NewerTech debuts battery for original unibody MacBook Pro
updated 06:00 pm EDT, Tue May 10, 2011
Slightly more capacity, significantly lower cost
Newer Technology has added a 52 watt-hour replacement battery specifically for the Late 2008 and Early 2009 15-inch MacBook Pros (the first of the "unibody" MPB designs, also known as MacBookPro5,1 and MacBookPro5,2). While the new batteries offer only a modest four percent increase in capacity over the Apple original batteries, they sell for 23 percent less money compared to replacement batteries from Apple for those models.
The "Late 2008" and "Early 2009" MacBook Pros were the first to use the now-standard "unibody" design, and were virtually identical in stock specs except that the later models came standard with 4GB of RAM rather than 2GB, along with some custom options. Both models sported an easily-removable 50 watt-hour lithium-polymer battery. The NuPower batteries are designed to match the tone and style of the original batteries.
The NuPower batteries are available now through the company's exclusive distributor, Other World Computing as well as independent Mac retailers with a retail price of $99, some $30 less than the list price of Apple's replacement. The company also makes lower-cost, higher-capacity replacement batteries for a range of older MacBook Pros, MacBooks, Powerbooks and iBooks, and all come with a one-year warranty.
