How often do you run your MacBook on its battery? Poll

Woodcrest64 · Nov 23, 2012, 10:42 PM

Just wondering how often people run their Macbooks on its battery.

Irock619 · Nov 23, 2012, 11:00 PM

Two threads?

dlimes13 · Nov 23, 2012, 11:00 PM

26.824 times/week

Prof. · Nov 23, 2012, 11:08 PM

1.52 charge cycles a week...

That being said, I run my MBP on battery every day, however I don't drain it to zero every day. More often than not, the battery is at 70-ish percent when I get home and plug it in after being in class.

T5BRICK · Nov 23, 2012, 11:53 PM

I use my battery whenever I can't plug my laptop in.

I've got about 500 cycles on it and it's a little over 3 years old. I guess that's about 3 cycles a week. Sometimes it stays plugged in for a week or two at a time and other times I have to charge it more than once in a day.

Mrbobb · Nov 24, 2012, 12:19 AM

if you are collecting data for commercial purposes I want a piece of the action.

If you are asking for personal, why do you need to know what others are doing? Do what YOU need.

Shaunyac · Nov 24, 2012, 03:01 AM

Apparently mine is 4.4 months old and I've done 112 cycles, I don't really think about how I use it, I plug it in if it's like sub 30% normally and use the battery once it's fully charged again.

Macman45 · Nov 24, 2012, 03:06 AM

Once a month is about the norm for me....I'm rarely in a situation where I don't have access to power. I like to drain the battery all the way down, so I do it when I'm using my MBP for non critical tasks...Web browsing listening to music etc.

mannyo1221 · Nov 24, 2012, 03:07 AM

Mine is used plugged in at work during the day, and in the evening at home its run on the battery. Usually the battery is down to less than 10% the following day before going back on the charger.

maflynn · Nov 24, 2012, 05:43 AM

About monthly, maybe less for me.

jvpython · Nov 24, 2012, 01:22 PM

Everyday in the evening I usually take MacBook Pro of my desk for a few hours,

Sital · Nov 24, 2012, 03:55 PM

Most of the time I'm working at my desk at home where it is plugged in, but every so often I need a change of scenery and take it to a sofa. So I voted for every few days.

Just A Box · Nov 25, 2012, 10:07 AM

Well, I've heard that the older batteries had a memory, and eventually failed to charge all the way up, eventually becoming useless. With the new batteries, they way it's pretty much a thing of the past but, however, unless I'm gaming I let it run right down to under 10% and then charge it up and eventually remove the power within 24 hours and let it run down again.

wonderspark · Nov 25, 2012, 06:45 PM

Aren't we all running on the battery, and plugging it in is merely keeping the battery topped up?

That said, I plug it in when it's dead or nearly dead, and unplug it when the charge light goes from orange to green. I may be wrong, but I subscribe to the belief that it's best to keep the electrons moving, either in a charging or discharging state, to prolong the battery life, as well as the charger's life.

My friend believes that it's best to try to keep it plugged in as much as possible, and she's had numerous failures of both the battery and her charger (2006 MacBook Pro). I don't suppose it matters, though, since the Apple Store just gives her new batteries and chargers every time they stop working. Not sure how that works now that AppleCare is over, though. I seem to recall they still gave her a new battery last time, even though it was out of warranty.

zainiak · Nov 25, 2012, 07:52 PM

I only use the battery during non intensive stuff. movie watching, internet browsing and reading is the usual. I only run to about 65% - 75% a day. Ive had my RMBP since early august, and have run 44 cycles.

michial · Nov 25, 2012, 09:29 PM

I just got my 2012 cMBP this week. Can I run the battery everyday? I like the convenience of being untethered if doing light surfing etc.and moving around the house and all.
How long will it last using it everyday. As long as I can get 5 years out of it Im happy. Or if it only costs 100 bucks in three yrs to get a new battery its all good and worth it.

ayeying · Nov 25, 2012, 09:33 PM

Too many. 1058 Cycles since Feb. 2011

Braniff747SP · Nov 25, 2012, 09:38 PM

Whenever I need it. I don't watch cycles; when it dies, it dies, having been used as it needed to be. It is rather often, even around the house; I'm not always at my desk. When I can plug in, though, I make sure to do so.

GGJstudios · Nov 25, 2012, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodcrest64

Just wondering how often people run their Macbooks on its battery.

Whenever I need to. Run on battery whenever you need to and plug it in whenever you can. You can plug or unplug any time you need to, regardless of the charged percentage, and you never need to completely drain your battery. Just make sure you don't run on AC power exclusively, as your battery needs to be used regularly to stay healthy. The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ

T5BRICK · Nov 25, 2012, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michial

I just got my 2012 cMBP this week. Can I run the battery everyday? I like the convenience of being untethered if doing light surfing etc.and moving around the house and all.
How long will it last using it everyday. As long as I can get 5 years out of it Im happy. Or if it only costs 100 bucks in three yrs to get a new battery its all good and worth it.

