Would this damage the lifespan of the battery?
It is recommended that you discharge fully at least once per month. Other than that you may leave it plugged in 24/7 without any ill effects.
What, do you think it will "overcharge"?
I would have to concur. When I got my iBook I was told to unplug whenever the indicator light turned green (fully charged).This is terrible advice. Its obviously an opinion.
My battery on my MacBook was just replaced due to a defective battery. I asked the apple genius about this exact same thing. his exact words were, "Anytime the battery is plugged into the wall, you are decreasing the life span"
Its going to decrease over time no matter what but the more its plugged in the sooner it will happen.
Standard Maintenance
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal.
This is terrible advice. Its obviously an opinion.
My battery on my MacBook was just replaced due to a defective battery. I asked the apple genius about this exact same thing. his exact words were, "Anytime the battery is plugged into the wall, you are decreasing the life span"
Its going to decrease over time no matter what but the more its plugged in the sooner it will happen.
Let's settle this misunderstanding. That Apple employee is an idiot. My dad makes battery management chips (smart battery). He knows quite a bit about lithium ion batteries. I have to also concur this 'opinion' as he told me to fully drain the battery every few months (once a month won't drastically improve the battery lifespan, maybe like a 2-3 percent). Other than that, you can pretty much do whatever. Again, this is from an expert on lithium ion batteries. Call it an opinion if you will, but the fact stands.
Seriously, that employee is indirectly saying, use the battery as much as possible... Which is very stupid as lithium ion batteries have a limited number of cycles (fully drain to fully empty).
Wow...thanks to all the responses!!
So I should let my battery fully charge and then unplug it and keep repeating this process?
Not all the time as you will be wearing it out quicker, use it on battery when you need too! Just make sure you discharge it an drain it completely every now and again!
a new battery is like $100-$130, i love how everyone acts like there computer is garbage if the battery dies. GO BUY A NEW BATTERY. the battery is gonna go bad sooner or later. use your computer and enjoy it. end of story
First of all, nobody on this thread has said their computer is garbage because their battery is bad or dead.
Second of all, how does it affect you if other people want to take care of their laptops and maximize the lifespan?
There is battery threads all the time! Modern batteries are going to have a pretty good life span regardless. just use it!
and your right, i just cant stand the fact that people take care of there macbooks! i cant even sleep at night knowing someone out there is cleaning there screen right now! oh my god!
Well that's something new. (I'm assuming this also applies to all subsequent models.)My sister works at the store as a mac specialist and she and her friend (a genius) have both said, the Early 08 stuff isn't effected by leaving it on charge all the time, as once it reaches full, it powers straight off the mains, not through the battery. As long as you calibrate it once or twice a month!!
I'm currently using it without the battery installed will there be any long-term effects from this? (will the power source fry the logic board and cpu while it is turned off?)