So Apple released the updated
17" MacBook Pro yesterday. While they claim 8 hours of battery,
it's all sealed like the MacBook Air. This is not a trend that I like.
I have had to replace the batteries on both of my Macs after about 2
years of use, and if I had to potentially leave the laptop for two
hours to a week so they can replace the battery that I used to be
able to spend 10 minutes replacing, I don't see the progress here. And
this is right after I was happy that they had made the hard drive
accessible on the new 15" MacBook Pros, as I spent way too much time
replacing the HD on my 12" Powerbook, and I dread the time when I need
to replace the HD on my current MacBook Pro. We'll see what the
portable line up looks like in a year when my Apple Care expires, but
if it's all hard wired batteries, the choice to replace the Mac with a
laptop running Linux will be even easier.