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Lithium-ion Batteries- Count Cycle- Macbook Vs iPhone

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Hi,

It is put forward that a Macbook has a limited charge cycle (e.g. 1000) before the lithium-ion battery loses it's optimized effectiveness. To prolong the life of Macbook batteries we must recharge and minimize drainage whenever possible.

An iPhone uses lithium-ion batteries too if I am not mistaken. Within the lifespan of my iPhone I estimate that I may have used over 1,000 cycles. Yet the battery seems perfectly fine still to me.

My concern is after 1,000 cycles on my Macbook, the battery might significantly diminish in energy storage. However, after reflecting on my iPhone, if my Macbook remains the same as my iPhone in terms its ability not to drain a battery too quickly then I wouldn't care too much recharging it all the time. Thus, defying it's purpose of being a portable device.

My question is- Is it fair to compare an iPhone with a Macbook battery like that?
 
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Short answer. No

Both devices draw different volt/amps from the battery, so its in no way, a fair comparison. The 1000 count for Apple Notebooks, was going back 4/5 yrs. The Battery has come a long way since then, but if you do regular maintenance on the MBP battery, like Calibrating your Battery ~ Apple kb. Do it every 6 months and it should last the life of the portable.

EDIT : Maximising Battery Life and Lifespan
 

pigoo3

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An iPhone uses lithium-ion batteries too if I am not mistaken. Within the lifespan of my iPhone I estimate that I may have used over 1,000 cycles. Yet the battery seems perfectly fine still to me.

This is an estimate…it would be better to actually know what the cycle count is. Also remember…a full cycle count is when the device is charged from almost no charge 1% to 100% (I'm not saying 0% because it's not good to let the battery get this low). If the battery is at 50% when charged…then it would take two charges like this to equal a single charge cycle.

To get the charge cycle count on an "iDevice"…please read this:

Check iPad iPhone battery charge cycle count

- Nick
 
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MacInWin

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And although TatooedMac is correct that the technology has progressed, the chemistry in the batteries is not that much changed, so the same lifetime limitations apply. However, the fall off of the battery is not steep at first, so you can go past the suggested limits and not see a sharp decline at first. However, the battery will continue to decay and the rate will increase over time until it starts to get pretty sharp. Here is a link to one of the better articles on Li-Ion batteries I have found: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University
 

chscag

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To get the charge cycle count on an "iDevice"…please read this:

Check iPad iPhone battery charge cycle count

Yikes, $34.95 for a simple app to find out the cycle count. I was about to download it thinking it was free! :Oops:
 

pigoo3

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Yikes, $34.95 for a simple app to find out the cycle count. I was about to download it thinking it was free! :Oops:

No way...Jose'!;) Or at least not exactly.;) You can download a free trial. I've done it. Downloaded & installed the app JUST to check the battery cycle count on one of my iPads (then I'm done with the app).:)

I'm sure for some folks the app is useful for other things...I just wanted to get the iPad's battery cycle count. Maybe there are other apps out there as well that do the same thing.:)

I try to suggest free things as much as possible!:):)

- Nick
 
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The 1000 count for Apple Notebooks, was going back 4/5 yrs ... but if you do regular maintenance on the MBP battery ... it should last the life of the portable

Absolutely! My MBP•17" is 52 months old, the battery is on its 1130th cycle, at 83% capacity and health status is still showing "good"
 

pigoo3

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The way the 1000 charge cycle lifespan works is (according to Apple). At 1000 cycles…the battery is still supposed to retain 80% of it's design capacity. So for example...a laptop battery that's supposed to get 5 hours of runtime on a full charge…should still get 4 hours of runtime on a full charge (80%) at 1000 charge cycles.

Probably difficult to predict how things will "degrade" after 1000 cycles. But heck…it's probably possible to get 2000 charge cycles or more…just that total runtime on a full charge at 2000 cycles may only be 1.5 hours…1.0 hours…or less.

This is why folks with Apple laptops from like 2004 (10 years old)...when those batteries were only good for 300 charge cycles. Can have 1000+ cycles on their original battery…but they may only get 20-30 minutes of runtime on a full charge.

- Nick
 
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MacInWin

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And the other factor in Li-Ion batteries is that time is also an enemy. The batteries begin to decay when manufactured. For about two years, there isn't any perceptible fall off, but after two years the chemistry starts to decay and the battery capacity declines. In my MBP, for example, coconutBattery reports that the battery was manufactured in March 2011, so that's 3 years, 8 months ago. It's been in service 3 years 7 months. The design capacity is 8450 mAh, and the max charge now is 8041 mAh, for about 5% roll off. It's lightly used, only 54 load cycles in that time, as I use the MBP mostly at my desk and travel rarely. I do occasionally (every quarter or so) let it discharge more fully to recalibrate the battery gauge in OS X, but it is gently used overall.

Another thing to consider about the iPhone. If it has 1,000 cycles before it starts to decay, and if you let it go pretty far down every day, you'll take 2.7 years to get that 1,000 cycles in, so the age factor will kick in before the cycle factor. Overall, the battery should outlast the phone itself!
 

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