will not work. Or the program I run has a patch to apply and will not work unless I update the drivers. This constant game of getting the "combination" correct to run my software properly is tiring.
With a Mac, they control the all the updates to their proprietary hardware and software. In the 10+ years of using a MAC, I have never had a program fail to run after running an update.
I think its funny how every article you can find that praises Apple for something exceptional always manages to draw a bunch of bitter PC people with snide comments about something they probably don't even use or don't use enough to know what they are talking about. If you think your PC is so much better then good for you! Sleep well at night confident in your purchasing decision. The question is why do you people care so much about what others do with their hard earned money? You certainly don't see Apple users combing tech headlines looking for any PC articles they can find to bash PC's. You know why? Because we are too busy enjoying our computers to care what you went out and spent your money on.
My fiance's HP laptop is at the 6 year mark currently and is just at the point of being replaced (the power adapter connector got bent somehow). My current Dell laptop is running about 3 years old and works great.
Perhaps the quality is in how the computer is treated during it's lifetime?
Jim in CA, if you're "well aware that [Apple] went x86 a while ago", then why did you previously say a PC "has more software options" than a Mac?
Your words, dude.
@Jim ->“Look at me! I’m different and cool” feeling that Mac users get."
say what? have you seen the "cool" sheeple in central park? herds and herds of smug Macheads waving to each other.
Without arguing about the quality of the Apple products, it just beats me how can something be special when eveybody else has it? More, how can something be cool when everybody (including the uncool great unwashed) think that it is "cool"?
Nauseting.
@Dan in AR
I don't know too many people whose laptops lasted less than 3 years, at which point system requirements and computer technology has advanced to the point that it renders said laptop more than obsolete.
I'm well aware that they went x86 a while ago. If you bought a Mac to install windows or any other x86 OS on, then I don't know what to say, because that is quite possibly the most idiotic thing you can do.
See how much you use those incredibly awesome features that you got (omg, it comes with an Apple logo on it and a cool looking case, how awesome is that?!). Apple is not price competitive, they've just got their fanboi's brainwashed into thinking their products will give them some sort of noticable advantage over PCs that makes the extra $1000-$1500 worthwhile. Mac have some advantages in very niche processing, but to 99% of Kool-Aid drinking Mac users, it's completely useless.
@Jake in France
90% of quality lies in the competence of the user. If you are completely incompetent, Macs are great – more child proof than PCs. However, if you have a reasonable amount of computer knowledge and skill, PCs are the way to go.
If environment is your major concern, there is a very simple solution. Buy a PC, and spend that extra $1000-$1500 on charities that actually do something for the environment. If any of you bothered to read into how "green" Apple really is, you'd know it's a crock of bull-poo.
Apple is not quality. I know far more people with PC's that have lasted longer mainly due to better hardware.
This is only laptops anyway. PC's are mainly desktops. I'll admit PC laptops aren't the greatest but they are far more cheaper and far more appealing to the majority that use them, college students.
@ Dan in Conwary, AR.
That's right if you have a Mac toy you're going to need to run a whole bunch of other OS because you can't find decent apps for the Apple toy you bought. When you're done with the Barbie and Ken dress up app, you're left with nothing left to do on your Mac toy. You see, some of us have to do work and have to engage in something completely unknown to the children that buy Mac toys. It's called cost benefit analysis and we need something that actually gets work done for our money. Despite the ridiculous claims of the Mac toy users, PC's last longer and are repaired cheaper than any Mac. And we don't have to take our computers to a rip-off Apple store to get our battery changed. PC users are capable of changing our own batteries – unlike the Mac children.
Dell seems to have long battery life the new HP laptop I just picked up has long battery life, and the battery can be swapped out if I need to…Apple's batteries can't and therefore the computer is useless until it can be recharged. I don't see what all the fuss is about the Apple battery?
Oh, so much fun to see the PC haters bleat at Apple's latest cool AND USEFUL accomplishment.
That's right, Jim, you CAN buy 3, well, netbooks for the cost of the entry-level 13" MacBook Pro.
Think I'll take quality over quantity.
@Jim in CA
And you will have to buy those 3 PCs during the serviceable lifetime of one Apple Macbook Pro. Simple truth is, quality and care in components and manufacturing do add up to a product that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Also, all batteries are "sealed", otherwise they would leak chemicals all over the place. The new battery design is more accurately described as "non user-serviceable part".
Fact is, if you bother to match feature for feature, Apple is price competitive to most PCs. Add in the fact that Macs can now run ANY x86 based OS and you get even more for your money.
