12-08-2004, 01:24 AM

I am purchasing a 12" iBook very soon for college. I have just one simple question.....what kind of battery life can I expect on one battery? I am going to buy the extra bat. from the Apple Store, but I was wondering if I would need maybe more than one. I usually would use the laptop, power on, actually using software (not in sleep mode) for about 6-8 hours aday. I am a recent MAC convert from the microsoft world and I love my new IMAC G5 and want to replace my Toshiba laptop with a small portable ibook. Thanks in advance guys and Happy Holidays!

12-08-2004, 02:26 AM

Well the 14" one works for up to 6 hours I've never used a 12" one but guess you can expect 6-7 hours from that one too.

12-08-2004, 06:59 AM

I would say that's slightly exaggerated... Most users tend to see battery life of around 4-5 hours, 6 is the upper ceiling...

One spare should be plenty...
But in college you shouldn't have much trouble finding a spare power outlet should you? Our college has one's for laptop users all over the place, not that I bother to take my AC adapter though-..

12-08-2004, 08:41 AM

i'd say more like 4hrs or so on a full 99% charge. But yes, you should be able to plug it in somewhere anyway!

12-08-2004, 12:06 PM

First off it depends. What kind of software are we talking about? Word processing or video editing, photoshop? Putting the power settings on "longest battery life" and dimming the lcd slightly should give you around 4-5 hours for basic office tasks and web.

12-08-2004, 05:27 PM

I have a iBook 12" and 4-5 is about right. To make the computer run longer, I usually turn the brightness to the lowest notch on the bar.

12-08-2004, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by iWhat

I have a iBook 12" and 4-5 is about right. To make the computer run longer, I usually turn the brightness to the last notch on the bar.

Yes, I also keep the brightness down, the Airport off, and have my power settings set to go to sleep real quick when running on battery power.

12-08-2004, 07:28 PM

only problem with the spare battery is that you have to charge one at a time because as far as i know there are no external chargres...well its not a big deal but you lose some charge..If your going to carry another battery..reallly you should just carry your AC adaptor anyways. To increase battery life to maximum lower your brightness as much as you can stand it and turn the power settings to low...try to not open and close a lot of programs and or files because the hard drive uses a good amount of juice when it spins up

12-08-2004, 10:24 PM

For normal operations, like web browsing, word processing etc I get around 5 hours on full charge. Screen brightness also plays a role in extending battery life. If not using keep Airport off.
Hope this helps

SuhasG

12-09-2004, 12:21 AM

ya I get the same as well

12-10-2004, 01:42 AM

Thanks for the info everyone. Well, my university does not have alot of technology support and laptop dock stations and electrical support is not readly available. I just would be using Word and some Photoshop, not much more. I will email alot but thats about it. Again thanks! You guys are great! :mac: