Just got the macbook pro.. paranoid about battery.

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afromann13


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I keep hearing about this 1000 charge thing... so now i am worried of even over using my mac book ...

If i am running the macbook with the wall charger is that still taking away from the battery " 1000 " charges.?

and any tips ? thanks
 
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Prolanman


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No it doesn't take away from that. You should calibrate the battery once a month to heep it healthy.
 
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MacInWin

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The battery is Lithium Ion technology. LI-ion prefers full charges and not deep discharges. The quoted "1000" cycles is undoubtedly deep discharges. If you stay above 40%, you'll get at least three times that number of cycles. In fact, you'll start to see aging on the battery within about 2 years of the manufacture of the battery, even if it gets zero use, it's the way the technology works. See this link for more information on the battery chemistry.

Bottom line, use it anyway you need. You'll be replacing it in about the same time no matter what you do, unless you deliberately abuse it.
 
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afromann13


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jakerich said:
The battery is Lithium Ion technology. LI-ion prefers full charges and not deep discharges. The quoted "1000" cycles is undoubtedly deep discharges. If you stay above 40%, you'll get at least three times that number of cycles. In fact, you'll start to see aging on the battery within about 2 years of the manufacture of the battery, even if it gets zero use, it's the way the technology works. See this link for more information on the battery chemistry.

Bottom line, use it anyway you need. You'll be replacing it in about the same time no matter what you do, unless you deliberately abuse it.
Click to expand...

How much does it cost to replace?
 
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Prolanman


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I think I saw a cost of around $128.00 installed.
 
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nictan


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but seriously. to exhause 1000 charges, say you charge from 0% to 100% everyday, it'll take you almost 3 years. but to charge and discharge the battery everyday is highly impossible for a normal user. i probably 'achieve' that once every 2 weeks, even then its not a total discharge. so i'd say you are safe for at least a good 3 years? by then i would assume you'll be changing a new laptop. hahaha.

anw i used to worry about this issue too, but rest assured. macs are so commonly used nowadays, and i hardly see anyone complaining about premature battery deaths.
 
cwa107

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I just wanted to point out that normal notebook batteries are good for about 300 or so charge cycles (and yes, a charge cycle is typically a complete drain and recharge). In my experience, a normal laptop battery maintains a useful life for about 2-3 years. With a 1000 cycle batter, you should get something more like 3 times that lifespan (assuming Apple's claims are based in reality).
 
claudius753

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It's also not 1000 cycles and then you're done, it's 1000 cycles until you are under 80% capacity.

The lifespan of a battery is measured in recharges. One recharge is a complete charge and discharge of a battery’s energy. A recharge doesn’t necessarily occur every time you plug in your notebook; many partial charges can add up to a single full recharge. The typical battery delivers about 200 to 300 recharges before its capacity declines to approximately 80 percent. At that point the battery still works, but its performance is diminished. Thanks to the breakthroughs of advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging, the battery in the 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pro can go through up to 1000 recharges before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity — nearly three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries.
Click to expand...

Apple - MacBook Pro - Learn all about the breakthrough battery
 
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I read this thread and I have a question so I'll just ask here rather than make a new thread.

So basically once a month I should let my battery completely run out? And this will calibrate it? As well I should not let the battery get below 40%? Am I understanding this right? I just want to make sure. I usually let my batter get pretty low before I plug it in and I don't want to continue to do that if it's harmful.
 
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ImmortalBeloved said:
I read this thread and I have a question so I'll just ask here rather than make a new thread.

So basically once a month I should let my battery completely run out? And this will calibrate it? As well I should not let the battery get below 40%? Am I understanding this right? I just want to make sure. I usually let my batter get pretty low before I plug it in and I don't want to continue to do that if it's harmful.
Click to expand...

I would charge it whenever needed, and once a month (or so) drain the battery until it is going to die, shut off and charge.

A bit off topic, I am from San Diego, CA too!! ;D
 
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ImageX


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Just an attempt at relieving some stress to those worried about their betteries. I spoke with Apple about how I should use my battery and asked if keeping it plugged in all the time was bad. They answered that I should charge it full and unplug and use on battery power to discharge it before charging again. I usually let it get to about 10% before plugging it back in. I am a pretty heavy user and can go through 2-3 charges a day but I guess if you prefer to keep your Mac plugged in all the time it would be a good idea to unplug it and let it discharge then charge it again about once a week at least to let the battery calibrate and get some use. Since the new MBPs have those chips built in-line with the battery, once it is charged it does not continue to charge and runs off of the battery anyway until about 94-96% when the charger kicks back in. I think that someone should try to get a for sure answer about how to treat these batteries because I too am a little worried about how I can get the most out of my battery. I think if you use it how you want you will be fine most people leave it plugged in because they don't move it much and others like myself let it run off the battery every full charge. Either way I think it will run about the same lifespan. Hope this helped.
 
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ImmortalBeloved


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alexsd123 said:
I would charge it whenever needed, and once a month (or so) drain the battery until it is going to die, shut off and charge.

A bit off topic, I am from San Diego, CA too!! ;D
Click to expand...

Thanks! Good old SD!
 
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MacInWin

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ImageX said:
CLIP... I think that someone should try to get a for sure answer about how to treat these batteries because I too am a little worried about how I can get the most out of my battery. ...CLIP
Click to expand...
I did that. See post #4 in this thread. The link is to a website with extensive information about batteries. For Li-Ion batteries, you should 1) avoid discharging below 40%, although don't be paranoid about it, 2) expect it to decay slightly no matter what you do, 3) don't let it overheat and 4) follow Apple's guidance to let it deplete deeply once a month for the calibration circuits to reset. Do that and your battery will last as long as it can.
 
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afromann13


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ImageX said:
Just an attempt at relieving some stress to those worried about their betteries. I spoke with Apple about how I should use my battery and asked if keeping it plugged in all the time was bad. They answered that I should charge it full and unplug and use on battery power to discharge it before charging again. I usually let it get to about 10% before plugging it back in. I am a pretty heavy user and can go through 2-3 charges a day but I guess if you prefer to keep your Mac plugged in all the time it would be a good idea to unplug it and let it discharge then charge it again about once a week at least to let the battery calibrate and get some use. Since the new MBPs have those chips built in-line with the battery, once it is charged it does not continue to charge and runs off of the battery anyway until about 94-96% when the charger kicks back in. I think that someone should try to get a for sure answer about how to treat these batteries because I too am a little worried about how I can get the most out of my battery. I think if you use it how you want you will be fine most people leave it plugged in because they don't move it much and others like myself let it run off the battery every full charge. Either way I think it will run about the same lifespan. Hope this helped.
Click to expand...

I thought it was good to leave it plugged in...
 

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