January 15th, 2008
More on the MacBook Air battery
One of the highlights of Macworld Expo 2008 for me is the MacBook Air. It’s the machine that I’ve been asking for for about 10 years. After taking a look at it on the show floor, one thing that stands out is the fixed (i.e. non removable) battery. Could anything be worse for a traveler? Didn’t Apple learn anything from the negative reaction to the iPhone’s fixed battery?
Woe is me. My MacBook dream suddenly had all the Air let out of it.
When I asked an Apple staffer about the fixed battery in the MacBook Air (which I affectionately refer to as the “MBA”) he had a positive spin. He told me that you can have it replaced for US$129.99 via mail order “which is what an MacBook battery costs now!”
Um, yes and no.
While it’s true that an Apple MacBook Pro battery costs US$129.99 from the Apple store, that price includes keeping your current battery (for a total of two). Apple’s MBA battery plan costs you US$130 to have your battery replaced. And that doesn’t really help you when your MBA battery runs out on a plane. Bummer.
This effectively rules out the MBA for anyone that flies commercially for any serious length of time, unless they’re fortunate enough to have an Empower adapter in their armrest.
What do you think about the MBA’s fixed battery?
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Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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