09-24-2009, 05:29 PM

Hey guys.
its been 2 weeks i ve used my new macbook. i feel that the battery life is not as promised. can someone tell me as how i could really check how long the battery lasts after one full charge?

if mine is not working as expected i could still go for an exchange

kindly advice.

09-24-2009, 05:35 PM

umm... time it w/ stop watch?

istat (a widget) give alot of info about the battery!!

09-24-2009, 05:36 PM

Have you calibrated your battery?

09-24-2009, 07:06 PM

I would calibrate the battery as described here:

Mac OS X 10.4 Help: Calibrating a MacBook or MacBook Pro battery

and then take note of when you started using it. In System Preferences>Energy Saver, check the box that says "Show battery status in menu bar". Once the battery icon is in the menu bar, right click it and choose Show>Time or Show>Percentage. You could also use the iStat widget to track the battery life, but it might not be too accurate and you already have everything you need in your toolbar really.

Remember that Apple's estimated (and most optimistic) battery life is based on light usage, a dimmer display, and energy saving settings. If you're watching DVD's or processing video with the screen at full brightness, you're going to get far less life from your battery than if you're just surfing the web with the brightness turned down and Bluetooth turned off.

09-25-2009, 03:41 PM

Thanks A Lot Friends. I Relly Appreciate Ur Prompt Reply. Will Keep Updated With Wat Happens

09-25-2009, 03:44 PM

how long is your battery life?

09-25-2009, 11:37 PM

which macbook do you have? White? Aluminum, Mabook Pro?

My Macbook1 (1.83ghz model) is about 3 years old, on my second battery, i have calibrated the battery (both batteries) and my max time i get is about 3 hours of constant usage, since i keep the top closed and its on standby ill get about 2.5hrs off an on total. Once a month ill completely kill and recharge the battery while the macbook is closed and powered down. (to get a full uninterrupted charge)

The newer Macbook5's and MacbookPro 13"s are quoted to get about 4-5hrs.

09-25-2009, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by maz94protege

which macbook do you have? White? Aluminum, Mabook Pro?
The newer Macbook5's and MacbookPro 13"s are quoted to get about 4-5hrs.

The new ones are actually supposed to get 6-8 depending on model/gfx card

09-26-2009, 12:03 AM

Yea, these are advertised as "up to" times though. If youre watching video or viewing webpages with a lot of flash ads and your monitor brightness is up all the way, you'll see that time drop a couple hours. If I have my monitor up all the way, adium and itunes open, and am browsing the web, I'll get 3-3:30 on a full charge. If I'm laying in bed at night with brightness turned all the way down and just safari open reading the BBC before I fall asleep, I can get 5-6 hours. That's with a unibody macbook 2GHz.

09-26-2009, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by DarkestRitual

Yea, these are advertised as "up to" times though. If youre watching video or viewing webpages with a lot of flash ads and your monitor brightness is up all the way, you'll see that time drop a couple hours. If I have my monitor up all the way, adium and itunes open, and am browsing the web, I'll get 3-3:30 on a full charge. If I'm laying in bed at night with brightness turned all the way down and just safari open reading the BBC before I fall asleep, I can get 5-6 hours. That's with a unibody macbook 2GHz.

Shh! Don't ruin my positive outlook on battery life

09-26-2009, 01:51 AM

Sorry buddy. The battery life is still good, I'm just trying to explain to this guy not to expect the moon and the stars while he's surfing a ton of flash intensive web pages with his brightness all the way up and like 8 useless apps open.

Then again, mine is only advertised as "up to" 5 hours. So the average of 4 hours I get with brightness a little over half way is pretty sweet.

09-26-2009, 02:49 AM

Originally Posted by DarkestRitual

Sorry buddy. The battery life is still good, I'm just trying to explain to this guy not to expect the moon and the stars while he's surfing a ton of flash intensive web pages with his brightness all the way up and like 8 useless apps open.

Then again, mine is only advertised as "up to" 5 hours. So the average of 4 hours I get with brightness a little over half way is pretty sweet.

Its okay, i understand and forgive you

09-26-2009, 01:32 PM

Glad to hear it haha.