Let's just say that on the bell curve, you seem to be about two standard deviations to the right....
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MacBook Air Battery Replacement Trivial?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Let's just say that on the bell curve, you seem to be about two standard deviations to the right....
You've never had a MacBook get 5 hours? Seriously?
Even without Airport and Bluetooth and any video/music/photo applications going? Even with low brightness?
I can't imagine that. I routinely use mine for at least 5 hours and have always had at least 10% left when I got back home to charge. I just unplugged mine with low brightness and, while writing this, it says "6:36 remaining." I doubt it would run quite that long, but it'll easily run 5 hours.
Like I said before, maybe I just use much fewer applications than most users (decide for yourself) or maybe I just got a "special" MacBook. If mine is special, well, I guess I just got lucky.
Mine MB only got 3.5 hours when I first got it, and 18 months later, it only lasts 1.5 hours, I called applecare, and they told me 1.5 hours is acceptable.....
My macbook was getting only 1 hour and 45 minutes of dvd playback time and only 2.5 hours of web browsing. I took it to an apple store and they gave me a free replacement and it was much better. It was getting almost 4 hours for surfing and at least then I could watch a complete movie. My Ipod Nano is getting just under 2 hours since day one(and the volume is not high). Many IBM thinkpads that have been out for a while have been getting over 8 hours. Or at least thats what cnet is saying.
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x60s/4505-3121_7-31786426.html
This seems odd...
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=MB441Z/A
Does anyone know why these restrictions exist? My Dell adaptor works in both, and charges (although the Dell laptop won't charge when using a Targus adaptor - apparently there's some communication between the adaptor and the laptop so that the laptop verifies the WHr capacity of the adaptor before allowing charging).
In particular, how can it be compatible with a cigarette lighter receptacle on an airplane, but not work in a car cigarette lighter port?
By the way, lots of info about airplane power at http://www.seatguru.com/articles/in-seat_laptop_power.php (no mention of any mag-safe compatible that I could see, other than the Apple adaptor).
Edit: Is this the reason?
![mb441_125.jpg]()
Oh, so it looks like the Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter® is just a pass-through cable that feeds the EmPower 15v DC straight into the laptop. The Dell and Targus adaptors are small bricks that convert the seat power to the laptop's desired voltage.
Odd that it can't use the ~14v from a car, though.
Note that American and some other airlines that use cigarette lighter plugs can use a device like http://www.wagan.com/htmls/detail-2107.html
![detail-2107.gif]()
for power and charging. (Obviously works in an auto as well)
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=MB441Z/A
Does anyone know why these restrictions exist? My Dell adaptor works in both, and charges (although the Dell laptop won't charge when using a Targus adaptor - apparently there's some communication between the adaptor and the laptop so that the laptop verifies the WHr capacity of the adaptor before allowing charging).
In particular, how can it be compatible with a cigarette lighter receptacle on an airplane, but not work in a car cigarette lighter port?
By the way, lots of info about airplane power at http://www.seatguru.com/articles/in-seat_laptop_power.php (no mention of any mag-safe compatible that I could see, other than the Apple adaptor).
Edit: Is this the reason?
Oh, so it looks like the Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter® is just a pass-through cable that feeds the EmPower 15v DC straight into the laptop. The Dell and Targus adaptors are small bricks that convert the seat power to the laptop's desired voltage.
Odd that it can't use the ~14v from a car, though.
Note that American and some other airlines that use cigarette lighter plugs can use a device like http://www.wagan.com/htmls/detail-2107.html
for power and charging. (Obviously works in an auto as well)
Umm not it isn't. Anyone who is a road warrior and is away from the outlet that long takes multiple batteries with them. Hell I have 2 to last me through the entire day. (And no I don't believe that 5 hours is a realistic estimate of battery life.) So yah tell me how many people are going to be willing to drop everything they are doing. Pull out a screwdriver, and go to work on their laptop vs just going with another ultralight laptop which has every feature someone on the road could need, is about as thick as the air on its thick end, and maybe a pound more. (Oh boo ho 4lbs instead of 3lbs.)
This is thin for the sake of thin. It does NOTHING for the end user. The relative difference between carrying a 3lbs laptop and a 4lbs laptop is about the same as carrying a 200 page text book vs a 400 page text book. Its borderline retarded and people are arguing over semantics when it comes to portability. its even funnier when you talk thickness. .15-.75 over 1" thick again is arguing semantics. I saw this same crap done with PDA's. Quibbling over less then a millimeter in those cases.
It does NOTHING for the portability of the system beyond eye candy and occasionally sending the thing via interoffice mail.
Again this is pure eye candy. If Jobs wanted to do something substantial with this product they should have made a thinner replacement to the 12" PowerBook, with LED display, SSD, optical drive, Ethernet, this motherboard inside but with a substantially bigger battery that would take up the extra space to keep you going for 8+ hours. That would have been impressive. Instead Jobs has once again focused on his fetish for all things thin. I'm waiting for the day that a laptop or iPod is released by Apple that is so thin that if you drop it, it will shatter.
