PowerBook battery - Can this be right!?

1. Ian Cargill - 27 January 2008

   So, my four year old G4 Powerbook (17 inch Alluminium) has started to revert to that date (is it 1901?) which lets me know that its internal back up battery needs replaced.

   Thinking that a replacement would cost about five quid - no, ten quid, this is a Mac! - and be readily available at my local Maplins, I had a quick look on the net to see what I needed.

   Well, first off, these things are surprisingly thin on the ground. http://www.applemacparts.co.uk/store/ seems to be one of the very few sources for a replacement battery. You'd think they would be in the Applestore. I mean, shouldn't there be hundreds of thousands of aging PowerBooks with depleted batteries by now!?

   Secondly, the replacement battery isn't just a battery, it's a whole USB port and battery assembly (see
   http://www.applemacparts.co.uk/store/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=35 2&products_id=63133 ). And it doesn't cost £10, it's £65 + VAT + Shipping. That's over £80!

   To add insult to injury, it seems that much of the PowerBook has to be disassembled in order to fit the thing - torque screwdrivers, ribbns disconnected, the lot!

   Rant over. Starting to feel a bit better!

   Ian

2. David Kennedy - 28 January 2008

   US$80 from ifixit.com so 80 quid is about right...

   Why not fit a larger HD while you're in there!

   David Kennedy

   http://www.anindianinexile.com

3. Ian Cargill - 28 January 2008

   snip
   . And it doesn't cost £10, it's £65 + VAT +

   Shipping. That's over £80!

   I've just ordered a replacement for the main battery of the PowerBook (the original lasted about an hour on full charge and, if left for a couple of days, drained completely which I suppose accellerated the death of the internal PRAM battery!). It's a non-Apple battery, mind you, but it cost only £36 all in, including shipping. That's less than half the cost of the PRAM battery. It seems perverse!

   Ian