Mac users don't need all that app choice, when the best of breed on any platform is included for free with every hardware purchase. PCs may have more choice, but one piece of trash over the other really isn't a choice I'd like to make.
Maybe the children playing with their Apple toys can't find Acer's 8 hour battery life computers or call them "netbooks" but Acer has four full pages in the latest PC magazine advertising their line of 8 hour battery life laptops. I don't call Centrino processors, 500 GB drives, built in DVD players, 15.5" displays with HD graphics, "netbooks" but, I supose if you're used to playing with Apple toys, listening to rap music, and thinking your cool in the cafe, you'd have no idea what a real computer was.
Jim in CA, you've betrayed your ignorance of the Mac with the statement that it "has more software options".
No, it doesn't. Were you asleep when Apple switched to using Intel chips? Or are you just unaware of the fact that all new Mac computers can operate in native mode, use any PC software, and run circles around your cheap second-rate PC's?
the previous battery used in the MacBooks & MacBook Pros was polymer, so didn't have the circular cell make-up, its more like plasticine type makeup that can be molded to fit any shape.
The previous polymer design was also a bit of a problem, without multiple cells, if the battery had a defect, it would be dramatic, rather than if one cell out of 6 has an issue, you just lose around 20% of the potential charge.
So not only does this new structure increase duration of charge, it should result in a less dramatic decline if one cell runs into a problem.
Competition is great, and I'm glad they made a better battery, it'll make it more of a priority for other laptop makers.
However, with the money spent on a single Mac, you can buy 3 PCs – which has more software options and assuming a competent level of computer skill, very minimal problems.
I'll keep my wallet fat and my options greater by sticking with PCs. I'm willing to sacrifice the "Look at me! I'm different and cool" feeling that Mac users get.
And this folks is why competition is so nice… I dont use Macs, but Apple has come out with a nice improvement here, that can only help all users in the long run.
@Java, did you read the other comments before you posted your silly "ditto"?
It was already debunked that the Acer mythical 8-hr battery life is actually on a stripped down netbook, not using the WiFi — and here's the kicker — with a second battery module installed in the "media bay". Of course, that means you have to give up your DVD drive, so don't bother watching a movie on disc…
As shown in the article, the Apple laptop gets 8hrs doing typical web browsing – i.e. the WiFi is on all the time.
Good try, PC apologists…
A major environmental advantage of having a sealed battery system like Apple's is that people probably will be less inclined to toss the whole computer in a landfill. Not so with batteries. And, without a doubt, when Apple removes a battery due to replacement, it is dealt with in an environmentally preferable way.
"Here we go with the same fawning nonsense about Apple and the Mac. Acer has a whole line of computers with 8 hours of battery life and unlike Apple, they don’t hide how they did it. They explain it in detail. Apple makes toys for children and others who believe in the tooth fairy."
He's right. Then again the mac fans out there most likely are not capable of accepting that a PC maker beat them to the punch on something.
A quick survey of the Acer website reveals a total of 0 notebooks or netbooks with a claimed battery life of 8 hours. The Travelmate 6493 with a 2nd battery in the MediaBay can run up to 7.5 hours. Note that Apple claims a battery life of 7 hours under typical usage.
Further, AnandTech can hardly be categorized as a site that fawns over Apple products.
@TruthSeeker
no, Acer only has that on their netbooks, while Apple has it with full featured laptops… learn the difference.
Apple has done another remarkable thing and has reinvented the laptop battery. No other company has it, and won't for a long time. You can learn how it works here:
Here we go with the same fawning nonsense about Apple and the Mac. Acer has a whole line of computers with 8 hours of battery life and unlike Apple, they don't hide how they did it. They explain it in detail. Apple makes toys for children and others who believe in the tooth fairy.
Re: "You’ll might be able to get an independent technician to do it [replace the battery] for less, but probably not without voiding your warranty." If your battery fails while your MacBook is still under warranty, you should be able to get it replaced for free.
The link is correct. You are missing a "d" in the name. "AnandTech". But no needy to be rude about pointing it out, Bob.
It's a cool summary. Is this a new business for Apple or are these just for Macs?
At least get the source right: Anandtech. Great site with lots of great info.
ex ped: Did I have it wrong? (UPDATE: Ah, now I see. I had it right three times and was missing a "d" in the fourth. Fixed it now.)
I can only assume that the majority of people posting here are 65 with limited knowledge of any type of computer, how anyone can say a PC is hard to use is beyond me.