It may be a little radical on our part to consider possible alternatives for the "exorbitant" price of most notebook batteries. Replacement batteries for the Apple laptops often cost up to $100, but according to Dan Knight, the cost isn't justifiable. Of course, ordinary consumers would agree to this, but what makes it even more unsettling is the fact that your $100 worth of high-capacity battery replacement means only a bunch of ordinary AA Li-Ion Cells soldered inside your Powerbook.

The standard battery is the AA Li-Ion cell, and Knight says there's no need to solder wires on them or enclose them in fancy cases. Companies that offer battery replacement services don't want to expose the secret -- but in reality there's always a better alternative to these enclosures. An example is a built-in adapter that could accept standard AA Li-Ion batteries. With the addition of some "information on the importance of using a matched set of cells, maybe even a big, bright warning label you'll see every time you replace the batteries", Knight says it eliminates expensive proprietary enclosures or over-engineered battery holders.

Notebook users will eventually find out that Apple, Dell and other notebook manufacturers have all the carte blanche to trim the price of their rechargeable batteries. $100 isn't just worth it, considering that these ordinary AA Li-Ion batteries cost only less than $30!