+900 MacBook Battery Load Cycles

127377 · Jan 27, 2009

Just wondering, but how rare is it to have a battery that lasts 3 times longer than the "rated cycle amount"? Apparently this battery should have been dead 600 cycles ago... I am finally now noticing a slight loss in overall battery life.

I have used this MacBook 100% of the time since the day I have gotten it over two years ago. Is this why it has lived so long?

Edit: The battery life just went up to 80%.

Jpoon · Jan 27, 2009

Dang, that battery treated you pretty well there.

ayeying · Jan 27, 2009

Its not rare and its not too uncommon. Most batteries die way before yours but it doesn't mean you have some super battery. It basically means you took good care of your battery and it's lasting a long time. Cycles are just a rating. Its not a must thing that happens.

175170 · Jan 27, 2009

Hmmm.
That is pretty darn amazing.
Mine died after 280 Cycles.

My MacBook wouldn't even recognize it anymore.
Fortunately, I had AppleCare.

SkyBell · Jan 27, 2009

Geez, you sure took care of that battery. And used the hell out of it! My original iBook G4 battery is nearing 400 cycles, and it only lasts about half an hour on minimum brightness.

commops106 · Jan 30, 2009

ibook batteries can be revived

mine after the process i figured out can give you up to 2 hours back on your battery.

mannix87 · Jan 30, 2009

mine gives me an hour at most at 400 cycles.

Stachelsk · Jan 30, 2009

I think what matters more with Li-Ions is age since production, as opposed to number of uses. Since your battery is only two years old, the battery shouldn't have died yet. Regardless, 900+ charges with that much power still left in the battery is an impressive feat. You must be taking care of it extremely well.

Care to share with us your usage habits? Do you calibrate it monthly?

OrangeSVTguy · Jan 30, 2009

Stachelsk said:
**snip**

Care to share with us your usage habits? Do you calibrate it monthly?

With 900+ cycles, that battery must have been calibrated daily!

I don't think that's a correct reading though.... Coconut Battery can give some misleading information sometimes. Like the 51,000mAh battery.

Patriks7 · Jan 30, 2009

Nice battery! I'm almost nearing 450 and got my MacBook last Christmas. Health is 91% (iStat) and it lasts me about 4 hours, depends what I'm doing

But of course, I have it with me in school every day, so the battery is used nonstop

127377 · Feb 1, 2009

I calibrated it once about a year ago after reading the article on it...

Really, I just use this laptop nonstop, and have for the past two years. It never turns off (besides reboots). I am constantly cycling the battery; I will go right back to the charger when it gets low. Complete cycles is a very common thing.

I still get two hours out of it, although I am now finally taking the charger to classes with me even though I used to get away without it before. Just as a backup because it can get used up quickly...

Also in response to Coconut Battery reading it wrong: I have checked a few times a month and I have gotten a consistent reading. It was at 100% battery life up until the past few months...

Here is a screen from right now...

scottsturges · Sep 25, 2009

I believe that I have everybody here beat on load cycles... 5080, in 28 months. The capacity isn't so great though.

EDIT: I do not know if this is right... because last month, before my latest calibration, I had 2 load cycles... and I have not used my computer that much. Also, I had 37% battery when I took that screen shot... so I think it is wrong.

Chimpy · Sep 26, 2009

I'm at 260 cycles and 84% capacity

.

marold280 · Sep 26, 2009

I've got the very annoying problem of not actually being able to calibrate my battery because it just turns off at 9% left !
(it doesnt sleep, it actually completely crashes and force turns off

KielderWolf · Sep 26, 2009

16 Months, 353 cycles, 91% health and it has hovered around the 90/92% mark for the past 70 cycles or so since dropping from 98% from the first 300.

If you keep it running from full to near dead and then charging it right back up they last longer than if you discharge slightly now and again and keep it plugged in. I have the Apple Battery Reminder set up (see their Battery page on the Support Site) and always do one proper 100-0-100 deep cycle per month. The recent drop to 90-92% I reckon could be because in the past month the MacBook hasn't spent more than three hours turned off per day.

127377 · Jan 2, 2010

Still holding up strong.

MrXiro · Apr 12, 2011

Wow that's amazing! Who'd have thought the more you used the battery the better it was for it... Here I am trying to baby the battery and throwing it back on the charger when it hit 50%

splzero · Apr 12, 2011

I've got 964 cycles with a 95% battery. I just re-calibrated it since I did not believe the 98% I had 6 cycles ago. The battery still lasts 3-4 hours to a charge

MultiFinder17 · Apr 13, 2011

scottsturges said:
I believe that I have everybody here beat on load cycles... 5080, in 28 months. The capacity isn't so great though.

EDIT: I do not know if this is right... because last month, before my latest calibration, I had 2 load cycles... and I have not used my computer that much. Also, I had 37% battery when I took that screen shot... so I think it is wrong.

Haha, I'm gonna say something's a little off there - there are around 840 days in 28 months, so unless you went through at least 6 cycles a day, every day, for the last 28 months, well, that seems a little high

MarkMissoula · May 7, 2011

splzero said:
I've got 964 cycles with a 95% battery. I just re-calibrated it since I did not believe the 98% I had 6 cycles ago. The battery still lasts 3-4 hours to a charge

I'm right there with ya, 947 cycles at 96% and i also get 3-4 hours a charge.

AWallen90 · May 8, 2011

marold280 said:
I've got the very annoying problem of not actually being able to calibrate my battery because it just turns off at 9% left !
(it doesnt sleep, it actually completely crashes and force turns off

I have the same problem. Oh well my battery lasted 600+ cycles. According to system profiler I am only 99 cycles into my new battery with 5469 mah. I replaced the old battery when I was unable to get more than 2 hours out of it.

brupmedi · Aug 3, 2011

Advice

I'd like to know what am I doing wrong, since my battery healthy feels low adter just 19 weeks of usage

I usually try to fully drain the battery after charging it to full capacity. I've never calibrated it, I've just found out about it today.

I am currently facing battery problems because of the Lion upgrade. But I was already annoyed by battery life before installing the new OS. I barely could get 4 hours of a full charge. Maybe I should have my battery checked on an Apple Authorized?

dcorban · Aug 5, 2011

KielderWolf said:
If you keep it running from full to near dead and then charging it right back up they last longer than if you discharge slightly now and again and keep it plugged in.

From what I have read, the opposite is true of Lithium-Ion batteries. Optimal usage is to drain to 50% at most, then charge to full. At the very least, these batteries do not benefit from the full discharge like older rechargeable technologies.

iDabble · Aug 5, 2011

my battery died after like 970 cycles. the apple store denied my request for a replacement battery

SkippyThorson · Aug 8, 2011

My (second-hand) MacBook must have seriously been taken care of by a technology lover. She gave me every accessory I could have ever wanted when I bought it, and I praise her for being the nicest and most personable seller on eBay I've ever dealt with. We even caught up well after the sale, and I told her how happy I was with the computer.

Anyhow, my MacBook is 32 months old and hit 850 charge cycles. I think this screen-cap speaks for itself. All I do is charge it up to 100%, and use it, letting it drain until it shuts itself off. Then I'll charge it and repeat. I rarely charge it from a point where the battery is mid-cycle, or anywhere near.

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