Note that American and some other airlines that use cigarette lighter plugs can use a device like http://www.wagan.com/htmls/detail-2107.html
![detail-2107.gif]()
for power and charging. (Obviously works in an auto as well)
I want to know what airlines have these plugs. I've flown American Airlines and Northwest for years and have yet to be on a single plane that has these installed. Guess its a business class thing.????
Psst. You are on an Apple forum. The concept of not talking crap about the competition is rather humorous....sadly.
I would see this in a hotel room, but then you could just plug it into the socket.... the flight.... hmmm... I don't know about that one. I could see screws flying all over the place or even worse...
When you do get to screw your battery back in though... I am sure they will be amazed at the multi-touch trackpad and backlit keyboard..
I think flying screws would be the least of your concerns. Lets see. You are taking the back of your laptop off, removing a battery pack. The wrong person sees that and they are going to think bomb and panic. Because god knows we've never seen anyone overreact to a harmless device.
*coughs*
you'll be lucky if you came out of the experience with only a black eye.
Go to http://www.seatguru.com and look up the airlines.
American seems to be the leader in this regard, most of their planes are covered in first class and the forward part of coach (for example, http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/American_Airlines/American_Airlines_MD-80.php).
Northwest seems to be missing in action.
Flying trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific in business class, I almost always find power outlets at the seats. American, Qantas, JAL, Cathay, Singapore, BA and others put the plugs at the seats. I have a trip to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangalore and Tokyo the end of next month - all business class, and power to the seat on every flight. (E.g. http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/whatonboard/businessclass#) Of course, each plane ticket is roughly the price of an MBP, so it's not like I'm saving money on swappable batteries
...Seatguru.com is great for arranging for a seat with a plug on flights within the US.
However, even when I have reserved a seat with power, I still bring my swappable batteries. A few times either the power isn't working on that plane that day, or it isn't working in the seat or row that I'm in. If I *need* to get work done on the plane, I don't depend on the on-board power - I bring a couple of extra batteries in my laptop bag. And more often than not, in fact I *need* to customize my presentations for the target customers on the flight to the meeting. Running out of juice is not an option.
Also, and I have no idea if this applies to Apples as well, some laptops will only run in power-saving modes when on batteries - so that they're noticeably faster when plugged in. This applies to the Dell Core 2 systems, so I'll always plug in even if I don't need to for runtime.
It makes Internet Explorer snappier.
It sounds like there's a lot of variance....
It looks like there is a high degree of variance in the battery lifetime of these systems. Some people are reporting twice as much lifetime as others - for systems and loads that otherwise seem very similar.
I hope that it's just a coincidence that Apple's advertised claims are at the very high end of the range. It would be disappointing to discover that Apple tested dozens or hundreds of systems, and used the best ones for the advertised specs.
On the other hand, perhaps only a small percentage of the systems have poor battery life - but those "squeeky wheels" are what show up often in discussions.
It looks like there is a high degree of variance in the battery lifetime of these systems. Some people are reporting twice as much lifetime as others - for systems and loads that otherwise seem very similar.
I hope that it's just a coincidence that Apple's advertised claims are at the very high end of the range. It would be disappointing to discover that Apple tested dozens or hundreds of systems, and used the best ones for the advertised specs.
On the other hand, perhaps only a small percentage of the systems have poor battery life - but those "squeeky wheels" are what show up often in discussions.
Don't know if there is a comment about trying to bring a screwdriver on an airplane to replace your spare battery when the first one dies
The "trivial" itself is highly speculative. In my world, using a screwdriver does not rank trivial on the difficulty scale. Sliding out the battery pack and sliding in a new one is "trivial"; breaking out a screwdriver is not.
It looks like there is a high degree of variance in the battery lifetime of these systems. Some people are reporting twice as much lifetime as others - for systems and loads that otherwise seem very similar.
I hope that it's just a coincidence that Apple's advertised claims are at the very high end of the range. It would be disappointing to discover that Apple tested dozens or hundreds of systems, and used the best ones for the advertised specs.
On the other hand, perhaps only a small percentage of the systems have poor battery life - but those "squeeky wheels" are what show up often in discussions.
As a Stats major, I know not to rely on anectodal evidence such as mine or anyone else's here, really. Evidence on a forum such as this will almost always be bias toward the negative. You're certainly right that those who are upset about their low battery life are more likely to post about their experience than those who are satisfied.
That said, it's still hard to say exactly where the mean battery life lies. The tests mentioned before done by 3rd parties have all involved much more than "light" usage. DVD playback battery life will always be lower than editing a Word document, etc. I don't think DVD play is quite what Apple intended when they posted their own expected battery lives. Look at the difference in battery on iPods between music v. video play.
Without more randomly sampled data, it's still impossible to come to any particular conclusion. Certainly there's variation, but most people who've posted shorter battery lives haven't said what they're using their computer for during that time. Either way, all I can say is it's certainly *possible* for a MacBook to run off battery for five hours.
