Recently, Apple announced that it would be using lithium-polymer batteries in its new MacBook models, and that the battery would no longer be user-replaceable. Many users were upset by this change, even though Apple claimed it would offer better battery life. Was this switch a good or a bad thing for consumers? Let us take a look at the pros and cons of these new batteries.

Lithium-polymer batteries are a variation of lithium-ion, but the polymer of the batteries allows them to be more shapeable than typical lithium-ion batteries, which generally must be square or rectangular in shape. Apple has utilized this technology to have the battery take up more of the available space in notebooks, which adds up to more battery volume, and therefore longer battery life.

The longer battery life afforded by this change is certainly a good thing for consumers. The 13-inch models can last for up to 10 hours on a single charge, and the 15 and 17 inch models can last for up to 8-9 hours. These are some of the best battery life ratings of any notebooks on the market.

But what happens when the battery needs to be replaced? Well, Apple has improved on this aspect as well. They claim the new batteries will support up to 1,000 full charge and discharge cycles, which is around 3 times more than the life span of a typical lithium-ion battery. Effectively, this is like getting the life span of three batteries in one notebook. In addition to that long battery lifetime, Apple does offer a battery replacement program for a flat repair fee if the machine is shipped back to Apple.

For users who still want a user-replaceable battery, Apple’s decision may still be disappointing. Many users like to carry multiple batteries for extra battery life, as they can swap a fresh battery when the first runs out. With a battery life of up to 10 hours, however, users are already getting around 3 times the battery life of older models, making this less of an issue, and it would seem that the many benefits of this new design far outweigh the drawbacks.