Macbook Pro 13's battery life

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Hey guys,

I have just bought a new Macbook Pro 13'. I have enjoyed it very much. People have told me that it can last for 7-8 hours. However, I usually get like 5-6 (as it appears on the screen) hours out of it. Is it normal ?
 
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it seems normal. i got a estimated 8 hours on my first charge when only using msn on 40% screen brightness but if you want to do anything useful on ur mac the battery will be around 5hours.
 
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Thank you. Also, what is also the right way to charge the battery ? For the first time, I used up the battery, then charged for 8 hours, then drained it again, then charged for 8 hours. After the first 2 charges, I use up the battery until it dies and then full charge again. Am I using the right way to charge ?

Is it good that I use the laptop while it is charging ?
 
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given the mbp's battery life, that calibration sounds like a time consuming process :) right now i get an entire fairly intense day of use at work and home and still don't need to charge it. if it gets to where i need to charge it during the day i might do it...in fact the only time the battery suffers at all or the laptop heats up at all is when i'm running vista ultimate...sadly for work and a few other applications i still need it and can't wait for windows 7. have to say though, vista runs better on my 2gb mbp than on a 4gb ddr3 p-series intel dell! i can't believe i've put off this purchase for so long and that i was able to put up with my emachines desktop for so many years.
 
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What is the best way to use Macbook Pro 13' 's battery

What is the best way to use Macbook Pro 13' 's battery ?

Should I use up the battery every time ? Or should I plug the power in every time I use ? Do I wait till the battery drain out to charge it or I can charge it at any time ?
 
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you can charge it up any time. Plugging in power will save your battery (making it go through fewer cycles). I always make sure to use the battery occasionally, but I think that's a hangover from when you HAD to run down batteries or you'd nuke them.
 
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thanks. So I am basically destroying the battery by using it all the time right ?

From now on, I should plug in while I use right ? or I should use it partially then recharge it ?
 

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install coconut battery, it will give you a good, periodic view for your battery cycles and health.
coconut battery
I guess, by monitoring how many cycles you had, you can maintain their number, hence have the least cycles possible. I mean, yes, you shouldn't have many loadcycles (shouldn't use the battery alot, plug it when near a supply,etc), but also you should use it from time to time. maybe 1-2 cycles per week . :)
 
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Oh, so I misunderstood how to use battery.

From now on, I should plug my Macbook in most of the time right ? Then use the battery once or twice a week ?
 
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Whenever you can plug it in, probably a wise idea to. But after all, it's a laptop and so use it on battery when it's convenient for you.
 

bobtomay

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For the most part, just use your machine the way you need to use it. I wouldn't worry about it a whole lot. If you're sitting next to an outlet, personally, I plug it in.

Here is Apple's info regarding your battery.

In particular check out the links under Applecare on "How to calibrate..." and "How to maximize...".
 
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install coconut battery, it will give you a good, periodic view for your battery cycles and health.
coconut battery
I guess, by monitoring how many cycles you had, you can maintain their number, hence have the least cycles possible. I mean, yes, you shouldn't have many loadcycles (shouldn't use the battery alot, plug it when near a supply,etc), but also you should use it from time to time. maybe 1-2 cycles per week . :)

On its website, Apple says to cycle the battery at least once a month. I had the same question myself when I got my MBP. Now, I keep it plugged in with the intention of cycling at least once, maybe twice, a month.
 

cwa107


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Batteries are consumables, and the science of conserving their useful life is not an exact one. The advice you received from bobtomay is exactly what I would say - use the computer the way you want to and don't sweat it.

Under normal usage patterns, Apple claims 1000 cycles, which is about 3x that of a normal laptop battery. Since most laptop batteries under normal use last about 2 years, I would imaging you'll get about 5 out of that battery without having to do anything special.
 
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And still people are wondering why Macs are more expensive than other laptop computers, well there it is...
 

pigoo3

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Here's an interesting article I found regarding laptop batteries...(lithium-ion specifically):

How to prolong lithium-based batteries

I'm not sure if the statements in the article are universally accepted but two interesting things were:

- lithium-ion batteries are good for 300-500 charge cycles
- The battery prefers a partial rather than a full discharge. Frequent full discharges should be avoided when possible.

Enjoy the article,

- Nick
 
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but apple has promoted it's new way of charging batteries (hence the extra cycles).

And from what I understand, they have a decent battery replacement scheme.
 

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