Battery Update 1.2 Released

iRye · Apr 27, 2007

Apple says Battery Update 1.2 updates battery firmware and improves battery functionality.

After Battery Update has been installed, each battery you insert into your MacBook or MacBook Pro will be updated automatically. Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source.

For further information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n305256.

Just saw this on S.A., updating now

cwa107 · Apr 27, 2007

iRye said:
Apple says Battery Update 1.2 updates battery firmware and improves battery functionality.

After Battery Update has been installed, each battery you insert into your MacBook or MacBook Pro will be updated automatically. Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source.

For further information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n305256.

Just saw this on S.A., updating now

Nice catch, beat me to it. It might be helpful to note that this update applies only to those MacBooks sold between February 2006 and April 2007. According to this article.

cwa107 · Apr 28, 2007

Update: Apple extends battery warranty to 2 years

http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/

EDIT-XTREEM · Apr 28, 2007

For more info, check out my blog post: http://iappblog.com/battery-update-12

iRye · Apr 28, 2007

Mine''s a C2D, but it needed the update, because I couldn't find that batteryupdate.bundle thing, and it was manufactured in February, but I bought it in April.

mynameis · Apr 28, 2007

iRye said:
improves battery functionality.

What does that mean exactly?

cwa107 · Apr 28, 2007

mynameis said:
What does that mean exactly?

Read the article he linked to, it explains everything.

Kash · Apr 28, 2007

I know this thread came first, but there's another thread on the battery update where I asked a question and would like some more responses to:

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60770

Aptmunich · Apr 28, 2007

This is the strangest update I've ever seen...

Somehow the actual battery itself is supposed to receive some kind of software update? I didn't even realize there was any sort of software "in" the battery.

Perhaps it just changes the way the green lights show up...

Zoolook · Apr 28, 2007

Aptmunich said:
This is the strangest update I've ever seen...

Somehow the actual battery itself is supposed to receive some kind of software update? I didn't even realize there was any sort of software "in" the battery.

Perhaps it just changes the way the green lights show up...

Yeah, the battery has diagnostic abilities, knows what it's charge is etc, which is how things like Coconut battery work - when you switch batteries, your Mac knows how old it is and how many cycles it's done etc.

mynameis · Apr 28, 2007

cwa107 said:
Read the article he linked to, it explains everything.

I must be missing it. I still don't see where it says that will be different after the patch except "Battery Update 1.2 updates battery firmware and improves battery functionality"

Kash · Apr 28, 2007

mynameis said:
I must be missing it. I still don't see where it says that will be different after the patch except "Battery Update 1.2 updates battery firmware and improves battery functionality"

That's exactly my qualm. It's so ambiguous.

After reading some reviews on the update, there's really no negative aspects to this update. One of three things can happen. One, your battery is relatively unaffected. Two, you get a performance boost. Three, your out of warranty battery is now eligible for a free replacement.

I'm gonna give it a try

cwa107 · Apr 28, 2007

mynameis said:
I must be missing it. I still don't see where it says that will be different after the patch except "Battery Update 1.2 updates battery firmware and improves battery functionality"

You're right, they really don't go into any significant detail. I left a comment on the article as they really need to get into a little more depth.

To be truthful, I really haven't noticed much of a difference in battery performance after installing.

cubbie5150 · Apr 28, 2007

Man, my "time remaining" is jumping all over the place since this update. I click on the menu bar battery icon one moment, and it shows 3:13 remaing, I check again literally 2 seconds later, & it shows 2:08. Never did that before I updated...

jaster · Apr 29, 2007

So, whats the consensus on this latest update? Is thins one of those "unnecassary" updates, that may cause more harm than good and should be skipped? Or, is this one worth using?

christm · Apr 29, 2007

does my ibook g4 need to get this update ?

wytwolf · Apr 29, 2007

christm said:
does my ibook g4 need to get this update ?

Well right from the apple website:

"Installation of Battery Update 1.2 requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later.

The Battery Update 1.2 supports the following products:

* MacBook
* MacBook (Late 2006)
* MacBook Pro (15-inch)
* MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy)
* MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo)
* MacBook Pro (17-inch)
* MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)"

Safe to say the battery update is not for the ibook.

Aaagogo · Apr 29, 2007

how will number 3 happen?

Kash said:
That's exactly my qualm. It's so ambiguous.

After reading some reviews on the update, there's really no negative aspects to this update. One of three things can happen. One, your battery is relatively unaffected. Two, you get a performance boost. Three, your out of warranty battery is now eligible for a free replacement.

I'm gonna give it a try

Kash · May 1, 2007

The battery update has really messed with my battery readings. When I first updated, in situations where I used to get a 4-5 hour reading, now I'm getting 3-4. I just did a battery cycle last night and it's worse off than before. But I'm not freaking out because the battery still lasts me 4-5 hours despite the reading being wrong. Not sure what to do about this.

Oh, and Aaagogo, if you are out of warranty (as some of the CoreDuo owners would be right now) and your battery shows some of the negative symptoms Apple posted, then you would be eligible for a free battery replacement, despite being out of warranty.

cwa107 · May 1, 2007

Kash said:
The battery update has really messed with my battery readings. When I first updated, in situations where I used to get a 4-5 hour reading, now I'm getting 3-4. I just did a battery cycle last night and it's worse off than before. But I'm not freaking out because the battery still lasts me 4-5 hours despite the reading being wrong. Not sure what to do about this.

Oh, and Aaagogo, if you are out of warranty (as some of the CoreDuo owners would be right now) and your battery shows some of the negative symptoms Apple posted, then you would be eligible for a free battery replacement, despite being out of warranty.

My time remaining has dropped as well. It is rare to see 3 hours+ of remaining life fully charged now. This happened quite frequently before, but in practice, it only lasted about 2:30 under normal use. Light use was a different story. I am debating contacting Apple to ask for a replacement - I'm curious to see how they would react being that the battery is still usable.