The Macworld reviews I quoted for the MacBook Pro did not involve DVD use, and they all got between 3 and 3.5 hours, at the time Apple quoted a 5.5 hour life.
It's clear from reviewers that you should take Apple's rosy estimates and cut at least a third.
I'm confident in real-world use (editing documents, leaving wireless on to check mail or browse the web, etc.) that the MBA will have an average battery life of around 3 hours when brand-spankin' new.
It's clear from reviewers that you should take Apple's rosy estimates and cut at least a third.
I'm confident in real-world use (editing documents, leaving wireless on to check mail or browse the web, etc.) that the MBA will have an average battery life of around 3 hours when brand-spankin' new.
And I'm confident in saying that when I leave home for a meeting where I need 3 hours of runtime, or leave home for the airport for a flight where I need 3 hours of runtime - I won't have a MacBook
Thanks for reminding me - I need to print my boarding pass for tomorrow's flight. (American, MD83, seat 3F with power port) http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/American_Airlines/American_Airlines_MD-80.php
There's lots of discussion about flights and such, but let me take you through my typical day (and I recognise that I am not a typical user).
I'm on the train at 06:10 until 08:45 (2:35) and in class from 9:00 to 10:45 (1:45). That's 4:20 before I (maybe) get near a socket. I'm in class again from 13:30 to 15:15 (1:45) and back home on the train at 16:25, arriving home at 19:10 (2:35), so that's another 4:20 by the time I get home. I do my study on the train. In total I would like my computer operational for 8:40 every day, but I NEED at least 7.
Obviously I don't get that out of a Macbook, so I have to join in the scramble for power points every day. Because of this, and the uncertainty as to whether I'll get somewher to do a decent charge, I still have to carry books etc that I have scanned, because of the power issue, which is a pain, considering the amount I travel.
If the MBA could give me a reliable 7 hours a day (light use - pdf reading, wp, some wireless), I'd be reasonably happy with it, as I could leave in the morning with just the MBA.
Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case, and I have other concerns, including aesthetics, performance and price, so for the moment I'll pass.
I'm on the train at 06:10 until 08:45 (2:35) and in class from 9:00 to 10:45 (1:45). That's 4:20 before I (maybe) get near a socket. I'm in class again from 13:30 to 15:15 (1:45) and back home on the train at 16:25, arriving home at 19:10 (2:35), so that's another 4:20 by the time I get home. I do my study on the train. In total I would like my computer operational for 8:40 every day, but I NEED at least 7.
Obviously I don't get that out of a Macbook, so I have to join in the scramble for power points every day. Because of this, and the uncertainty as to whether I'll get somewher to do a decent charge, I still have to carry books etc that I have scanned, because of the power issue, which is a pain, considering the amount I travel.
If the MBA could give me a reliable 7 hours a day (light use - pdf reading, wp, some wireless), I'd be reasonably happy with it, as I could leave in the morning with just the MBA.
Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case, and I have other concerns, including aesthetics, performance and price, so for the moment I'll pass.
Don't know if there is a comment about trying to bring a screwdriver on an airplane to replace your spare battery when the first one dies
My thoughts exactly. Regardless of whether it invalidates your warranty there is no way in the current geopolitical climate you are going anywhere near a plane with a screwdriver in your hand luggage.
Actually having had time to think on this. I can actually see a whole market for 'add on' batteries for the macbook air which can either charge or power the device. Make them the same dimensions as the macbook air, the weight isn't going to be much more than a second battery and as long as it isn't too thick it will fit in any laptop bag designed for the macbook. In theory you could get a macbook air with twice (or more) the battery life.
They're already out there for ipods and theres some for windows laptops too iirc.
Admittedly not quite as nice a finish as the all in one approach but if its styled nicely why not.
They're already out there for ipods and theres some for windows laptops too iirc.
Admittedly not quite as nice a finish as the all in one approach but if its styled nicely why not.
Because it completely defeats the purpose of paying a premium for a thin laptop if the first thing you have to do is buy a battery which doubles its thickness...
Pretty sure Apple isn't releasing the Magsafe patents. If they have, then there should be 3rd party power bricks for the notebooks by now.
APC has a nice line of these for laptops, many of them also have USB power ports, so devices can be charged via USB without the laptop being involved.
http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=358
It does point out a serious design shortcoming, though, if the laptop requires such an external battery.
On the other hand, when the normal 2 1/2 hour runtime is enough you'll have the lightweight system. Also, no matter how long the runtime on the internal battery is, there will be times when it's not enough. An external would come in handy there.
All APC would need to do is to provide an EmPower adaptor - then you could use the Apple airplane magsafe cord.
And, of course, Apple could license the magsafe connector to some chosen vendors.
One thing that's different: You can take the MBA with you when you go out, so everyone can see how cool you are. The cube only made you cool at home. Big difference. But I do get the analogy nonetheless.