The Unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro

[Michael Barrett]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://i.gizmodo.com/5124514/macbook-pro-gets-stretched-to-17-inches' target='_blank'>http://i.gizmodo.com/5124514/macboo...ed-to-17-inches</a><br /><br /></div><!-- digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_bgcolor = '#f1f8fa'; digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Apple_Makes_MacBook_Pro_Bigger_17_Big'; // --><p><em>"Finally providing a noticeable difference between the <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5063492/macbook-and-macbook-pro-dual-review">MacBook and MacBook Pro</a>, Apple has pushed the Pro's screen to 17 inches, its price to $2799, and thrown in a high-capacity (non-replaceable!) battery. The new Pro has the unibody aluminum build&mdash;and virtually everything else&mdash;in common with its smaller 15" brother. But now you won't have to put your fancy new notebook next to the cheaper 13" variant to see what you've paid for."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1231276087.usr105632.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>When Phil Schiller announced the new unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro, I wasn't too surprised to find out it was only an inch thick and 6.6 pounds.&nbsp; Apple has always impressed me with their intuitive designs, and lately they keep getting better and better making their laptops thinner and lighter.</p><p>The most shocking change to the new MacBook Pro, is the built-in, non-removable lithium polyer battery with a lifecycle 3 times longer than standard laptop batteries.&nbsp; Apple went out of their way to develop a new larger, custom battery that should run 8 hours and live through 1,000 charges quite easily.&nbsp; I look forward to getting my hands on the new MacBook Pro and seeing whether or not the new battery stands the test of time.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

[ucfgrad93]

I look forward to getting my hands on the new MacBook Pro and seeing whether or not the new battery stands the test of time.

Yeah, this is the $64,000 question in my opinion. Apple is taking a HUGE risk in having a non-removable battery in such an expensive laptop. I wonder if it will pay off.

[Vincent Ferrari]

Yeah, this is the $64,000 question in my opinion. Apple is taking a HUGE risk in having a non-removable battery in such an expensive laptop. I wonder if it will pay off.

I'm infuriated that the battery is not removable. It may be the best battery in the known universe, but the idea that I would have to lose my computer for a day or so just to get the battery replaced, to me, is unacceptable. There's no reason they couldn't put those same cells in the same case with a removable form factor. None.

Considering one of the only things that ever failed me on my BlackBook (which Michael now owns) is the battery, the idea of not being able to do that "repair" myself makes me cringe.

[ptyork]

I'm infuriated that the battery is not removable. It may be the best battery in the known universe, but the idea that I would have to lose my computer for a day or so just to get the battery replaced, to me, is unacceptable. There's no reason they couldn't put those same cells in the same case with a removable form factor. None.

I agree 100%, but get used to it. This seems to be Apple's new "design language" or whatever. First iPods, then iPhones, then MB Airs, then MB Pros. What's left? Well, nothing portable except the 2 remaining MBs.

At first I thought the batteries had a new chemistry (like silver-zinc), but they are just lithium polymer with a slightly different manufacturing process that produce less round cells (more "rectangularer"?). The only "magic" that increases life seems to be in the built in management chips. Noting innately special/super-expensive at all. So we'll probably see this moved down-market in the next MB/MBP iteration. Unfortunately, this isn't "the best battery in the known universe."

MAYBE this is just an experiment to see if they should/shouldn't do it in the higher volume lappies, but I'm guessing it is the "future." 'Tis a shame...

[Vincent Ferrari]

I agree 100%, but get used to it. This seems to be Apple's new "design language" or whatever. First iPods, then iPhones, then MB Airs, then MB Pros. What's left? Well, nothing portable except the 2 remaining MBs.

I honestly don't think so; I think it was just a space saving measure so they could mitigate the giganticness of the 17" MBP. My 15" MBP has a battery that's every bit as removable as any other notebook. I still don't think this is a smart move. Even if it's great, people will complain simply because they can't remove the battery whether they have any kind of need to or not.

[Dyvim]

Battery aside, this thing looks pretty sweet. Too bad I bought a MBP last Spring, so am not due for a refresh for at least 2 more years (and realistically probably more like 4 more years considering how expensive they are). I still think I would opt for a 15" MBP though as for me that's the sweet spot for laptop size. 17" screens are just too big to be truly portable for me, and at home I can always use an external monitor anyway.

[WyattEarp]

With all this unibody construction now you know why the Macbook Air really costs so much. It was the prototype for all the new Macbooks.

My next laptop will definitely be a Macbook Pro & Air these things are just sweet. Looks like Apple is trying to go the 100% mobile (Star Trekkish) route. No unnecessary detachable parts, one piece construction, and a full work shift's worth of battery life on one charge.

Oh, And one more thing... Now with the ExpressCard 34 you can purchase that SD card reader that many complained was missing from Macs.

[Vincent Ferrari]

Oh, And one more thing... Now with the ExpressCard 34 you can purchase that SD card reader that many complained was missing from Macs.

The only thing I want for my ExpressCard slot is an HDMI input card :)

I wish BlackMagic would come out with one. They've already done PCIE cards; is there not enough bandwidth on the ExpressCard slot to do it there also? I honestly don't know.

[Spooof]

Seems funny people are not talking about the 8gigs of ram. Personally I would love to have 8 gigs of ram in my MBP. Currently it is way too expensive, but the price will come down.

[doogald]

Another reaction that I had was that the lack of a battery door meant that you were pretty out of luck if you wanted to do a hard disk upgrade, compared with the 15" and 13.3" MB. But I understand that you can replace the hard disk (and add/replace RAM modules) by removing some screws on the bottom case without worrying about voiding your warranty.