Nope, that metal piece doesn't extend all the way to the bottom of the system, and the battery appears to partially sit on top of it. So right there you would have to shave off a bit of the battery along the entire length.
This view helps to show that.
I think you're wrong. Compare
this. There's an aluminum separator visible basically the whole way between the battery and the main board. And, yes, it doesn't quite reach the bottom panel, but it would not take up any more room if it were to.
Maybe? The battery in the new MacBook Pro wouldn't pass any number of US or international certifications if it was shipped as a user replaceable part. Puncturing lithium batteries is a very bad idea, and I doubt Apple really wants the ire of the FAA when some dinner knife in first class falls off a tray, punctures some guys laptop bag, and starts a fire.
Make the battery case out of aluminum. Problem solved. Unless the current plastic case is so thin as to be non-rigid, that's not any additional space, and any issues with the battery shorting against the case are easily solvable with some insulating tape.
Yes, it's all a big conspiracy to ensure that people debate this on and on again on online forums. Glad you solved it. :-)
I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that they probably did it solely for manufacturing reasons, and are spinning it as a positive to the consumer in order to ameliorate the reduced feature set.
That said, at least the battery actually is field-replaceable, though maybe not officially. I was under the impression that it was soldered to the board and if the battery died, it was back to the factory. Of course, if the cells being used are non-standard, the chances of there being an after-market replacement are slim. Which means that when Apple EoLs it, it's a paperweight.
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