6 ms·

you know, if expanding batteries were so problematic, why the heck does Apple glue them into the topcase?

by riffic 5y ago

spullara 5y ago
To make the computer smaller and lighter.
- gambiting 5y ago
  I refuse to accept that as an answer as to why the battery is glued in. It's just laziness by apple, there's is literally zero reason to use glue to hold the battery, and it means that if you want to ever replace it yourself you end up looking at a 50-steps long guide on ifixit where one of them is pouring solvent behind the battery - it's insane. Just have a system of tabs holding the battery packs in place, glue is not needed.
  - Bud 5y ago
    No, it's not laziness. Nothing about the internal design of the Mac is due to "laziness". Apple has clearly decided that the battery is better held in place by adhesive than by a "system of tabs". This could easily be for durability or safety reasons. It's a big, big problem if a battery gets damaged. If your argument is that the replacement process has too many steps, this argument fails: you'd save at most one step (out of your claimed 50) if the adhesive were not there. Because the battery is not terribly accessible.
    - gambiting 5y ago
      >>If your argument is that the replacement process has too many steps, this argument fails: you'd save at most one step (out of your claimed 50) if the adhesive were not there. Thank you for making an assumption on my behalf, but that's actually not my argument - I do have an issue with the fact that replacing the battery requires pouring solvent behind the case, as the guide clearly warns you that if you mess this up you will damage other components and the screen. That's an unacceptable process for a battery replacement, I don't mind the disassembly of everything else to get to there. I will repeat myself - there is absolutely no reason to use glue in a case as tight as that of a modern MacBook.
    - nescioquid 5y ago
      > Apple has clearly decided that the battery is better held in place by adhesive ... They decided to glue the battery down. You may assume that each decision by Apple seeks an optimum, so you concluded this decision was for the best. But better for whom -- Apple or the consumer? Note also, that when I replace a battery that's been glued in, there are many more steps than for devices that aren't so glued down. Possibly because the people who designed it were thinking about repair and replacement scenarios.
    - sudosysgen 5y ago
      Glue is not protective. The only purpose of glue is to prevent the battery from moving around, which tabs and straps do perfectly well. The battery is protected by the metal casing and nothing else, glue or no glue.
    - qq4 5y ago
      This could easily be done for profit, as well!
    - traceroute66 5y ago
      Apple batteries are glued for two reasons: - The aluminium laptop case is part of the battery. In the old days there was a plastic case/shell around the battery cells. Now the laptop case is that shell. - It allows them to make the laptops thinner. When you are talking about the need to save millimeters here and there in order to have a very thin total design then you need to remove screws, tabs and stuff that pads up space.
      - riffic 5y ago
        Planned obsolescence and user hostility, got it.
    - taylodl 5y ago
      It's probably being done for ease of manufacturing. The bots can handle glue better than tabs and straps. Also, they can put batteries in every dead space available in the machine to maximize system battery life. I agree it's ridiculous you need to use a solvent, carefully, in order to remove the batteries. I suppose this is the state of the art for now?
    - noduerme 5y ago
      My 2015 Air has an easily replaceable battery. It's needed replacement once and only requires a screwdriver. That's good design. Gluing a battery in is only "good design" if you want to make it as difficult as possible for people to repair their own machines. Heck, I still have MBPs that had hot swappable batteries. That was even better design.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  Permanently glued batteries are not any smaller and they are no lighter than strapped batteries with easily removed adhesives. It's a move to prevent repair.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    This conspiracy theory doesn't even make any sense. Guess who has to replace these batteries? Apple. Why would they make it harder for themselves without a good reason.
    - SirZimzim 5y ago
      The idea is that due to the special repair it will be costly enough to the point where you will opt for buying a new laptop. It's $200 for a 2015 MacBook Pro for Apple to replace the battery. An aftermarket battery costs around $50 but it's tricky to install.
      - chrisseaton 5y ago
        > The idea is that due to the special repair it will be costly enough But Apple has to replace the batteries and pay for it under their warranties, not you.
        VortexDream 5y ago
        Warranty only goes for 1-3 years. Where the rate of failure for batteries is very low. After that, you're stuck with high repair costs or buying a new device that falls under warranty again. It's a racket and people keep falling for it.
        zenexer 5y ago
        Maybe it's different in some parts of the world, but at least in the US, the scenario described by the parent will not be covered by the warranty, and you will have to pay for it: > It's $200 for a 2015 MacBook Pro for Apple to replace the battery.
        5y ago
- riffic 5y ago
  I'd prefer a system that was a bit more durable and also put the consumables in a place where they were easily accessed. we've reached the point where all advantages to devices being smaller and lighter are diminished returns.
  - mixedCase 5y ago
    If you care about maintainability, you're just not the market Macbooks are optimized for. While most brand-new laptops have unfortunately dropped externally removable batteries altogether, you can still find plenty that have internal user-replaceable ones. At home I have a work-provided Dell Latitude, a Thinkpad T470 my SO uses and my own Thinkpad T490. Very happy with all of them 'cept mine has a shitty screen that I'm going to replace at some point.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]

you know, if expanding batteries were so problematic, why the heck does Apple glue them into the topcase?

