Battery Capacity After 3 Months

I just want to check and see if this is normal because it already seems like my battery life is less than it should be after 3 months. I use to get about 6 hours, now I am getting about 4 hours doing the same tasks. Coconut Battery says that my Battery Capacity is down to 95% after 32 cycles and owning my MBP for 3 months.

Is this normal? Am I being paranoid that my battery is being used up too fast?

you need to let it drain entirely, and then fill it up entirely before unplugging it. I've been doing it since I got it last august, and I still get 5.0-5.5 hours each use

You should recalibrate that battery per Apple's instructions.

Here's my stats:

Thanks for the quick replies. I have discharged my battery fully but not let it sleep for 5 hours per Apple instructions for recalibrating. I will do that tonight after a full charge and discharge cycle.

I'll let you know what the stats end up being. Hopefully better!

Not sure how you only have 32 cycles. I had mine for 4 months and it's already at 121 cycles with 97%, 99% if I recalibrate. Seems like every time I unplugged and go downstairs in my place it counts as one cycle. I've stopped paying attention to the count. Just use it like you want it. There should be some care involved but at some point it should be an enjoyment to use the MBP not a burden.

Okay, I calibrated my battery according to Apple's instructions and still am at 95%. Nothing changed. So, again, I ask is this normal after 3 months or do you think I have a defective battery?

Seems strange that you've lost 5% so quickly... Maybe see how it goes in another 3 months and if it drops to 90 or less contact Apple to see if they will change the battery due to the loss of capacity over such a short time.


I have 7 cycles on mine, although only 1 has been a complete discharge. The others have been away from the charger for 30 mins or so - not sure how this counts as a cycle really... Although my capacity has gone through the roof!!

martyp: That just indicates Coconut Battery is not always an accurate tool.

ellenm: No, you do not have what would be considered a defective battery.

Thanks bobtomay. I just think it is weird that I have gone from having 5 to 6 hours of battery life to 3 1/2 to 4 hours of battery life. It just dropped quickly to those numbers.

It's extremely hard to judge from one time to the next. More time spent browsing, more flash content on the pages you browsed... There are just too many variables that affect battery life. A 5% decrease in capacity would definitely not be the cause of any 33% reduction in time between charges.

If it gets down to 80% levels or below, say 11 months into the warranty, then i'd make a trip to the Apple store during that last month before the warranty expires.

I think you just need a recalibrate.

Run it til it shuts down. Wait at least 4-5 hours. Then recharge to greenlight and give it 2 more hours.

My MBP13 is now 9 months old / heavily used.

Battery is at 96%.

I did calibrate last night and followed the Apple Instructions to the tee plus more than 2 hours cause I plugged it in around 3am and didn't use it till 8am this morning. I can do it again I suppose.

What's strange is now Coconut Battery shows me down to 92%. Is there another program that can test my battery so I can see if this is accurate?

ellenm said:

Is there another program that can test my battery so I can see if this is accurate?

Click to expand...

Try the iSTAT Nano widget.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatnano.html

ellenm said:

I did calibrate last night and followed the Apple Instructions to the tee plus more than 2 hours cause I plugged it in around 3am and didn't use it till 8am this morning. I can do it again I suppose.

What's strange is now Coconut Battery shows me down to 92%. Is there another program that can test my battery so I can see if this is accurate?

Click to expand...

Try to use it on battery until it gets to 30% and then recharge fully. Do this a couple time and see if your battery gives you more percentage. I've notice after I calibrate mine, I have to use it on battery and recharged to see the increase in percentage.

ellenm said:

What's strange is now Coconut Battery shows me down to 92%. Is there another program that can test my battery so I can see if this is accurate?

Click to expand...

Open System Profiler and look under Power. No need to install any software, it will display anything you need to know right there. If you want to constantly log your battery, that's another story.

As for me, I've had this MacBook for about 8 months, never calibrated my battery and am still at 100%. Given, I only have 29 cycles....

martyp said:

Seems strange that you've lost 5% so quickly... Maybe see how it goes in another 3 months and if it drops to 90 or less contact Apple to see if they will change the battery due to the loss of capacity over such a short time.


I have 7 cycles on mine, although only 1 has been a complete discharge. The others have been away from the charger for 30 mins or so - not sure how this counts as a cycle really... Although my capacity has gone through the roof!!

Click to expand...

Read this! Apple - Batteries
Batteries don't just heal themselves. Take good care of it, and it will reward you back!

My battery goes up or down about 10mAh every cycle.

It looks like the one thing I haven't done is discharge it completely once a month. Other than that I do use the battery and keep "the juices flowing." In the morning I take it off power and use the battery sometimes just for an hour, other times 3 to 4 hours. That's why it is upsetting to see that my time has gone down to between 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

I will let the battery run down completely again and see what happens.

Thanks to everyone for their responses.