A full cycle a day will probably have your battery at 80% in a year and a half.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayeying

Too many. 1058 Cycles since Feb. 2011

Damn, that's like 2 cycles a day.

michial · Nov 26, 2012, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T5BRICK

A full cycle a day will probably have your battery at 80% in a year and a half.

Damn, that's like 2 cycles a day.

What constitutes a "full"cycle? Are they considered half cycles if you only run it down halfway before plugging back in?

GGJstudios · Nov 26, 2012, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T5BRICK

A full cycle a day will probably have your battery at 80% in a year and a half.

That's not true for current Mac notebooks. That only applied to older Macs with removable batteries, which retained up to 80% health for 300 cycles. New built-in batteries are designed to retain up to 80% health for up to 1000 cycles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by michial

What constitutes a "full"cycle? Are they considered half cycles if you only run it down halfway before plugging back in?

Read the WHAT IS A CYCLE? section of the Battery FAQ I linked in my last post.

skippymac · Nov 26, 2012, 09:52 AM

thought you were asking how often I run the battery down to 0% so said every few days, but I run on battery nearly every day. Only times I don't is if I have a long day at work and don't use the laptop when I get home or if I'm not at home on a weekend and don't take my mbp wherever I'm going.

I either plug in at about 10-20% or if I'm feeling lazy whilst surfing the web in front of the tv I'll just let it go down to 0%. But more often than not I just forget the thingy popped up 5 mins ago and it just dies on me

LeeM · Nov 26, 2012, 10:11 AM

Mines never plugged in until it gets to below 10% then unplugged when it's fully charged. 2012 version though so battery should be fine

robvas · Nov 26, 2012, 10:35 AM

Just on the weekends.

View Poll Results: How often do you run your Macbook on its battery?
Everyday	69	50.00%
Every few days	30	21.74%
Once a week	13	9.42%
Every few weeks	9	6.52%
Once a month or so	6	4.35%
Almost never.	11	7.97%
Voters: 138. You may not vote on this poll

Nov 23, 2012, 10:42 PM	#1
Woodcrest64 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2006	How often do you run your MacBook on its battery? Poll Just wondering how often people run their Macbooks on its battery. __________________ MacBookPro with Retina display 10,1 \| iPad 1 \| Apple TV Gen 1 \| Skyrocket S2 LTE
	0

Nov 23, 2012, 11:00 PM	#2
Irock619 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: San Francisco, CA	Two threads? __________________ MacBook Pro 15" 2011 (Mountain Lion) w/Crucial SSD, 8GB RAM iPhone 4S 16GB iTouch 3G http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC01244.jpg
	0

Nov 23, 2012, 11:00 PM	#3
dlimes13 macrumors Demi-God Join Date: May 2011 Location: Perrysburg, OH	26.824 times/week __________________ 15" MacBook Pro (Mid-2012), i7 2.7 GHz, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD + 1 TB HDD, AG iPhone 5, 16 GB, Verizon, Black \| Own Computer Repair Company with 100's of Other Toys
	0

Nov 23, 2012, 11:08 PM	#4
Prof. macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chicago-ish...	1.52 charge cycles a week... That being said, I run my MBP on battery every day, however I don't drain it to zero every day. More often than not, the battery is at 70-ish percent when I get home and plug it in after being in class. __________________ This year, everyone I know is getting married. Me? I'd be thrilled to be asked to go to Taco Bell by a semi-attractive male.
	0

Nov 23, 2012, 11:53 PM	#5
T5BRICK macrumors 68000 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oregon	I use my battery whenever I can't plug my laptop in. I've got about 500 cycles on it and it's a little over 3 years old. I guess that's about 3 cycles a week. Sometimes it stays plugged in for a week or two at a time and other times I have to charge it more than once in a day.
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 12:19 AM	#6
Mrbobb macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2012	if you are collecting data for commercial purposes I want a piece of the action. If you are asking for personal, why do you need to know what others are doing? Do what YOU need.
	1

Nov 24, 2012, 03:01 AM	#7
Shaunyac macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: South Wales, UK	Apparently mine is 4.4 months old and I've done 112 cycles, I don't really think about how I use it, I plug it in if it's like sub 30% normally and use the battery once it's fully charged again.
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 03:06 AM	#8
Macman45 macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Somewhere Back In The Long Ago	Once a month is about the norm for me....I'm rarely in a situation where I don't have access to power. I like to drain the battery all the way down, so I do it when I'm using my MBP for non critical tasks...Web browsing listening to music etc. __________________ Time And Tide Wait For No Man
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 03:07 AM	#9
mannyo1221 macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Blandford, UK.	Mine is used plugged in at work during the day, and in the evening at home its run on the battery. Usually the battery is down to less than 10% the following day before going back on the charger.
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 05:43 AM	#10
maflynn Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: May 2009 Location: Boston	About monthly, maybe less for me.
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 01:22 PM	#11
jvpython macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New Zealand	Everyday in the evening I usually take MacBook Pro of my desk for a few hours,
	0

