01-12-2011, 11:35 AM

Mine is the 15 inch 2006 model and It's about time for a new battery. This one holds a charge for 30-40 minutes, and most of the time we use the computer is it plugged in so I'm in no hurry...but it's getting close to time for a new one.

I've done some searching and the battery on Apple's site gets HORRID reviews, so I'm probably gonna steer clear of that one. Is there a 3rd party manufacturer that would be a good replacement?

01-13-2011, 10:05 PM

Hey...just a shameless bump before this drops to the depths of forgotten message board lore.

01-13-2011, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by AUZambo

I've done some searching and the battery on Apple's site gets HORRID reviews, so I'm probably gonna steer clear of that one. Is there a 3rd party manufacturer that would be a good replacement?

Not sure where you're getting the bad reviews for Apple batteries...but remember that for every bad review you read...there are probably 500-1000 happy customers.

I'm not saying Apple batteries are perfect (although I honestly haven't heard of many folks having problems)...the 3rd party folks are probably worse.

Bottom line...the Apple batteries IMHO...are your best choice.

HTH,

- Nick

01-13-2011, 11:02 PM

Well the average rating of MBP batteries on Apple's own website is two stars, so it's hard to give any product with such a rating a ringing endorsement. However, I'm willing to bet that a good number of people never calibrate their batteries, which is so essential.

Personally, my own MBP battery is three years old and will still hold a charge for a couple of hours. When I got my second battery for backup, the only reason I got another manufacturer's version is because Apple charges so much for one of their new batteries.

I found one on ebay that was affordable and also works very well. Between calibrating the batteries and swapping them out, I'm never out of power for long. So I would check ebay for a good, legit deal.

01-16-2011, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

Not sure where you're getting the bad reviews for Apple batteries...but remember that for every bad review you read...there are probably 500-1000 happy customers.

The bad reviews are from Apple's web site. It averages 2 out of 5 stars...but a lot of the bad reviews that I read are also people complaining about the original battery that came with their MBP. Mine is 4 years old and never has given me any problems.

I have considered that the people most likely to take the time to review a product are the ones who have had a negative experience. Not many people call a company to say, "Hey, remember that washing machine I bought last year? No? Well, I'm just calling you to let you know it still works."

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Well the average rating of MBP batteries on Apple's own website is two stars, so it's hard to give any product with such a rating a ringing endorsement. However, I'm willing to bet that a good number of people never calibrate their batteries, which is so essential.

Personally, my own MBP battery is three years old and will still hold a charge for a couple of hours. When I got my second battery for backup, the only reason I got another manufacturer's version is because Apple charges so much for one of their new batteries.

I found one on ebay that was affordable and also works very well. Between calibrating the batteries and swapping them out, I'm never out of power for long. So I would check ebay for a good, legit deal.

Calibrating a battery is simply letting it cycle regularly, right? We do usually keep the computer plugged in, but about once a week I make sure to use it one day without the charger attached, and I'll use it 'til it shuts itself off due to lack of power. Then I charge it that night.

01-16-2011, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by AUZambo

I have considered that the people most likely to take the time to review a product are the ones who have had a negative experience. Not many people call a company to say, "Hey, remember that washing machine I bought last year? No? Well, I'm just calling you to let you know it still works."

Ha ha ha...EXACTLY! I love the your washing machine analogy!

That's why it's really tough to trust online review summaries/statistics...they're usually FULL of folks with negative reviews...and short on positive reviews.

In fact...I sometimes think that there's a "snowball" effect...where someone starts reading the reviews for a product...realizes that they had a similar problem with the same product...and then feels "obligated" to join in on the product "bashing".

Of course this could happen with positive reviews as well...but I think that we know that folks that have had a negative experience are MUCH MORE motivated to complain...than folks with positive experiences are to praise a product.

- Nick