Can new battery be used in older MacBook Pro 13"

Hey DJ Tarazona, can you post the source for your answer?

Do you think a full Logic Board switch is possible (if unreasonable) to also get audio from the Mini DisplayPort?

Certainly. First, if you look at Wikipedia, the batteries have different watt-hour ratings, which I assume would cause an issue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Pro...

I'm also pretty sure I remember reading an article about how the new batteries are slightly bigger (in physical size).

And again with the full Logic Board switch, I'm thinking the possibility is very unlikely as the size / screw locations, etc might not match up. I don't have enough information to be sure though.

Thank you for responding DJT, but I have to disagree with your method and answer.

If your initial response was based upon incorrect deduction and not experience, I'd like to point out that different does not strictly mean a part is incompatible, especially considering that Apple uses batteries with different watt-hour ratings within identical models as a matter of course. Check a few System Profilers on the same model Macs and you'll get different manufacturers and firmwares and mAH ratings.

I can't find an article that says the batteries are a different physical size.

Also, see this thread and the teardown I reference within, please: Does the new battery last longer, or is it the laptop itself?

As per your reference to wishing you could upgrade the battery in your 17" MBP, I guess you have the Mid 2009 revision. I cite Apple's own specifications for your model and the early 2010 model to show that they both have 95 watt-hour batteries:

1) MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010) - Technical Specifications: http://support.apple.com/kb/SP581

2) MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009) - Technical Specifications: http://support.apple.com/kb/SP546

And, thusly, I deduce that the battery life increase is due to the new CPU, GPU, Chipset, Firmware combination not to a higher rated battery.

I think that what I said here and in the MacBook thread also applies to the relationship between the mid 2009 and early 2010 13" MBPs batteries: they are cross compatible but will not result in a meaningful increase in battery life. I'll update this thread when I verify.

No worries Justin, I stand corrected.