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Well, mine has 191 charge cycles and it is healty 100% as a toddler. :cool:

Wow. I have a 2006 2.16 MBP17. There was a known battery issue and they replaced it right around March '07.

iStat shows health 482 cycles with a health of 65% :( Barely get 1:30 on light usage and 1:00 if there's a movie running. It's pretty much tethered to a power outlet. One of the reasons I'm considering a MBP13 so I can be 'portable' again

eV
 
So, if Nehalem is suppose to be so great on power consumption, any guesses how long the battery life will be on a laptop with these new batteries & Nehalem?

I still can't believe I'm hesitating to get a new computer while I sit and type on a 1.5 GHz G4 :D. This thing stutters when it plays youtube videos half the time!
 
Wow. I have a 2006 2.16 MBP17. There was a known battery issue and they replaced it right around March '07.

iStat shows health 482 cycles with a health of 65% :( Barely get 1:30 on light usage and 1:00 if there's a movie running. It's pretty much tethered to a power outlet. One of the reasons I'm considering a MBP13 so I can be 'portable' again

eV

Have you tried Apple's conditioning method? Even Lithium batteries need some care. Not as bad as NiCad. If you want the ultimate in bad battery stories, I can show y'all my PB 165c. I've got 3 batteries for that classic laptop. Current health would have to be described thus: I have to plug the 165c in for a couple hours before trying to turn it on. Otherwise there isn't enough power built up to run on AC. Running on battery no longer possible, maybe long enough to boot 25%. (for those unfamiliar, the 165c was the first color laptop, 1991 or so)


There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding in this thread. Most of the "problems" that are mentioned are simply how batteries work. Other than the removable/nonremovable issue, obviously. So, if you don't like it, maybe you should do some research to understand batteries better, at least read Wikipedia for the basics. Or just get a desktop computer.

Lithium-Polymer is a lighter, cheaper, more powerful version of Lithium battery tech than the more common Lithium-Ion. (which basically means it runs even closer to red-line than Li-Ion) That's just standard tech facts, I'm not sure why some aren't trusting that it will last longer, given the same or slightly larger battery size in the new MBP. The excellent software control Apple is claiming is almost necessary just to use LiPo at all, so that's good they have it under control. You wouldn't want a new rash of laptops catching fire. That's been the reason it hasn't caught on quite as fast as the "lighter, cheaper, more powerful" might suggest.

Also, "1000 charges" is the standard industry life expectancy stated for both kinds of lithium batteries. And I mean the battery industry, not laptop. But this isn't a hard and fast rule. It's more like a generalized statement. So is the "500 charges to 80%" expectancy. And it really only applies to full charge cycles, the life expectancy if you have partial charge cycles is basically unpredictable. Which, of course, you will have. (think about: iPod/phone with constant charging in dock or car)

An interesting question to me would be: Who actually makes these LiPo batteries for Apple? Many of us no doubt remember the year of battery horror when Sony's OEM batteries were recalled from virtually every laptop manufacturer, including Apple. What was that, 2005? So, is Sony still making their batteries?
 
My only concern with the new MBPs would be having to send it away to replace the battery under warranty.

Well, iFixit and others may stock batteries and the battery is only 12 screws away - but I have no idea about warranty given that you may have to remove one of their warranty stickers to replace your battery.
 
anyone knows why when i plug in my charger, the charge on istat and coconutbattery shows only 98-99%? its only 2 weeks old and i just calibrated the battery. health is 100% so how can my charge be only 99% when it plugged it!!?!?!? any explanation? thanks :)
 
anyone knows why when i plug in my charger, the charge on istat and coconutbattery shows only 98-99%? its only 2 weeks old and i just calibrated the battery. health is 100% so how can my charge be only 99% when it plugged it!!?!?!? any explanation? thanks :)

Run the battery down to 50% to 75%, and try to charge?

Some laptops won't charge if the battery is above a certain threshold - it wastes a "charge cycle" and the battery is almost full anyway. My ThinkPad has a setting in the battery to adjust this threshold - around 85% is the default I think.
 
anyone knows why when i plug in my charger, the charge on istat and coconutbattery shows only 98-99%? its only 2 weeks old and i just calibrated the battery. health is 100% so how can my charge be only 99% when it plugged it!!?!?!? any explanation? thanks :)

That's normal. It stops charging between 95-100%. If you want to give it a jolt reset the SMC. How you do that depends on which computer you have. The new ones you do this:

Shut down, hold down shift-control-option and the power button once, wait five seconds and then start up.
 
it all depends on the work load too. Keep in mind all the factors that can change that.... most people don't use their computers for "light" workloads... i would still expect an average of 6-7 hours on it... which kicks other computers butts that are still stuck at the 2-3 hour range.

Also remember that distance from the WiFi access point and interference issues will affect battery life.
 
Have you tried Apple's conditioning method? Even Lithium batteries need some care. Not as bad as NiCad. If you want the ultimate in bad battery stories, I can show y'all my PB 165c. I've got 3 batteries for that classic laptop. Current health would have to be described thus: I have to plug the 165c in for a couple hours before trying to turn it on. Otherwise there isn't enough power built up to run on AC. Running on battery no longer possible, maybe long enough to boot 25%. (for those unfamiliar, the 165c was the first color laptop, 1991 or so)


There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding in this thread. Most of the "problems" that are mentioned are simply how batteries work. Other than the removable/nonremovable issue, obviously. So, if you don't like it, maybe you should do some research to understand batteries better, at least read Wikipedia for the basics. Or just get a desktop computer.