by riffic 5y ago

you know, if expanding batteries were so problematic, why the heck does Apple glue them into the topcase?

spullara 5y ago

To make the computer smaller and lighter.

gambiting 5y ago
I refuse to accept that as an answer as to why the battery is glued in. It's just laziness by apple, there's is literally zero reason to use glue to hold the battery, and it means that if you want to ever replace it yourself you end up looking at a 50-steps long guide on ifixit where one of them is pouring solvent behind the battery - it's insane. Just have a system of tabs holding the battery packs in place, glue is not needed.
- Bud 5y ago
  No, it's not laziness. Nothing about the internal design of the Mac is due to "laziness". Apple has clearly decided that the battery is better held in place by adhesive than by a "system of tabs". This could easily be for durability or safety reasons. It's a big, big problem if a battery gets damaged. If your argument is that the replacement process has too many steps, this argument fails: you'd save at most one step (out of your claimed 50) if the adhesive were not there. Because the battery is not terribly accessible.
  - gambiting 5y ago
    >>If your argument is that the replacement process has too many steps, this argument fails: you'd save at most one step (out of your claimed 50) if the adhesive were not there. Thank you for making an assumption on my behalf, but that's actually not my argument - I do have an issue with the fact that replacing the battery requires pouring solvent behind the case, as the guide clearly warns you that if you mess this up you will damage other components and the screen. That's an unacceptable process for a battery replacement, I don't mind the disassembly of everything else to get to there. I will repeat myself - there is absolutely no reason to use glue in a case as tight as that of a modern MacBook.
  - nescioquid 5y ago
    > Apple has clearly decided that the battery is better held in place by adhesive ... They decided to glue the battery down. You may assume that each decision by Apple seeks an optimum, so you concluded this decision was for the best. But better for whom -- Apple or the consumer? Note also, that when I replace a battery that's been glued in, there are many more steps than for devices that aren't so glued down. Possibly because the people who designed it were thinking about repair and replacement scenarios.
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    Glue is not protective. The only purpose of glue is to prevent the battery from moving around, which tabs and straps do perfectly well. The battery is protected by the metal casing and nothing else, glue or no glue.
  - qq4 5y ago
    This could easily be done for profit, as well!
  - traceroute66 5y ago
    Apple batteries are glued for two reasons: - The aluminium laptop case is part of the battery. In the old days there was a plastic case/shell around the battery cells. Now the laptop case is that shell. - It allows them to make the laptops thinner. When you are talking about the need to save millimeters here and there in order to have a very thin total design then you need to remove screws, tabs and stuff that pads up space.
    - riffic 5y ago
      Planned obsolescence and user hostility, got it.
  - taylodl 5y ago
    It's probably being done for ease of manufacturing. The bots can handle glue better than tabs and straps. Also, they can put batteries in every dead space available in the machine to maximize system battery life. I agree it's ridiculous you need to use a solvent, carefully, in order to remove the batteries. I suppose this is the state of the art for now?
  - noduerme 5y ago
    My 2015 Air has an easily replaceable battery. It's needed replacement once and only requires a screwdriver. That's good design. Gluing a battery in is only "good design" if you want to make it as difficult as possible for people to repair their own machines. Heck, I still have MBPs that had hot swappable batteries. That was even better design.
sudosysgen 5y ago
Permanently glued batteries are not any smaller and they are no lighter than strapped batteries with easily removed adhesives. It's a move to prevent repair.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  This conspiracy theory doesn't even make any sense. Guess who has to replace these batteries? Apple. Why would they make it harder for themselves without a good reason.
  - SirZimzim 5y ago
    The idea is that due to the special repair it will be costly enough to the point where you will opt for buying a new laptop. It's $200 for a 2015 MacBook Pro for Apple to replace the battery. An aftermarket battery costs around $50 but it's tricky to install.
    - chrisseaton 5y ago
      > The idea is that due to the special repair it will be costly enough But Apple has to replace the batteries and pay for it under their warranties, not you.
      - VortexDream 5y ago
        Warranty only goes for 1-3 years. Where the rate of failure for batteries is very low. After that, you're stuck with high repair costs or buying a new device that falls under warranty again. It's a racket and people keep falling for it.
      - zenexer 5y ago
        Maybe it's different in some parts of the world, but at least in the US, the scenario described by the parent will not be covered by the warranty, and you will have to pay for it: > It's $200 for a 2015 MacBook Pro for Apple to replace the battery.
      - 5y ago
riffic 5y ago
I'd prefer a system that was a bit more durable and also put the consumables in a place where they were easily accessed. we've reached the point where all advantages to devices being smaller and lighter are diminished returns.
- mixedCase 5y ago
  If you care about maintainability, you're just not the market Macbooks are optimized for. While most brand-new laptops have unfortunately dropped externally removable batteries altogether, you can still find plenty that have internal user-replaceable ones. At home I have a work-provided Dell Latitude, a Thinkpad T470 my SO uses and my own Thinkpad T490. Very happy with all of them 'cept mine has a shitty screen that I'm going to replace at some point.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]