My thought is that the companies that make the external battery packs are going to see a rise in business now
The external battery packs don't help unless Apple licenses MagSafe, which they haven't.
I've got nothing new here; I just think this is worth reiterating:
As it stands now, there is no real, non-hack, option for having an external battery pack for a MacBook. If you are one of the people for whom a single battery is not enough, you have no recourse at all. Other than not buying a Mac laptop.