Lithium-Polymer is a lighter, cheaper, more powerful version of Lithium battery tech than the more common Lithium-Ion. (which basically means it runs even closer to red-line than Li-Ion) That's just standard tech facts, I'm not sure why some aren't trusting that it will last longer, given the same or slightly larger battery size in the new MBP. The excellent software control Apple is claiming is almost necessary just to use LiPo at all, so that's good they have it under control. You wouldn't want a new rash of laptops catching fire. That's been the reason it hasn't caught on quite as fast as the "lighter, cheaper, more powerful" might suggest.

Also, "1000 charges" is the standard industry life expectancy stated for both kinds of lithium batteries. And I mean the battery industry, not laptop. But this isn't a hard and fast rule. It's more like a generalized statement. So is the "500 charges to 80%" expectancy. And it really only applies to full charge cycles, the life expectancy if you have partial charge cycles is basically unpredictable. Which, of course, you will have. (think about: iPod/phone with constant charging in dock or car)

An interesting question to me would be: Who actually makes these LiPo batteries for Apple? Many of us no doubt remember the year of battery horror when Sony's OEM batteries were recalled from virtually every laptop manufacturer, including Apple. What was that, 2005? So, is Sony still making their batteries?

Do not use laptop on ac power with the lithium battery installed. The high temperatures on ac power are the main reason a lithium battery will wear out quickly. So either run you laptop on battery when it is charged or remove the battery when on ac power for extended periods of time. Batteries are chemistry so respect the laws of nature: no free lunch.
 
Do not use laptop on ac power with the lithium battery installed. The high temperatures on ac power are the main reason a lithium battery will wear out quickly. So either run you laptop on battery when it is charged or remove the battery when on ac power for extended periods of time. Batteries are chemistry so respect the laws of nature: no free lunch.

You don't know what you are talking about. Removing the battery downclocks the CPU. Running off battery all the time prematurely degrades the battery as it has a limited number of cycles in its lifespan. The recommendation is to use 2-3 cycles a week and fully calibrate every 2-3 months.
 
Also remember that distance from the WiFi access point and interference issues will affect battery life.

Do not use laptop on ac power with the lithium battery installed. The high temperatures on ac power are the main reason a lithium battery will wear out quickly. So either run you laptop on battery when it is charged or remove the battery when on ac power for extended periods of time. Batteries are chemistry so respect the laws of nature: no free lunch.

Is this supposed to be a joke?
 
Something is a joke, anyway....

....or remove the battery when on ac power for extended periods of time.

Apple has made it rather difficult to "remove the battery" in the new models ;)

That part and the wifi part confused me.

OMG! I picked up a copy of Butt and I read an article about Aiden Shaw. I couldn't recall where I had previously read that name until now. Crazy!
 
Something is a joke, anyway....

....or remove the battery when on ac power for extended periods of time.

Apple has made it rather difficult to "remove the battery" in the new models ;)


Put my post in the context of the one I was replying to please. As such, I was speaking in generalities. Use a little logic...if you have a new MacBook Pro and don't want to burn the battery out quickly, do not run on mains power while battery is near 100% charge for long periods of time.
 
Sure generalities that are not reasonable measures to take for a vast majority of notebook users. It's obvious that heat degrades battery capacity, but that's kind of the point of the battery. Sure you could keep it in the freezer, but that defeats the purpose of a notebook. The figure 1 is great, but it's showing the loss of capacity after a year of being stored at certain temperatures. Batteries lose charge either way when not charged for long periods of time. It's a theoretical and I'm not keeping my battery in the freezer.
 
Sure generalities that are not reasonable measures to take for a vast majority of notebook users. It's obvious that heat degrades battery capacity, but that's kind of the point of the battery. Sure you could keep it in the freezer, but that defeats the purpose of a notebook. The figure 1 is great, but it's showing the loss of capacity after a year of being stored at certain temperatures. Batteries lose charge either way when not charged for long periods of time. It's a theoretical and I'm not keeping my battery in the freezer.

Where did I say keep your battery in the freezer? The advice is to not run on ac mains power for long periods of time when the battery is near 100% charge. Simple. If you disagree, so be it. Be happy paying Apple for a battery replacement sooner than you would have to. Its your money.
 
anyone knows why when i plug in my charger, the charge on istat and coconutbattery shows only 98-99%? its only 2 weeks old and i just calibrated the battery. health is 100% so how can my charge be only 99% when it plugged it!!?!?!? any explanation? thanks :)

It takes a lot longer to charge that last bit (the top off) due to the chemistry resistance. Maybe that is what you are experiencing. If you can't get the green light on the mag-safe to go on after charging with the computer off overnight, try the recalibration procedure.
 
Where did I say keep your battery in the freezer? The advice is to not run on ac mains power for long periods of time when the battery is near 100% charge. Simple. If you disagree, so be it. Be happy paying Apple for a battery replacement sooner than you would have to. Its your money.

You said to take the battery out while using the AC adapter. I like to keep my CPU functionality and not worry about unplugging it and losing all the work. It is also well known that for people who use the computer for long periods of time that if they continuously cycle the battery without letting it sit charge it is going to die an early death. This is what I did with my first battery for this computer and it died in 3 months. Obviously it was probably a fluke, but it is an example. Batteries have limited lifespan in terms of cycles. If you are on the computer all the time you don't want to cycle it too much or you'll cut that battery lifespan short.

As for paying Apple, the battery is going to last three years or less no matter how you slice it in most cases. On one extreme you have the continuous cycling, which for someone who is on the notebook all the time is a possibility. For those individuals, it is probably better to keep it charging most of the time and make sure to have an average of about 2-3 cycles per week. So perhaps the battery might get a little warm. This sounds like a reasonable number to me or are you suggesting a full cycle every day? If the battery keeps 80% of the charge for 300 cycles, you hit that in one year. After two years, lets just say that slope turns downward pretty quickly. I'm not saying one extreme is better than another, but I'm saying taking out the battery is obsessive which is what you were suggesting originally.
 
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