MacBook Air Batteries Replaceable in Minutes: Apple Store Employee

I've been impressed with the MacBook Air, with a few exceptions. Lack of a wired Ethernet port, only one USB port, no optical drive - and an integrated battery that is not user-replaceable. However, at least for those in range of an Apple Store, it's not all that bad.

According to an Apple Store employee, if you bring in a MacBook Air needed a battery replacement, it'll take them just a few minutes to swap out the battery. Flip it upside down, the unscrew and remove the MacBook Air's bottom cover, and there's the battery compartment. The battery can then be unscrewed from the laptop case and unplugged from the circuit board with a slight tug.

That's all well and good for those within range of an Apple Store, but for those too far away? Apple has a web page that details the replacement plan. For those users, not only will they be without their Air for 5 days, Apple will not guarantee the integrity of their data - and it'll cost them $129.

Of course, I haven't heard about this in-store service from anyone but this Apple Store employee, but it sounds reasonable. If it's true, it would certainly relieve those of us in the Bay Area of some of our reluctance over the Air.