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This idea is great, but it'd be cool if they offered the same form factor except putting a giant battery in there instead of more storage. I think people would

This idea is great, but it'd be cool if they offered the same form factor except putting a giant battery in there instead of more storage. I think people would be more willing to carry this around if it effectively doubled their battery life.

dgfgfdagasdfgfa 10y ago
It's not even clear whether it refers to battery or disk.
- shortformblog 10y ago
  Here are the specs: http://blog.macsales.com/39345-owc-makes-macbooks-pro-again-with-game-changing-product http://blog.macsales.com/39345-owc-makes-macbooks-pro-again-...
slantyyz 10y ago
Based on the photos alone (who knows what the final product will be) -- there's only one USB-C connector. If it was going to have a battery, wouldn't it make sense to put another USB-C connector in the base? Seems weird to use the Mac to charge a battery in the base and then suck power back from said battery through the same single USB-C connection.
- TazeTSchnitzel 10y ago
  Can USB-C actually do that kind of two-way power transfer? That would seem pointless.
  - slantyyz 10y ago
    That's what I was thinking -- which is why I'm guessing there's no extra battery. Also, it presents a conundrum when flying. Would the TSA consider it to be two batteries or one when it comes to the 100Wh limit?
    - LeifCarrotson 10y ago
      It's screwed together, so probably one unit. According to Anandtech, the screws that normally hold up the bottom plate of the laptop are removed (though there's no need to disassemble the device entirely) and this would then include longer screws to hold the assembly together. As far as charging goes, my Asus Transformer tablet has a potentially similar charge mechanism. The tablet plugs into the keyboard base using the charge port, and then plugging the charger into the keyboard base charges both the tablet and the keyboard. It uses the keyboard base battery before using the tablet battery. You'd just charge this unit only; no complicated charge information software necessary. If it's plugged in, charge it and the Macbook, if it's not, charge the Macbook with the onboard battery, or if it's discharged, stop charging and use the Macbook battery. I imagine that removal of the bridge dongle would help convince the TSA that it's two batteries.
      - slantyyz 10y ago
        >> If it's plugged in, charge it and the Macbook The thing is there's only one USB-C port (based on the marketing photos, which is all I have to go by), so it can't be "plugged in" except when the bridge is unplugged.
- shortformblog 10y ago
  What's so weird about it? There's a massive business of external batteries in the mobile space that do effectively the same thing. What does Mophie know that OWC doesn't?
  - slantyyz 10y ago
    Doesn't the mophie have its own charging port? I think it's weird because the external battery would need to know to only charge when the host Macbook Pro is charging, otherwise it's draining the Macbook Pro's battery to backup the battery it's draining.
    - shortformblog 10y ago
      What's stopping OWC from including a charging port that does just this while sending a message to the MBP that it's plugged in? That's effectively what all those external batteries do. We're discussing a theoretical change to a device that isn't on the market yet.
      - slantyyz 10y ago
        >> What's stopping OWC from including a charging port that does just this while sending a message to the MBP that it's plugged in? Nothing is. But it would be weird to do so with the base having only one USB-C port. The more common expectation is that there would be a pass-through USB-C port. >> That's effectively what all those external batteries do. I've always been under the assumption that all the external batteries have their own circuitry to take power from its incoming port and send power (either passing through AC or from its battery) to the outgoing port when the host device demands it. I was not aware that the outgoing port on all those external batteries also got power from the host devices, so I guess I learned something today. >> We're discussing a theoretical change to a device that isn't on the market yet. Going back to my original comment, I just made an observation that it would be weird for the product ---as shown in the photos--- to use that one port to charge itself and to charge the Mac. Most products I know use a pass through. That's it. I did not suggest a theoretical change to the device. --edit - by "charge itself" I mean in the case where it did have a battery

dgfgfdagasdfgfa 10y ago

It's not even clear whether it refers to battery or disk.

shortformblog 10y ago
Here are the specs: http://blog.macsales.com/39345-owc-makes-macbooks-pro-again-with-game-changing-product http://blog.macsales.com/39345-owc-makes-macbooks-pro-again-...

slantyyz 10y ago

Based on the photos alone (who knows what the final product will be) -- there's only one USB-C connector. If it was going to have a battery, wouldn't it make sense to put another USB-C connector in the base? Seems weird to use the Mac to charge a battery in the base and then suck power back from said battery through the same single USB-C connection.

TazeTSchnitzel 10y ago
Can USB-C actually do that kind of two-way power transfer? That would seem pointless.
- slantyyz 10y ago
  That's what I was thinking -- which is why I'm guessing there's no extra battery. Also, it presents a conundrum when flying. Would the TSA consider it to be two batteries or one when it comes to the 100Wh limit?
  - LeifCarrotson 10y ago
    It's screwed together, so probably one unit. According to Anandtech, the screws that normally hold up the bottom plate of the laptop are removed (though there's no need to disassemble the device entirely) and this would then include longer screws to hold the assembly together. As far as charging goes, my Asus Transformer tablet has a potentially similar charge mechanism. The tablet plugs into the keyboard base using the charge port, and then plugging the charger into the keyboard base charges both the tablet and the keyboard. It uses the keyboard base battery before using the tablet battery. You'd just charge this unit only; no complicated charge information software necessary. If it's plugged in, charge it and the Macbook, if it's not, charge the Macbook with the onboard battery, or if it's discharged, stop charging and use the Macbook battery. I imagine that removal of the bridge dongle would help convince the TSA that it's two batteries.
    - slantyyz 10y ago
      >> If it's plugged in, charge it and the Macbook The thing is there's only one USB-C port (based on the marketing photos, which is all I have to go by), so it can't be "plugged in" except when the bridge is unplugged.
shortformblog 10y ago
What's so weird about it? There's a massive business of external batteries in the mobile space that do effectively the same thing. What does Mophie know that OWC doesn't?
- slantyyz 10y ago
  Doesn't the mophie have its own charging port? I think it's weird because the external battery would need to know to only charge when the host Macbook Pro is charging, otherwise it's draining the Macbook Pro's battery to backup the battery it's draining.
  - shortformblog 10y ago
    What's stopping OWC from including a charging port that does just this while sending a message to the MBP that it's plugged in? That's effectively what all those external batteries do. We're discussing a theoretical change to a device that isn't on the market yet.
    - slantyyz 10y ago
      >> What's stopping OWC from including a charging port that does just this while sending a message to the MBP that it's plugged in? Nothing is. But it would be weird to do so with the base having only one USB-C port. The more common expectation is that there would be a pass-through USB-C port. >> That's effectively what all those external batteries do. I've always been under the assumption that all the external batteries have their own circuitry to take power from its incoming port and send power (either passing through AC or from its battery) to the outgoing port when the host device demands it. I was not aware that the outgoing port on all those external batteries also got power from the host devices, so I guess I learned something today. >> We're discussing a theoretical change to a device that isn't on the market yet. Going back to my original comment, I just made an observation that it would be weird for the product ---as shown in the photos--- to use that one port to charge itself and to charge the Mac. Most products I know use a pass through. That's it. I did not suggest a theoretical change to the device. --edit - by "charge itself" I mean in the case where it did have a battery