MacBook Air: Batteries? Really? Honestly?

Posted on January 18, 2008
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“What Bugs Apple Fans”, a mildly interesting article about Apple over on Forbes, claims that the non-swappable battery is the number one issue Mac fans have about the new MacBook Air:

Dive into the crowd at MacWorld gathered around Apple’s latest product, the MacBook Air, and they’ll quickly point out what could be the wafer-thin machines biggest flaw: Users can’t swap in fresh batteries. That could be a deal-breaker for road warriors looking for a lightweight notebook.

Maybe this is the number one complaint but that doesn’t make it any less stupid. It just means that people with no imagination or insight like to complain about things.

Here’s a little test: hands up everyone who owns a laptop.

Hands up everyone who owns a laptop and a second battery and carries it around with them daily and has often occasion to swap them out.

I’d hazard to guess there’s a lot of empty overhead space in the group right now.

I’ve owned Mac laptops for four generations of machines now, going back to the original PowerBook. A laptop has been my primary computer for nine years, used nearly every single day. Know how many spare batteries I’ve owned? Zero. When I need to I carry a spare powercord with me (it weighs less than a battery).

Am I a typical user? Probably not; I likely use my machine far more, and in far less forgiving circumstances than the vast majority of laptop users. I’m the edge case that could conceivably benefit from a second battery.

Know how many times I’ve been stranded in a mission-critical situation with a dead battery and no electrical outlet anywhere in sight? Zero.

Know how many people I know personally with Mac laptops who also don’t own second batteries they never carry around with them? I’d guess that’s in the dozens by now. Know how many people with Mac laptops I know who have second batteries? Zero. Know how many people I know with just plain ol’ laptops and a spare battery they carry around? Yep, zero.

See a trend?

If you own any laptop at all, regardless of model, it’s far sounder to invest in a secondary power cord than it is a second battery. Get one for home and work and never carry a cord again.

The MacBook Air battery issue is a strawman, a titling point that clueless people have glommed onto because its easy, obvious and they grossly over-estimate their own road-warrior importance.

That said, for my money there’s a far more interesting design decision that I would find prohibitive to use: no 100baseT port. Even with wireless in my MacBook there’s the odd location that’s wired-only, a scenario that’s far more likely than being stranded beyond the reaches of modern electricity while needing to edit my Pages docs, post to my blog, or compile my app.

The beauty of the thing though, is this: if the battery or the 100baseT is your problem then the MacBook Air isn’t the machine for you, the MacBook is. Buy one of those instead and problem solved.

If only everything in life were so simple… and obvious.

(I can’t even deign to comment on the inanity of the Windows section of that Forbes article but to say this: complaining about Windows on a Mac is like complaining your Lexus won’t accommodate Chevy oil filters.)

Comments

2 Responses to “MacBook Air: Batteries? Really? Honestly?”

  1. Andre on January 18th, 2008 9:07 pm

    Just for clarity sake, there is a tiny USB -> ethernet adapter option if you really need it. Not as convenient as being built in but not terrible.

  2. MrHappy on January 18th, 2008 9:45 pm

    True enough (though I do expect Griffin et al. to knock out one that’s a good deal cheaper - $30 for a USB adapter is pretty steep).

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