iFixit has done the unthinkable to a unibody 17-inch MacBook! Removed the battery

Seth Weintraub
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February 17, 2009
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OK, we used up all of our good jokes in the title...and it wasn't even that good.  But if you want to know what the inside of your MacBook 17 inch looks like, have a gander at iFixit's take apart.

It really doesn't look like rocket science to pull out the battery - it even has a nice lil'tab to help those with meat hooks.  For all of the griping about a non-removable battery, it doesn't seem like it is that "non".

They also show you how to add a $99, 500GB hard drive.

 

Comments (10)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 17, 2009 - 1:30pm

love how the label says "Do not remove the battery"

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 17, 2009 - 4:17pm

And people were complaining about a non removable battery...I knew that Apple would design it in a way that makes it possible for ANYONE to replace it. All you need are the guts to do it yourself. I would gladly trade a five hour battery life for the need to remove 13 screws to replace the battery

Ryan Gray (not verified) | February 17, 2009 - 5:32pm

All the moaning was over the over a "non-swappable" battery, even though everyone went around saying, incorrectly, it was "non-replaceable". Then Apple said that you could replace it, but still people moaned. "Non-replaceable" would be like soldered to the motherboard or something, which there was no proof of.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 17, 2009 - 11:33pm

Try spilling something on it and then unscrewing all those screws and removing the non-removable battery. It'll have cooked by then.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 18, 2009 - 6:57am

I'm not sure what all the moaning is about. I've never removed my battery from any laptop I've owned, and I've never had a spare battery to "swap in" when mine was low on juice.

I think Apple could go one step beyond in the world of power adapters.

The general design of the MacBook power adapters is fairly good now - compact, magsafe, standard ISO cable capability, 100-250v compatibility. But making this standard adapter with a detachable "airline" magsafe cable would be an awesome addition. Yes, it could be lost - but on the flip side, travelers would almost always be prepared. Encourage auto manufacturers to support the standard. Done.

Also, let the Apple wall adapter charge an iPod directly, so in a pinch I can use its capabilities to charge my iPhone w/o computer. And of course, make sure that any Magsafe wall adapter can provide power to any Apple laptop. In other words, standardize them. Three different models is silly.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 18, 2009 - 10:39am

About time. Can't wait to see if the hard drive and ram are set up the same as the smaller unibodies. More than likely, people are replacing these far before they replace the battery.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 18, 2009 - 10:42am

What's next? $12,000 BMWs and $500 Rolexes? Apple, please don't cheapen or dilute the Apple name by coming out with cheap consumer products that the masses can afford. Apple is a luxury brand, always has been, and I hope they always will.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 18, 2009 - 10:42am

What's next? $12,000 BMWs and $500 Rolexes? Apple, please don't cheapen or dilute the Apple name by coming out with cheap consumer products that the masses can afford. Apple is a luxury brand, always has been, and I hope they always will.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 18, 2009 - 1:22pm

i am afraid that i 'm agree with ya.right.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 18, 2009 - 4:02pm

You are really going to want to put this hard drive in not a 5400:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148374