Installing this battery is just like any MacBook Pro battery. Make sure to take off the plastic covering, and simply pop the battery into place. It fits perfectly, although the color of the finish on this battery is slightly darker than my MacBook Pro's finish (see angled view and facing view). However, this is barely noticeable, and once the battery is in, it looks almost identical to an Apple Battery

Being a battery, the main thing everyone wants to know is how long this thing lasts. FastMac has some fairly misleading advertising stating that their batteries provide up to 68% more runtime than Apple's batteries. That may be true for some of the models, but this model is more like 5-10%, which they don't state in any of their advertising. In my case, System profiler is claiming that I have 5900 mAh in this battery, which is about 7% more than a standard Apple battery. Theoretically, if I used to get 4 hours of runtime, that means I would get about 17 minutes of extra runtime from this battery. Actually testing that is near impossible, but it's nice to know that I might have a few extra minutes from this battery.

In my "tests" of doing normal web surfing, chatting, RSS reading, VPN, and maybe watching a few videos, I'm seeing about 4 hours of runtime. This is about what I would expect to see. Obviously you can try to setup your computer for even better battery performance, if you really need to squeak out a bit more time to get your work done. Just like Apple, FastMac recommends that you re-condition your battery with a full power cycle about once a month to get the best possible performance from your battery.

Besides being a battery with slightly higher capacity, the TruePower technology provides a few extra benefits. First is that this battery doesn't use any Sony cells. The Sony cells are those that have been linked to batteries overheating, which can cause swelling and/or explosions. FastMac claims that if these batteries do swell or short circuit, internal circuit will detect this and prevent the battery from further damage. Also, the batteries sold by FastMac supposedly contain some patented technology to smooth out power spikes that are caused by normal operation, which extend the life of the battery, which should give it an even better value than Apple's batteries. Finally, FastMac's warranty lasts a full year, where Apple only provides 90 days. To me, this peace of mind is excellent, since I have had various MacBook Pro batteries crap out after just under a year. If this one does, I know I can get a replacement at no cost.

I think this battery is a great buy. For $30 less than what you would spend for a genuine Apple battery, you get more capacity, extended battery life (more power cycles), a longer warranty, and cells that are less prone to swelling/overheating. If you are in the market for a new battery for your Apple laptop, I would recommend the FastMac line of batteries as a great alternative to Apple's batteries.

Pros	Cons
Approximately 7% more capacity than Apple's battery Doesn't use Sony cells Circuitry to prevent overheating Presumably evens out power spikes 1 Year Warranty Looks fairly authentic Has built in LED indicators for determining remaining capacity	Aluminum color doesn't fully match Could use ever higher capacity
9/10 stars