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> Also, don't forget that there are basically no user-replaceable parts left, including most importantly the battery. That, to me, is the real tragedy/travesty
by toothbrush 10y ago
> Also, don't forget that there are basically no user-replaceable parts left, including most importantly the battery.
That, to me, is the real tragedy/travesty. There should be some eco-EU-law or something against that, a bit like the micro USB charger standardisation. I say this typing from a 2008 (or was it 2009?) MacBook on which i've been able to replace the RAM (8GB), disk drive (SSD, single biggest improvement) and battery (lasts longer than when new from factory now), and all of those upgrades weren't expensive at all. Of course i run Linux and XMonad and pretty much the only graphical app is Firefox with NoScript, but still, i can't see myself forking out hard $$$ for a non-maintainable machine. The upgradability isn't even the big deal for me, because as someone else pointed out these days computers are "fast enough", it's the fact that certain components are just going to fail (especially the battery). And it absolutely sends sickly shivers down my spine that people are being forced to landfill perfectly okay hardware because of a battery becoming worn out. Seriously Apple, where have your holistic eco-friendly principles gone?
- will_hughes 10y agoFrom a physical engineering perspective I don't know how you'd go about making an ultrabook's battery replaceable short of breaking the entire case open.
- toothbrush 10y agoI realise that i'm probably in a vanishing minority, but give me a few mm's of extra thickness for replaceability of parts any day! The 13" 2009 Macbook i refer to is (for me) fine as far as weight and thickness go, while providing replaceable parts which makes me happy (and soothes my reuse-repair-recycle tendency).
- khedoros 10y agoI've got a Lenovo T450S, which is apparently marketed as an ultrabook. It's got a user-removable battery. I assume you had some different ultrabook in mind with your comment.
- rbanffy 10y agoBeing supernaturally thin is not an engineering requirement. Marketing dictates that.
- collyw 10y agoTo be fair, I thought that its was all crap when I first saw the MacBook air. Then I acquired one through work for a couple of years. Its was nice going somewhere with hand luggage and being able to fit it in the top of my bag relatively easy compared to my other laptop (though the thinness didn't make a huge amount of difference).