Apple Glue Controversy

Recently Apple released their new Mac Book Pro with Retina displays that come off stylish and beautiful, but a number of people are ready to condemn it because of some glue.  In order to keep their Mac Book Pro line thin and sleek with a bigger battery, Apple decided to remove the battery cover and directly glue it to the aluminum case.  With this change, you will no longe be able to replace the battery and will have to find a tech savvy friend, or send it directly to Apple.

This creates two issues.  First, the current voluntary standard for computer environmental friendliness, EPEAT, states that hazardous materials should be easily removed from the computer and industrial strength glue goes right against that idea.  There is no way to get to the battery without cracking open the shell and prying it off the case with this strong adhesive making this nearly impossible for the average consumer.  Apple also states through documentation that no one should attempt to remove the battery apart from Apple itself which charges a hefty fee of $199.  Second, even with a quality battery you have to expect a loss of charge and the desire to replace it down the line.  How long you expect to keep a notebook computer varies from person to person and you should also factor in the amount of time it's being used without a wall outlet connection.

Battery Replacement Cost For the United States

Apple Price
Region	MacBook Pro 13-inch and 15-inch	MacBook Pro 17-inch	MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)
United States	$129 pre taxes	$179 pre taxes	$199 pre taxes

From Apple's Battery Replacement Web Page, http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/service/battery/

From personal experience, heavily using a notebook computer after 18 - 24 months, you begin to notice a drop in the amount of charge it can hold.  Instead of the advertised 7 hours, I would expect something along the line of 4 hours or less.  Another 12 months and it will decrease even more to the point that I would want to replace the battery entirely.  This would give a notebook computer a portable use life of about three years till it gets to the point of desperately needing a new battery.

The spat of environmentally friendly design seems minor when you look at Apple's history of using recyclable materials like aluminium, removing arsenic from the display, and removing PVC entirely.  The battery is a hazardous item and being able to remove it safely is a valid concern.  The responsibility of it has simple been moved directly to Apple for a fee which doesn't hamper the use or environmental impact significantly in any way.  Consumers should be sending the old battery to Apple or off to a recycle facility when they are finished with it, but realistically many people do not.

If your worry is on the ability of this computer to remain usable, a three year life span for the battery would be realistic and should be expected in the final cost of ownership.

Artificial Acne Means Great Motion Capture

IGN just posted a really interesting video of how Beyond: Two Souls is creating digital actors for their new game over at Quantic Dream's motion capturing facilities.  Motion capture is the process of taking a live actor, key areas of their body is marked with easy to read computer identifiers like all the little grey balls seen here, and translating that movement into a computer generated world.  

The end product is amazingly well done, more so when you have seen some of the older computer worlds without any type of motion capture and people come across very stiff and unrealistic.

This video reminds me of playing make-believe as a child, fake dinner meals and all.  The game itself is shaping up very nicely and with this type of technology, it will at the least be a technical marvel.