19% battery health, only 144 cycles on 2-year-old MBP

[LTX]

Firstly, I've taken a look at some battery threads here, but this issue seems to be more alarming. My sister's mid-2007 Macbook Pro 15" has a battery health of 19%. This sounds normal, except there have only been 144 battery cycles. From my understanding, the battery life usually doesn't significantly drop until ~300 cycles (at which one could expect around 80% health). She usually keeps the MBP plugged in, and does not use it much on battery power.

Lately, she's been trying to use it on battery power, only to have the charge percentage drop rapidly until it gets to around 70%, at which point the computer abruptly turns off, without a low battery indication.

coconutBattery indicates that the battery health is at 19% with 144 cycles; iStat Pro confirms this. coconutBattery reports a battery capacity of 1048 out of 5600 mAh. As we were using it on battery, the capacity dropped to 16% (916 / 5600 mAh). 27 months is the reported battery age.

I know it is normal for battery capacity to drop as its age and usage increases, but this much in only two years?

Right now we are calibrating the battery, in hopes that it will help.

Is there anything we can do without buying a new battery? Will the Apple store take a look at it (no AppleCare)?

Thanks.

 

[run-kmc]

She usually keeps the MBP plugged in, and does not use it much on battery power.

Straight from http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html:

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.

 

[soberbrain]

I agree. Keeping a laptop plugged in is actually the worst thing to do. Laptop batteries are meant to be discharged and charged.

You can try going to the Apple Store and see if they'll replace the battery. Otherwise, you'll need to buy a new one.

(Also, in the future it's a good idea to buy AppleCare for a portable machine. Aside from the battery, there's a higher chance of having hardware issues since they usually don't just stay on a desk.)

 

[jav6454]

She usually keeps the MBP plugged in, and does not use it much on battery power.

....

I know it is normal for battery capacity to drop as its age and usage increases, but this much in only two years?

....

Is there anything we can do without buying a new battery? Will the Apple store take a look at it (no AppleCare)?

Thanks.

You see, your sister did the worst thing possible for a battery, leaving it plugged 100%. Hence, not using it. A battery is supposed to be discharged and charged constantly, say twice a week. Otherwise its electrons will not flow properly and end up damaging itself rapidly.

In your case, it took less than half the usual cycle. It is obviously not normal and you will have to buy a new battery. Apple won't help because you are out of your 1-year warranty and without AppleCare, the only option is left is buying it.

A good suggestion is to discharge and charge the battery at a normal rate. A good example would be, using it during your lectures in class without being plugged, use it in your home without being plugged, etc.

Here, to back-up my claims I'll show you my battery life:

 

[miles01110]

Uh, 144 cycles over 2 years is roughly 3 battery cycles per month. Those of you who say that leaving it plugged in is "the worst" thing you can do for the battery are somewhat correct, but it doesn't really apply.