Nov 24, 2012, 03:55 PM	#12
Sital macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2012 Location: Boston	Most of the time I'm working at my desk at home where it is plugged in, but every so often I need a change of scenery and take it to a sofa. So I voted for every few days. __________________ "I'd rather good people trust me than bad people fear me."
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 10:07 AM	#13
Just A Box macrumors newbie Join Date: Sep 2012	Well, I've heard that the older batteries had a memory, and eventually failed to charge all the way up, eventually becoming useless. With the new batteries, they way it's pretty much a thing of the past but, however, unless I'm gaming I let it run right down to under 10% and then charge it up and eventually remove the power within 24 hours and let it run down again.
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 06:45 PM	#14
wonderspark macrumors 68020 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denver, CO	Aren't we all running on the battery, and plugging it in is merely keeping the battery topped up? That said, I plug it in when it's dead or nearly dead, and unplug it when the charge light goes from orange to green. I may be wrong, but I subscribe to the belief that it's best to keep the electrons moving, either in a charging or discharging state, to prolong the battery life, as well as the charger's life. My friend believes that it's best to try to keep it plugged in as much as possible, and she's had numerous failures of both the battery and her charger (2006 MacBook Pro). I don't suppose it matters, though, since the Apple Store just gives her new batteries and chargers every time they stop working. Not sure how that works now that AppleCare is over, though. I seem to recall they still gave her a new battery last time, even though it was out of warranty. __________________ Wait a second... So you're telling me anything that happens in the sky is legal, and there's a giant crime-blimp flying around this place? I don't know how I missed that.
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 07:52 PM	#15
zainiak macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2012	I only use the battery during non intensive stuff. movie watching, internet browsing and reading is the usual. I only run to about 65% - 75% a day. Ive had my RMBP since early august, and have run 44 cycles. __________________ RETINA MBP 2.3/16/256 \| iPod touch 4th gen\| Razer Deathadder \| galaxy sii epic 4g touch \|
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 09:29 PM	#16
michial macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2009	I just got my 2012 cMBP this week. Can I run the battery everyday? I like the convenience of being untethered if doing light surfing etc.and moving around the house and all. How long will it last using it everyday. As long as I can get 5 years out of it Im happy. Or if it only costs 100 bucks in three yrs to get a new battery its all good and worth it.
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 09:33 PM	#17
ayeying macrumors 601 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Yay Area, CA	Too many. 1058 Cycles since Feb. 2011 __________________ MacBook Pro 13" \| 3.0GHz Core i7, 8GB DDR3L, 512GB SSD, Intel HD 4000 768MB, Retina, 10.8.3, 8 Core x64 iPhone 5 \| 64GB, White, AT&T, iOS 6.1.4 iPad Mini \| 32GB, White, AT&T, iOS 6.1.3
	0

Nov 25, 2012, 09:38 PM	#18
Braniff747SP macrumors regular Join Date: May 2010 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA	Whenever I need it. I don't watch cycles; when it dies, it dies, having been used as it needed to be. It is rather often, even around the house; I'm not always at my desk. When I can plug in, though, I make sure to do so. __________________ Mid-2012 13" MacBook Pro with Studio Display, Late 2008 13'' Black MacBook, 1st generation iPad, iPhone 4S.
	0

Nov 26, 2012, 09:52 AM	#23
skippymac macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Hampshire, UK	thought you were asking how often I run the battery down to 0% so said every few days, but I run on battery nearly every day. Only times I don't is if I have a long day at work and don't use the laptop when I get home or if I'm not at home on a weekend and don't take my mbp wherever I'm going. I either plug in at about 10-20% or if I'm feeling lazy whilst surfing the web in front of the tv I'll just let it go down to 0%. But more often than not I just forget the thingy popped up 5 mins ago and it just dies on me __________________ 13" 2.4GHz 2010 MBP, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD/128GB SSD, OS X 10.8.2 32GB Black & Slate iPhone 5, evasi0n'd \| 32GB Nexus 7 3G, cyanogenmod'd
	1

Nov 26, 2012, 10:11 AM	#24
LeeM macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2012	Mines never plugged in until it gets to below 10% then unplugged when it's fully charged. 2012 version though so battery should be fine
	0

Nov 26, 2012, 10:35 AM	#25
robvas macrumors 65816 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: USA	Just on the weekends.
	0

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