Apple is known for often searching for ways to charge premiums on their products and for puzzling design decisions.  When news of the MacBook Pro 17" update leaked to the web, many were excited with the prospect of getting their hands on Apple's new flagship product showcasing the new aluminum unibody design. 

That excitement quickly turned to concern, though, as Apple announced the product at MacWorld, and revealed that the battery would be much harder to replace.

While the previous 17" MacBook Pro did not have the slick aluminum case of its successor, what it did have was an easily replaceable, relatively inexpensive battery.  The new laptop, which is promised to last 8 hours on a charge, like the MacBook Air, features an extremely hard to replace battery design.

Now more details have come out of Apple, thanks to a discussion between Apple representatives and Gizmodo.  The company has confirmed a replacement price of $179 to remove the new battery and have it replaced.

Fortunately, Apple estimates that a battery has 1,000 charge cycles in it.  This means that at a mid-use scenario of 200 charges per year, the battery would last 5 years.  However, for heavy users this scenario becomes slightly less optimistic, as daily charges would necessitate a replacement in 3 years or less.

The new battery represents perhaps Apple's priciest replacement to date.  Even the MacBook Air's battery only costs $129 to replace.  However, the battery used in the new 17" MacBook Pro is a more advanced design, which Apple states is the reason for the added cost.