How long do iBook batteries last?

I can get a used G3 iBook battery for like $13. He said that he used it up until about 4 months ago and that at that time it could power the laptop for 3-4 hours. For the last four months it has been sitting on the shelf.

So, could it die from sitting on the shelf for four months or should it still hold a good charge assuming that it held a good charge four months ago (3-4 hours)?

This would be a nice backup battery for really cheap.

atomheartmother said:

I can get a used G3 iBook battery for like $13. He said that he used it up until about 4 months ago and that at that time it could power the laptop for 3-4 hours. For the last four months it has been sitting on the shelf.

So, could it die from sitting on the shelf for four months or should it still hold a good charge assuming that it held a good charge four months ago (3-4 hours)?

This would be a nice backup battery for really cheap.

Click to expand...

not sure about shelf life but my ibook g4 battery lasts about 4.5hrs with medium use e.g word and mail.

ctm

Its life could diminish slightly depending on how it was stored. If it was put on the shelf with a full charge it is probably still OK. In any case I think $13 is worth the gamble. getting a new replacement is quite expensive.

For $13 sounds like a good gamble as stated above, but if and when you get the battery be sure and cycle the battery. Charge the battery and turn the ibook on and let the machine run the battery all the way down and then recharge. This will enable the battery to recalibrate itself and for the battery to go through a full charge cycle. I did this same procedure to used ibook of a friend of mine who was getting about one hour a charge and now that ibook is getting about 3 hours of battery per charge now. Good Luck.

iBook batteries suck. I guess I can't complain too much as I got about 4 hours on a full charge for about a year. In February it will be two years and now I get less than 1.5 hours just surfing the net. Probably around 1hr to 1.25hrs when I am in CS2 apps, FCP, or Studio 8. I used to get about 3 hours before.

Anybody know where to get really cheap spare batteries? Don't want to pay $130 for a dang battery. Not worried right now but at this rate the battery could be dead in abour 4-5 months considering the charge it holds now.

batteries.com

Never used them, just found them some years ago.

I have used replacements/extra batteries from NewerTechnologies in the past. I have never had any issues with them or the original Apple supplied ones for that matter. They aren't super cheap, but not really too expensive either.

You can check them out here:

http://newertech.com/ibook12battery

^Wow, those batteries look really nice and practical for anyone who needs a replacement. Apple offered a replacement on most iBook batteries last year, I capitalized on this and got a free replacement.

They haven't had a recall for the 14" ibooks unfortunately though while I have owned my laptop so I don't get the luxury. Hopefully it gets recalled one day and I get a new one too.