I started out with a Mac mini on the principle that a 'luggable desktop' was useful, but found it annoying to have to think about peripherals. I moved to a refurb white Macbook in December 2007, since when it's been my only computer (until I recently got a Chromebook as my 'secondary and portable' computer. The Macbook strikes me as heavy-ish, the battery life has never been any better than three or four hours, and because it's my computer I wouldn't take it out for the day where it might be lost or stolen. If I go away for a week or weekend I take it with me, and use it on mains power (the only thing I gain from using the battery is the extra worry about how long it will last).
Pretty much the only useful thing the battery does, using it that way, is that it holds power through power cuts and accidental disconnections.
I'd quite happily leave the battery there indefinitely, if all it does was lose power over its lifetime and eventually not work. I'm on my second blown battery in six years, so I decided to go without the battery forever (because it's a luggable desktop and the moment I put in another battery it will add to the running costs).
It was a nasty surprise to find that Apple fuses its wildly expensive (and slightly unreliable) battery with the backplate so I ended up with Polo, the Computer with a Hole in It. So as far as closing it up goes I'd have to go with the proper battery (which fits, but costs £100 every two or three years) or the cheap Far Eastern clone (which does not fit properly, and it's anyone's guess how reliable or safe it is over time, but is inexpensive).
I used it once with the hole in it, and the back corner where the power cord fits got disturbingly hot over not a hugely long time. Does this mean that the electricity which would otherwise charge the thing is running riot frying or melting whatever gets in the way, or is it within normal parameters (I rarely grab it by the underneath in normal use)?
Today I got a plastic shell case instead. It has some vents over the hole where the battery was, which I'm considering taping up (the main issue I considered with the hole was dirt and gunk), and other vents in the bottom pa rt which is slightly raised, and am using this. Is this a safe and effective way to use the machine? Are there any issues I haven't thought of?
